Nature of Man

Detestable Things

Dan

It was my observation that detestable things come in many flavors. Ezekiel defines one of those flavors in Chapter 8. He makes it clear the Hebrews are on a dark slippery slope downward. They thought they were on high ground and were navigating the speedbumps, even pointing fingers at others. But they were fools. They criticized God; they missed the point. Never pick a fight with the boss. All you do is condemn yourself. This is the plain truth. They work hard to deflect their sin to something else or somebody else. But God sees through their smoke screen and knows the plain truth.

Ezekiel 8:14-18 says – He brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord, and I saw women sitting there, mourning the god Tammuz. He said to me, do you see this, son of man? You will see things that are even more detestable than this. He then brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun in the east. He said to me, have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the people of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence and continually arouse my anger? Look at them putting the branch to their nose! Therefore, I will deal with them in anger; I will not look on them with pity or spare them. Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen to them. [NIV]

Only a fool believes he can deceive the one true living God. Only a fool thinks they can negotiate with God. Never assume you can divert God’s attention and then press him to play the nice guy card, getting yourself off the hook. Bad move. He is a merciful God but not a pushover. Ezekiel, speaking for God, hammers out the message. In his kindness, he leads us firmly, holding our hand with a strong grip, and leading us to truth. Then God looks you in the eye and says – You still want to resist? Bad move!

And so, here we are. Idols worshiped in the temple courtyard. Women mourning and weeping for Tammuz. This practice was an ancient Sumerian cult ritual commemorating the death of seasonal fertility. Not much trust of God in this activity. It was clear that atheism or some form of God denying was at the core of their idolatry. The Hebrews seems to be flippant about their view – God does not hear us, so we can do what we want to do. They seem to feel they are out of God’s purview. God’s response? I cannot hear? I am deaf?  Not really. It is because of your behavior; I choose to not hear you.

I suspect, in most of these cases that Ezekiel was prophesying about, the essential problem was a denial or disbelief of the omniscience of God, this denial feeds the Hebrew departures from his law and leads many people from today’s church into chaos. This departure, to find yourself, to find some new truth, to find an easier path to walk, to find ‘real’ truth, to find a better set of friends, this departure starts when we stop accepting the omniscience of God. Huh? We start doubting that God knows everything about everything. We start assuming he is dated, out of step with the new and improved moral ideas. This pushes you to step away from an ignorant God. God starts feeling a little too small for your ‘higher level’ world. You start feeling like you got a handle on things and a better plan than God has. You start thinking God’s old, outdated moral law is not as pure as your new moral law. You start feeling superior in thought to this ancient God. And, in that instant, you are starting to cross the line.

And so, we place the branch to our nose to negate the detestable things. The branch, in this case, is often thought to be a highly aromatic branch used to shield us from detestable odors. Odor? You know. The kind of aroma we smell in a field frequented by a large herd of Javelina. We are talking about that unmistakable smell. You cannot see them, but you can hear their hooves and that detestable smell. That unmistakable smell. You know danger is near and you try hard to convince yourself you can avoid the trouble. After all, Javelina cannot see very well!  As for me?     I choose Jesus.

This is How God Draws us Close

Dan

It was my observation while reading the first few chapters of Ezekiel that all of the sequencing happened in a set of visions. Now, in the passage that is the subject for this essay, Ezekiel is coming out of the visions and re-engaging with real life. He seemed startled, not anxious to leave the vision, and even grumpy about the closure.

Ezekiel 3: 12-15 says — Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound as the glory of the Lord rose from the place where it was standing. It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound. The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord on me. I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kebar River. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days—deeply distressed [NIV].

I think that this transition from Vision to Real-life is a magnified version of what it is like to go on a weekend Christian retreat that is non-stop teaching and prayer. It is fun, interesting and completely engaging.  Then just as quickly as it began, it stops and we are reunited with our normal routines.   This is a hint of what Ezekiel was feeling. He is lifted up and he hears the angels making noise and they brush their wings together. The noise is deafening.

The angels crowded about to see the wisdom of God packaged up like a mantle and placed upon Ezekiel.  Their noise is a sound like clapping or tapping a table with a spoon at a meeting.  They are crowding in to get a good view.  All this was in place to reinforce the importance of the commissioning of Ezekiel.  Surely, he was also hearing them say something like blessed be the glory of the Lord God from his throne.  We praise God from the heavens, we all his angels praise him for the wisdom displayed (implied in Psalms 148:1-2)

Sometimes, when we know the depth of the calling, we may feel some reluctance. In this case, I do not think he was disobedient to the heavenly vision, not shrinking from the work, as Jonah, but was not at all pleased with the task.  He knows the audience will be exasperated by the message and will be very agitated. So, he resists but has no choice.  He is going. 

Perhaps he was aware of the hard task that Jeremiah had undertook at Jerusalem.  Perhaps he was thinking it would be just as difficult.  Perhaps he knew the opposition Jeremiah met with, how he was abused by the locals, and what poor treatment he endured, and all to no real change.  So he wonders – must I experience the same? His life as a captive was tough enough; but now he was facing the double whammy – the captive prophet to a captive nation scenario.  His self-doubt overcame common sense.  He buckled emotionally and became bitter.

What did God do?  God picked up Ezekiel by the knap of the neck and placed him square in the middle of the rebellious nation.  The hand of the Lord was strong.  Like a firm parent helping a child overcome obstacles that seem like a mountain to the child but a mere speedbump to the parent.  God prevailed and compelled Ezekiel to move forward.  God reminded Ezekiel he was well prepared. 

And so, God gently placed the pouting child in his place of ministry and provided time to digest his fear and his grief.  God helped him to heal and then begin his work. Those who God prepares for a hard job are often humbled greatly before the task begins. This is how he draws us close.   I choose Jesus.

Respecting the Things of God

Dan

It was my observation while reading Ecclesiastes that Solomon was clear in Ecclesiastes 8:9-13 that we should avoid engaging with tyrannical and oppressive people. Why? In the end, the righteous succeed and evil men will diminish. He also talked about the need for a speedy trial and resolution in court cases.

Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 8:9-13 — All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own hurt. Then too, I saw the wicked buried—those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive [men’s] praise in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless. When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do [more] wrong. Although a wicked person who commits a hundred crimes may live a long time, I know it will go better with those who fear God, who are reverent before him. Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, their days will not lengthen like a shadow [NIV].

Solomon made it clear he had observed many rulers that ruled over others even to their own hurt. They were put into power to administrate justice for their people, to preserve public peace, and to protect the people from aggressive outsiders. Yet, they used power to hurt, take property, freedom, and justice away from the people to the benefit of the few. Their pride and greed led to their decline in power; bringing the troubles they imposed on others back to themselves. They had no respect for God or God’s people.

He saw these rulers and potentates come and go from the temple, never being held accountable for their actions. They continued with the behavior all their life in office, died and were buried with the honor of the office they held (not the honor they carried because of their actions). Their vanity, wealth and power vanished with the whiff of their death. Their life was considered to be meaningless. Nothing was remembered – neither the good things nor the bad things. They became obscure. Their bodies buried in the dust, vanishing into dust. God had the last word. Death put them in their place.

Solomon has sufficient experience and foresight to understand that some leaders, placed into power, would do improper things one hundred times over and yet God’s response would be deferred, patience would be applied to the situation much beyond the range of human kindness. This would add to the leader’s days, and then, at the same time – God told us to hang tough – He is in control. We are not to become discouraged or demoralized. You may recall the song lyric – Be happy! That is God’s counsel. Focus on the one true living God, not some random human who is out of control. The message of God for people who are enduring poor leadership is found in Ecclesiastes 3:14. He says — I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing can be taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him [NIV].

We are given the fruit of the Spirit for a reason; our character is shaped by each of the fruits. The notion of fearing God can be easily defined as ‘respecting God’ and his plans. We know his eye is always on us, even when things are falling apart, His eye is on us. In turn, we are to keep our eye on the one true living God (eternal things), not on the things around us (temporal things). If we stand in awe of his majesty, trust his judgement in our lives, and focus our life on walking with God, we will find peace.

When we are flat on the ground, fully at the mercy of proud oppressors then we find the true meaning of fearing God. We stay focused, submit to God’s will, find our way through the trouble, and find a place of respite to reel in our thoughts. We learn through these experiences they cannot interrupt our communion with God. We know it will be well with our soul when we respect the things of God. I choose Jesus.

Trends in Godliness

Dan

It has been my observation that life can look very unfair if we do not view it through the lens of God’s eye. Ecclesiastes 7:15-20 says “In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: the righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness. Do not be over righteous, neither be overwise— why destroy yourself? Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool— why die before your time? It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes. Wisdom makes one wise person more powerful than ten rulers in a city. Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.” [NIV]

Shedding the old ways, the old self, the old attitudes, the old pattern of life is not trivial nor is it easy. Habits are difficult to abandon. This disposition, extraction, adjustments of the old self is a work of God. If they are not of Him, then the adjustments will fail. The adjustments are not a work of passion or heated exuberance; we are not talking about the emotional fire of a revival tent that exudes a zeal for God. Rather we are talking about deliberate, conscious actions, yielding to the wisdom of God.

If the changes are forced on us, we will surely develop pride or conceit of our own ability to bridle our actions in accordance with the Law. We will start finding fault with everything that does not exactly align with our personal view of godliness. We start busying ourselves with the matters of other people, failing to see the logs in our eyes because we are sooooo busy getting all our friends on board with the latest ‘trend’ in godliness. It is true that we can live an ok life with ‘knee jerk’ reactions to the latest trend blowing through our local churches, but I think that there is a better way.

I think if we are to really respect and fear God who created this universe (not a scared, cowering fear), if we are to express a healthy respect for God’s power and righteousness then we will express a desire to emulate Him within our limited capacity. We will gradually develop the need (desire) to serve others, to be steady in the fiercest storms of life, to exude a quiet joy when things are going ‘really good’ rather than some kind of ‘jumping jack flash’ approach to good things. A steady heart, unmoved by any circumstances softens many an angry confrontation. Wisdom brings us to the waters of stability, the calming strength that overwhelms resentful affronts with gentility. Passion has its place, but it must be bridled and managed, or it will bring much trouble to our doorstep.

Solomon tells us (Ecclesiastes 7:23-26) “I am determined to be wise … Whatever exists is far off and most profound— who can discover it? So, I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search for wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly. I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare.“ [NIV]

I think that Solomon, in his search for meaning, felt deluded and foiled by real life. He was earnestly trying to walk with God, but with a few steps closer to God came a step or two backwards away from God. He felt his search was mostly stumbling in the dark. Then comes the awareness of how companions influenced him. He was unable to find companions that shared his interests. He felt trapped. Yet, he also knew a strong woman could be our best friend, she would know our habits and be a sounding board against poor behavior; she can remind us of the original path we set forth on; she can ask the questions that no one else on earth can ask of our actions and behavior. Being one with us, she would know us best and encourage the best for us (implied in Ephesians 5:22-33). What are we asked to do? Love this woman as Jesus loved the Church and died for the Church. Love her even unto death.

I choose Jesus.

Anger is Not our Friend

Dan

It has been my observation while reading Ecclesiastes that I have much to learn if I want to walk peacefully with God. Ecclesiastes 7:1-6 says “A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. … The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure. It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person than to listen to the song of fools. Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools. This too is meaningless. “[NIV]

Our behavior matters, Paul tells us that we should walk humbly before God and people, that we should be men and women who can be trusted, acting with self-control and serious minded, that we should have a respect for order, we should be a person who is comfortable with guests In our house, a ready teacher, truthful, able to manage our social interactions, and to be comfortable with our income, not desiring riches (implied in 1 Timothy 3:2-8).

Our lifestyle should not be easily influenced by our surroundings or by events. We should be sensitive to help from wise men and women, avoiding flippant exuberance, we should seek stability rather than pleasure. Solomon is clear on how life can be lived in power. Foolish behavior is meaningless, it makes more sense to get focused, get serious, and walk humbly before God. This is where the power exists… Anger mutes this expression of life, Anger distracts our heart, controls our emotions, and steals our peace. We should avoid this thief.

Dark days come and go like storm clouds. They dot the sky, they bring rain, but they also bring thunder, lightning, and wind. When the blue sky (high pressure cells) collide with dark clouds (low pressure cells) friction occurs, in some cases a tornado develops, but like all things, the darkness moves on and the blue sky is restored. Our trials are similar. The trouble does not seem so bothersome the day after, just as a tornado lasts for a short time, it is better to be patient and navigate through the storm rather than be hasty to force a solution and stand in pride at the outcome. Else, if we encourage and support the tornado, we have weeks of clean up to repair the poor decisions.

Anger is not our friend; long term anger should never be our companion. The energy required to maintain anger steals our heart, our smile, our ability to help, our ability to be compassionate. We should be terribly slow to anger, always looking for an alternative to resentfulness.

Exuberance is not our friend. It steals the show, causes us to not see things clearly with prudence. We lose perspective and we lose humility. It leads to resentful actions when someone appears to be trying to impair our exuberance.

Someplace in the middle is where we belong. When we are balanced in our emotions, not pinging off the wall from anger or from exuberance; we are able to gather facts properly, sift through the information in front of us accurately, apply discernment to the situation and then find God’s plan. Because we are thinking clearly, we are able to yield easily to his will. Exuberance and anger are both self-focused, they both impair our ability to yield to God (less of me and more of Jesus). We are to be of sound judgement.

Only foolish people embrace the noise and showiness of anger. Loud does not make right, nor does it excuse our poor habits. Mercy for our actions is difficult to find if we are unable to extend mercy to others. If all we do is make noise from anger or exuberance, how can others feel our compassion?

Complaining and murmuring are poor substitutes for humility, mercy, kindness, and grace. Bragging about how blessed we are does not always create the desired result. People stop seeing Jesus in you and only see your mouth pushing oxygen in an endless stream of self-adoration.

When we are balanced, the clouds come and go, but God’s grace remains, it remains firm in our heart, unchanging, always present. Be careful that your foolishness does not bring you to stand against God, for we are very unwise of we engage in quarrels with God about His behavior and plan.

Walking with God’s version of balance and wisdom delivers a bonus. God provides a strong inheritance for our children as we pass his wisdom and lifestyle to the generations to come. Wisdom brings us shelter and peace even when there is a raging storm all about us, The Word of God shelters us from the scorching heat of the day, bringing a calm approach to our daily life, it strengthens us through all the struggles and keeps us from too much buoyancy when things are good.

Balance in everything is the goal, garnering strength from God to manage both the good and bad in a way that is pleasing to the God we serve. Truth and wisdom will undergird our walk with God and strengthen men for services under their sufferings.

Ecclesiastes 7:18-19 tells us — Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes. Wisdom makes one wise person more powerful than ten rulers in a city (NIV). How can we not clamor towards this goal? How can we not sift through the scriptures hunting down wisdom like a miner who hunts for Gold?

Fearing God is a simple thing – it is respecting his sovereign actions and wisdom that guides us through the storms of life to his safe haven. Respect him. Live well. Anger is a thief. It steals your time. Walk away from the thief – put your anger to rest.

I choose Jesus.

I have made you a Watchman (Part 1)

Dan

It was my observation that seven days have passed since the vision of Chapter 1 started. He started that vision on a Sabbath and this session is on a sabbath.

Ezekiel 3: 16 -19 says — At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so, hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die fortheir sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.” [NIV]

He that had been musing and meditating on the things of God all the week was fit to speak to the people in God’s name on the sabbath day, and disposed to hear God speak to him. He was eased back into the real world with him resisting (see Ezekiel 3:14). Now we see a slightly different tone. He knows his duty. He looked for a way to delay the beginning of his ministry and was rebuffed. I do not think it is wise for us to believe that we will reach a level where the taskings are easy and intimate ‘face time with the boss’ occurs often. God tells his man what the work is all about, defines his duties and places parameters on the messaging. In this regard, we should note God’s approach to leadership.

Here was Ezekiel, hanging out, having said little at this point. He went from the mountain top to the outhouse all in seven days. He is among his people when God appears again. He tells Ezekiel to get to work, the people have a right to know and a responsibility to respond. Ezekiel has been appointed the watchman, the giver of news, the disturber of their peace, a protector against thieves, he is the watchman. His job is to watch for the enemy and sound the alarm upon the first appearance of danger, he is the watchman (see Isaiah 21:8, Isaiah 62:6).

For a Roman soldier, being a watchman is a specific type of Job. It is a cut above the normal soldier. They fight the silent battle of security. They know the rules. Eyes open. Head moving. Ears open. Listening. Focus. Failure is not an option. If they are on this task, they risk the enemy sneaking up to them and taking their life. On the other hand, they are held accountable with their life for maintaining a safe perimeter. If they fail to warn about danger, they lose their life in the morning. They know their task is indispensable – they take their job seriously. They are needed (see Psalms 127:1-2). They are rewarded.

Ezekiel is very comfortable to be one on one with God, he pulls back from the crowds, even during his workday and he is comfortable to converse with God, to hear him, to commune with him. If we were looking for peace, what better place to be than talking with God. Ezekiel willingly entered into these visions; they were the eye of the Hurricane for him. No stress here! He was safe, protected, and basking in God’s glory. I could not imagine a better place to be. Where else should he desire to be? If we have experienced communion with God, I cannot imagine Ezekiel preferred anything but that. It far exceeded any mere conversing with the House of Isreal on earth.

However, we know that Ezekiel is a watchman. He is on task. He is accountable for his work. He needs to get up and speak; he needs to do the work of God. So do we. I choose Jesus.

Harder than Flint

Dan

It was my observation while reading chapter 3 of Ezekiel that he was given a very tough audience by the one true living God. He was warned by Elohim they were people of bad character and poor disposition.

Ezekiel 3: 7-11 says — The people of Israel are not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for all the Israelites are hardened and obstinate. But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are. I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.” And he said to me, “Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you. Go now to your people in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,’ whether they listen or fail to listen.” [NIV]

Well, this sets the stage for a difficult job. Nothing was going to make them weep or blush with shame.  No amount of denunciation was going to humble them. They knew that Ezekiel was sent specifically to them, the House of Isreal. The rest of the slaves were being ignored. This pushed them away.  Then, they added more to the snarky attitude towards Ezekiel. They were snarky towards God himself. Their rejection of Ezekiel was significant, but in comparison to their rejection of God it was a mere footnote in their rant. They had no fear nor respect for the desires of the God who had snatched them out of Egypt.

Their obstinance was so strong, they were unlikely to respond to the voice of God himself crashing across that city of Babylon. They rejected the message just because it originated from God. The content was not nearly as relevant to their rejection as the source was. They viewed the law as a huge detriment to proper living. They turned a deaf ear to Ezekiel because of the source of his message.  He never had a chance to persuade them. They walked away laughing at him and scoffing at God, their fist raised in defiance.

Ezekiel must dig deep for courage to continue.  He is told to continue.  God gave him a strong face (a forehead of flint) to stand against them. I suspect we might call this a ‘poker face’. I wonder if he was a bit timid and needed some encouragement and bolstering to stand against these people. I might expect him to be rather humble and unassuming in nature. All the more for him to be the perfect tool for Gods work.

The more aggressive that people outside God’s grace are in their opposition to the message the more resolutely we should be to defend the message.  We should not be driven by the need to win, rather we press forward because they are so mired in confusion and half-truths.  They need help.  We are that help if we are standing in front of them.  We read in Job 17:8 of the need for his people to stir up against the voices that resist God.  We are called to speak.  Why?  We serve a God who is not silent.  The God of this universe will help men who have need speak and set their face like a flint against resistance (implied in Isaiah 50:7).

This all can be seen to be very harsh.  I think we need to remember the Grace and Mercy of God.  Do we only speak to people who seem to be reasonable and kind, they just need Jesus to complete their life.  Do we reject and shun those who rail against God and his way?  I do not think it is our place to decide.  We are to carry the message and walk the talk no matter who we are with.  Kindness and Love will drive our focus.  God’s mercy is the story.  We are mere storytellers, not the Judge.   I choose Jesus.