today's meditation (Ez.22) Going Through the Fire

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Ezekiel 22:1-31)  Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “And you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Then inform her of all her abominations. 3 And you shall say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “A city shedding blood in her midst, so that her time is coming; and a city that makes idols, contrary to her own good, for defilement! 4 You have become guilty by the blood which you have shed, and you have become defiled by your idols which you have made. So you have brought your days closer and have come to your years; therefore I have made you a disgrace to the nations, and an object of mocking to all the lands. 5 Those who are near and those who are far from you will make fun of you, you of ill repute, full of turmoil.

6 “Behold, the rulers of Israel, each according to his power, have been among you for the purpose of shedding blood. 7 They have treated father and mother with contempt among you. They have oppressed the stranger in your midst; they have oppressed the orphan and the widow among you. 8 You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths. 9 Slanderous men have been among you for the purpose of shedding blood, and among you they have eaten at the mountain shrines. In your midst they have committed outrageous sin. 10 Among you they have uncovered their fathers’ nakedness; among you they have abused her who was unclean in her menstruation. 11 And one has committed abomination with his neighbor’s wife, another has outrageously defiled his daughter-in-law, and another among you has sexually abused his sister, his father’s daughter. 12 Among you they have taken bribes to shed blood; you have taken interest, you have injured your neighbors by oppression, and you have forgotten Me,” declares the Lord God.

13 “Behold, then, I strike with My hand your profit which you have made and the bloodshed which is among you. 14 Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong for the days that I will deal with you? I, the Lord, have spoken and will act. 15 And I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you among the lands, and I will eliminate your uncleanness from you. 16 Then you will defile yourself in the sight of the nations, and you will know that I am the Lord.”’”

17 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 18 “Son of man, the house of Israel has become waste metal to Me; all of them are bronze, tin, iron, and lead in the smelting furnace; they are the waste metal of silver. 19 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: ‘Because all of you have become waste metal, therefore, behold, I am going to gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. 20 As they gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the smelting furnace to blow fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in My anger and in My wrath, and I will place you there and melt you. 21 And I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you will be melted in the midst of it. 22 As silver is melted in the furnace, so you will be melted in the midst of it; and you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out My wrath on you.’”

23 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 24 “Son of man, say to her, ‘You are a land that is not clean or rained on in the day of indignation.’ 25 There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst like a roaring lion tearing the prey. They have devoured lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in the midst of her. 26 Her priests have done violence to My Law and have profaned My holy things; they have made no distinction between the holy and the common, and they have not taught the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have closed their eyes from My Sabbaths, and I am defiled among them. 27 Her leaders within her are like wolves tearing the prey, by shedding blood and destroying lives in order to make dishonest profit. 28 And her prophets have coated with whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘This is what the Lord God says,’ when the Lord has not spoken. 29 The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery, and they have oppressed the poor and needy, and have oppressed the stranger without justice. 30 I searched for a man among them who would build up a wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. 31 So I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; I have brought their way upon their heads,” declares the Lord God.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Going through the fire to be smelted could be seen as an allegory for us to go through tests, trials and tribulations.  These things are either a way for God to get someone's attention, or a way to test believers in order to grow stronger in their faith.  But when we pass away and leave this earth, we will all go through the fire.  

Those who are protected by God's righteousness and grace will survive the fire (the judgment of the Lord) and enter heaven. It is not up to any of us to judge what is right or wrong, or judge who goes where, God alone is the judge.  This is why, at the beginning of this passage, God told Ezekiel to give the people His word!  We need to always be going to God's word for our guidance.

If a person is believing in their own way or another way, this is their choice and their direction.  Anything that disagrees with or opposes God's word - is not His will - and it moves that person in the opposite direction.  If one decides to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, they choose His way, and desire to do His will.  This road is the only way that leads to the Lord and His home, which is called heaven.  From this passage, we can be confident that God always means what He says!

today's meditation (Ez.5) Making a Choice

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Ezekiel 5:1-17)  “As for you, son of man, take a sharp sword; take and use it as a barber’s razor on your head and beard. Then take scales for weighing and divide the hair. 2 A third you shall burn in the fire at the center of the city, when the days of the siege are completed. Then you shall take a third and strike it with the sword all around the city, and a third you shall scatter to the wind; for I will unsheathe a sword behind them. 3 Take also a few hairs in number from them and bind them in the hems of your robes. 4 Take again some of them and throw them into the fire and burn them in the fire; from it a fire will spread to all the house of Israel.

5 “This is what the Lord God says: ‘This is Jerusalem; I have placed her at the center of the nations, with lands around her. 6 But she has rebelled against My ordinances more wickedly than the nations, and against My statutes more than the lands which surround her; for they have rejected My ordinances and have not walked in My statutes.’ 7 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: ‘Because you have more turmoil than the nations that surround you and have not walked in My statutes, nor executed My ordinances, nor acted in accordance with the ordinances of the nations around you,’ 8 therefore, this is what the Lord God says: ‘Behold, I, even I, am against you, and I will execute judgments among you in the sight of the nations. 9 And because of all your abominations I will do among you what I have not done, and the like of which I will never do again. 10 Therefore, fathers will eat their sons among you, and sons will eat their fathers; for I will execute judgments on you and scatter all your remnant to every wind. 11 Therefore as I live,’ declares the Lord God, ‘Because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable idols and with all your abominations, I definitely will also withdraw and My eye will have no pity, and I also will not spare. 12 A third of you will die by plague or perish by famine among you, a third will fall by the sword around you, and a third I will scatter to every wind, and I will unsheathe a sword behind them.

13 ‘Then My anger will be spent and I will satisfy My wrath on them, and I will be appeased; then they will know that I, the Lord, have spoken in My zeal, when I have spent My wrath upon them. 14 Moreover, I will make you a site of ruins and a disgrace among the nations that surround you, in the sight of everyone who passes by. 15 So it will be a disgrace, an object of abuse, a warning, and an object of horror to the nations that surround you when I execute judgments against you in anger, wrath, and raging reprimands. I, the Lord, have spoken. 16 When I send against them the deadly arrows of famine which were for the destruction of those whom I will send to destroy you, then I will also intensify the famine upon you and break off your provision of bread. 17 I will send on you famine and vicious animals, and they will bereave you of children; plague and bloodshed also will pass through you, and I will bring the sword on you. I, the Lord, have spoken.’”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

The Lord called Abram, and in faith, he chose to trust in the Lord.  Because of Abraham's faithfulness, God made the covenant with him, promising that his descendants would become a great nation.  And through his descendants, all nations would be blessed.

Israel was and has been called to be the missionaries to the world.  God placed their land at the center of everything, so that as they were obedient to His will and God blessed them, the other nations would see and believe.  But, the Israelites didn't just stray away from the Lord, they outright rebelled.  For anyone who doesn't become a believer, no matter who they are, they will be judged and punished. 

The only way to be obedient in God's will is to become a believer.  The good news is that for anyone who goes to the Lord Jesus to be saved, no matter who they are, their sins will be forgiven and they will have eternal life.  Because of this, believers will be judged and rewarded for their good deeds done with right motives.  We are all called, but it is up to each person to, in faith, choose to trust in the Lord.

today's meditation (Jer.5) Seeking the Lord's Way

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Jeremiah 5:1-31)
1   “Roam about through the streets of Jerusalem,
     And look and take notice.
     And seek in her public squares,
     If you can find a person,
     If there is one who does justice, who seeks honesty,
     Then I will forgive her.
2   And although they say, ‘As the Lord lives,’
     Certainly they swear falsely.”
3   Lord, do Your eyes not look for honesty?
     You have struck them,
     But they did not weaken;
     You have consumed them,
     But they refused to accept discipline.
     They have made their faces harder than rock;
     They have refused to repent.

4   Then I said, “They are only the poor,
     They are foolish;
     For they do not know the way of the Lord
     Or the judgment of their God.
5   I will go to the great 
     And speak to them,
     For they know the way of the Lord 
     And the judgment of their God.”
     But together they too have broken the yoke 
     And burst the restraints.
6   Therefore a lion from the forest will kill them,
     A wolf of the deserts will destroy them,
     A leopard is watching their cities.
     Everyone who goes out of them will be torn in pieces,
     Because their wrongdoings are many,
     Their apostasies are numerous.

7   “Why should I forgive you?
     Your sons have forsaken Me
     And sworn by those who are not gods.
     When I had fed them to the full,
     They committed adultery 
     And stayed at the prostitute’s house.
8   They were well-fed lusty horses,
     Each one neighing at his neighbor’s wife.
9   Shall I not punish them for these things?” declares the Lord,
     “And shall I not avenge Myself 
     On a nation such as this?

10 “Go up through her vine rows and destroy,
     But do not execute a complete destruction;
     Strip away her branches, 
     For they are not the Lord’s.
11 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah 
     Have dealt very treacherously with Me,” declares the Lord.
12 They have lied about the Lord 
     And said, “Not He;
     Misfortune will not come upon us,
     Nor will we see sword or famine.
13 The prophets are as wind,
     And the word is not in them.
     So it will be done to them!”

14 Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of armies says:
     “Because you have spoken this word,
     Behold, I am making My words fire in your mouth,
     And this people wood, and it will consume them.
15 Behold, I am bringing a nation against you from far away, you house of Israel,” declares the Lord.
     “It is an enduring nation,
     It is an ancient nation,
     A nation whose language you do not know,
     Nor can you understand what they say.
16 Their quiver is like an open grave,
     All of them are warriors.
17 They will devour your harvest and your food;
     They will devour your sons and your daughters;
     They will devour your flocks and your herds;
     They will devour your vines and your fig trees;
     They will demolish your fortified cities, in which you trust, with the sword.

18 “Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not make a complete destruction of you. 19 And it shall come about when they say, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?’ then you shall say to them, ‘Just as you have abandoned Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you will serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’

20 “Declare this in the house of Jacob 
     And proclaim it in Judah, saying,
21 ‘Now hear this, you foolish and senseless people,
     Who have eyes but do not see,
     Who have ears but do not hear.
22 Do you not fear Me?’ declares the Lord.
     ‘Do you not tremble in My presence?
     For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea,
     An eternal limit, and it will not cross over it.
     Though the waves toss, they cannot prevail;
     Though they roar, they will not cross over it.
23 But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart;
     They have turned aside and departed.
24 They do not say in their heart,
     “Let us now fear the Lord our God,
     Who gives rain in its season,
     Both the autumn rain and the spring rain,
     Who keeps for us 
     The appointed weeks of the harvest.”
25 Your wrongdoings have turned these away,
     And your sins have kept good away from you.
26 For wicked people are found among My people,
     They watch like fowlers lying in wait;
     They set a trap,
     They catch people.
27 Like a cage full of birds,
     So their houses are full of deceit;
     Therefore they have become great and rich.
28 They are fat, they are sleek,
     They also excel in deeds of wickedness;
     They do not plead the cause,
     The cause of the orphan, so that they may be successful;
     And they do not defend the rights of the poor.
29 Shall I not punish them for these things?’ declares the Lord,
     ‘Or shall I not avenge Myself 
     On a nation such as this?’

30 “An appalling and horrible thing 
     Has happened in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy falsely,
     And the priests rule on their own authority;
     And My people love it this way!
     But what will you do when the end comes?

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Ignorance is not a defense for being a sinner and rejecting the Lord's way.  God will judge and punish the unbelievers for every wicked deed they have done.  But if we repent and turn to Him to accept the free gift of salvation and forgiveness of sins, then God will judge and reward us for the good deeds we have done with right motives.  

So the question we have to answer is:  what or who do we love and serve?  Sin and having our own way - or - the Lord Jesus Christ who died in order to pay the price for all sin and have victory over death so that He can lead us in His way towards a life of peace, joy, blessings and eternal life?