Bible Study & Devotions

God is good and as such, desires to bless all people everywhere. However, God is also just and so cannot ignore sin and evil. If God allowed evil as we see it today forever, there would be no hope of a better world. A quick survey of human history demonstrates that fallen humanity cannot save itself. We need God, and God excludes none. Some would have us believe that God has left some to perish. He has not. The reprobation of some is the work of their own hand. If it were not, there would be no meaning to the words of verse 1, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters… We find a very similar statement in the very last portions of the book of Revelation. (Revelation 22:17) … let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Salvation is a free gift of God, whether it refers to spiritual redemption or physical deliverance. Probably both are intended here.(1)

What does it mean to come to the waters? We find the answer in verses 6,7 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. We seek the Lord in faith and we forsake evil in repentance. We cannot seek God in faith without forsaking evil. The two are as inseparable as turning right involves turning from the left.

God's compassion on those who turn to Him (vv. 6-7) comes because His thoughts and ways are far superior to human thoughts and ways…. Having spoken of the future time of blessing (the Millennium) and the salvation which leads to it, the Lord then assured believers that His Word . . . will accomplish what He says it will. His word is like rain and snow that water the earth and help give it abundant vegetation. In the Near East dry hard ground can seemingly overnight sprout with vegetation after the first rains of the rainy season. Similarly, when God speaks His Word, it brings forth spiritual life, thus accomplishing His purpose. (2) God does not work in vain. His call assures that some will respond to eternal life, as surely as sowing seed produces new life.

(1) (2) The Bible Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.

Reference verses:
Isaiah 55
1. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
2. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
3. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
4. Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.
5. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.
6. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
7. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
9. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11. So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
12. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

What a glorious chapter that speaks of God's salvation for all who will turn from their wicked ways, repent, and by faith alone, in Christ alone, truly come to truly know Him as their Savior. The Jewish people needed to hear this message in particular from the prophet Isaiah. They felt like they were the only ones that God was going to bless and bring to the kingdom and that just by being a Jew they were somehow not going to be held accountable to any wrong doing that they had done and for any disobedience that they were involved in, especially in obeying the very words of God Himself. They felt that they were going to somehow make it to heaven. Sadly, there are many people with this type of thinking today, but this never has and never will be the case with God. This type of thinking is foolishness and prideful and, in fact, it is selfish and vain human opinion at best. You instead should, Col 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

There are many who somehow think that they are the only ones, just like the Jews did in our text. There are many cults and man made religions that fall into or fit this category. There are many religious people who foolishly think that they can go to church on Sunday, (if it fits into their schedule) and then they are good to go, they have somehow done their part and God will just have to let them in, "won't He?" The answer, of course is a clear No! John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Luke 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. The only way for any man, woman, or child to get to heaven, be they Jew or Gentile, is by repentance, by submission to Christ and through obedience to His holy Word. Say dear friend, where do you find yourself before God this day? Are you self righteous and consider yourself a good person and don't need anything else except your own opinions? If so, Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: Consider the Cross of Christ! You see, True believers already know the grace of God! Would you kneel at the cross?

Reference verses:
Isaiah 56
1. Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.
2. Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.
3. Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the Lord, speak, saying, The Lord hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.
4. For thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;
5. Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.
6. Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;
7. Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
8. The Lord God, which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.
9. All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest.
10. His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.
11. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.
12. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.

"Prosperity in sin is a great barrier to conversion from sin. Those that live at ease in their sinful ways are tempted to think God favors them, and therefore they have no reason to repent." Matthew Henry

Reaching people with the Gospel in these last days is difficult, to say the least, especially when our society is so affluent, and people think they have need of nothing. We are like the church in Laodicea, they had wealth and prestige, but no desire for spirituality. Our chapter refers to two kinds or types of people, it begins with the saints and ends with the saints, but in between we see some unsaintly people. These are filled with idolatry and every sin that is imagined by man. They went after the pagan gods and part of the worship was with heathen women who practiced whoredoms in their temples of sin. To make matters worse, they sacrificed their children to the pagan god Baal. That means they burned their children to death on the cherry red, hot hands of Baal. In fact, God declared Israel to be the offspring of adulterers, prostitutes, and sorceresses! (v. 3) God had entered into a marriage covenant with Israel, but Israel was lustfully, seeking after foreign gods (vv. 4-9). Since God did not act in judgment immediately, Israel assumed she was safe, however, God warned that He would expose her "unrighteousness and works" and that neither would save His wayward people (v. 12). God says that restoration is possible. "The man who makes God his refuge," He explains, "will inherit the land and possess My holy mountain" (v. 13). God will restore and build up His people when their lifestyle and attitudes are acceptable. God always has a remnant of believers to carry on the faithful worship of Jehovah. In Elijah's time Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, I Kings 19:18. Yes, God always has a remnant. He never leaves Himself without a witness. This is consistent in both Old and New Testaments. Even in our times there is a faithful minority who are standing for the faith. Let us examine our own Christianity. Are you satisfied with your relationship with Christ? If not, today is the day to repent and turn from the sin that so easily besets us.

Reference verses:
Isaiah 57
1. The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.
2. He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.
3. But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore.
4. Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue? are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood.
5. Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of rocks?
6. Among the smooth stones of the stream is thy portion; they, they are thy lot: even to them hast thou poured a drink offering, thou hast offered a meat offering. Should I receive comfort in these?
7. Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed: even thither wentest thou up to offer sacrifice.
8. Behind the doors also and the posts hast thou set up thy remembrance: for thou hast discovered thyself to another than me, and art gone up; thou hast enlarged thy bed, and made thee a covenant with them; thou lovedst their bed where thou sawest it.
9. And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even unto hell.
10. Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; yet saidst thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found the life of thine hand; therefore thou wast not grieved.
11. And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? have not I held my peace even of old, and thou fearest me not?
12. I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works; for they shall not profit thee.
13. When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee; but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them: but he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain;
14. And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people.
15. For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
16. For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made.
17. For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart.
18. I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners.
19. I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord; and I will heal him.
20. But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
21. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.

For the kingdom of God to come to this earth there must be righteousness. As God moves to bring in righteousness, there is a call to repentance. We read in verse 1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. It ought not to surprise us that it is difficult in our culture today to call anything evil, but good. If evil is understood and identified, there is hope. The conviction of sin precedes faith and repentance. People instinctively try to hide sin. As long as sin can hide in darkness or behind such false virtues as tolerance, evil will prevail.

Here the people were seeking God's blessing apart from repentance and practical righteousness. This kind of worship was vain. The lack of God's blessing frustrated the people. They thought because they sought blessing from God, they should find it. Sadly, they were seeking blessings, but not God. If they had really sought God, they would have responded to His will. This was not faith and worship, but a shameless attempt to use God for their purpose. God would not bless this kind of self-seeking.

We need to appreciate that it is impossible to use external worship and works as a substitute for faith and love. If we seek God in faith, we come to know Him. If we come to know Him, we will love Him and seek to please Him. In seeking to please Him, our hearts will lead us to act in ways that are pleasing in His sight. This is the faith that pleases God. Their fasts did not alter their poor relationship with others. They were disregarding other peoples' needs by exploiting their employees (cf. Deut. 24:14-15; James 5:1-6) and by quarreling and fighting. Therefore, their prayers would not be heard, for their kind of fasting was not what the Lord accepted. Their hearts, not just their heads, needed to bow before the LORD. (1) It is sad how many people there are who try to buy God's favor, with money and external worship. Nothing will substitute for a heart that loves God. The heart that loves God, loves and respects others. If our relationships in life are troubled, our relationship with God is also troubled. I wonder today, do you love God? How is this love demonstrated in your life?
(1) Walvoord, John F., and Zuck, Roy B., The Bible Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.

Reference verses:
Isaiah 58
1. Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
2. Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.
3. Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
4. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
5. Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?
6. Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
7. Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
8. Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward.
9. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
10. And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
11. And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
12. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
13. If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
14. Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Many times when we are caught in the midst of our sin, we feel lonely and far from God. It is true that we are far from God, but it is not God who has moved, for He is never far from us. It is not He that has moved as "The Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save", but rather it is us who have sinned. When we sin, WE block our communication with God, but He desires to have open communication with us. When we feel far from God, we need to confess our sin and we need to repent of it before the throne of His grace. "His ear is not heavy that is cannot hear." Rather, "it is our sins that have hidden His face from us so that He will not hear."

Repentant people are the ones who walk in fellowship with the Lord and they are the ones who experience satisfaction of their souls. Satisfaction does not come from material things. It is really sad when people deliberately choose to walk according to their own ways, in their own opinions, in their own thinking, according to their own feelings and lusts. It is even sadder when they delight in bringing others into their sinful habits and this is the terrible road that leads straight to the pit of Hell. God says these types of people will never know peace. The peace that passes all understanding is something that only true believers have. It is one of the spiritual fruits of repentance unto eternal life. It is the peace of God because of a repentant heart and life. God desires repentance. God does not delight in the death of the wicked. Eze 33:11 Say unto them, [As] I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? Repent, confess with your mouth and turn from your wicked ways. It is so sad when people will NOT turn and they continue in their own ways. They are blinded spiritually and cannot see. They are banging around in the darkest of tunnels because there is no spiritual heart for God. They continue in their evil ways, but there is a Redeemer who desires to save. There is a Redeemer who died and suffered, was buried and descended into the pits of hell, who rose again, ascended, and is now seated on the right hand of God the Father! That Redeemer is Jesus Christ, who loved you and gave Himself for you! Won't you live for Him today? Repent.

Reference verses:
Isaiah 59
1. Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
2. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
3. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.
4. None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.
5. They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.
6. Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.
7. Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.
8. The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.
9. Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.
10. We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noon day as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.
11. We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.
12. For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them;
13. In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.
14. And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.
15. Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.
16. And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.
17. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.
18. According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.
19. So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.
20. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.
21. As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.

Verse 1, Isaiah looks down through the ages of time and focuses his prophetic telescope on the Millennium. He sees a "LIGHT" that is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah establishing His Millennial kingdom on earth and the total restoration of the Jewish nation. In v. 2, Isaiah also sees a darkness that covers the earth. That darkness is the blinded hearts of Jews and Gentiles alike, as they reject the God of their salvation and turn their allegiance and worship to the Satanic Trinity, and especially the Antichrist.

In v. 3, it seems the telescope is refocused to the church age and the Gentiles, or Church, are attracted to the light that lightens the heart and mind of all who will call upon Christ for their salvation. In v. 4, the scene is redirected to the Millennium and restoration of the Jewish nation. Their sons and daughters are gathered from the four corners of the earth to the Promised Land and Jerusalem. We don't know the number of Jews that survive the holocaust of the Great Tribulation. The Jews who are protected in the fabulous city of Petra, "The City half as old as Time," but they that survive shall walk in the light; the Light that is a brighter light than they have ever known since they became a nation under the leadership of Moses.

In v. 5, again, the telescope is on the Gentile nations and their conversion to the Messiah. The word "sea" in the Revelation refers to the nations as a sea of people; uncountable. If this is Isaiah's thought of the "sea" as mentioned, then the Gentiles will gather unto Jerusalem and worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Verses 6 and 7, tell of the world's wealth being brought to Jerusalem. This reminds us of Exodus 12:36, where the Egyptians gave the ex-slaves of their riches to be rid of them, once and for all. Solomon had riches in abundance, but his riches are as a drop in the bucket compared to the world's wealth brought to Jerusalem in the Millennium. That city is the "Apple of God's eye," and even as he has protected the Jews for four millenniums, He also protects His Holy City.

Reference verses:
Isaiah 60
1. Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.
2. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
3. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
4. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.
5. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.
6. The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord.
7. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory.
8. Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?
9. Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.
10. And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.
11. Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.
12. For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.
13. The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.
14. The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee; The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15. Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.
16. Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.
17. For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.
18. Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.
19. The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.
20. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
21. Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.
22. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time.RJS

Jesus read this passage in the Synagogue in the early days of His earthly ministry and applied it to Himself. It is interesting to note that as He does so, we see the Trinity. Note verse 1, 1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach… We see the Spirit of the Lord, and the LORD. We also see the Messiah as me. The Hebrew word for Messiah (maµsûéÆah\) means "the Anointed One", and Christ (christos, from chrioµ, "to anoint") is the Greek equivalent of maµsûéÆah\. (1)

When Jesus read from this passage He stopped in the middle of the sentence, after the word "favor" (Luke 4:18-19). By doing this, He was showing that His work would be divided into two advents. In His First Advent He did the things mentioned in Isaiah 61:1-2a; in His Second Advent He will do the things in verses 2b-3. When He returns He will bring judgment on unbelievers (Micah 5:15; Rev. 19:15-20); this will be the day of God's "vengeance" (cf. Isa. 34:8; 35:4; 63:4). But the Messiah will also "comfort" Israel, for she will have undergone great persecution, the Great Tribulation, in the preceding years…. (2)

The church of the present age enjoys the spiritual blessings of the kingdom. However, the day is coming when a politically and spiritually restored Israel will enjoy all the temporal blessings described here. This cannot happen until the nation as a whole receives Him. The main problems we face in the temporal order are spiritual in nature. If people would live by the right moral and spiritual principles, there would be great blessing.

It is not enough to embrace merely the outward forms of faith and worship. We must embrace important spiritual truth in our hearts. It is the dominance of sin in the majority of hearts, which keeps us from experiencing great blessing in this life. For those who embrace truth there is great blessing for the individual soul regardless of the outward circumstances. It is in this sense today that Christ's kingdom is not of this world.

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

Reference verses:
Isaiah 61
1. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3. To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
4. And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
5. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
6. But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
7. For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.
8. For I the Lord love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9. And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.
10. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
11. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

Have you ever stopped to consider, that God desires that the Lighthouse for the Gospel message be at the city of Jerusalem?! The Lord is expressing His desire and His determination to make Jerusalem this light house for the world. The Lord says in speaking of Jerusalem in Isa 58:8, "Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then in Isa 60:1-3 "Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 2 "For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon you And His glory will appear upon you. 3 "Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. Then in our text in Isa 62:1 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, And for Jerusalem's sake I will not keep quiet, Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, And her salvation like a torch that is burning. Even the Gentiles will see this light coming from Jerusalem. Sadly, the Jews missed the very point that God was trying to make with them. God desires to bless those who will obey Him, but He must punish those who turn away from Him and do their own things. The Jews had been given the wonderful opportunity to bring the gospel message to the world and yet, when they refused Jesus as their Messiah and killed Him instead, the Gospel was taken away from them and given to the Gentiles for a time. God always fulfills His promises though, and the Gospel message will be given back to the Jews once again during the Millennium and Jerusalem will be the Lighthouse to the world.

Can we stop for a moment and consider where we stand? What has God desired to do in your life? God desires for all men to be saved. Then God desires for all men to be conformed to the image of His Son Jesus Christ. Quite simply, God desires for us to become His obedient children and yet, we too, miss the simplest of messages given to help us and guide us. We miss this simple message because of our own pride and desiring to do things our own way. God wants us to be a light house in our family and community that we live in. Are we proclaiming the Gospel message to others daily? Do we live for God as we ought? Are we living sacrificially and obediently as God desires? God help us to obey.

Reference verses:
Isaiah 62
1. For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.
2. And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.
3. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.
4. Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.
5. For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.
6. I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence,
7. And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
8. The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured:
9. But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness.
10. Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people.
11. Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
12. And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.

The picture of God's faithful people here is one of desperate need in the face of deeply powerful and hateful enemies. They long for God to bring justice, and yet recognize their own sin and failure at the same time. There is the greatest tendency for us to compare ourselves with those who have given way to evil. When we do so, we give way to pride and evil ourselves. God does not play favorites, but at the same time, His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting. For this reason, the believing remnant, does not share their destiny. The wicked will be thrown into hell along with the nations that forget God.

The description of sin in verse 6 is powerful. We read, But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. They would confess their sin (Isa. 64:5b), spiritual uncleanness (v. 6a), weakness (v. 6b, like a shriveled leaf), and lack of prayer (v. 7). However, they would not blame God for their dreadful condition; they would know that their wasting away was because of their sins. (1)

Who does not recognize this experience in his own life? The answer is only those destined for damnation. All those who do seek God in faith for mercy find the greatest blessing. God's grace and mercy are without limit. It is not possible for sin to carry us where grace and mercy cannot reach us. The only sin which damns people, is that of rejecting the grace and mercy of God in Jesus Christ. The end of human history is already fixed. There will be salvation and great blessing for all who come to Jesus Christ. They will be a part of an eternal kingdom where all evil will be forever banned. This is the Lord's doing and marvelous in the eyes of all. Salvation is of the Lord, but reprobation is a work of the reprobate himself. God is not willing that any should perish, but He does not force His will on any. If we would be redeemed, at some point we simply must believe and yield ourselves to the hand of God, who is here likened to a potter. As surely as we believe, we will yield.

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

Reference verses:
Isaiah 64
1. Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,
2. As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!
3. When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.
4. For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.
5. Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.
6. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
7. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.
8. But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
9. Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.
10. Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
11. Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste.
12. Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O Lord? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?

Worship is such a powerful word that is unbelievably misused today by good, church-going, religious people. Believe it or not, Satan is out to destroy everything that even represents God. Satan, as the father of liars, blends words together so that no one knows for sure what they mean. We hear the term "Praise and Worship" used as if they were one and the same. Most people do not even know what real worship is! We see churches with "worship teams" and "worship leaders" leading the congregants in this "praise and worship" music called CCM, Contemporary "Christian" Music. We hear of churches going to the "blended" services with traditional music used for one service and CCM for the other. Folks, God have mercy on us. People everywhere are falling for the lies of Satan. Why are so many supposed good people, including churches and pastors falling for this lie? It is because of a lack of spiritual discernment as there is really no true spiritual heart for God. Our text today points out that God's desire is for people, who are of a poor and contrite spirit and for those who tremble at His Word. But we see that when God called, no one heard and no one answered. You see, God knows our attitudes and our words and our thoughts! We don't fool God. We only fool ourselves. We are the ones that are deluded. And ultimately we are the ones who will also pay the price for absolute and stubborn-hearted disobedience before the Creator if we will not obey. You see, True Worship begins in a transformed heart. Worship is all about giving! Giving to God our whole lives, as a living sacrifice! How many of us really live sacrificially? Most of us don't and that's the whole point. We really do not and are not worshipping God acceptably. Yes, we may worship, but it is a worship of self and selfish desires. It is a worship of our own ways and attitudes. We really do not live repentant and obedient lives before the Righteous and Holy God. We cannot worship God acceptably on Sundays if we have not worshipped Him throughout the week. We need to be like Isaiah and fall on our knees and cry out to God in humble repentance, Isa 6:5 …Woe [is] me! for I am undone; because I [am] a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. O God, forgive us and cleanse us from our sinful ways. May we worship You acceptably with a repentant heart seeking You!

Reference verses:
Isaiah 66
1. Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?
2. For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
3. He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.
4. I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.
5. Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.
6. A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord that rendereth recompence to his enemies.
7. Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.
8. Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
9. Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the Lord: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.
10. Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her:
11. That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.
12. For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees.
13. As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
14. And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the Lord shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies.
15. For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16. For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many.
17. They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the Lord.
18. For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
19. And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.
20. And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord.
21. And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the Lord.
22. For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain.
23. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.
24. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

"God is the Creator. Yet what He values are people who have a humble and contrite heart and who follow His Word. In one way or another, this has been Isaiah's message throughout this book, and we could add throughout the whole Bible. God desires His people to follow the truth He has revealed to them. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time, 1 Peter 5:6
Satan has been so successful in all ages, keeping God's people from reading the Bible. Without spiritual knowledge, we are weak and have little or no understanding of what God actually wants from His people.

66:11-17, Israel's return to the land will be so remarkably quick that it will be like a woman giving birth to a son. God will do for Jerusalem what He has set out to do. This then is cause for rejoicing. The people of Israel will delight in Jerusalem. Vv. 12-13 As stated many times in the Book of Isaiah, peace will come to Jerusalem and the nations' wealth will flow in the city.
"Vv.14-18 In the Millennium, they will rejoice and prosper, but on His and her enemies He will swoop down in judgment like a fire (cf. 2 Thes. 1:7-9) and a whirlwind to slay them. This judgment will be fair. When the Messiah returns, His judgment will be on all nations Rev. 19:17-18) and because of that judgment the world will see His glory.
"People outside Israel will turn to Him and worship Him, vv. 20-21.

"Vv. 22-24 Israel will be as enduring as the new heavens and the new earth. All mankind (i.e., people from all nations) will worship the LORD, bowing down before Him. As Isaiah had frequently written, these righteous ones will contrast greatly with those who rebelled against the LORD. The ungodly will suffer eternal torment (cf. Mark 9:48). The awesome way this majestic Book of Isaiah concludes, points to the need for unrepentant people to turn to the Lord, the only God, the Holy One of Israel, the Lord Jesus Christ."
Walvoord, John F., and Zuck, Roy B. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Wheaton, IL. S.P.P.I. '83, '85

As God calls Ezekiel, he tells him about His people. God describes those who profess faith as rebellious. God says, they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I wonder how God would describe His people today. Today people put great emphasis on results. If God is blessing, there will be fruit. This is what we believe, but this is not what God says here. God says to Ezekiel in effect, forget about results and be faithful to me. You see, if we take hold of this fruit and results mentality, you can be sure that we will compromise truth. The people were blind to God's work in judgment on the nation. Rather than acknowledging God's judgment and confessing their sins, the Jewish exiles viewed their time in Babylon as a temporary setback that would be alleviated by their soon return to Jerusalem. They refused to admit their sin or to believe the threat of impending judgment on their disobedient nation. (1)

It will not be easy for Ezekiel to go against the grain. Three times God told Ezekiel, Do not be afraid. He needed this encouragement because the task was difficult (briers and thorns are all around you) and even dangerous (you live among scorpions). Ezekiel learned his lesson well. Nowhere does the book hint that he cowered in fear or hesitated to proclaim God's message. (2) Ezekiel's call was that of a messenger. He was to receive a message from God and deliver it to the people. This would take courage and patience. The specific word was then revealed to Ezekiel. … God… gave Ezekiel the scroll (3:2). Many interpretations of why the scroll was written on both sides have been given, but the best explanation seems to be that God had much that He wanted Ezekiel to communicate to Israel. The message consisted of words of lament and mourning and woe. (2)

The final deportation was yet to take place, and the remnant in Babylon expected to return to Jerusalem soon. In the face of such terrible judgment, they failed to see a big problem in their own hearts. They represented the most faithful of believers, but they were blind to their own sin. Their blindness was self-inflicted. They were not blind because they could not see, they did not want to see. They were rebellious and stubborn.

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

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 2
1. And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.
2. And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.
3. And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.
4. For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God.
5. And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.
6. And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
7. And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.
8. But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.
9. And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;
10. And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

God uses leadership in unique ways to help people understand how they need to obey Him. It is called the Family picture. Think of it for a moment. Dads are to be the spiritual leaders for their families with the help of the mom. Pastors are to be the spiritual leaders for their congregants with the help of other pastors and also deacons. God puts governmental leadership in place for our benefit, safety, and general welfare. Jesus Christ, God's Son is also pictured as the Bridegroom, the leader and the cornerstone of the church, His bride.

In our text today Ezekiel was given the task of being the spiritual watchman for the nation of Israel. We need to understand that Israel was in captivity and that God was using His chosen man, the prophet Ezekiel to continue to give God's Word to the people, whether or not they would listen. Folks, if we get nothing else from this devotional today, we need to get this! God has given Dad's the spiritual responsibility for their children and families! God has given pastors the spiritual responsibility of their congregations! If we fail to teach our children and our families God's ways, we will be held responsible for their bad choices. Same thing for pastors, the people's blood will be upon their hands. BUT, if we teach our children God's ways and pastors teach and preach ALL of God's oracles and the families and the congregants choose to disobey and go against God, their blood will be upon their own heads.

There is GREAT JOY for Fathers, in teaching our children godly principles and standards and seeing them respond with obedience. There is GREAT JOY for pastors in preaching God's Word and seeing people obey the Lord! On the other hand, there is great sorrow for families who miss this message. The same thing applies to pastors; great sorrow, not only for the fathers and the pastors, but also for the families and the congregants. Wouldn't we as fathers want what is best for our children? They will become like us. They will follow in our footsteps almost always. If we have not lead them spiritually, they will be like us and even be worse. This is the curse of sin. We must choose to do it God's way. Our children and families are too precious to loose to the world. The sheep in the church are too precious to lead astray. May God help us to be the spiritual watchmen that He desires us to be! Amen!

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 3
1. Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.
2. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.
3. And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.
4. And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.
5. For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel;
6. Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.
7. But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.
8. Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.
9. As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
10. Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.
11. And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord God; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.
12. Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place.
13. I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing.
14. So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me.
15. Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.
16. And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
17. Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
18. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
19. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
20. Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
21. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
22. And the hand of the Lord was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee.
23. Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face.
24. Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house.
25. But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them:
26. And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house.
27. But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.

15th

August 15
Second, Third and Fourth Visions of Ezekiel
Ezekiel 3: 1-27

It has been questioned as to whether Ezekiel actually ate the books or if he masticated them mentally. The Books were written on tanned skins, and it may be possible he physically ate them and if that were so, then we can understand why Ezekiel had acute indigestion. To digest a book mentally, means to read and meditate, and even memorize the outline or important parts of the book. God also tells Ezekiel that nothing can stop him in his prophecy, because he is under God's divine protection.

Ezekiel is caught up by the Spirit and carried to the River Chebar, where he sat among the captives for seven days causing much consternation among the people. Ezekiel is now commissioned the fourth time in this book. He was to be a watchman among his people. The watchman stood on a high hill or a watch tower and his responsibility was to warn the people of impending doom or of an enemy about to attack the nation. If they did not respond, their blood would be upon themselves, and if he did not warn them, their blood would be upon him.

Ministers, in our day are to be watchmen and warn people of the impending doom, however, a great disaster has overcome the church in the last century. First, hypercritical men began to destroy the Bible by disputing and teaching that many things recorded therein were not actually true or historical. Then "Modernism" explained away the great prophecies and restoration of Israel. Fundamentalism was born because of the modernist teaching, but it became a farce as certain men sought to become papal preachers and they alone, had the truth. Then entertainment came into vogue, and preachers tried to overcome their competition by gathering numbers and entertaining them with pious platitudes and jungle music that pleased the worshippers' ears without castigating their sins. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables, 2 Timothy 4:3-4. The church has made great strides to become the Laodicea Church and close its doors to the Lord Jesus Christ, Revelation 3:20.

Reference verses:

Ezekiel 3
1. Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.
2. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.
3. And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.
4. And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.
5. For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel;
6. Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.
7. But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.
8. Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.
9. As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
10. Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.
11. And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord God; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.
12. Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place.
13. I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing.
14. So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me.
15. Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.
16. And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
17. Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
18. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
19. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
20. Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
21. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
22. And the hand of the Lord was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee.
23. Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face.
24. Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house.
25. But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them:
26. And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house.
27. But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.
Revelation 3: 20. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

061504rjs

16th

August 16
The Coming Judgment on Jerusalem
Ezekiel 5

It is important to realize that God does not need to work in a supernatural way in bringing judgment though at times this is involved. God is the Creator and when we act against His created order, there are natural consequences. History shows that moral corruption weakens a nation. As nations become weak, they become vulnerable. In this chapter, God uses Ezekiel as an object lesson to the nation.

God told Ezekiel to shave his head and beard with a sharp sword. After Ezekiel shaved, he was to use a set of scales for weighing his hair in three equal piles with a few strands left over. The hair that had been set aside earlier was now put to use. Ezekiel carried a third of his hair to the middle of the city and set it on fire. The purpose of this action, explained in verse 12, was to illustrate that a third of the people would die by the plague or by famine. When Nebuchadnezzar's army finally broke through the city's walls, they found a population decimated by famine. The food shortage was so severe that the people had resorted to cannibalism (v. 10). Such horrors had been predicted by Moses (Deut. 28:52-57) and were verified by Jeremiah (Lam. 2:20; 4:10).
Those who survived the famine had to face the sword. After burning the first third of his hair, Ezekiel went through the city with the second third and chopped it up with his sword. This action meant that a third of the Jerusalemites would die by the sword (Ezek. 5:12).
The one-third of the inhabitants of Jerusalem who would survive the siege would still be in jeopardy. This was illustrated by the prophet's scattering a third of his hair to the wind. Those who survived Jerusalem's fall to Babylon would be taken away in captivity and would live in fear.5:3-4. After Ezekiel had burned, chopped, and scattered his hair, a few strands remained. God told Ezekiel to tuck them away in the folds of his garment. Hiding these few hairs represented God's preserving a remnant in the midst of judgment. (1)

It is interesting to note that Israel became more corrupt than the nations around her. The apostate is always more corrupt than the heathen. It is an especially dangerous thing to turn from truth and light.

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

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 5
1. And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber's rasor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair.
2. Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.
3. Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy skirts.
4. Then take of them again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire; for thereof shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel.
5. Thus saith the Lord God; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her.
6. And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have not walked in them.
7. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you;
8. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, am against thee, and will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations.
9. And I will do in thee that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all thine abominations.
10. Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments in thee, and the whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the winds.
11. Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord God; Surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.
12. A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.
13. Thus shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted: and they shall know that I the Lord have spoken it in my zeal, when I have accomplished my fury in them.
14. Moreover I will make thee waste, and a reproach among the nations that are round about thee, in the sight of all that pass by.
15. So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about thee, when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the Lord have spoken it.
16. When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:
17. So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall bereave thee: and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee; and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the Lord have spoken it.

061604dw

17th

August 17
Judgment for Idolatry
Ezekiel 6

Idolatry is something that we really think little about, especially as it relates to us in our modern day society. We read about it in times past and we watch TV documentaries about temples and idols and we drift off into complacency once more with little other thought that, in fact, this Idol could be SELF. It is true that only a repentant heart really sees Self as idolatry. All others think that it is something or someone else that has a problem. But seriously, honestly, think about what idolatry really is. It is putting something of greater importance, of greater worth, something in place of God. What could this possibly be? It could be a lot of good things. Our time for example. How much time do we allow to study, meditate and memorize God's word. Most of us would have to admit that it is just a very small part of our day. We just are too busy with other things, good as they may be. Instead of recognizing this and doing something about it, we tend to justify it and we casually continue our stroll down idolatry lane, literally unaware of the dangers that lurk and lie around the corner. Not too long ago, there was a person who got a new computer and after a time, decided to get on the Internet for the very first time. Without the proper protection of virus protecting software and updates on the windows operating software, this computer became infected immediately. The unique thing about it was that the owner never knew that there was a problem going on. The computer just got slower and slower until it was unusable, at which point drastic action was needed to revive the computer and bring it back to life. Folks, we need a wake up call. We too get caught up in a lot of good things. The sin idol and the viruses of Self catch up to us and we don't even realize it until many times it is too late. We see in our text that there is judgment for idolatry. We need to see that when God is not #1 all day, everyday, we place other things in His rightful place and we commit idolatry. It happened to Israel and it is happening to anyone who is not placing God first and foremost in their lives. The Drastic measures that we need to take are these. Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. We need to bend our knees in humbleness before God and ask Him to forgive us. We need to seek His face. We need to turn from our selfish ways and begin to live for Him. Judgment is at hand. What will be your choice? "Gracious God, forgive us and cleanse us from idolatry. Amen."

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 6
1. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2. Son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them,
3. And say, 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; Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places.
4. And your altars shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken: and I will cast down your slain men before your idols.
5. And I will lay the dead carcases of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.
6. In all your dwellingplaces the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate; that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.
7. And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
8. Yet will I leave a remnant, that ye may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations, when ye shall be scattered through the countries.
9. And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall lothe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations.
10. And they shall know that I am the Lord, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.
11. Thus saith the Lord God; Smite with thine hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say, Alas for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! for they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence.
12. He that is far off shall die of the pestilence; and he that is near shall fall by the sword; and he that remaineth and is besieged shall die by the famine: thus will I accomplish my fury upon them.
13. Then shall ye know that I am the Lord, when their slain men shall be among their idols round about their altars, upon every high hill, in all the tops of the mountains, and under every green tree, and under every thick oak, the place where they did offer sweet savour to all their idols.
14. So will I stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land desolate, yea, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations: and they shall know that I am the Lord.

061704dm

18th

August 18
The Idolatry of the People Avenged
Ezekiel 6:1-14

With a striking figure of speech, Ezekiel speaks to the Mountains, Hills, Rivers and Valleys in his discourse with Israel and her idolatry. When the people entered the Land under the leadership of Joshua, they were to utterly destroy all the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites and all the other Ites. Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee, Ex. 23:32-33. Unfortunately, God's people did not obey His commands and in the course of being unwilling to destroy these ungodly people as God had commanded. Israel became like them. It is always true, righteous-ness and sin cannot dwell together, if they do, sin will become the victor and drag down the righteous.

Israel fulfilled the prediction of Moses, See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; 16In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. 17But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; 18I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess, Deut. 30:15-18. Yes, Israel forgot the commands of Moses and did exceeding evil in the sight of the Lord. Israel took all the gods of the heathen and their idols and worshipped them. When we speak of worshipping the gods, it was the zenith of immorality and unspeakable sins.

In today's society, America has turned to the heathen practices of the godless people of the world and our morality has sunk to a new low. We are in the process of removing God from every facet of our society and in the process; we are forsaking the teachings of the Scriptures and reducing ourselves to a pagan country. If we do not return to God, we too, will be destroyed as Israel was.

061804rjs

19th

August 19
Separation in Judgment
Ezekiel 9

This text ought to be a great blessing to all who really love God and the truth. This world can get itself in to a terrible mess at times. I think of what happened in Nazi Germany during World War II. It was a terrible time. During such times, does God provide any supernatural protection for His people? I believe that He does. I have heard witness of such myself from preachers who experienced the jackbooted Nazi's. The Psalmist also speaks of God watching over His own. We read in Psalm 91, Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 7A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

God knew those who had remained faithful to Him, and would spare them in His judgment (cf. God's marking of the 144,000 for preservation during the Tribulation, Rev. 7:3-4). Those who were righteous and whose hearts grieved over the nation's sin had received God's mark of protection. They would be spared. The unrighteous who had rejected God and embraced evil did not receive the mark of protection. They would be killed. Each person's destiny was determined by his character. (1) We would make a mistake if we think church membership, the profession of faith, baptism, and outward works are a substitute for character. They are not. As surly as God has done a work of salvation in our hearts, it will manifest itself in our character.

Begin at the sanctuary. Since the evil had spread from the temple throughout the land (Ezek. 8), the judgment would follow the same course. (2) If spiritual leaders would stand for truth, it would filter to the people. Overwhelmed by the magnitude of this judgment Ezekiel cried out, Are You going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel? God had given Israel and Judah ample time to repent of their sin, but the people had used the time to grow more perverse in their ways of bloodshed (cf. "violence," Ezek. 8:17) and injustice … (3) Sadly, the remnant was very small. If we are near the end of the age, make no mistake, the same is true today.

(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 9
1. He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.
2. And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar.
3. And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side;
4. And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
5. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:
6. Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.
7. And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.
8. And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord God! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem?
9. Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The Lord hath forsaken the earth, and the Lord seeth not.
10. And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head.
11. And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me.

061904dw

20th

August 20
Deep Spiritual Corruption
Ezekiel 8

Ezekiel mentioned the date (see comments two pars. earlier) to identify when the hand of the Sovereign LORD came upon him (cf. 1:3; 3:14, 22). It was when he was in his house and the elders of Judah were sitting there with him. Ezekiel's outside ministry was still limited (cf. 3:24), so the elders of the community had to come to his house. They had probably gone to seek his advice, possibly on the fate of Jerusalem. The vision was God's answer which Ezekiel then reported to them (cf. 11:24-25). (1)

The message in effect is God's case against the nation. The nation was given over to idolatry from top to bottom. This idolatry was even in the temple of God. God's message is clear. If the idol inhabited the temple, God would leave. (1) It would seem that Ezekiel was unaware of the extent of the spiritual corruption going on in the worship of the nation. He was a prophet, but he did not know. God, who knew their hearts, explained to Ezekiel that the elders sought to justify their sin by saying The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land. The elders felt that what they did in their darkened chambers would escape God's notice. They thought He was only a petty god who had abandoned them. So they were courting other gods to protect them. These elders' attitude was soon transmitted to the people (cf. Ezek. 9:9). (2)

The people were even putting the branch to their nose. This act cannot be identified with certainty, but the general sense is clear: the gesture was a gross insult to God. (3) In other words, these leaders and the nation were mad at God and openly showing their contempt for Him because He was powerless or unwilling to bless and help them. People never abandon hope in life. For most, the hope for this life has always been in possessions and money. For most, who do not profess faith in Christ in the next life, it is that they are not as bad as others, so it would be unjust for a good God to send them to hell. In effect, their hope is in their own goodness. Anyone who really knows the sin of their own heart could not entertain such a false hope. I know that for me to have any hope of salvation, Jesus Christ must save. I have not the power or the goodness to save myself. Salvation always has, is and will be tied to faith in Christ.

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

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 8
1. And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell there upon me.
2. Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.
3. And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.
4. And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.
5. Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.
6. He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.
7. And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.
8. Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.
9. And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.
10. So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about.
11. And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.
12. Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken the earth.
13. He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.
14. Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.
15. Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.
16. And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.
17. Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.
18. Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.

062004dw

21st

August 21
Set a mark on the Forehead
Ezekiel 9: 4

And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. v. 4
This command reminds us of other times in Scripture when we see a mark. The first one is the mark on Cain; we do not know what the mark was, but he carried a mark that told others he was not to be put to death. Another mark was in Ex. 12:13 where the mark was on the door posts and the lintel, and all who were under the mark were safe from the death angel that flew through out all Egypt that night. The mark in our text is the last letter in the old Hebrew alphabet, "Tau" also shown as the sign "+." Many early New Testament believers used this mark on their foreheads to show that they were Christians. In Infant baptism, the clergyman makes a cross on the forehead of the baby. In Revelation 7:3, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. Here again, we have a mark on the foreheads of the 144,000 Jews chosen of God and protected from all Satanic forces. Also in Rev. 13:16-17 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. The antichrist causes all who follow him to be marked for all financial transactions. It is not my conviction that this is "666" on every person, but it is a tattooed number or chip implant that will be both visible to the eye and a machine or light that reads it. Our last illustration is found in Eph. 1:13, In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise. All believers are sealed unto the day of their redemption by the Holy Spirit. This seal is our visa and passport into heaven. It was purchased at the cross and can never be canceled or exchanged. This blood-bought ticket has each believers name on it and if you are not a possessor of this ticket or passport you will never see the heavenly gates. Remember, Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Light.

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 9:4. And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. RJS

062104rjs

22nd

August 22
Ichabod - God's Glory Departs
Ezekiel 10

Ichabod means, "The Glory of the Lord has departed." We need to fully understand what took place here at the temple and how it applies to us today. God's people were to worship Him at the temple and it would seem that they were not there, but in fact they were there. The people continued to come to the temple just as they always had. The difference was that they did not realize that God was withdrawing from them. God graciously did not move out and away from them all in one fell swoop. He moved away very gradually, hoping that the people would realize the error of their apathy and lack of spiritual discernment, but they did not even know that the Holy Spirit of God had even left. What a sad day.

But before we get too hard on the people of Ezekiel's time, we need to consider our own lives. This country was founded upon the very Word of God. God has richly blessed this nation as a result, but people have been slowly moving and turning away. Bible believing and Bible teaching and preaching Churches are slowly dying on the vine. There are many churches that, in fact, are growing by leaps and bounds, but God is not there. These are apostate churches and people are gathering preachers to tickle their ears with pleasant messages and songs that help them to feel good about themselves. Sadly, our nation is seeing the grace of God being withdrawn little by little. Families no longer gather together around their own dinner tables and living rooms to read God's Holy Word and to pray. The fathers are missing one of the most important details of their God given responsibility. And the results are that God's grace is being removed little by little in the families. Most churches no longer preach and teach the unadulterated Word of God and have allowed ungodly influences into the church through mans wisdom, philosophy and vain deceit. God's grace is being slowly and incrementally withdrawn and the name ICHOBOD, THE GLORY OF THE LORD HAS DEPARTED, is written above our church doors and our homes and our nation. The amazing thing is, no one has noticed. Very few people see the imminent danger and if they do, even fewer are willing to do something about it; dark days indeed. It is only by God's grace that we are not consumed. God help us to repent. That is the only answer that God will hear; Repentance, Submission, and Obedience.

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 10
1. Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne.
2. And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. And he went in in my sight.
3. Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court.
4. Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord's glory.
5. And the sound of the cherubims' wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh.
6. And it came to pass, that when he had commanded the man clothed with linen, saying, Take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubims; then he went in, and stood beside the wheels.
7. And one cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubims unto the fire that was between the cherubims, and took thereof, and put it into the hands of him that was clothed with linen: who took it, and went out.
8. And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man's hand under their wings.
9. And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubims, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone.
10. And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel.
11. When they went, they went upon their four sides; they turned not as they went, but to the place whither the head looked they followed it; they turned not as they went.
12. And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had.
13. As for the wheels, it was cried unto them in my hearing, O wheel.
14. And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.
15. And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar.
16. And when the cherubims went, the wheels went by them: and when the cherubims lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also turned not from beside them.
17. When they stood, these stood; and when they were lifted up, these lifted up themselves also: for the spirit of the living creature was in them.
18. Then the glory of the Lord departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims.
19. And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one stood at the door of the east gate of the Lord's house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.
20. This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims.
21. Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.
22. And the likeness of their faces was the same faces which I saw by the river of Chebar, their appearances and themselves: they went every one straight forward.

062204dm

23rd

August 23
Teaching Truth to Spiritual Children
Ezekiel 12

Here is an example of using something to catch the imagination in order to try to get a spiritual truth across to rebellious believers. The message is Biblical, but the method is something unusual to capture attention. The people no doubt sat back and wondered what Ezekiel would do next. God is using Ezekiel as a sign unto the house of Israel.

Here Ezekiel's sign to Israel involved two separate actions. In the first action he packed his belongings and went to another place as the exiles watched him. The people recognized the meaning of that action because six years earlier they had made similar preparations for their own deportation to Babylon. This first action in the daytime was followed by a second action in the evening. While the people watched, Ezekiel was to pretend he was being taken captive and was to dig through the wall and take his belongings (cf. v. 4) out through it, carrying them on his shoulder. As Ezekiel pantomimed before the people a furtive escape attempt he was also to cover his face so that he could not see the land. (1)

Here the Word of God is presented in terms of their experience and expanded to issue a prophetic warning. The people did not receive the message. They did not believe it. There were no real results to this attempt, but God directed Ezekiel to do this and it happened. Those in Jerusalem would ultimately realize the sovereignty of God (Ezek. 12:15-16), but that knowledge would come only after they were dispersed among the nations. And yet, as God had said, He would spare a few of them (cf. 6:8). (2) I'm not sure how much people really realize. We have the Bible, which is a record of many such experiences, and do even God's people really realize?

Lastly, and this is tragic, people worked to undermine the message of Ezekiel. They said, the days are prolonged, and every vision faileth? This amounted to a proverb in Israel because of the longsuffering grace of God. God knows this, but the results would not change regardless so it is important for God to give clear public witness to the greatness of His mercy and grace.

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

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 12
1. The word of the Lord also came unto me, saying,
2. Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.
3. Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house.
4. Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing: and thou shalt go forth at even in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity.
5. Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.
6. In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel.
7. And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged through the wall with mine hand; I brought it forth in the twilight, and I bare it upon my shoulder in their sight.
8. And in the morning came the word of the Lord unto me, saying,
9. Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou?
10. Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that are among them.
11. Say, I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove and go into captivity.
12. And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.
13. My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.
14. And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them.
15. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.
16. But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the Lord.
17. Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
18. Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness;
19. And say unto the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord God of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and of the land of Israel; They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with astonishment, that her land may be desolate from all that is therein, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein.
20. And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
21. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
22. Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?
23. Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord God; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.
24. For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel.
25. For I am the Lord: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord God.
26. Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
27. Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off.
28. Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord God.

062304dw

24th

August 24
Blind Eyes, Deaf Ears and Rebellious Hearts
Ezekiel 12:1-28

Men, how often are you accused of not hearing your wife when there is no interference? We men, seem to have an inborn ability to turn off what we do not want to hear. Ezekiel tells us in this chapter that all Israel was turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to God and His prophets. Isaiah spoke of the same thing in Chapter 6. Even the Lord Jesus referred to the Jews being blind and deaf to His teachings. In Ezekiel's day it was SIN that blinded and deafened the people. Today it is the same problem! SIN keeps us from hearing a sermon or reading a passage from the Scripture and not receiving something from it. It is like sowing the seed by the way side and is carried away by the birds, Matt 14:4 and Vs. 19 where the birds are explained to be Satan.

Verses 14-15, And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them. And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries. In Hebrews, James, First and Second Peter and Jude we have a New Testament message to the dispersed Jews that never returned to Israel after the 70 years of captivity. This does not mean these books are only for the Jews, they are for all Christians, both Jew and Gentile, but the main message is to these dispersed people.

Today, as in Ezekiel's day, sin deprives sinners of the physical comforts of life. I've heard people say before a Saturday night drinking binge, "We are going out and have a good time," but Sunday a big, throbbing headache and sour stomach are the results of a good time. Many a child suffers, and homes are broken because of parents going out and having a good time. Sin deprives sinners of peace and serenity of spirit. A godly conscience is hurting when it realizes that sin has destroyed a home or family. Where there is no peace, only fighting and bickering; there is no happiness in that home. It's time to ask ourselves, are we trying to walk in the world and then putting on our "Sunday go to meeting clothes" to go to church and be pious for an hour to satiate our conscience. It is time for all Christians to be all out for the Lord, NOW!

062404rjs

25th

August 25
Woe to Foolish Prophets
Ezekiel 13

This is an indictment against the false prophets of Israel, as they were giving a false message of hope and were not calling the people to repentance. They instead were like foxes, who are mischievous and destructive. They did nothing to shore up the spiritual defenses the people desperately needed in the face of the coming judgment. These prophets spoke spiritual words, words that sounded good, but in fact, were words that subjectively came out of their own minds all the while claiming that these were the words of the Lord. Thus a three-fold judgment was placed upon these foolish and false prophets.

Say, just think of this interesting thought. Do we have any of these false prophets with us today? The obvious answer is affirmative. We have more of these false prophets with us today than ever before. They are lulling people into false security, promising phony peace promises, all the while sin is continuing on the very brink of God's judgment. It is a way, so to speak, of erecting a defective wall and whitewashing it to make it look good, but these kind of spiritual walls are doomed to collapse when God brings in His storms such as He did in Ezekiel's day with the invading forces from Babylon. Israel had hypocritical false spirituality and folks; we too, are faced with these same sins.

Pastors of churches need to fall on their knees as never before and labor in much prayer in godly supplication and intercession for their churches and the very precious families that the church represents. Without this prayer support, these families are being left wide open to the assaults of the evil one. Pastors, too, need to begin to preach the message of the cross in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the message of the cross that brings godly repentance; nothing else will. It is the power of God unto salvation and nothing else. If these things go unattended, good people are left open to unhindered spiritual attack and the pastors will be held responsible for how they prayed and preached the Word of God. This same principle applies to Fathers in their own families. They too, are the spiritual teachers that need to be in prayer for their families and teaching them to observe the ways of the Lord, to live lives of repentance and submission unto the Lord. Gracious and Merciful God, forgive us when we fail. Guide us according to Your truth. May we be faithful.

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 13
1. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2. Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the Lord;
3. Thus saith the Lord God; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!
4. O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.
5. Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord.
6. They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The Lord saith: and the Lord hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word.
7. Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The Lord saith it; albeit I have not spoken?
8. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord God.
9. And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord God.
10. Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter:
11. Say unto them which daub it with untempered morter, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it.
12. Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?
13. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it.
14. So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered morter, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
15. Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered morter, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it;
16. To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord God.
17. Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them,
18. And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you?
19. And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies?
20. Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly.
21. Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
22. Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:
23. Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

062504dm

26th

August 26
The Parable of the Fruitless Vine
Ezekiel 15

In this chapter, God posed a question to Ezekiel. Son of man, how is the wood of a vine better than that of a branch on any of the trees in the forest? The obvious answer is that apart from its ability to bear fruit the wood of a tangled vine is inferior to the wood of a tree. God pressed His point by asking two additional questions. Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful? Do they make pegs from it to hang things on? The wood of grapevines is useless as a building material. Its twisting, gnarled branches cannot even be fashioned into a stout peg for hanging objects. If the vine by itself was nearly useless, how much more so would it be after it had been through the fire? The worthlessness of a charred branch with its crooked, blackened ends is obvious. (1)

The prophet then applied this figure to the people of Jerusalem. The truth never departed from Jerusalem, but it was so distorted by error and sin that as a whole the people were of no spiritual value. In the Bible, the nation Israel is spoken of in terms of a vine and this is one example. The nation was a spiritual vine that should produce spiritual fruit. Rather than fulfill God's intended purpose, the nation was like a wild vine growing everywhere without useful fruit. The only human value of such a vine is in building fires. Therefore, the fire of God's judgment had to come on the nation. Then as they come out of the fire, there is even less value. No one collects burned and charred vines as fuel.

It is sad, but I believe it is possible for churches, and even for those who have been born of the spirit to come to the point that they are of no spiritual value to God. Whenever this happens, I believe the end is near. Without repentance, God will simply take the individual Christian to heaven. This is the sin unto death spoken of in I John, and at this point, there is no need to pray. God's sovereign purpose is set. For the church, it will be like that of Laodicea. God will leave and only open fellowship to those who come outside. Fruitlessness is a very serious spiritual problem. Is there fruit in your life?

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

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 15
1. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2. Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest?
3. Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?
4. Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it meet for any work?
5. Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less shall it be meet yet for any work, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned?
6. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
7. And I will set my face against them; they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I set my face against them.
8. And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord God.

062604dw

27th

August 27
The Vine, The Fig Tree and The Olive Tree
Ezekiel 15:1-8

These three trees are all symbols of Israel and today we will only look at the Vine as that is the subject of our text. The Vine is the emblem of Israel's national life in Old Testament days. Isa. 5:7 says: "The vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah, His pleasant plant." Ezekiel 17 and Hosea 10:1 give us a parable of the history of Israel in three words; Israel was selected, rejected and accepted. They were selected in Abraham. They were rejected under the kings, and will be accepted under the leadership of King Jesus in the Millennium. The keeper of the vineyard is looking for fruit, he prunes the vines and cares for them, but there is no fruit, he digs up the vine and plants another. However, God is long suffering, so He leaves the root and only cuts out the unfruitful branches and grafts into the plant, new wild branches that produce fruit, i. e. the church. Remember the root is still there and God will, in the near future, allow the root to produce new branches and they will be restored Israel. A perfect picture is from Jacob's deathbed. Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grape, Gen. 49:8-12. At the last Passover, Jesus was speaking to His disciples, And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom, Matt. 26:27-29. A number of times we find the words, "That Day," repeated in the Word of God and here is one from Isaiah 27:2-3, In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine. 3I the LORD do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. Yes, Israel is to be restored and will be with Christ for all eternity. Will you?

062704rjs

28th

August 28
God's Love; Our Sin; God's Eternal Promise
Ezekiel 16

What a precious chapter. We read of how God takes those who are caught in the dregs of sin and clothes them in His righteousness. Yet, many do not want to be clothed in righteousness, as they enjoy sin and depravity to much and turn away from God's loving care for them. Israel did this to God and people today, are doing the very same things. Many will miss the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ because they have chosen to walk their own paths and have turned away from and spurned the righteous clothes of Christ's Salvation that God desires for all who will turn from sin and repent. As we read further in our text we see that Israel committed harlotry and went further and committed adultery before the Lord. This is great wickedness before God. They were even taking their children and killing them in offerings to the pagan gods and then burning them as well. It is wicked to be solicited and then paid for immorality. Israel went even further. She solicited and even paid her idol consorts. So, God allowed her so-called lovers to abuse her. Anyone caught in this type of immoral behavior was to be shamefully exposed in their nakedness and then they were to be stoned to death, making them a shameful spectacle. God even says they were more wicked than Samaria and Sodom. This is really bad. By exacting the full penalty on Israel's sins in the destructions by Babylon, God's wrath was satisfied. Where is our society today? Millions of babies are being slain at the hands of abortionists. Who is to blame? We are. We have not stood against the evil atrocities of killing the unborn. What kind of behavior continues in our society? Lewdness, immorality, homosexuality and lesbianism, same sex marriages, and the list goes on and on. Will God allow this behavior to continue? Rom 2:3-7 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life! Amen.

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 16
1. Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2. Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
3. And say, Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.
4. And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.
5. None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.
6. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.
7. I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare.
8. Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest mine.
9. Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.
10. I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.
11. I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.
12. And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.
13. Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.
14. And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God.
15. But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.
16. And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.
17. Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,
18. And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them.
19. My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord God.
20. Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter,
21. That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?
22. And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood.
23. And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the Lord God;)
24. That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street.
25. Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms.
26. Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger.
27. Behold, therefore I have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thine ordinary food, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewd way.
28. Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied.
29. Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith.
30. How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord God, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman;
31. In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire;
32. But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!
33. They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom.
34. And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.
35. Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord:
36. Thus saith the Lord God; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them;
37. Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness.
38. And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy.
39. And I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thy high places: they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare.
40. They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords.
41. And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more.
42. So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry.
43. Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast fretted me in all these things; behold, therefore I also will recompense thy way upon thine head, saith the Lord God: and thou shalt not commit this lewdness above all thine abominations.
44. Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter.
45. Thou art thy mother's daughter, that lotheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, which lothed their husbands and their children: your mother was an Hittite, and your father an Amorite.
46. And thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters.
47. Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but, as if that were a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways.
48. As I live, saith the Lord God, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters.
49. Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
50. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.
51. Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all thine abominations which thou hast done.
52. Thou also, which hast judged thy sisters, bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they: they are more righteous than thou: yea, be thou confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters.
53. When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them:
54. That thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them.
55. When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.
56. For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride,
57. Before thy wickedness was discovered, as at the time of thy reproach of the daughters of Syria, and all that are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, which despise thee round about.
58. Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith the Lord.
59. For thus saith the Lord God; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.
60. Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.
61. Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger: and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant.
62. And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord:
63. That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God.

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29th

August 29
The Consequences of Sin
Ezekiel 18

In this chapter, God through the prophet talks with the people about a popular line of thinking. This thinking had crystallized into a parable. We read this parable in verse 2, the fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? It is a reference to the natural consequences of sin. Our sins in life have an influence on our great grandchildren according to the Bible, however, in this chapter, God is upset because people are blaming their parents for their problems. God is going to make the message of His justice clear. He does not judicially punish the children for the sins of the fathers even though children may be influenced by their fathers; it is their sin that is the problem not that of their fathers. Regardless of their fathers, they still carry individual moral responsibility.

Individual moral responsibility is defined clearly in verses, 4Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. 5But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right … 9 … he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD. If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things, 11 … shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him. 20The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son … 25Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. … Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?

The people were projecting their corruption on God and God was trying to reason with them in their sin. This is the calling of all those who represent God. In the end, most of God's people failed to understand, and after over 25 years of ministry, that is my experience as well. God was not threatening fathers in a punitive way even though this is what most choose to believe. 32For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye. God only warns people about the reality of life and truth. Do you believe His warnings?

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

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 18
1. The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying,
2. What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?
3. As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.
4. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
5. But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,
6. And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour's wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman,
7. And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment;
8. He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man,
9. Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God.
10. If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things,
11. And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour's wife,
12. Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination,
13. Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.
14. Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father's sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like,
15. That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbour's wife,
16. Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment,
17. That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.
18. As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.
19. Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.
20. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
21. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
22. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.
23. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?
24. But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to All the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
25. Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?
26. When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.
27. Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.
28. Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
29. Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?
30. Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
31. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
32. For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

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30th

August 30
God's Divine Equity
Ezekiel 18:19-28

God's unbounded compassion is seen in His patience under all forms of human provocation, and in His repeated messages of repentance to rebellious men. There is "line upon line and precept upon precept." Every style of expostulation is used; every complaint is silenced, because His love is stronger than death, and mightier than sin. God's solemn attestation of Righteousness is God's glory in His righteousness. He deigns to make it acknowledged by men.

He comes down to our level, yet without sin, to take upon Himself our sin and in turn, make us righteous, however, sinning man always seeks self-justification. We are not sorry that we sinned, only sorry that we got caught. Man always fastens his attention on the suffering and loses sight of his secret sins. Sin is passed from father to son and mother to daughter. In other words, we are all born sinners. However, each person is responsible for his or her own sins. We cannot lay our guilt on someone other than ourselves. We often try to pass the buck and blame society or parents, but it all comes back to our own sinful nature. Christians are just as guilty as the non-believers in that we always seek to justify ourselves and even refuse to confess our sins on a daily basis. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:6-9.

The death of the body comes directly from our sinful nature. In other words, we are born to die. The natural man is cursed with the sinful nature and he can never throw it off. The born-again person is a new creation and even though we still have the old nature, we can suppress that old man and live a victorious life in Christ. Walking in the Spirit and giving the Spirit control over our old nature, the new nature can and will show through, for all to see that we are living in Christ Jesus.

Reference verses:
Ezekiel 18: 19-28. Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.
20. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
21. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
22. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.
23. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?
24. But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to All the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
25. Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?
26. When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.
27. Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.
28. Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

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31st

Israel's Leaders Judged

Ezekiel 19

Effective leaders must have loyal leaders of lesser rank. Pastors need the advice and counsel of godly deacons. Our president has his cabinet along with the House and Senate. In this chapter, Israel was no different. Here Ezekiel takes up a lamentation for the princes in Israel, because God deals with all who sin. In Israel as today, we can see the consequences of sin.

In Ezekiel's lament he recalled with fondness the lioness who had produced the fallen lions. What a lioness was your mother among the lions! In verses 10-14 the nation herself is the mother of the kings. Therefore, the lioness/mother in this chapter is the nation Israel.

The lioness, Israel, brought up one of her cubs, and he became a strong lion (a king). This lion was Jehoahaz who came to the throne after Josiah's untimely death. After a reign of only three months he was deposed by Pharaoh Neco II, who led him with hooks (probably literal hooks in his nose attached to a rope-leash; cf. v. 9) to the land of Egypt. In Egypt Jehoahaz died in captivity. Jehoiachin, another of Israel's cubs who became a strong lion, reigned for only three months before he was deposed by Nebuchadnezzar. With lion-like ferocity Jehoiachin wrought havoc. The terror was removed only when he was dethroned and deported by Nebuchadnezzar. With hooks they pulled him into a cage and brought him to the king of Babylon. In verses 10-14 Ezekiel addressed King Zedekiah directly. He is the subject of the rest of the dirge. The mother, Israel, was like a vine. The vine forgot that God was her source of blessing. Therefore God uprooted the nation, deporting her from the land.The east wind would have conveyed a double meaning to Israel. The prevailing winds in Israelare from the west and bring moisture-laden air from the Mediterranean Sea. The east wind blows on Israelfrom the desert in the east, bringing severe problems. It can wither vegetation (Gen. 41:6), destroy houses (Job 1:19, and cause severe distress (Jonah 4:8). However, Ezekiel's east wind referred to more than the sirocco. Babylon was also east of Israel; and when she blew in from the east, the nation shriveled under the heat of her oppression. Ultimately, Israel fell to Babylon. (2) Ezekiel prophesied that judgment was coming on these princes.

(1)(2) The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.

Reference Verses:
Ezekiel 19
1. Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,
2. And say, What is thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions.
3. And she brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men.
4. The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt.
5. Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion.
6. And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey, and devoured men.
7. And he knew their desolate palaces, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, by the noise of his roaring.
8. Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over him: he was taken in their pit.
9. And they put him in ward in chains, and brought him to the king of Babylon: they brought him into holds, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.
10. Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.
11. And she had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches.
12. But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit: her strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them.
13. And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground.
14. And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.

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Liberty Ministries' Bible Devotions and Study Aids: August 2010

It is our desire to make these devotionals and study aids readily available to anyone who can use them. We pray that as you daily read and meditate on God's Word, you will be able to use these to help you spiritually grow in your walk with the Lord. May God richly bless you this day!

Please, Email us to request that these devotions be sent to you on a daily basis via email!

Please Email us to share a testimony of how this ministry has been a blessing to you, Please Email us to request that these devotions be sent to you on a daily basis via email!

Please Email us to request that these devotions be sent to you on a daily basis via email!

Please Email us to share a testimony of how this ministry has been a blessing to you, Please Email us to request that these devotions be sent to you on a daily basis via email!

Please Email us to request that these devotions be sent to you on a daily basis via email!

Please Email us to request that these devotions be sent to you on a daily basis via email!

Please Email us to request that these devotions be sent to you on a daily basis via email!

Listen to Liberty Ministries' Audio Sermons Please Email us to share a testimony of how this ministry has been a blessing to you, Please Email us to request that these devotions be sent to you on a daily basis via email!

Please Email us to request that these devotions be sent to you on a daily basis via email!

Please Email us to request that these devotions be sent to you on a daily basis via email!

Please Email us to request that these devotions be sent to you on a daily basis via email!

Please Email us to request that these devotions be sent to you on a daily basis via email!

Please Email us to request that these devotions be sent to you on a daily basis via email!

**Liberty Ministries' Bible Devotions and Study Aids: August 2010**

Please Email us to share a testimony of how this ministry has been a blessing to you,

Please Email us to request that these devotions be sent to you on a daily basis via email!

Please Email us to share a testimony of how this ministry has been a blessing to you,

Please Email us to request that these devotions be sent to you on a daily basis via email!

Listen to Liberty Ministries' Audio Sermons

Please Email us to share a testimony of how this ministry has been a blessing to you,

Please Email us to request that these devotions be sent to you on a daily basis via email!