<\/p>\n
Ezekiel 17:1-19:14<\/strong><\/span> Ezekiel chapter 17 is a great story of the two eagles!\u00a0 This is basically a story of the city of Jerusalem\u2019s vacillating foreign policy between Babylon and Egypt.\u00a0 The first eagle is King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the treaty Jerusalem makes w\/ Babylon is in the story.\u00a0 Then, the second eagle represents a pharaoh from Egypt, whom Jerusalem makes another treaty with subsequently, which goes against Babylon.\u00a0 The bad part of this is that the Babylon treaty was sworn to by the king of Jerusalem\/Judah in the Lord\u2019s name \u2013 then broken.\u00a0 \u00a0This is a very bad idea to swear something in the Lord\u2019s name and then not uphold it\u2026\u00a0 \u00a0Below is a map to give you a quick snapshot of the Babylonian empire, Judah, and Egypt at this time:<\/span><\/p>\n The close of this chapter is phenomenal when it takes a Messianic turn, foreshadowing Jesus in verses 22 and 23: \u201cAnd the Sovereign LORD says: I will take a tender shoot from the top of a tall cedar, and I will plant it on the top of Israel\u2019s highest mountain. It will become a noble cedar, sending forth its branches and producing seed. Birds of every sort will nest in it, finding shelter beneath its branches.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>Do these verses sound like Jesus to you?<\/span><\/p>\n Ezekiel chapter 18 is a powerful chapter!\u00a0 What we are seeing in this chapter is the Old Covenant \u2013 which I do believe was compassionate & \u201cfair\u201d, but different from the New Covenant, which I believe is compassionate & graceful (which may not necessarily be \u201cfair\u201d \u2013 but which is good news \u2013 Gospel \u2013 for us sinners!).\u00a0 Verse 30 is a good look at the Old Covenant: \u201cTherefore, I will judge each of you, O people of Israel, according to your actions, says the Sovereign LORD. Turn from your sins! Don\u2019t let them destroy you!\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 \u00a0Verse 4 of course stands out too with: \u201cAnd this is my rule: The person who sins will be the one who dies.\u201d <\/em>You read this at a high level and you\u2019ll get a bit nervous, no?\u00a0 \ud83d\ude42\u00a0 Indeed this is the Old Covenant:\u00a0 your actions will dictate your death or your life.\u00a0 It\u2019s up to your actions.\u00a0 It\u2019s up to you.\u00a0 You\u2019ll get what you deserve.\u00a0 And this is certainly \u201cfair.\u201d\u00a0 However, this changes through Jesus Christ\u2019s atonement for our sins once and for all on the cross.\u00a0 Under the New Covenant, through God\u2019s gift of grace, we now simply need to have faith that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, died for our sins and rose from the dead.\u00a0 As we\u2019ve been reading in Hebrews currently \u2013 we simply need to have faith in Christ as our High Priest.\u00a0 God\u2019s grace and our faith becomes the key (regeneration).\u00a0 Not our actions on their own.\u00a0 This being said, after our salvation (justification) through grace and faith, God is very interested in our actions and wants us to live a life of holiness (sanctification).\u00a0 \u00a0This is a lot of theology here\u2026 and more than I can blog on without goofing it up \u2013 actually I probably already have.\u00a0 \ud83d\ude42\u00a0 <\/span>Check out a good overview of justification and sanctification (and regeneration!) on bible.org at this link<\/span>.\u00a0 \u00a0 Also, I\u2019ll copy this image below, which I found interesting.\u00a0 I may not agree with every point on this image, but overall I find this useful:\u00a0 (though, I\u2019d say you could take a thick black magic marker and just write \u201cJesus\u201d and \u201cGrace\u201d all over this image below too, and that would really be all you need to know \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/p>\n Verse 32 can be argued to be the single most important point in all of the book of Ezekiel \u2013 \u201cI don\u2019t want you to die, says the Sovereign LORD. Turn back and live!\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 This is a powerful verse.\u00a0 Think this verse shows us that God is compassionate?\u00a0 Think this might be the single most important point in the book of Ezekiel?\u00a0 Think this verse can apply to our lives today? Are their areas of sin in your life which God is calling you to turn back from?\u00a0 Calling you to turn toward true Life?\u00a0 And to be free from the slavery of sin?\u00a0 Will you turn back?\u00a0 Will you repent?<\/span><\/p>\n Ezekiel Chapter 19 is a funeral song and allegory about the land of Judah and Jerusalem.\u00a0 Jerusalem is the lioness and the lions are two of her sons, two kings \u2013 one who ended up trapped and deceived by Egypt and the other by Babylon.\u00a0 \u00a0The last sentence of verse 14 is a sad one\u2026\u00a0 \u201cThis is a funeral song, and it is now time for the funeral.\u201d <\/em>As we know, it is now time for the funeral for Jerusalem in Ezekiel\u2019s time.\u00a0 However, of course, there is the redemption to come and the continuation of the house of David.\u00a0 The promise to Abraham won\u2019t die here!\u00a0 There is another Lion of Judah yet to come\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n Worship Video: <\/strong>Today\u2019s readings in Ezekiel 17 reminded me of this song by Brandon Heath called \u201cLove Never Fails:\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \n
~ Click here to read today\u2019s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~<\/span><\/em>
~ Listen to today\u2019s Scripture with <\/em>The ESV Bible<\/em><\/span> ~<\/p>\n