Fall Of Man

What has been Hid in your Heart? (part 2)

Dan

It was my observation when digging into the message of Ezekiel chapter 14, that God usually responds to idolatry by returning them to the idol for answers rather than providing the answer as requested. They ask the idol for help, then stand expectantly in front of their idol, waiting for help to be dispatched from the Idol Help desk and resolve their issue (see Judges 10:13-14). In this passage, God sends the inquiries to the god they have chosen. This coy judgement is just what they request. They receive what they want. The unmitigated support and attention from the idol they serve no matter what their walk in life is or their profession. You can guess the outcome.  Eventual despair.

Their trouble is heightened because they refuse to narrow the gap between themselves and God; they have yielded to some creature from the valley of death and gave that creature dominion over their heart. This is the sad endgame for those who mock God and his ways. Their heart is at war with him. We do not see the war, but we can see the effect of the war on their life and their families.  Despair.

Ezekiel 14:6-8 says — This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices! When any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing in Israel separate themselves from me and set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet to inquire of me, I the Lord will answer them myself. I will set my face against them and make them an example and a byword. I will remove them from my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord. [NIV]

This message from Ezekiel is not directed like a shotgun towards all Hebrews in earshot, rather it is a nuanced message directed at a specific type of sin, a specific group of people. It brings to mind a despondent soul drifting because his anchors of society and power have been destroyed. Our target group is hiding in plain sight, thinking that their absence from the shadow of the temple gives license to drift from the truth in their heart.

In private, he worships the idols of his father, yet he is publicly a Hebrew, an alleged worshiper of Elohim. He has learned to not expect any useful or pertinent message from Elohim’s prophets, even his friends who have their secrets and their own demons; they may not be aware of his drifting. He is gradually separating himself from God, the temple, and the people of God. His service (no matter how distracted and lame the service was) is diminishing in importance, like a distant whiff of incense, it fades.

But we see there is even a smaller crowd that have all but separated themselves from God, yet they come and hang out with ‘God’s people’ looking for scraps of advice and messages that might be useful. Not because they want to repent but because they are looking for a way out of the mess they created. They want out on their terms, not God’s terms. They want a clue, a light in the distance they can target to wander and get away from their problems but not solve their problems and climb into the light.

This kind of behavior is dangerous. We should not trifle with God or his people. Hoping to leverage their kindness into an edge that gets them past the issues they face. If you make a mess, own it, don’t tiptoe through the facts to find a few facts that can be used to extract help from the faithful.

For people who are maneuvering amongst God’s people they are the target of this message from Ezekiel. It is necessary to repent. This person may be thinking they can save their situation, but Ezekiel says God will make him a sign and inflict such judgements on him as to make him contemptable in the eyes of his friends (see Matthew 24:51). His life will be a warning to others to get close to God, cling to God, never waver in your gaze. Avoid the misery. Stay close to him in all your ways! I choose Jesus.

What has been Hid in your Heart? (part 1)

Dan

It was my observation when evaluating the 14th chapter of Ezekiel that a few things of interest emerged. First of all, let us state a universal truth – hearing the word of God and communication with God (prayer) are wonderful ordinances of God, useful to grow us and comfort us. In both of these activities we give honor to him. They lead us to acceptance and favor from him in times of strife. We seek these things to find solutions for problems and answers to questions. So, it is with some aghast I find this chapter addressing those who wait on God for a few things but not all things. The elders come to Ezekiel in all their finery, heads held high, expecting Ezekiel to pay homage to their obvious strength and position in the community. Yet, because they are not qualified to consult with Ezekiel, they hear a rebuke rather than acceptance. Then Ezekiel quickly takes to the offensive (rather than a ‘follower’ role) and calls on them to repent and reform their lifestyle; else it will be a perilous adventure to enquire of God’s wisdom.

Ezekiel 14:1-5 says — Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me. Then the word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire about me at all? Therefore, speak to them and tell them, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: when any of the Israelites set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet, I the Lord will answer them myself in keeping with their great idolatry. I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols. [NIV]

I think we can assume that the elders who dropped in on Ezekiel were not regulars. They were not people who heard him speak very often, if ever. I think they were the social elite of those stranded in Babylon near the river. They may have even been on business, like an emissary from a local Hebrew leader (inside the slave community). They called upon the prophet, wanting to know if he had a specific message for them that might give them an edge with the leaders of Babylon.

Ezekiel was riled up when he replies. He feels God’s indignation. Perhaps the elders were on the job, getting feedback from Ezekiel and comparing it to Jeremiah looking for places to discount their respective messages. Of course, Ezekiel was stern in his reply. He knew the elders to be idolater’s, they were treating Ezekiel as they would treat any local oracle. They were curious and probing into his message and authenticity.

They pretend to put away their idolatry to entice Ezekiel to start talking. They kept them in their hearts and had every intention of returning to their vomit. This is how it flows with spiritual idolatry. They respond to the pull of their sensual patterns wallowing in their mind with thoughts of the economy and their businesses. Some look to idols to provide power, some look to idols to provide wealth, others look to idols to provide companions.  I suspect that in their days the pull on their heart would be power and companionship. Today I suspect we are allured by the beauty of wealth and economic power. With this stumbling block we often fall into sin and land in ruin. I should note that we are our own worst trouble. Every person has these temptations, and for those who step into the snare, they are taken down by their own hand, their own mind, their own bank account.

The deeper truth – sin and shame are our own doing. We create the mess by ignoring the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We die from 1000 small infractions that gradually tear our character down, shredding our dignity. The process is gradual, once we realize what happened we often find it difficult to repent because of pride. But repent we must, that is the first step to healing, the first step to mercy, the first step to restoration. I choose Jesus.

Condemnation does not seem like Enough (Part 2)

Dan

It was my observation while reading and processing Ezekiel 13 that the message delivered was not the usual prose they were accustom to hearing. This was a much stronger message similar to what we read in 1 John 1:1 — That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life [NIV]. Just as the readers of Johns letter felt, the Hebrews were feeling as Ezekiel is talking. He is firmly saying to walk away from the false prophets. Get away. Their dreams and visions are homemade. They are not real. They are mere vanity and divination, stuff made up and presented as something they heard or saw when in fact nothing happened.

Ezekiel 13:6-9 says — Their visions are false and their divinations a lie Even though the Lord has not sent them, they say, the Lord declares, and expects him to fulfill their words. Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, The Lord declares, though I have not spoken? Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because of your false words and lying visions, I am against you, declares the Sovereign Lord. My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord [NIV].

It goes without saying – the message from Lucifer is false, he is the father of lies, he will never change. He will work hard to prove that God has lied, God is no longer relevant, God’s form of moral judgement is outdated and no longer pertinent to the issues we face. We need a new message from a new kind of God. Perhaps a well-meaning software program known as AI (or perhaps we call it HAL?). Lucifer has many new shades of the same old tricks. Expect him to exploit the woke community and redefine God’s character and attributes to match their needs. In the end they reshape God (1000 small edits to his character) until we no longer have confidence in the one true living God.

They are like the coyotes of the desert, good hunters, skillful at finding our weakness, attacking when we are at our most vulnerable position. They run to-and-fro, giving the appearance of being in a great hurry, but they are working to snare us. They flatter people into a vain kind of hope, not well defined, not easy to gauge when you have achieved the goal. They suggest that we can have hope and have all our vices at the same time. They suggest we are not shackled by the tired outdated rules of Ozzy and Harriet. They suggest we have woken from a great slumber in antiquity and we are now free of God’s oppression.

They are pretenders. They spew their woke concepts in a neat package as some new and improved truth. But, the one true living God has made it clear – I am the Lord your God – I change not. Goodness, what folly we engage in when we think that absolute truth is not so absolute.

We read in Matthew 5:19 — anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven [NIV]. In a woke world, at the very least, followers of the one true living God are discounted by the community, at worst they are pushed out of the community, ashamed to lift their head in the midst of their friends, the woke people who are deceived find it necessary to hold believers at bay, being careful to avoid their message.

No one wants to be trapped in captivity, marginalized in their woe. Once the truth comes out, when God’s word prevails, the mercy and grace of God play a dominate role. For the troubled who repent from wokeness, forgiveness is always available. God’s mercy is renewed every morning. Restoration is possible. I choose Jesus.

Condemnation does not seem like Enough (Part 1)

Dan

It was my observation that Ezekiel chapter 13 is addressing the vain vision and divinations that were floating around the Hebrew culture. They were hunting for some scrap of truth they could rest their life decisions upon. This chapter is focused on the impact of aimless wandering. In this case the message from God expressed through his prophets is very clear when speaking about false prophets.

Every day we hear people comment on what will happen in the future if some event or policy is implemented. The soothsayers (talking heads) abound in their message of woe or hope depending upon their situation. When the talking heads are passionate and judgmental against others, they sometimes move into the realm of prophecy. They set themselves up as judge and jury.

This is God’s job not ours. God tells us — Get it right or close your mouth (Deuteronomy 18:22). Do not flatter others, do not present illusions as truth, stay away from deceptive messaging. Get it right! Why, because true wisdom and strength are sourced in God; we learn how to live from him, we learn what to live for by listening to the message (implied in Job 12:16).

Esekiel 13:2-5 says — Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: ‘Hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolishprophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins. You have not gone up to the breaches in the wall to repair it for the people of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the Lord. [NIV].

Some of the receptors for this message were local to Jerusalem and the immediate area surrounding Jerusalem (see Jeremiah 23:14). Others were among the captives in Babylon. Ezekiel and Jeremiah addressed the problem of false prophets (see Jeremiah 29:8) when Jeremiah said — Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed [NIV].

This specific dual message is reasonable evidence they were guided by the same Holy Spirit. On the other hand, the false prophets worked hard to create a unique message that set them apart from the heard and drew listeners to their events. As you might guess there was little hope the false prophets would repent, but God made the provision, offering grace to all. At the same time the message went out to the remnant to caution them from embracing the false messages.

The deeper truth – I cannot recall a time in Hebrew history that God’s people rejected false prophets and God did not shower them with grace. Furthermore, the examples of false prophets operating rarely occurred until the true prophets of the one true living God were ignored and maligned. Arrogance led to the magnification of counterfeit messages and troublesome guidance. The false prophets were exposed to the word of God, some repented, most did not. They were trying to make a living.

They made a folly of their own message (see 2 Timothy 3:9). They are blocked by the Holy Spirit from rendering too much damage for the people of God (the remnant). nature of the false message. Thus, the listeners who ascribed to the false prophet rendered These false voices were called foolish prophecies, their followers did not ascertain the serious damage to their own soul. How do the listeners recover? They should repent! I choose Jesus.

I’m done with the Delays

Dan

It was my observation while reading Ezekiel 12 that God had employed an assortment of themes to get the attention of the careless Hebrews to understand the Judgement that was at the doorstep. They needed to focus, repent and walk away from their crazy ways to halt the judgement. Unfortunately, they resolved to stand behind their stone safeguard, stand behind the walls of the city to protect them; they were adamant, the one true living God was not going to protect them.

Instead, they kept reassuring each other they were on the right path. Elohim was an ancient relic, no longer relevant to their modern thinking and ideas. Elohim was not coming. Ezekiel was just another soothsayer trying to make a living peddling bad news. They wondered out loud, where is this God, he is not so tough. He hides behind hacks and mystics. He had no real power. Then God says — Enough!

Ezekiel 12: 22-25 says — Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel: The days go by and every vision comes to nothing? Say to them, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to put an end to this proverb, and they will no longer quote it in Israel. Say to them, the days are near when every vision will be fulfilled. For there will be no more false visions or flattering divinations among the people of Israel. But I the Lord will speak what I will, and it shall be fulfilled without delay. For in your days, you rebellious people, I will fulfill whatever I say, declares the Sovereign Lord [NIV].

Goodness, how these Hebrews have made a mess out of things. There is a remnant present, but the leadership and most of the community are rebellious. They have no real belief that God is a God of his word. They use what they want from his message but refuse the full counsel of Scripture and his teachers. They make up new proverbs to support their position. Enough, says God! Enough! Yet, they continue in their rebellion. Even if they were remotely aware of the message, they feel the end was a long way down the road. Therefore, they need not be troubled by the threat or prepare for the threat. More than likely, they will die of natural causes from old age in honor and peace rather than some kind of threat to the city walls. But this turned out to be a massive mistake on their part. God was putting his foot down. He was done with the preparations. The time was now!

Their quaint sayings had morphed into proverbs, it was as if they had been on the evening news day after day until they became accepted as truth and spoke by all at the dinner table and at the workplace. I think this demonstration of degeneracy by the Hebrews revealed the depth of corruption in their heart. This thing became a tricky artifice used by Lucifer to reinforce the corruption in our heart and make us feel like we are in safe ground. Yet, it is a clear tool of the woke Hebrew community, a clear tool creating prejudice against the way of God. This progressive idea ‘woke up’ the Hebrews to a false reality. They move in their woke state and deliver a great offence to the one true living God.

The deeper truth – when our life and message demonstrate the truth of heaven and paints a contrast between heaven and hell; we are a persuader. We are being used by God. He provides opportunities to answer the questions, he provides the answers. We simply become available. It is not our place to view them as infidels, even if they rail against God’s plan. We are to love them with everything inside of us. We are to be patient with them as they struggle to walk away from the old ways and embrace the new.

Some decide that the cost is too great. For them, we still love them. Why? Because we may be the last person who speaks Jesus into them. We may be the last time they hear God speak to them through another human. We do not know. Just love them. Our message must always be one of life with Jesus and death without Jesus. Our compassion and mercy must reflect the gravity of their poor decisions. For even if the return of Jesus is more than a few weeks away, it is near, very near indeed. I choose Jesus.

Hanging out on the Kebar River

Dan

It was my observation while reading Ezekiel chapter 10 that things were changing rapidly in the City of Jerusalem. Trouble was at the doorstep. God was on the move. Literally. God was pulling out of Jerusalem and leaving it to the dogs of war. The stench of their sin caused God to oblige their wish for autonomous control and he backed away from them. Their mantle of protection was gone. Initially Ezekiel saw the glory of God shining in the temple, But the shekinah glory is moving. God’s Cherubim (angels) are getting started on their mission. Ezekiel saw visually what the Hebrews had asked for and now were receiving. God to depart from them, the imagery was to help them know what they had given up, providing one last opportunity for lamentation and groaning that would lead to repentance by their Ichabod (see 1 Samuel 4:21). But this did not occur. Instead, they learned the true meaning of – be careful what you ask for, it just might happen!

Ezekiel 10:15-22 says — Then the cherubim rose upward. These were the living creatures I had seen by the Kebar River. When the cherubim moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the cherubim spread their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels did not leave their side. When the cherubim stood still, they also stood still; and when the cherubim rose, they rose with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in them. Then the glory of the Lord departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim. While I watched, the cherubim spread their wings and rose from the ground, and as they went, the wheels went with them. They stopped at the entrance of the east gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them. These were the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the Kebar River, and I realized that they were cherubim. Each had four faces and four wings, and under their wings was what looked like human hands. Their faces had the same appearance as those I had seen by the Kebar River. [NIV]

I think we can attach some meaning to the vision components. It appears to demonstrate the angels are in close communication with God on constant basis. Furthermore, the four columns and the four wheels (which are individually alive) seem to be able to move in a coordinated manner. We could infer – because the same Spirit dwells in the columns (angels) and wheels (angels), the infinite wisdom of God is dispersed to accomplish the common good. This vision definitely presents an integrated cadre of angels supporting and empowering the throne room. The vision demonstrates that the Lord has strong control over the heavens (see Psalms 103:19-22). Furthermore, God commands his kingdom, dispatching the mighty ones who implement his will, and the vision speaks to the eventual positive outcome of all his actions. Why positive? Because God is in control.

In spite of the changes and odd turns we take in life, we know there is no one more Holy than the God we serve, he is our rock. The proud talk of the Hebrews was full of arrogance, but God knew better. He weighed their deeds on the scale and shattered their haughty plans. He brought angels to the gates of Jerusalem to clean out the mess. Yet for the few, the remnant, he had compassion (see 2 Samuel 2:2-5). They were protected by the mark.

In this vision we see the shekinah glory of God hovering over the cherubim, having provided direction, the angels are left to their work. The platform, columns and wheels are a symbol of a chariot, they demonstrate the departure of God from the City. The cherubim lift up their wings and head out as the wheels follow. Notice the extreme point and counter point.  The Hebrews are resistive, rebellious, unruly. They refuse the commands of God. The angels are obedient, worshiping, attentive to every thought coming from God. The Hebrews cast of the yoke offered by God and push him away, yet the angels are engaged in service, implementing the will of God. They are responding to his voice (see Psalms 103:20). The contrast displayed on the Kabar River can be no more profound.  I choose Jesus.

The Man Clothed in Linen (Part 2)

Dan

It was my observation that things are getting serious for Jerusalem as I continue reading Ezekiel. The first thing I notice in chapter 9 is the markings of the remnant. But there are many things that define that mark. I can feel the remnant shuddering at the changes in the City of God. I am sure Ezekiel could see the coming trouble and felt sad for his people. I hope they did what they could to turn the tide back toward the one true living God. Once the angels begin, if you did not have the mark, you were going to die. If you did have the mark, you were heading to Babylon. Not much of a prize for being in the remnant. But at least they were alive and part of the solution, not part of the problem.

I think it prudent to say clearly – we are not getting it done of we think a simple ‘turning away’ from the sin of others is good enough. We do not hate them for their actions, but we do not embrace or overlook the sin. We avoid embracing their sin. We need to carefully reach out to help others find their way out of trouble. We mourn for them as we see their trouble unfold. We grief for those who push away from our hand of help. This tenderness we exude comes from God, we are asked to love mercy and walk humbly, for it is only the Grace of God that separates us from those we are trying to help.

Ezekiel 9:3-6 says — Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side and said to him, go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it. As I listened, he said to the others, follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, the mothers, and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary. So, they began with the old men who were in front of the temple. [NIV]

As we can see the Angels rolling through the city, hunting down the remnant, placing a mark on their head of all people on the list, this clearly pulls the remnant from the fire, they are a work of grace, chosen by God so the Angels know to leave them alone. This mark is a calming event, they become aware they will be spared from the coming trouble.

The Hebrews who stayed clear of the rampant sin were protected from this extreme judgement. I think they would have been somewhat concerned, but they had been trusting God, so there was no real solid reason to not continue trusting God. They had every reason to expect delivery or extreme peace as they endured trouble. We are reminded of the sealing of the servants of God on their forehead (see Revelation 7:3) as the same mark of care and protection related in this passage. In Ezekiel’s situation the mark protects from immediate death, in the case of Revelation, the seal protects the heart from seduction soon to happen.

So, the angelic work begins. Without exception they move through the city. They kill everyone who does not have the mark. The make no distinction to age or sex. There is no hesitation. Those who live in sin die. They resisted change, they pursued their sin even when pursued by God, day after day. They died.

The angels are warned to avoid people with the mark. Coming close would create unnecessary concern and fear. God made promises to the remnant (see Jeremiah 15:11) they should be treated well; things should go well for them. We have no evidence that any of the remnant were killed. And, in other times we see the remnant protected such as when the romans crushed Jerusalem, the Christians were secured in a city called Pella. None perished. But the unbelieving Jews were crushed. They started in the temple, the Ringleaders were first meet the judgement, the sin of the eminent were quashed first. Then the rest of the city. There is no place to hide. Therefore… I choose Jesus.