Ezekiel

We continue our study in Ezekiel, the last time we met was about Showers of Blessing. You can read more in my Ezekiel Studies here and here.

Today the Lord has a word against Mount Seir. 

I wondered where this was so thought I would do a bit of research on it.  This image comes from right here. 

Mount Seir was located in the mountainous region for the descendants of Esau. Genesis 36:8 tells us this is where Esau made his home.

The descendants of Esau were called Edomites.

“The name Edom is a Hebrew baby name. In Hebrew the meaning of the name Edom
is: An alternative name of the Old Testament character Esau. Red, a
reference to either the red skin or the red earth of Eden from which the
Old Testament Adam was created in Genesis 2.”  (source)

God is speaking out against The Edomites today.
Why?

•  cherished perpetual enmity 
•  gave over the people of Israel to the power of the sword at the time of their calamity

I read that word cherished and it made me quake inside.
I watched a show the other day and the bad person in the show was one who cherished the pain and destruction of others.   LOVED watched it,this character did.  All over a small wrong done to them a long time ago.

Cherishing such hatred.  I don’t understand it.  
Why couldn’t they just let it go?

Kicking a man when he is down.  That is basically what the Edomites (those who dwelled on Mount Seir) did.   They saw the Israel had been punished, and instead of being satisfied by that, allowed the sword to be brought against them.   Whether they attacked them or allowed them to be attacked isn’t immediately apparent to me in this passage. 

Therefore, since they like bloodshed so much, God is going to prepare them for a time of bloodshed.     

As he says: I will make Mount Seir a waste and a desolation, and I will cut off from it all who come and go. 8 And I will fill its mountains with the slain. On your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines those slain with the sword shall fall. 

God end purpose?  Then you will know that I am the Lord.

Isn’t that always his purpose though?   For people to know that HE is the Lord.

The people of Mount Seir knew that Israel belonged to the Lord and none the less said “These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will take possession of them’—although the Lord was there—”

Their envy and jealousy will be their downfall, they will learn the folly of putting themselves above the Lord, wanting to claim his people and their land for their own.  They will “know that I am the Lord” says God. 

God heard it all you know, their reviling of the people, their reviling of him, that joy at Israel’s destruction.  He saw how they magnified themselves (built themselves up).   It caused the Lord’s displeasure.

And so God will make them a desolate place, all of Mount Seir and Edom.
For the purpose of teaching that God is the Lord. 

It makes me wonder you know, how long the Lord will withhold his judgement on so many people in the world today.   All those who see themselves above the Lord and above the Lord’s people.  

It also makes me feel small.  There are so many times that I can (and do) elevate myself, seeing the results of my actions, and putting it out that I DID THIS.  When in actuality, it was the Lord doing it, just using me in the process.    I need to remember that more often.

We continue our study in Ezekiel, the last time we met was about The Lord Seeks for His Own. You can read more in my Ezekiel Studies here and here.

Do you remember from yesterday how God would seek for his own people, setting them up in green pastures and giving us a good shepherd to mind us?

God SO CARES for his people that he will make a covenant of peace with us.

• Banishing wild beasts from the land
• so that we can dwell securely.
• Sending down showers of blessing
• They shall be secure in their land
• Bars of yoke broken
• Delivered from the slavers
• No more be prey to those who surround
• No longer consumed by hunger
• No longer under reproach

God wants his people safe.
God wants his people to know.. HE is the Lord God.  HE ALONE.
And we are his. 
We are indeed the sheep of his pasture. 

25 “I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26 And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. 27 And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. 28 They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. 29 And I will provide for them renowned plantations so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations. 30 And they shall know that I am the Lord their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord God. 31 And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord God.”

 We continue our study in Ezekiel, the last time we met was about Israel’s Shepherds Disciplined. You can read more in my Ezekiel Studies here and here.

Oh….this passage… God seeking for his sheep, seeking for those who belong to him.  Not willing to let them remain scattered and at risk. 

Oh…this passage is a comfort you know?

• He seeks them out.
• He rescues them from all the places where they have been scattered.
• He feeds them.
• He gathers them together.
• He feeds them in GOOD pastures.
• He lets them lie down.   A sheep that is scared won’t lie down, they stay on their feet ready to run, so image if God has gathered his sheep together and lets them lie down.  That means no danger threatens.
• He will seek the lost.
• He will bring back the strays.
• He will bind up the injured.
• He will strengthen the weak.       

 11 “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As
a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have
been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from
all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. 16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

He will destroy the fat and the strong.
He will feed justice.  
He will not let his sheep hurt each other…drinking clean water but muddying it for the rest, Eating good grass but fouling it for others.   Enough of that stays the Lord.
 
17 “As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and male goats. 18 Is
it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread
down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? 19 And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

God himself will be the judge of his sheep.  There will be one shepherd for his folk.  He will not let his sheep continue to be prey.  He will not let his sheep hurt the weak among them.  He will divide the fat sheep from the lean.   David will be his shepherd to mind the sheep.  David will care for them and feed them and be their shepherd.
20 “Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, 22 I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23 And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord; I have spoken.

God is the Lord.  He has spoken and so it will be. 

I find this passage hugely comforting.  Don’t you? 
It speaks to me about how it will all come out good in the end.  He’s got our backs you know?

 We continue our study in Ezekiel, the last time we met was about Come and hear. You can read more in my Ezekiel Studies here and here.
 

Today the Lord God has a word for the shepherds of Israel, the folks who are supposed to guiding and watching over Israel. … you know…like a shepherd watches over his folk, leading them to good place to eat, keeping them safe from the wild animals that threaten them and such like.   The shepherds of Israel have been remiss in their duties.  God asks them.

Should not shepherds feed the sheep?

The shepherds have been so busy feeding themselves and minding their own concerns that they have stopped caring for those in their charge.

They

• slaughter the fat ones
• do not feed the sheep
• do not strengthen the week
• Clothes themselves with wool
• Do not seek those the stray
• The lost are not looked for
• in fact, they treat their sheep so harsh and with such force the sheep have scattered.

The sheep indeed have become food for the wild things that surround them.
3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. 5 So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts.

God’s complaint against the shepherds is this: My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.

God’s charge: 
7 “Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 As I live, declares the Lord God, surely because my
sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the
wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have
not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and
have not fed my sheep, 

God’s response: Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.
 
Do you hear that?  
God is going to rescue his people from this improper care. 

Ah…hearing those words is a comfort you know?

Especially when we are in the process of trying to find a new church home while hubby looks for a new job.  Having gone to two churches and finding fluff presented to us from the pulpit and wondering…how are people being fed?   How are they being cared for?

And today I find God telling me that he does mind his scattered people, he does care for us and watch out for us, disciplining the shepherds, providing for the needs of his people.

It’s a comfort to know.

SOMETIMES we have to be patient… God allows a situation sometimes to fester for a while.  But he does watch, he does mind, and he will act. 

 We continue our study in Ezekiel, the last time we met was about To What Way Does Your Heart Turn? You can read more in my Ezekiel Studies here and here.

 So here we have Ezekiel, God hasn’t been allowing him to speak, and a messenger comes running up from Jerusalem with new “The city has been struck down.”    

Ezekiel, given by God a ready answer, has a response.   You people who count on your numbers as a reason for why you should possess the land (after all Abraham was only one and we are many) this is why you can’t.
Thus
says the Lord God: You eat flesh with the blood and lift up your eyes
to your idols and shed blood; shall you then possess the land? 26 You
rely on the sword, you commit abominations, and each of you defiles his
neighbor’s wife; shall you then possess the land?
 
 It doesn’t work this way.   Abraham was a man who followed after God, but the Israelites are, ergo
As
I live, surely those who are in the waste places shall fall by the
sword, and whoever is in the open field I will give to the beasts to be
devoured, and those who are in strongholds and in caves shall die by
pestilence. 28 And I will make the land a desolation and a waste, and
her proud might shall come to an end, and the mountains of Israel shall
be so desolate that none will pass through. 29 Then they will know that I
am the Lord, when I have made the land a desolation and a waste because
of all their abominations that they have committed.

God won’t let sin go unpunished.   He won’t.   If you live in a way that God doesn’t want you to, then judgement will come.   Judgement comes because God wants people to know this truth.  HE IS THE LORD.  HE IS GOD.

God then points out to Ezekiel why people come to hear him talk.  He’s a source of entertainment.   He talks well, they like the sound of his voice, but what he says means nothing to them.  They will not change.  

BUT when desolation comes to Israel and it surely will… then they will know that Ezekiel truly was a prophet among them.

I read these last words and I can see it.
People talking amongst themselves saying “hey, let’s go hear what ole’ doomsday has to say today, should be worth a laugh”.   All those people gathered round to listen because it gives them something to do together…but not because what Ezekiels says matters, just because they want entertainment.

They don’t want to change…they just want to do their own thing.

— Don’t we all have to guard against that?   The desire to be entertained rather than to just listen to know and understand?   To want the show without the depth.   Kinda like when I read a book on teachings…and I want to just read the life stories and ignore the lessons behind it.  

In the end their foolishness will be known… just as my foolishness is known when I don’t see the depth… or rather when I avoided the depth and then hear someone talking about what they learned and realize I hadn’t sought for God’s truth.

It’s good to think on this eh?   🙂    Makes me sad when I visit churches and it seems some churches are into the show more than into the depth.  When communion is done without the full acknowledgement of who God is and what he did for us.  When the band plays to be heard rather to supplement praising God.  

I want depth and teaching in church services.   Not fluff.   I don’t want to go just for the show but for the meat of God’s word.  

I don’t want to be like the Israelites… satisfied with the show and not seeking the depth and then afterwards being surprised at what they missing seeing of God.

Let us not miss God eh?

We continue our study in Ezekiel, the last time we met was Ezekiel 32. You can read more in my Ezekiel Studies here and here.

Today Ezekiel 33:1-9

 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and make him their watchman, 3 and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, 4 then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. 5 He
heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood
shall be upon himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved
his life. 6 But
if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so
that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one
of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.

Ezekiel is given a picture of a watchman and his duty.  He is to give this picture to the people of Israel.

Supposing a peoples know trouble is coming so they set up a guard.
The guard then does his job and gives warning.
The people have a choice: heed the warning or Do not heed the warning. 
If they heed it…YAY!!!
If they don’t heed the warning…it’s their own fault.

BUT if the watchman sees the danger and goes MEH…. it’ll be fine…well SHAME ON HIM!!!   Whatever then happens is the watchman’s fault.  
 
7 “So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 8 If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 9 But
if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from
his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have
delivered your soul.

God then makes it really clear that Ezekiel is the watchman.  God has not let Israel choose their watchman, he made the decision for them and Ezekiel is it.  So Ezekiel’s job is clear.  Proclaim the warning!!!!   And if Ezekiel doesn’t….then it’s all on Ezekiel’s head. (literally)

I sit here wondering….so what is the connect for me?
I haven’t (as far as I know) been appointed a watchman for God to a group of people.  
Nor even for family…though hmmm… 

I don’t know… am I a watchman in my family.?
I tend to think of that as hubby’s job…but perhaps I have a role to play as well.   I am not always sure about this….
Is it my job to be guarding my son’s heart and mind to the best of my ability, helping him to mature into the person that I can see him becoming?   A shared responsibility I think, but how are those roles defined?

 Oh…but I need prayer to do this, to figure it out better.. oh my…. I see my failures so often…I see his need as well and so often find myself wanting.   How does one figure it eh?

I don’t know right now.. right now my mind is filled with a lad upset and tired about school … and I’m feeling flummoxed about how to help or even if I can… And wondering how that fits into this idea of being a watchman doing his job.   

All a watchman is, is a watcher, one out to spot the danger and give warning.  That’s it.
The watchman isn’t responsible for the outcome. 
The watchman is merely responsible to say “DON”T GO THERE!  or BEWARE DANGER APPROACHES!!!!”   That’s solely his job.  Nothing more. 

That is what I need to take and hear, that I can be a watchman, I don’t have to worry about the end result as that is not my responsibility.  Mine is only to say “Ware…the danger”.