September 1

The Rebellions of Israel

Ezekiel 20

This is the message of Israel's past rebellion and restoration. This prophecy was given in the seventh year, in the fifth month on the 10th day. This was August 14, 591 b.c., almost 11 months after the last date given by Ezekiel (8:1). As in chapters 8 and 14, the message was given to Ezekiel when some of the elders of 'Israel' came to inquire of the Lord. They again visited him to see if God had any new word for the nation. The elders' question is not recorded, but it must have been inappropriate because God refused to respond: I will not let you inquire of Me.

The answer God then gave was not a response to their question but a review of their history. To find an answer the people only needed to look into their past. The repetition of God's question Will you judge them? (20:4) conveyed His impatience with the people, and it has the force of a command, 'Judge these people!' Ezekiel was to confront them regarding the detestable practices of their fathers. The court was to be opened and the evidence presented. Ezekiel was to act as the prosecuting attorney and present the evidence against the accused (cf. 22:2b). (1)

Why did God trace His selection of 'Israel' only to the time of Moses? Was Ezekiel contradicting Genesis, which clearly indicates that God selected 'Israel' when He made His covenant with Abraham? No, Ezekiel was speaking of God's selection of 'Israel' as a nation.

In His grace God asked the nation only to be faithful to Him, and to turn from the vile images and idols of 'Egypt'. The Book of Exodus did not detail Israel's religious life before the Exodus, but Ezekiel implied that it was a time of apostasy. But 'Israel' refused to heed God's command. They did not remove the vile images . . . nor . . . forsake the idols of 'Egypt'. This rebellion deserved judgment, so God was ready to pour out His wrath on them . . . in 'Egypt'. Yet the wrath did not come; 'Israel' was spared. 'Israel' being spared from God's wrath was not because of any goodness on her part. It was only because of God's grace and mercy: for the sake of His name. (2)

Say, why is it that God has not given any of us what we deserve? Isn't it because of His rich Grace and Mercy for the Gospels sake?! We have a choice and that is to obey. Dear Lord, forgive us when we fail. Help us to obey You in everything!

 (The Bible Knowledge Commentary (1), (2))

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   September 2

   Revolution and then Restoration

Ezekiel 21:27

Ezekiel 21:27. I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.

God overturns Israel and its institutions by repeated acts of successive invasions, not only by Babylon, but also Assyria and Egypt. History tells us that 'Jerusalem' has been sacked and plowed under seven times, but it always recovers. Remember, Jerusalem is the apple of God's eye. It is God who overturns. There is a providential purpose in every event. The Divine education of man is not a continuous, unbroken development, but with many and various lessons. The earthquake has its mission, as well as, the April shower. This may seem a violent action, but evil must be overthrown before restoration can be established.

Our own Revolutionary War was to overthrow tyranny and brought a new thing to humanity 'Liberty and Justice for all.' God has not sent His sword of judgment upon America, but he expects His people to seek and find a revival and testify against sin and in so doing to pull down the strong walls of Satan. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2Chronicles 7:14.

RESTORATION: After the revolution there must be a new order, and after repentance there must be a new life. This restoration can only be accomplished in Christ. We cannot establish a new social order, nor can we even stir up a better life without a change of heart. Many have walked the aisle, prayed the prayer, gotten soaking wet in the baptistry, and talked the talk, but there was no change in the walk. If your life did not change after you made your confession of Christ then you only mouthed the words to make some preacher, or deacon, or Sunday school teacher happy; but there was no happiness in your heart. The old heart is still the same. You were not born again into the family of God. Oh, you said all the right things you were supposed to say, but nothing happened. If that is your present state, its time to fall on your knees and confess your sins and repent, which means turn away from sin and put it under the blood of Christ.

Please, beloved reader, examine your heart today! If you are under conviction, don't put off getting right with God today!

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    September 3

God's Case against Israel

God gave Ezekiel two charges to present against the city: shedding blood and making idols. Ezekiel mentioned blood or bloodshed seven times in this message to drive home the city's sin of extreme violence (cf. 'violence' in 7:23; 8:17; 12:19). These two sins opposed the Mosaic Law's standards for Israel's relationships with God and her fellow Israelites (cf. Matt. 22:34-40). Rather than loving God she had turned to idolatry; and her love for her fellow Israelites had been replaced by treachery. Ezekiel cited sins that specifically violated some of the Ten Commandments (cf. Ex. 20:1-17): social injustice (Ezek. 22:7), apostasy (v. 8), idolatry (v. 9), immorality (vv. 10-11), and greed (v. 12). The list concluded with another sin, the root problem behind the others: you have forgotten Me (cf. 23:35). (1)

Other texts mention the sin of repeated idolatry as the reason for the destruction of 'Jerusalem' and the Babylonian captivity. Since the days of the golden calf, 'Israel' struggled with the sin of idolatry, and this sin lead to most of the others. If we are faithful to God, we will not have any of these other problems. Ezekiel's second message stressed that 'Jerusalem' would become a furnace of affliction'a smelting furnace of judgment that would melt those who remained in it. 'Israel' had become worthless to God, for she was dross to Him' 'worthless because of her sin. (2)

The prophets should have ' denounced these wicked deeds; but (except for men like Ezekiel and Jeremiah) the prophets ignored those sins and gave the people false visions and lying divinations. Ezekiel denounced the people, the commoners who followed their leaders' example. The populace too was involved in extortion and . . . robbery (cf. vv. 25, 27), and in oppression of the needy. The corruption was so complete that when God searched for a man who could stem the tide of national destruction (build up the wall and stand . . . in the gap), none could be found. ' Jeremiah had these qualities, but he lacked the authority to lead the nation from the brink of disaster. (3) God could do nothing but judge destroy and start over as He did during the flood. When corruption becomes too great, all God can do is start over.

(1)   (2) (3) Walvoord, John F., and Zuck, Roy B., The Bible Knowledge Commentary, ('Wheaton, Illinois': Scripture Press Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985. 

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 22
1. Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2. Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, thou shalt shew her all her abominations.
3. Then say thou, Thus saith the Lord God, The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her time may come, and maketh idols against herself to defile herself.
4. Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed; and hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years: therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking to all countries.
5. Those that be near, and those that be far from thee, shall mock thee, which art infamous and much vexed.
6. Behold, the princes of Israel, every one were in thee to their power to shed blood.
7. In thee have they set light by father and mother: in the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger: in thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow.
8. Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my sabbaths.
9. In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood: and in thee they eat upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit lewdness.
10. In thee have they discovered their fathers' nakedness: in thee have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution.
11. And one hath committed abomination with his neighbour's wife; and another hath lewdly defiled his daughter in law; and another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father's daughter.
12. In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord God.
13. Behold, therefore I have smitten mine hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee.
14. Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? I the Lord have spoken it, and will do it.
15. And I will scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and will consume thy filthiness out of thee.
16. And thou shalt take thine inheritance in thyself in the sight of the heathen, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.
17. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
18. Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver.
19. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.
20. As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you.
21. Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof.
22. As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the Lord have poured out my fury upon you.
23. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
24. Son of man, say unto her, thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation.
25. There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.
26. Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.
27. Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.
28. And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord God, when the Lord hath not spoken.
29. The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.
30. And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
31. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God.

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   September 4 

The Judgment of Harlotry

Ezekiel 23

Ezekiel presents another parable to illustrate Judah's unfaithfulness and the certainty of her punishment. Chapter 23 seems to be a restatement of the parable in chapter 16 since both chapters deal with Judah's unfaithfulness to God. However, in chapter 16, Ezekiel focused on Judah's idolatry, whereas in chapter 23, he stressed Judah's illicit foreign alliances in addition to her idolatry. In chapter 16, her trust was in other gods; in chapter 23, it was in other nations. Two sisters shared the same moral degradation for they became prostitutes in 'Egypt', engaging in prostitution from their youth. Ezekiel's reference to 'Egypt' would call to mind the origins of the nation 'Israel' in 'Egypt'. The two sisters were sexually promiscuous women. After describing their character Ezekiel gave their names and identities. The older was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. (1)

The sin of Oholah, the older sister, was her (Samaria's) association with the Assyrians. Samaria's alliance with 'Assyria' ultimately led to her doom. The very nation to which 'Samaria' had turned for assistance would destroy her. God gave all Israel, including Samaria, over to her lovers, the Assyrians, for whom she lusted and who killed her with the sword. In 722 BC, 'Samaria' fell to 'Assyria'. The judgment of the older sister Oholah ('Samaria') should have been a warning to the younger sister Oholibah ('Jerusalem'). Unfortunately, she failed to heed the warning. In fact she was more depraved than her sister. 'Jerusalem' followed the immoral course charted by her sister: she too lusted after the Assyrians. 'Judah' curried the favor of 'Assyria' rather than relying on her God. (2) The spiritual adultery of the two nations was matched only by their political adultery. Both countries enticed foreign nations into illicit alliances. Ezekiel painted a vivid picture of the sisters preparing themselves for lovers (i.e., enticing other nations to help them). The harlot sisters sent . . . for men and when they arrived the girls bathed themselves for them, painted their eyes, and put on . . . jewelry. The enticements of the two sisters drew a carefree crowd of Sabeans . . . from the desert and men from the rabble. (3)  Folks, many who call themselves Christians today are caught in spiritual adultery. They are filled with the world and do not seek after God. May God have mercy.

(The Bible Knowledge Commentary (1), (2), (3))

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 23
1. The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,
2. Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:
3. And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity.
4. And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.
5. And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours,
6. Which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses.
7. Thus she committed her whoredoms with them, with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she doted: with all their idols she defiled herself.
8. Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her.
9. Wherefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted.
10. These discovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became famous among women; for they had executed judgment upon her.
11. And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms.
12. She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbours, captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them desirable young men.
13. Then I saw that she was defiled, that they took both one way,
14. And that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion,
15. Girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity:
16. And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea.
17. And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them.
18. So she discovered her whoredoms, and discovered her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister.
19. Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.
20. For she doted upon their Paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.
21. Thus thou calledst to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, in bruising thy teats by the Egyptians for the paps of thy youth.
22. Therefore, O Aholibah, thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will raise up thy lovers against thee, from whom thy mind is alienated, and I will bring them against thee on every side;
23. The Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them: all of them desirable young men, captains and rulers, great lords and renowned, all of them riding upon horses.
24. And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, which shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet round about: and I will set judgment before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgments.
25. And I will set my jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee: they shall take away thy nose and thine ears; and thy remnant shall fall by the sword: they shall take thy sons and thy daughters; and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire.
26. They shall also strip thee out of thy clothes, and take away thy fair jewels.
27. Thus will I make thy lewdness to cease from thee, and thy whoredom brought from the land of Egypt: so that thou shalt not lift up thine eyes unto them, nor remember Egypt any more.
28. For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will deliver thee into the hand of them whom thou hatest, into the hand of them from whom thy mind is alienated:
29. And they shall deal with thee hatefully, and shall take away all thy labour, and shall leave thee naked and bare: and the nakedness of thy whoredoms shall be discovered, both thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.
30. I will do these things unto thee, because thou hast gone a whoring after the heathen, and because thou art polluted with their idols.
31. Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister; therefore will I give her cup into thine hand.
32. Thus saith the Lord God; Thou shalt drink of thy sister's cup deep and large: thou shalt be laughed to scorn and had in derision; it containeth much.
33. Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desolation, with the cup of thy sister Samaria.
34. Thou shalt even drink it and suck it out, and thou shalt break the sherds thereof, and pluck off thine own breasts: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God.
35. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.
36. The Lord said moreover unto me; Son of man, wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? yea, declare unto them their abominations;
37. That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass for them through the fire, to devour them.
38. Moreover this they have done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths.
39. For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it; and, lo, thus have they done in the midst of mine house.
40. And furthermore, that ye have sent for men to come from far, unto whom a messenger was sent; and, lo, they came: for whom thou didst wash thyself, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with ornaments,
41. And satest upon a stately bed, and a table prepared before it, whereupon thou hast set mine incense and mine oil.
42. And a voice of a multitude being at ease was with her: and with the men of the common sort were brought Sabeans from the wilderness, which put Bracelets upon their hands, and beautiful crowns upon their heads.
43. Then said I unto her that was old in adulteries, Will they now commit whoredoms with her, and she with them?
44. Yet they went in unto her, as they go in unto a woman that playeth the harlot: so went they in unto Aholah and unto Aholibah, the lewd women.
45. And the righteous men, they shall judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women that shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.
46. For thus saith the Lord God; I will bring up a company upon them, and will give them to be removed and spoiled.
47. And the company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire.
48. Thus will I cause lewdness to cease out of the land, that all women may be taught not to do after your lewdness.
49. And they shall recompense your lewdness upon you, and ye shall bear the sins of your idols: and ye shall know that I am the Lord God.

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  September 5  

The Captivity of Judah and off to Babylon

Ezekiel 24:1-2

in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of 'Babylon' set himself against 'Jerusalem' this same day. This was the very day the army of Nebuchadnezzar came against 'Jerusalem' to destroy the city. The siege began this day and ended in the eleventh year, the fourth month, and ninth day.

The following parable (vv. 3-5) of the boiling pot was a picture of the siege and the suffering of the people. Israel had been warned by this Ezekiel, and other Prophets of the judgment to come, but did nothing to prevent the total destruction of their beloved city. The application in vv. 6-14 shows that 'Jerusalem' is compared to the great caldron, and the fire around the pot is the enemy besieging the city. The 'bones' in the pot symbolize the inhabitants of the city and the 'choice pieces' in the pot, refers to the leaders, both political and religious. Bring it out 'piece by piece' refers to individuals being brought out of the city until the city was empty. This time, the total fulfillment of the destruction was final and not likened unto the earlier times when some were left in the city under Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin.

Verse 21 Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword.

It is sad to say, but unless 'America' seeks the face of God and repents, we too, shall see these things come to pass here. 'As a person sows, so shall he reap.' 'As a nation sows, so shall it reap.' We have sowed the seeds of - disrespect toward God ' the seeds of immorality ' the seeds destroying the Word of God in the hearts of our people ' the seeds of calling white, 'black' and black, 'white.' We could mention many other ways in which we have sowed the seeds, now we are about to reap a harvest of devastation and destruction across our land.

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 24
1. Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2. Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day.
3. And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it:
4. Gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones.
5. Take the choice of the flock, and burn also the bones under it, and make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein.
6. Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it! bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall up on it.
7. For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust;
8. That it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance; I have set her blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered.
9. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great.
10. Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned.
11. Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed.
12. She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire.
13. In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee.
14. I the LORD have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord GOD.
15. Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
16. Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.
17. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.
18. So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.
19. And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?
20. Then I answered them, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
21. Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword.
22. And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.
23. And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another.
24. Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.
25. Also, thou son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters,
26. That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears?
27. In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

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  Judgment on Israel's Enemies

Ezekiel 25

When Nebuchadnezzar decided to attack 'Judah' instead of Ammon (cf. Ezek. 21:18-27), Ammon was relieved that she had been spared. Instead of coming to Judah's aid, she rejoiced over Judah's misfortune, hoping to profit territorially from Judah's destruction. (1) Hatred moves people to rejoice at the suffering of another. God is love. Therefore, God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked.

God's judgment would fit Ammon's sin. They rejoiced over Judah's downfall so they would fall. (2) People today often say what goes around comes around. In the Bible, we read that we reap what we sow. The truth is the same. If we do evil, that evil will come back on us in the end.

Moab's sin, Ezekiel said, was her contempt for God's people. (3) This is another example of hatred. In their scorn 'Moab' and 'Edom' were denying God's promises to 'Israel'. By minimizing Judah's position of centrality among the nations, they were profaning the name of God who had promised 'Judah' that position. Because 'Moab' treated 'Judah' with contempt, God would remove Moab's glory by exposing its northern flank to attack. In addition to losing her defenses 'Moab' would also lose her freedom. (4)

'Edom' saw in Judah's conflict with 'Babylon' an opportunity to oppose her rival. Because 'Edom' had aided in Judah's destruction, God said He would aid in her destruction. (5) It is interesting to note that while all three of these countries hated 'Israel', 'Edom' acted aggressively on that hatred. God who judged 'Israel' also defended her. This was in accord with God's covenant with Abraham. God said in effect that he would deal with others as they dealt with His people 'Israel'. We need to be sure to do right by others and especially those who believe. Our affections say a lot about our heart. If we are righteous, we will love those that God loves. Furthermore, we will hate what God hates. Hatred for God and His people is one of the main characteristics of the wicked. Jesus Christ Himself was plagued with wicked and hateful enemies. The people who love us and hate us reveal a lot about who we are. DW

(1)   (2) (3) (4) (5) Walvoord, John F., and Zuck, Roy B., The Bible Knowledge Commentary, ('Wheaton, Illinois': Scripture Press Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 25
1. The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,
2. Son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them;
3. And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord God; Thus saith the Lord God; because thou saidst, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity;
4. Behold, therefore I will deliver thee to the men of the east for a possession, and they shall set their palaces in thee, and make their dwellings in thee: they shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink thy milk.
5. And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels, and the Ammonites a couchingplace for flocks: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
6. For thus saith the Lord God; Because thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thy despite against the land of Israel;
7. Behold, therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.
8. Thus saith the Lord God; Because that Moab and Seir do say, Behold, the house of Judah is like unto all the heathen;
9. Therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities, from his cities which are on his frontiers, the glory of the country, Bethjeshimoth, Baalmeon, and Kiriathaim,
10. Unto the men of the east with the Ammonites, and will give them in possession, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations.
11. And I will execute judgments upon Moab; and they shall know that I am the Lord.
12. Thus saith the Lord God; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them;
13. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword.
14. And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord God.
15. Thus saith the Lord God; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred;
16. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethims, and destroy the remnant of the sea coast.
17. And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.

070704dw

   September 7

Proclamation Against Tyre

God's judgment against 'Tyre' fit her crime. He said, I will bring many nations against you, like the sea casting up its waves. Tyre's pride was her seagoing prowess. She knew the 'Mediterranean Sea' better than most nations. So Ezekiel used the image of a violent ocean storm to picture God's punishment. Like ocean waves, invading nations would pound against Tyre's defenses, smashing her walls and towers. God added that He would scrape away her rubble and make her a bare rock. God said He would bring from the north . . . Nebuchadnezzar. The king who destroyed 'Jerusalem' would also attack 'Tyre'. After defeating 'Jerusalem', Nebuchadnezzar moved his army north to 'Tyre' in 585 b.c. and besieged the city for 13 years till all settlements on the mainland were destroyed. (1)

Alexander the Great devastated the city in 332 b.c. when it refused to submit to his advancing forces. Alexander destroyed the mainland city and then built a causeway out to the island fortress which he destroyed. In doing this, he threw stones, timber, and rubble into the sea. The final destruction of 'Tyre' would be complete, for God predicted the city will never be rebuilt. Though the surrounding area has been rebuilt, the original site is a mute testimony to God's awesome judgment. In Tyre's demise she would descend into the underworld never to rise again. Ezekiel had said Tyre's fate was like an ocean sweeping over it (v. 3). Now again, he said the ocean depths would sweep over 'Tyre'. The most fearful prospect facing ancient mariners was to be caught in a storm and be 'lost at sea'. Ezekiel then changed the imagery slightly. Instead of descending into the ocean depths, 'Tyre' would go down to the pit. 'Pit' is synonymous with 'sheol' or 'the grave'. In Old Testament times, death was a fearful event. Though the saints had some idea of resurrection most viewed the grave as a place of no return. Ezekiel expressed this thought about 'Tyre': she would enter the place of the departed dead and never be able to return to the land of the living. People would long for her, but she would never again be found. (2) Question? Where does our spiritual house stand? Are we living for the Lord as we ought or are we, too, going to suffer God's judgment in the pit, never to return? O Gracious God, have mercy.

(The Bible Knowledge Commentary (1), (2))

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 26
1. And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2. Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people: she is turned unto me: I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste:
3. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up.
4. And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock.
5. It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God: and it shall become a spoil to the nations.
6. And her daughters which are in the field shall be slain by the sword; and they shall know that I am the Lord.
7. For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people.
8. He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field: and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast a mount against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee.
9. And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break down thy towers.
10. By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust shall cover thee: thy walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen, and of the wheels, and of the chariots, when he shall enter into thy gates, as men enter into a city wherein is made a breach.
11. With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets: he shall slay thy people by the sword, and thy strong garrisons shall go down to the ground.
12. And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water.
13. And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard.
14. And I will make thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more: for I the Lord have spoken it, saith the Lord God.
15. Thus saith the Lord God to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee?
16. Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay away their robes, and put off their broidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble at every moment, and be astonished at thee.
17. And they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and say to thee, How art thou destroyed, that wast inhabited of seafaring men, the renowned city, which wast strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, which cause their terror to be on all that haunt it!
18. Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thy fall; yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be troubled at thy departure.
19. For thus saith the Lord God; When I shall make thee a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep upon thee, and great waters shall cover thee;
20. When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of the living;
21. I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more: though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord God.

070804dm

Ezekiel Takes up a Lamentation for Tyre

Ezekiel 27:1-36

Tyre was a seaport used by ships from many countries around the Mediterranean Sea. They also were wealthy shipbuilders and noted for their fine purple dyes made from sea shells. For many years, Tyre was actually two cities; one on the land and the other an island several hundred yards off the coast. Hiram, king of Tyre, supplied Solomon with the finest cedar lumber available, towed in large rafts and pulled by sailing ships, for the building of Solomon's house and the Temple. Hiram sent his personal carpenters to form and install these huge timbers.

1.    The stateliness of the city's beauty.

2.    The splendor of the city's fleets.

3.    The skill of the mariners.

4.    The valor of their armies.

5.    The vastness of their international trade.

6.    The abundance of material wealth.

7.    The glory of the city's renowned.

8.    The hollowness of their lives, all these things, but bankrupt spiritually.

Ezekiel wanted to show these wealthy people what they were missing, and if they did not repent, they would be destroyed. King Nebuchad-nezzar attacked the city and destroyed it. Some time later, he literally destroyed every building on the shore, but left much of the island intact. In 332 bc, Alexander the Great laid siege to the island port for 7 months and captured it. Alexander used the stones and rubble of the destroyed city on the mainland, to build a causeway to the island fortress.

Tyre was close to where the Syrophenician woman lived who asked for healing for her daughter as recorded in Matthew 15:21-28. Tyre reminds us of the great destruction that came on many of the old world cities; all because these cities gave themselves over to every sin they could think of. Sounds like American cities today, don't you think? 

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 27
1. The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,
2. Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus;
3. And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord God; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty.
4. Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty.
5. They have made all thy ship boards of fir trees of Senir: they have taken cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee.
6. Of the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars; the company of the Ashurites have made thy benches of ivory, brought out of the isles of Chittim.
7. Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was that which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail; blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was that which covered thee.
8. The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy mariners: thy wise men, O Tyrus, that were in thee, were thy pilots.
9. The ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee thy calkers: all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise.
10. They of Persia and of Lud and of Phut were in thine army, thy men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness.
11. The men of Arvad with thine army were upon thy walls round about, and the Gammadims were in thy towers: they hanged their shields upon thy walls round about; they have made thy beauty perfect.
12. Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs.
13. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market.
14. They of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules.
15. The men of Dedan were thy merchants; many isles were the merchandise of thine hand: they brought thee for a present horns of ivory and ebony.
16. Syria was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy making: they occupied in thy fairs with emeralds, purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and agate.
17. Judah, and the land of Israel, they were thy merchants: they traded in thy market wheat of Minnith, and Pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm.
18. Damascus was thy merchant in the multitude of the wares of thy making, for the multitude of all riches; in the wine of Helbon, and white wool.
19. Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupied in thy fairs: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market.
20. Dedan was thy merchant in precious clothes for chariots.
21. Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they occupied with thee in lambs, and rams, and goats: in these were they thy merchants.
22. The merchants of Sheba and Raamah, they were thy merchants: they occupied in thy fairs with chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold.
23. Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad, were thy merchants.
24. These were thy merchants in all sorts of things, in blue clothes, and broidered work, and in chests of rich apparel, bound with cords, and made of cedar, among thy merchandise.
25. The ships of Tarshish did sing of thee in thy market: and thou wast replenished, and made very glorious in the midst of the seas.
26. Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas.
27. Thy riches, and thy fairs, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and the occupiers of thy merchandise, and all thy men of war, that are in thee, and in all thy company which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the midst of the seas in the day of thy ruin.
28. The suburbs shall shake at the sound of the cry of thy pilots.
29. And all that handle the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their ships, they shall stand upon the land;
30. And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes:
31. And they shall make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of heart and bitter wailing.
32. And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and lament over thee, saying, What city is like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea?
33. When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou filledst many people; thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise.
34. In the time when thou shalt be broken by the seas in the depths of the waters thy merchandise and all thy company in the midst of thee shall fall.
35. All the inhabitants of the isles shall be astonished at thee, and their kings shall be sore afraid, they shall be troubled in their countenance.
36. The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee; thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt be any more.

070904rjs

  September 9 

The Origin of Sin and Evil

Ezekiel 28

In the previous chapter, we find the description of the pride of 'Tyre' and the prediction of the downfall of these people. In this chapter, there is a description of their leader's great pride. This great leader considered himself a god in his heart. Yet the language of this chapter goes far beyond this evil man. We read, ¹³Thou hast been in 'Eden' the 'garden of God' ', and ¹⁴Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth' Two cherubim sat on the Ark of the Covenant with their wings touching in the middle. A terribly wicked spirit inspired this evil earthly monarch.

In Revelation chapter 12, this wicked angelic spirit is likened to a dragon. In verse 4, we read that this dragon with his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven' In verse 17, God says, I will destroy thee, O covering cherub... This special angelic creature was the highest in the created order and gave way to pride and a desire to be God. He rebelled against God and took 1/3 of the angelic world with him in this rebellion. God is holy in nature and character. In the creation, creatures had a holy moral nature, but only those who love and choose goodness develop a holy, moral character.

Satan is the first to take the path of pride and self and gives way to evil. In verse 15 we read, ¹⁵Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

In the case of the city of 'Tyre', This ruler ' was Ethbaal III, who ruled from 591-590 b.c. to 573-572 b.c. The underlying sin of Tyre's king was his pride, which prompted him to view himself as a god. Ezekiel listed nine gemstones in describing Satan's beauty. These were 9 of the 12 kinds of stones worn in the breastplate of Israel's high priest' (1)

Satan and this proud Phonecian king would eventually end to the surprise of all who knew them. In the gospel record, Satan tempts Jesus with control of the kingdoms of this world. We read in 1 John 5:19, And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. The language here is such that the whole world lies in the hands of wicked one. The Bible describes Satan as the god of this world. He is the most wicked and powerful spirit in all creation. As such, he is the most powerful driving force for evil in all creation.

(1)Walvoord, John F., and Zuck, Roy B., The Bible Knowledge Commentary,

('Wheaton, Illinois': Scripture Press Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 28
1. The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,
2. Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord God; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:
3. Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee:
4. With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures:
5. By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches:
6. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God;
7. Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness.
8. They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas.
9. Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee.
10. Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God.
11. Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
12. Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
13. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the Beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
14. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
16. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
18. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
19. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.
20. Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
21. Son of man, set thy face against Zidon, and prophesy against it,
22. And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have executed judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in her.
23. For I will send into her pestilence, and blood into her streets; and the wounded shall be judged in the midst of her by the sword upon her on every side; and they shall know that I am the Lord.
24. And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor any grieving thorn of all that are round about them, that despised them; and they shall know that I am the Lord God.
25. Thus saith the Lord God; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob.
26. And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the Lord their God.

071004dw

 September 10

  Proclamation Against Egypt

Ezekiel 29

This first of seven prophecies against Egypt was given in the 10th year, in the 10th month on the 12th day. That day, January 5, 587 b.c., was almost a year after the siege of Jerusalem began. The Pharaoh in Egypt at that time was Hophra who reigned from 589 to 570 b.c. His promises of assistance prompted Judah to break with Babylon. Both Egypt and her leader were singled out for judgment. Ezekiel compared Pharaoh to a great monster in Egypt's streams. (1)

The second section of this prophecy deals with Egypt's basic sin: she had been a staff of reeds for the house of Israel. A 'staff' was used as a cane or walking stick for support on the rough terrain in Israel. Israel leaned on Egypt for support in her revolt against Babylon, but Egypt's support was as fragile as the reeds which grew abundantly on the Nile River's shores. When the pressure came, the reed snapped, and Israel found herself unable to stand. Possibly, Ezekiel was quoting a proverb commonly applied to Egypt which had a reputation as an unreliable ally. Because of Egypt's false promises of support to Judah, God said He would punish the Egyptians by the sword and Egypt would become a desolate wasteland. God's total devastation of Egypt would last for 40 years. Judah had been destroyed because she relied on Egypt; Egypt would suffer the same fate. God would disperse Egypt among the nations; she would also be carried into captivity. (2)

Ezekiel's second prophecy against Egypt ended with a promise to Israel. The 'day' (v.17) was probably the time when God would judge Egypt through Babylon and then restore Egypt to her land. When God finally restored the nations of Israel and Egypt, He would make a horn grow for . . . Israel. A horn symbolized strength and was applied in an ultimate sense to the strength of the Messiah, Christ, who would deliver Israel. However, the 'horn' probably refers to Israel's strength which Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed. When Egypt was restored, Israel would also be restored as a nation. (3)  Someday soon, we too, will stand before God and give an account as to how we have obeyed Him and to whom we have trusted with our lives. The Eternal books will be opened and many will find their names missing from the Lambs book of life. Does God see your name listed there?

(The Bible Knowledge Commentary (1), (2), (3))

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 29
1. In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2. Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt:
3. Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.
4. But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales.
5. And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven.
6. And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the Lord, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel.
7. When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and rend all their shoulder: and when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand.
8. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee.
9. And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the Lord: because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it.
10. Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia.
11. No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years.
12. And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.
13. Yet thus saith the Lord God; At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scattered:
14. And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their habitation; and they shall be there a base kingdom.
15. It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations.
16. And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them: but they shall know that I am the Lord God.
17. And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
18. Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it:
19. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army.
20. I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour wherewith he served against it, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord God.
21. In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; and they shall know that I am the Lord.

071104dm

 September 11

The Lord's Day in Egypt, or Destruction in Egypt

Ezekiel 30:1-19

Whether the Lord's Day is a day of friendship or He comes as a foe, depends on the hearts of men. Egypt's heart was following idols rather than God. Idolatry is not merely a system of error; it is the fountain of immorality. It is the seedbed of moral corruption. Theories of atheism today become habits of sensuality tomorrow. When a nation turns from God, it spreads to other nations around it. In Egypt's case, God announced beforehand, who and what He would use in 'Egypt'. God used Nebuchadnezzar, King of 'Babylon'.

The depravity of 'America' in our movies, books, and wasteful living causes other nations to either follow our pattern or hate us. America is under the judgment of God and He is using foreign governments, or natural disasters to alert us. Forest fires, famine, tornadoes, hurricanes are all God's way of bringing a nation to its knees. Sometimes a foreign nation will invade the land, other times the foundations will be rooted up by an earthquake. Sometimes He uses a volcano as in 'Pompeii, Italy', or as thousands have been killed in 'China' with floods.

The purpose of judgment is to let a nation or a people know that God is Lord, and they cannot continue in their sins. In death they shall be convinced of the truth which they refused to acknowledge in life. Recently, I read of a growing problem in our schools. Teachers are actually teaching death and reincarnation. This may be the reason so many teenagers are committing suicide. Satan is the author of death and he is using every opportunity to press death on our youth today.

We have failed to reach out to others with a positive message of life, both now and in eternity. The church seems to have the attitude that it will eventually go away, so we will just close our eyes and ignore the problem. Putting your head in the sand always exposes the back-side. We are to put on the armor of God to fight the evil one, Eph. 6:11-18. Facing the enemy, if we are properly prepared with prayer, we can win with Christ at our side, we can defeat the enemy, but in the flesh, we can do nothing. Let's get prayed up and fight for what's right.

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 30
1. The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,
2. Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Howl ye, Woe worth the day!
3. For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen.
4. And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down.
5. Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the men of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword.
6. Thus saith the Lord; They also that uphold Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her power shall come down: from the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by the sword, saith the Lord God.
7. And they shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted.
8. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and when all her helpers shall be destroyed.
9. In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt: for, lo, it cometh.
10. Thus saith the Lord God; I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon.
11. He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be brought to destroy the land: and they shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain.
12. And I will make the rivers dry, and sell the land into the hand of the wicked: and I will make the land waste, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I the Lord have spoken it.
13. Thus saith the Lord God; I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause their images to cease out of Noph; and there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt: and I will put a fear in the land of Egypt.
14. And I will make Pathros desolate, and will set fire in Zoan, and will execute judgments in no.
15. And I will pour my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt; and I will cut off the multitude of No.
16. And I will set fire in Egypt: Sin shall have great pain, and No shall be rent asunder, and Noph shall have distresses daily.
17. The young men of Aven and of Pibeseth shall fall by the sword: and these cities shall go into captivity.
18. At Tehaphnehes also the day shall be darkened, when I shall break there the yokes of Egypt: and the pomp of her strength shall cease in her: as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity.
19. Thus will I execute judgments in Egypt: and they shall know that I am the Lord.

 September 12

The Pride of Egypt

Ezekiel 31

This prophecy was given in the 11th year, in the third month on the first day. This was June 21, 587 BC, less than two months after the prophecy recorded in 30:20-26. Ezekiel addressed his message to Pharaoh king of 'Egypt' and to his hordes. He ended it with the same words (31:18). This ruler (Hophra) and his mighty army obviously felt so secure in their military might and ability that Ezekiel responded rhetorically, Who can be compared with you in majesty? Obviously 'Egypt' thought she was in a class by herself. (1)

The prophet calls on the Egyptians to consider 'Assyria'. We find 'Assyria' described as a cedar tree cut down. David tells of this same experience in his life. We read in Psalm 37:35-36. I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.  Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found. Fallen humanity seeks security in things and power. Yet, even when they achieve their purpose, they do not find security. It is as God taught Nebuchadnezzar. After 7 years eating grass, he realized that all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, what doest thou? Daniel 4:35

'Egypt' is not safe. God will use Nebuchadnezzar to bring down the Egyptians as he brought down 'Assyria'. The time of their great power and wealth was at an end. What God gave, He now took away. If we understood this, we would follow the path of Job who loved and honored God continually.

The words of the Psalmist would have been very instructive for these proud Egyptians. In Psalm 75:5-7 we read, Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.  But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another. All the blessings we find in this life come to us by way of the mercy and grace of God. We would be very wise to realize this.

(1)   Walvoord, John F., and Zuck, Roy B., The Bible Knowledge Commentary,('Wheaton, Illinois': Scripture Press Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 31
1. And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2. Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; Whom art thou like in thy greatness?
3. Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs.
4. The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto all the trees of the field.
5. Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth.
6. All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations.
7. Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters.
8. The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chesnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty.
9. I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him.
10. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height;
11. I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the mighty one of the heathen; he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out for his wickedness.
12. And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the people of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him.
13. Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches:
14. To the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height, neither shoot up their top among the thick boughs, neither their trees stand up in their height, all that drink water: for they are all delivered unto death, to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down to the pit.
15. Thus saith the Lord God; In the day when he went down to the grave I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed: and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him.
16. I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth.
17. They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen.
18. To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord God.

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 September 13

Lamentation for Pharaoh and Egypt

Ezekiel 32

Ezekiel's sixth prophecy against Egypt was given in the 12th year, in the 12th month on the first day. That was March 3, 585 BC'two months after the news of Jerusalem's fall reached the captives in 'Babylon'. The fall of 'Egypt' was now so certain that Ezekiel was told to take up a lament concerning Pharaoh king of 'Egypt'. A lament, or funeral dirge, was usually delivered when one was buried. Ezekiel said Pharaoh (Hophra), in his fierce power, was like a lion among the nations and a monster in the seas. Pharaoh's actions were disturbing the international scene as he tried to blunt Babylon's power. (1)

Ezekiel then spoke of Pharaoh's judgment. If Pharaoh were a crocodile, God would lead Pharaoh's enemies on a 'crocodile hunt.' With a great throng of people I will cast My net over you, and they will haul you up in My net. Pharaoh would be trapped by his enemies and removed from his sphere of power. This was an amazing statement, for in 'Egypt' the Pharaoh supposedly could defeat a crocodile! God would drag Pharaoh from his place of power and throw him on the land and hurl him on the open field. Pharaoh's power would be broken and his people scattered. The destruction of Pharaoh and 'Egypt' was couched in terms that conjured up images of Egypt's judgment at the time of the Exodus. God said He would drench the land with Egypt's flowing blood (Ezek. 32:6). This recalled the first plague on 'Egypt' in which the water turned to blood (Ex. 7:20-24), but this time, the blood would come from the slain in 'Egypt'. God also said He would darken the stars . . . sun, and moon, bringing darkness over the land (Ezek. 32:7-8). Though these cataclysmic signs are similar to those that will accompany the day of the Lord, it seems Ezekiel was alluding here to the darkness of the ninth plague. In response to Egypt's fall the surrounding nations would be appalled and their kings would shudder with horror. God revealing His holy character through Egypt's judgment would have a profound effect on other nations. If mighty 'Egypt' could be destroyed, so could they. (2)

If Egypt as a mighty nation could be destroyed, what do you think of what God can do with our country and our own families if we choose not to obey Him?!

 (The Bible Knowledge Commentary (1), (2))

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 32
1. And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2. Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas: and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers.
3. Thus saith the Lord God; I will therefore spread out my net over thee with a company of many people; and they shall bring thee up in my net.
4. Then will I leave thee upon the land, I will cast thee forth upon the open field, and will cause all the fowls of the heaven to remain upon thee, and I will fill the beasts of the whole earth with thee.
5. And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains, and fill the valleys with thy height.
6. I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, even to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee.
7. And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.
8. All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord God.
9. I will also vex the hearts of many people, when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations, into the countries which thou hast not known.
10. Yea, I will make many people amazed at thee, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for thee, when I shall brandish my sword before them; and they shall tremble at every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of thy fall.
11. For thus saith the Lord God; The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon thee.
12. By the swords of the mighty will I cause thy multitude to fall, the terrible of the nations, all of them: and they shall spoil the pomp of Egypt, and all the multitude thereof shall be destroyed.
13. I will destroy also all the beasts thereof from beside the great waters; neither shall the foot of man trouble them any more, nor the hoofs of beasts trouble them.
14. Then will I make their waters deep, and cause their rivers to run like oil, saith the Lord God.
15. When I shall make the land of Egypt desolate, and the country shall be destitute of that whereof it was full, when I shall smite all them that dwell therein, then shall they know that I am the Lord.
16. This is the lamentation wherewith they shall lament her: the daughters of the nations shall lament her: they shall lament for her, even for Egypt, and for all her multitude, saith the Lord God.
17. It came to pass also in the twelfth year, in the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
18. Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, even her, and the daughters of the famous nations, unto the nether parts of the earth, with them that go down into the pit.
19. Whom dost thou pass in beauty? go down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised.
20. They shall fall in the midst of them that are slain by the sword: she is delivered to the sword: draw her and all her multitudes.
21. The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword.
22. Asshur is there and all her company: his graves are about him: all of them slain, fallen by the sword:
23. Whose graves are set in the sides of the pit, and her company is round about her grave: all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which caused terror in the land of the living.
24. There is Elam and all her multitude round about her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which are gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, which caused their terror in the land of the living; yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit.
25. They have set her a bed in the midst of the slain with all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword: though their terror was caused in the land of the living, yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit: he is put in the midst of them that be slain.
26. There is Meshech, Tubal, and all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, though they caused their terror in the land of the living.
27. And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell with their weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.
28. Yea, thou shalt be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and shalt lie with them that are slain with the sword.
29. There is Edom, her kings, and all her princes, which with their might are laid by them that were slain by the sword: they shall lie with the uncircumcised, and with them that go down to the pit.
30. There be the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Zidonians, which are gone down with the slain; with their terror they are ashamed of their might; and they lie uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword, and bear their shame with them that go down to the pit.
31. Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be comforted over all his multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army slain by the sword, saith the Lord God.
32. For I have caused my terror in the land of the living: and he shall be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that are slain with the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord God.

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 September 14

The Secret of Popular Preaching and

The Failure of Popular Preaching

I Corinthians 2: 1-4. And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Ezekiel 33:30-33

The secret of popular preaching is:

Now, the failure of popular preachers,

(1) Popularity is no proof of success. If the preacher is only preaching for the applause of the people ' he has failed. There may be emotional interest, but if that is all, the popular preacher has failed. There is no proof of a good work being accomplished; if nothing happens in the hearts of the saved and lost, he has failed.

(2) If the popular preacher only has a message of social uplifting, he has failed. It needs to be spiritually uplifting. Preaching that does not draw the attention of the people's hearts is fleshly preaching and has no substance.

(3) If the preaching is only intellectual, it only hits the mind, but does not get down to the heart, he has failed.

(4) Preaching that does not lead to practice is also a failure on the part of the preacher. If their hearts are not convicted, the preacher has failed. If their conduct is not changed the preacher has failed. James 1:22 Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. ' he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

Reference verses:

30. Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord.
31. And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.
32. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.
33. And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.

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God charged the prophet to prophesy against the shepherds of 'Israel'. The rulers of the people were often called shepherds (cf. Ps. 78:70-72; Isa. 44:28; 63:11; Jer. 23:1-4; 25:34-38). They were to be strong, caring leaders who guarded their nation like a flock. (1) It is interesting to note here that the entire nation is liked to a flock of sheep. If we would rise above this foolish, helpless image, we do so through the power of darkness or light. If through darkness, we become a predator. If through light, we have a stewardship of grace.

Israel's leaders did not serve their flock. Their first error was to put their own interests above those of the people (vv. 2-3). Woe to the shepherds of 'Israel' who only take care of themselves! Israel's kings had added to their wealth at the expense of the common people. They viewed the flock as a source of wealth to be exploited rather than a trust to be protected.

The second error of the leaders was their harsh treatment of the people. A shepherd was to lead his sheep to food, protect them from attack, nurse to health the injured sheep, and search for any that strayed and got lost. However, Israel's shepherds did not gently nurture the people. They ruled . . . harshly and brutally. The third error of the rulers was their flagrant disregard for the people, letting them be scattered without looking for them (vv. 5-6). (2)

God rises up leaders in His mercy and grace to try to bring blessing to people. In many cases, these leaders fail. Rather than doing right and trusting in God, they walk the path of self and sin. If the sheep were to be rescued and restored, the Great Shepherd would need to rescue them Himself. God's first action would be to restore 'Israel' to her land from the nations and to pasture her like sheep in good grazing land. God will do what the false shepherds had failed to do'tend. . . . search . . . bring back. . . . strengthen, and shepherd . . . with justice. This prophecy was not fulfilled when 'Israel' returned to her land after the Babylonian Captivity. It still awaits future fulfillment in the Millennium. (3) God will demonstrate in time and space through Jesus Christ, that great blessing in this life is possible. These shepherds could have succeeded.

(1)   (2) (3) Walvoord, John F., and Zuck, Roy B., The Bible Knowledge Commentary, ('Wheaton, Illinois': Scripture Press Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 34
1. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2. Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
3. Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.
4. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.
5. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.
6. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.
7. Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord;
8. As I live, saith the Lord God, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;
9. Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord;
10. Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.
11. For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.
12. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
13. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
14. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
15. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God.
16. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
17. And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats.
18. Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet?
19. And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.
20. Therefore thus saith the Lord God unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle.
21. Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad;
22. Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.
23. And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
24. And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it.
25. And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.
26. And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.
27. And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them.
28. And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.
29. And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.
30. Thus shall they know that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord God.
31. And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God.

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 September 16

Judgment on Mount Seir

Ezekiel 35

Why did Ezekiel devote a second prophecy to Edom and why was it placed in this section on Israel's restoration? Most likely, Edom was listed here to represent the judgment God would inflict on all nations who oppose Israel. Edom was the prototype of all Israel's later foes. The destruction of Edom would signal the beginning of God's judgment on the whole earth based on that nation's treatment of Israel. The prophecy against 'Edom' is in three parts, each ending with Ezekiel's common expression, 'Then you/they will know that I am the Lord'. In a direct statement of judgment on 'Edom', God said, I am against you, 'MountSeir'. Seir, Edom's geographical name, was the mountain range east of the Wadi Arabah south of the Dead Sea. This was the mountainous homeland where the Edomites lived. God would make that people as desolate as their land. (1)

Because Edom had assisted in Israel's slaughter, God would assist in her slaughter. Four times (in Heb.) in Ezekiel 35:6 God referred to bloodshed. This may be a word play on Edom's name. Edom, with its red mountains, was now red with blood. Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you. Edom would suffer the same fate she had tried to inflict on Israel. Many people would be slain and her towns would become desolate, no longer inhabited. (2)

God's judgment corresponded to Edom's guilt: I will treat you in accordance with the anger and jealousy you showed in your hatred of them (v. 11). 'Edom' had dared plot against God's Chosen People, so she would now experience the consequences. In her boast against God (v. 13) Edom rejoiced when . . . Israel became desolate. Therefore God would make Edom desolate. Her treatment of Israel determined her own fate. Edom became an object lesson for all nations. When God restores Israel's fortunes in the future, He will judge the world's other nations based on their treatment of Israel. They will be measured by their actions toward Israel. (3)

We are to pray for the Peace of Jerusalem. Thankfully, our country, up to this point, has treated Israel with great respect and honor. We need to continue to pray that our nation would not turn away from God and that He would help us to remain faithful.

 (The Bible Knowledge Commentary (1), (2), (3))

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 35
1. Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2. Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it,
3. And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate.
4. I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.
5. Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end:
6. Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: sith thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee.
7. Thus will I make mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from it him that passeth out and him that returneth.
8. And I will fill his mountains with his slain men: in thy hills, and in thy valleys, and in all thy rivers, shall they fall that are slain with the sword.
9. I will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy cities shall not return: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
10. Because thou hast said, These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it; whereas the Lord was there:
11. Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will even do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I have judged thee.
12. And thou shalt know that I am the Lord, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume.
13. Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard them.
14. Thus saith the Lord God; When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate.
15. As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it: and they shall know that I am the Lord.

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 September 17

Ezekiel 36:4-8

God opened the 'Holy Land' for the Jews to return to their beloved Land. For the first time in 1800 years, the Jews had a 'Land' they could call home. The first time I preached on this subject was on the 'Sea of Galilee' in 1976. The first point of the message was the 'Birth of Zionism' in the late 1800's. I mentioned the founders and the trouble they had convincing Gentiles to help them. Then came World War I and a Jewish chemist, Chaim Wiseman, discovered 'acetone' a chemical when added to cordite made smokeless powder that brought the war to an end, and victory for the Allies. Following the war, the Balfour Declaration or British Mandate (Nov. 2, 1919) gave them their land. Between 1936 and 1945 over 6,000,000 Jews perished in the murder camps in 'Germany' and 'Poland'.

In May, 1948, Palestine* was opened to immigration for the Jews, and the Mogan David flag, the six pointed blue star of David on a white background, was flying over 'Israel' for the first time in 18 centuries. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious 'And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth, Isaiah 11:10, 12.

Isaiah prophesied of this event and even enlarged on it in 35:1-2. The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of 'Lebanon' shall be given unto it, the excellency of 'Carmel' and 'Sharon', they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God. In spite of six wars and unknown civilians killed by the enemy in the 'Holy Land', the Jews prosper and have turned the desert into a very productive land. They transport by air - flowers, fruit and vegetables to 'Western Europe' every day. Israel has the most modern farming equipment in the world, and the best irrigation system ever invented. 'The drip system' only puts water at the plant and none is wasted; another proof of the integrity of the Bible.

*The name the Romans used for the region around Israel.

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 36:4-8. Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God; Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that are round about;
5. Therefore Thus saith the Lord God; Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Idumea, which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.
6. Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because ye have borne the shame of the heathen:
7. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame.
8. But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come.

071804rjs

 September 18

The Creation of New Life

This is a powerful picture of what it means to be born again. Those who have been born once have already fought a terrible battle with sin and lost. Spiritually they are like this defeated army that Ezekiel looks at in the valley. Ezekiel sees many very dry bones. Then God asks Ezekiel the question, can these bones live?

Just as all creation fell from goodness, so did God's people, Israel. God scattered His people Israel among the nations as He said He would in the closing chapters of Deuteronomy. Just as there is redemption for all humanity who will turn from sin and turn to God in faith, there is redemption for a remnant of Israel that will return in the latter days. In order to accomplish this work of grace, God tells Ezekiel to preach God's word to bones. Ezekiel must have felt very foolish preaching to this valley full of bones. Whenever we give God's word to those who are lost it is no different. Lost people are just as spiritually dead in sin as this valley full of dry bones. As Ezekiel preaches to these bones, there is a miracle of grace. This long dead and defeated army is brought back to life and forms a viable army. It is as we read of God's work of redemption. 1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. God's word is living and powerful and brings new life to all who hear and believe.

In the closing verses of this chapter of Ezekiel, the prediction is made that the nation will be restored to the land along with a Davidic king. The nation will no more be divided but united. They will not only be united in fellowship with one another but in fellowship with God. There are those who have given up on this world. They look to the eternal state for blessing. What they do not realize is that in the end the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. Weeping only endures through the night. We are in the night today, but one day soon a new day will dawn on this earth. On that day, Jesus will reign and all the saints will come marching in. I wonder. Will you be in that number?

  Reference verses:
Ezekiel 37
1. The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,
2. And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.
3. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? and I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.
4. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.
5. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:
6. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
7. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.
8. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.
9. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
10. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
11. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.
12. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
13. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up out of your graves,
14. And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord.
15. The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,
16. Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and for all the house of Israel his companions:
17. And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.
18. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?
19. Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
20. And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.
21. And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:
22. And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.
23. Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.
24. And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.
25. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.
26. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.
27. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
28. And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

072004dw

Gog's attack on Israel will actually be orchestrated by God. The Lord said, I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws, and bring you out with your whole army'your horses . . . horsemen . . . a great horde with . . . shields and swords. This attack will be against Israel, whose people will be gathered from many nations and will be living in safety. Gog and his allies will go against Israel in massive strength, advancing like a storm and a cloud . Gog's purpose in the attack will be to plunder and loot unwalled and unsuspecting Israel, which will be rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land. (1)

Gog's attack against Israel will come from all sides. Gog will come from the far north. With him will come his allies from the east (Persia=Iran), the south (Cush=Sudan, southern Egypt, and northern Ethiopia), and the west (Put=Libya). They will advance against . . . Israel like a cloud (cf. v. 9) that covers the land. This awesome army will overrun all obstacles as effortlessly as a cloud sailing across the sky. This attack will be another means of God's displaying to the nations His holy character and sovereign power. In going against Israel, the nations will come to know God for He will show Himself holy. As a result of the unsuccessful attack, Israel will be delivered and God glorified. (2)

Gog's attack will be crushed by God Himself. God asked Gog, Are you not the one I spoke of in former days by My servants the prophets of Israel? Perhaps this means earlier prophets had predicted the coming of invading armies against 'Israel' in the last days, which Ezekiel now associated specifically with Gog. When the armies reach Israel, God's anger will be aroused against them. He will cause a massive earthquake in . . . Israel that will interrupt Gog's invasion plans and spread fear and confusion throughout the ranks of the invading forces.  The pandemonium communication between the four invading armies will break down and they will begin attacking each other. Every man's sword will be against his brother. Fear and panic will sweep through the forces so each army will shoot indiscriminately at the others. (3)

Christians, set your eyes on Jesus the King of Kings! The Rapture is the next major event in Biblical Prophecy and His return in imminent. Then comes the Great Tribulation.

(The Bible Knowledge Commentary (1), (2), (3))

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 38
1. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2. Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
3. And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
4. And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6. Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.
7. Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8. After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9. Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.
10. Thus saith the Lord God; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11. And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12. To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
13. Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
14. Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord God; In that day when My people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
15. And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
16. And thou shalt come up against My people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
17. Thus saith the Lord God; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
18. And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face.
19. For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
20. So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
21. And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man's sword shall be against his brother.
22. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
23. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord.

072004dm

September 20

Final Events Preceding Restoration of Israel

Ezekiel 39:1-29

The Scofield Bible divides Ezekiel into seven parts and this is the seventh and final section. It seems that the 'Battle' of Armegeddon is the forerunner of the Tribulation. God and Magog are considered by most scholars of future events to represent 'Russia' and other countries from the north. In order for Russia to invade little Israel, it will have to come through Syria and possibly Iraq. When we consider the attitude of the Islamic nation towards 'Israel', it is no doubt they will open their borders for the invading army from the north. We also note that armies will come from the south, east, and west. Therefore, this will be another world war and considering events of the last half-century most of the people living today will live to see this invasion. We know from this chapter and other portions of the Bible, that God will intervene in behalf of 'Israel', and the vast army of the nations will be destroyed by a supernatural force from Heaven. It speaks in v. 9 of the destruction of the weapons of war. Modern warfare is not fought with bows and arrows, shields and spears, but whatever instruments of war are brought against God's chosen people, they will be consumed with heavenly fire.

There are three great suppers mentioned in the Scriptures. 'The Lord's Supper,' or communion, 'The marriage supper of the Lamb' and the raptured church, and this chapter tells of the 'Supper of the birds.' God will call on the carrion birds, to a supper of flesh and blood such as the world has never seen. It is impossible for the mind to comprehend the emotional breakdown that will be in the hearts of that great army. All communications will break down and they will begin fighting amongst themselves and along with huge hailstones and burning sulfur, this may be from volcanic action. Last, but not least, the people of Israel will be seven months burying the dead. All this, must be done, to ceremoniously cleanse the land. When God does something, He does it thoroughly. The Jews will be amazed at the events taking place almost simultaneously; earthquakes, hail storms, armies destroyed and Christ will come with the armies of heaven.

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 39
1. Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
2. And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3. And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5. Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God.
6. And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the Lord.
7. So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.
8. Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord God; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
9. And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years:
10. So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord God.
11. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it the valley of Hamongog.
12. And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.
13. Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord God.
14. And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
15. And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog.
16. And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.
17. And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.
18. Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
19. And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
20. Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord God.
21. And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.
22. So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward.
23. And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword.
24. According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them.
25. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name;
26. After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid.
27. When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations;
28. Then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.
29. Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God.

072004rjs

September 21  

The Millennial Temple

Ezekiel 40  

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 40
1. In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, in the selfsame day the hand of the Lord was upon me, and brought me thither.
2. In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south.
3. And he brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate.
4. And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel.
5. And behold a wall on the outside of the house round about, and in the man's hand a measuring reed of six cubits long by the cubit and an hand breadth: so he measured the breadth of the building, one reed; and the height, one reed.
6. Then came he unto the gate which looketh toward the east, and went up the stairs thereof, and measured the threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad; and the other threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad.
7. And every little chamber was one reed long, and one reed broad; and between the little chambers were five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate within was one reed.
8. He measured also the porch of the gate within, one reed.
9. Then measured he the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and the posts thereof, two cubits; and the porch of the gate was inward.
10. And the little chambers of the gate eastward were three on this side, and three on that side; they three were of one measure: and the posts had one measure on this side and on that side.
11. And he measured the breadth of the entry of the gate, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits.
12. The space also before the little chambers was one cubit on this side, and the space was one cubit on that side: and the little chambers were six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side.
13. He measured then the gate from the roof of one little chamber to the roof of another: the breadth was five and twenty cubits, door against door.
14. He made also posts of threescore cubits, even unto the post of the court round about the gate.
15. And from the face of the gate of the entrance unto the face of the porch of the inner gate were fifty cubits.
16. And there were narrow windows to the little chambers, and to their posts within the gate round about, and likewise to the arches: and windows were round about inward: and upon each post were palm trees.
17. Then brought he me into the outward court, and, lo, there were chambers, and a pavement made for the court round about: thirty chambers were upon the pavement.
18. And the pavement by the side of the gates over against the length of the gates was the lower pavement.
19. Then he measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate unto the forefront of the inner court without, an hundred cubits eastward and northward.
20. And the gate of the outward court that looked toward the north, he measured the length thereof, and the breadth thereof.
21. And the little chambers thereof were three on this side and three on that side; and the posts thereof and the arches thereof were after the measure of the first gate: the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.
22. And their windows, and their arches, and their palm trees, were after the measure of the gate that looketh toward the east; and they went up unto it by seven steps; and the arches thereof were before them.
23. And the gate of the inner court was over against the gate toward the north, and toward the east; and he measured from gate to gate an hundred cubits.
24. After that he brought me toward the south, and behold a gate toward the south: and he measured the posts thereof and the arches thereof according to these measures.
25. And there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about, like those windows: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.
26. And there were seven steps to go up to it, and the arches thereof were before them: and it had palm trees, one on this side, and another on that side, upon the posts thereof.
27. And there was a gate in the inner court toward the south: and he measured from gate to gate toward the south an hundred cubits.
28. And he brought me to the inner court by the south gate: and he measured the south gate according to these measures;
29. And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, according to these measures: and there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about: it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.
30. And the arches round about were five and twenty cubits long, and five cubits broad.
31. And the arches thereof were toward the utter court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof: and the going up to it had eight steps.
32. And he brought me into the inner court toward the east: and he measured the gate according to these measures.
33. And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, were according to these measures: and there were windows therein and in the arches thereof round about: it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.
34. And the arches thereof were toward the outward court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the going up to it had eight steps.
35. And he brought me to the north gate, and measured it according to these measures;
36. The little chambers thereof, the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, and the windows to it round about: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.
37. And the posts thereof were toward the utter court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the going up to it had eight steps.
38. And the chambers and the entries thereof were by the posts of the gates, where they washed the burnt offering.
39. And in the porch of the gate were two tables on this side, and two tables on that side, to slay thereon the burnt offering and the sin offering and the trespass offering.
40. And at the side without, as one goeth up to the entry of the north gate, were two tables; and on the other side, which was at the porch of the gate, were two tables.
41. Four tables were on this side, and four tables on that side, by the side of the gate; eight tables, whereupon they slew their sacrifices.
42. And the four tables were of hewn stone for the burnt offering, of a cubit and an half long, and a cubit and an half broad, and one cubit high: whereupon also they laid the instruments wherewith they slew the burnt offering and the sacrifice.
43. And within were hooks, an hand broad, fastened round about: and upon the tables was the flesh of the offering.
44. And without the inner gate were the chambers of the singers in the inner court, which was at the side of the north gate; and their prospect was toward the south: one at the side of the east gate having the prospect toward the north.
45. And he said unto me, This chamber, whose prospect is toward the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the house.
46. And the chamber whose prospect is toward the north is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar: these are the sons of Zadok among the sons of Levi, which come near to the Lord to minister unto him.
47. So he measured the court, an hundred cubits long, and an hundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar that was before the house.
48. And he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side: and the breadth of the gate was three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side.
49. The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits, and he brought me by the steps whereby they went up to it: and there were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that side.