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Nov 13, 2023 06:00am

The Bible Recap: Days 239-245

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(The following are reflections from the writer’s personal journey through The Bible Recap by Tara-Leigh Cobble – a Bible reading plan to read the Bible chronologically in one year. To learn more about The Bible Recap, visit thebiblerecap.com. Find more posts from this series at lifeword.org/thebiblerecap.)

Day 239: Read Ezekiel Chapters 1-4

My Takeaways:

Four living creatures.

Visions of God.

Falling down in awe of God.

Eating a scroll.

Being commissioned.

This was one of those readings that made me feel like

I can’t imagine what Ezekiel saw! He described it as best as he could, but I found myself getting overwhelmed in the details so much, I had to google images. Even then, I am not sure I had the most accurate ones.

God does something He did with Paul in the New Testament—He reveals His glory to Ezekiel. And then, He keeps Ezekiel humble by having him suffer alongside the people back home in Jerusalem through object lessons.

Can you imagine Ezekiel’s job? He was to lie on his left side for over a year and then on his right side for 40 days, eating 8 ounces of food cooked over cow poo. And, he could only have 21 ounces of water a day.

You guys, we saw it already with Jonah, Isaiah, and Jeremiah—being a prophet wasn’t for the faint of heart. It was a hard life. (I hope these prophets earned extra crowns in heaven!)

But you know what? I bet seeing visions of God, in all His glory, bolstered Ezekiel anytime he wanted to falter. You can’t see God and not be changed by it.

My God Shot was God’s commission to Ezekiel:

“Do not be afraid of them, and do not be afraid of their words, even though briers and thorns, are beside you, and you live among scorpions, don’t be afraid of their words, or discouraged by the look on their faces, for they are rebellious house. Speak my words to them, whether they listen or refuse, for they are rebellious.”

It was going to be hard, but Ezekiel had to speak God’s message. God needed him to be strong and not give way to fear. This command—do not be afraid—is given over 300 times in the Bible. Each time, someone faced something hard or intimidating. And each time, God said He would be there with them and help them.

Speaking God’s word wasn’t going to be popular, but God would help Ezekiel do it. If he held back in his messages, God would hold him accountable. He was a “watchman on the tower” and had to warn others of imminent danger.

I think that every preacher is a “watchman on the tower” too. It’s not easy for them either. Our times aren’t so different than these times. People don’t want to hear the truth. People would rather turn to their idols than God. It’s hard being a preacher who stands upon the Word of God.

Maybe that’s why God reveals Himself twice to Ezekiel. To remind him of Him. To give him strength and passion to do his job. To remind him of the bigger picture.

Day 240: Read Ezekiel Chapters 5-8

My Takeaways:

“Son of man, do you see?”

You know, it’s one thing to hear about the evils of the world, but it’s another to see them in person. We have been reading copious amounts of Scripture where God is upset and angry at His kids’ idolatry. We have read about the gods they have worshipped and where they have built their places of worship. But today, Ezekiel has a vision where he sees it firsthand. And, it’s shocking because it’s in God’s house. So, we can understand this part of the Scriptures where He leaves the temple and turns His back on His people. But, here is the terrifying part:

“Therefore, I will respond with wrath. I will not show pity or spare them. Though they call loudly in my hearing, I will not listen to them.”

You know, I was thinking this morning how we have been reading about the same events from different prophets’ writings. At times, it seems very repetitive and kind of like, “Yeah, yeah….I have read this” but it dawned on me today that God wants us to not just read about their evil acts but to see what He sees.

He wants us to see why He allowed His kids to be persecuted. He wants to to understand the evil of idolatry and sin. And, He shows us how compassionate He is all throughout His love letter, but at this point, He’s done. They’ve taken advantage of God. Their “walls of sin” are so high, He has turned His back on them. He won’t hear them. He won’t spare them. No more mercy or grace.

Could you imagine what God sees everywhere that we don’t? Listen, it would just undo me to see the horrors that go on behind closed doors. Though I have heard about them, it’s a totally different experience to see them.

Maybe that’s why He allows Ezekiel to see them? Ezekiel has a hard job and this vision may have helped him fully understand God’s wrath and anger. Perhaps it compelled Ezekiel to keep on doing his prophets theatre and public warnings—these people have no idea what they are doing. He’s the watchman who has to see it and then warn his people.

Day 241: Read Ezekiel Chapters 9-12

My Takeaways:

God continues to use Ezekiel in all sorts of object lessons to His people to tell them this truth: He is leaving the temple. His presence will be removed from them.

I love Tara-Leigh’s God Shot about how the Lord stopped on the mountain, east of the city. It’s like a final look back at His lost people…and then heads to Babylon. Because all is not lost. There’s a remnant there He has promised restoration to.

There’s a remnant He has made this promise to:

“I will give them integrity of heart and put a new Spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone from their bodies and give them a heart of flesh, so that they can follow my statutes, keep my ordinances,and practice them. They will be my people, and I will be there God.”
Ezekiel 11:19-20

I love this verse. I pray it for my people. I pray for that heart of flesh that wants to do the will of God. I pray against that stony heart of sin that wants to do the perverse, the heart the children of Israel seem to have.

A new heart. A heart geared to God and not sin. I want it, folks. I want it for my people too. Don’t you feel that every day we read a new passage that is what God is doing to us and our hearts?

God follows His people to Babylon and tells Ezekiel haunting words: I have been warning and warning my people. I am not delaying any more. Punishment is here.

YIKES. Those rebellious children are about to get the shock of their lives. And, it’s too late for them and their stony hearts of sin. God has left the building and is chasing His remnant down to show His love, forgiveness, mercy, and grace.

He’s got hearts to restore and lives to change.

Day 242: Read Ezekiel Chapters 13-15

My Takeaways:

All those false prophets who keep promising peace when there is no peace are going to be punished.

These elders, who have idols in their hearts, come to Ezekiel for guidance, but God won’t answer their questions until they deal with these stumbling blocks in their hearts.

And here’s the thing: I know this. There have been many a time I have gone to God over some big issue, issues in which I ask Him passionately to intervene…and just like the elders, I have idols in my heart, so God doesn’t address the situation first. He prolongs it and addresses my heart. I remember for 8 months I begged Him to intervene in a heart-wrenching situation and one morning, I was reading a devotional where it talked about forgiveness. In that moment, I knew He wanted me to say I was sorry to that person….and the thing was this: I felt like I was the one wronged in the situation! And now I had to apologize?!

Yep.

And when I did, the bitterness was released and over the next several years, God worked in that situation and healing happened in a dramatic turn of events.

God is after our hearts’ freedom from sin and idols so much so, we can come to Him, like what the elders do. But so many times, He won’t answer our questions until we deal with our idols.

There’s a desperateness that comes from prolonged trials in life that make you extra needy and can prepare your heart to do whatever the Lord puts in your heart….like asking for forgiveness when you feel like you were the person who deserved an apology! Clearly, I had some pride going on in my heart…clearly, God knew I needed to humble myself and admit my fault to mend this relationship.

And you know what? It did.

But, we don’t see that desperateness in trials that sends the elders into repentance. They stubbornly stick to their idols and continue being “useless vines.”

Sometimes, we prolong our circumstances because we have sin and idols in our hearts…and God is so good, He won’t let us get away with it. Many times, He deals with our hearts first and then our situation. (Can you imagine if He didn’t? We would stubbornly continue following our idols and sin for the rest of our lives. We would be so adrift of Him, we would have those stony hearts of sin referenced in the last reading. Cold hearts. Unresponsive hearts. Hearts like the prophets and elders in our reading today.)

Because, as you know, He’s after our hearts. He always has been.

Day 243: Read Ezekiel Chapters 16-17

My Takeaways:

Today’s reading focused on two powerful metaphors:

God rescuing Israel, an abandoned orphan, and raising her as His.

King Nebby as a big eagle.

God even threw in one about a sprig to represent Jesus.

I don’t know about you, but all three kept my attention! The one that resonated with me most was the one in which God describes in detail how He rescued and nurtured His abandoned child. I love this part:

“I pledged myself to you, entered into a covenant with you, and you became mine.”
Ezekiel 16:8b

It’s personal to God. And though He pledged Himself to His child, His child grew prideful and turned to other people and objects to satisfy her. She turned her back to the one who rescued her, nurtured her, clothed her, and gave her identity.

The part that He told His child that she was worse than Sodom really got my attention.

My God Shot was in this example and the tender loving care God showed to His child and how betrayed He felt when she turned away from Him.

Day 244: Read Ezekiel Chapters 18-20

My Takeaways:

Fathers eating sour grapes.

Children’s teeth set on the edge.

A young lion caught in a pit, led to Egypt with hooks.

A young lion caught in a net, led away to Babylon with a wooden yoke.

A fruitful, vibrant vine uprooted and thrown to the ground.

Elders wanting a word from Ezekiel.

God recounting the history of Israel.

And a fire in the south.

Whew. Lots of metaphors today, friends!

One thing that really stood out to me was how in depth God was about how the sins of the father don’t transfer to the son. Each is blessed or punished according to their way of living. It’s very possible to have a godly father and a wicked son. It’s possible to have a wicked father and godly son. Either way, each is held accountable. Godly people who turn wicked get punished. Wicked people who turn righteous get rewarded with life!

Friends, I can’t see anything more fair than this! I remember something my preacher said about this years ago. He talked about how the parents’ tendencies can be passed on (say, an addictive personality) but the child has a choice of whether or not to follow down that same path…or learn from his father’s mistakes. The way we live—our choices and our actions can shape and mold our kids and impact the way they live their lives for sure.

In our schools, we teachers see powerful examples of this! I have been teaching for 25 years…at this point, I am into 2nd generation students and it’s eye opening to see how much kids can be like their parents and follow down the same paths! (This just tells me I need to retire!)

And later on in the passage, those elders come back to Ezekiel wanting insight from God….but guess what? God won’t speak to them until they address their infidelity to Him. Instead, He gives them a history lesson of their ancestors’ past infidelity to get their attention that this generational sin has gotten them into this position.

Sin is not genetic. Each generation has a choice. Yes, we may have some genetic tendencies inherited from our parents, but God does promise His strength to combat those weaknesses. It takes someone willing to step out, trust Him, and follow Him in obedience. Someone willing to be different than their culture and want a better life. Someone willing to admit the elephant in the room, look at their sin, and accept responsibility for it with a repentant heart.

Thank God He doesn’t hold us accountable for our parents’ sins….and won’t hold our kids accountable for our sins. He is a FAIR God.

Day 245: Read Ezekiel Chapters 21-22

My Takeaways:

Swords

Signs

Dross

God uses powerful metaphors and images to convey His message: His people’s sin will be punished.

God uses Ezekiel to convey these warnings…sadly, no one listens. What a sad and powerful point when God said, “I looked for a man among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land so that I might not destroy it, but I found no one.”

Can you imagine what it would have been like to live when no one around you is righteous? When sin—grievous sin—abounds? In fact, this line stood out to me, “Because you have drawn attention to your guilt, exposing your transgressions, so that your sins are revealed in all your actions…you will be captured by them.”

Sooner or later, we are exposed in our sin…whether it’s in our words or actions. Like Tara-Leigh said, God would have saved any righteous person in the land….He’s done it before with Lot and his family back in Genesis.

But, there’s no one.

If these prophets have shown us anything (and believe me, I struggle reading them), it’s this: God’s patience is nearly scandalous. He warns, He warns, He warns, He warns, and He warns. He gives second chances, third chances, fourth chances—maybe even a hundred chances— for us to change our behavior.

His goal isn’t punishment. It’s a change of heart. It’s turning to the only One who can change our hearts, our minds, and the direction of our lives.

He’s the God who changes our stories to say, “And then God….”

And His own people miss His grace and invitation to turn this path after the innumerable warnings of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. They miss God’s love.

Oh, I pray that that my people will heed God’s warnings in life. I pray that God chases us down in our sin. I tell my kids that I pray they will be caught in their sin so that they can see it for what it is and turn back to God with a broken and willing heart. I pray that my people can experience God and His scandalous love all throughout their lives.

I am thankful for daily reminders from the prophets that we have a God who chases us down when we stray so that we may experience His love and mercy.