In the second half of chapter 3 God gives Ezekiel warnings about the consequences of not following though on God's warnings to His people. God clearly told Ezekiel that his responsibility was to warn the people whether they listened or not. He then indicates that this is going to cause such consternation among them that they will bind Ezekiel in his house. But first he is told to go and lock himself in his house. The result of these events seems to be that Ezekiel will himself become so stunned by the message and possibly by the treatment of his people that he will be unable to speak for some apparently lengthy period of time and will only be relieved from this when God gives him some specific warning for the people.
This part of the story amazes me because I am quite sure that if someone in the church did this today, that we would all assume that they were mentally ill and have them locked up. So, from that perspective, binding Ezekiel in his house does not seem to be a very different solution to what we would do in the 21st century.
So how do we evaluate the impact of our Christian message? God calls each Christian to be a radically transformed and radically transformational in the lives and society that we live in. Yet none of us want to be locked up as insane, so what do we do, or better, what should we do?
In reality, I think that we just do not evaluate the Christian message much at all. We do this in both meanings of evaluate. That is, we do not take the time to count up its profits and losses because we are terrified that if we do, we might just be evaluated by others as crazy. We also do not evaluate it in the sense of placing a value on it. Ezekiel did not have this luxury. God placed the value - if you obey you and the people may live; if you do not obey, you will both die. God also forced him to evaluate it in the more common meaning of evaluate, the first one above, that is to look at the profits and losses. In this case the losses exceed what I would want - that is to be judged to be a danger to society.
Lord, give me the grace to see the profit of following You to be so high that any consequence is more than worth the cost!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Ezekiel 3:1-15
This section is an interesting study in cause and effect.
The first cause is that God told Ezekiel to eat the scroll and actually fed it to him. The effect was sweet in his mouth, food to his stomach, and filling for his body. This is what God's word is to be to me as well - a sweet taste in my mouth, food to meet my immediate needs and nutrition for my long term survival as a Believer.
But the next cause and effect is also typical of my life as a Christian. Ezekiel was given a very specific task - to go to the exiles to preach repentance. In this case the Lord made it clear that the result would not be so pleasant. The task was to take a message of judgment to a stubborn people, and not just any people, but Ezekiel's own people, who were going to be angry, rebellious and stubborn. So the result of this cause - the mission - would not be pleasant and nurturing. It would be difficult and challenging in every way.
In fact, the result of this commission was that Ezekiel was embittered and full or rage. The bitterness and rage seem to be the result of seeing the people through God's eyes. So, although God's word was sweet and good for him, the final result was a very difficult task that filled him with negative emotions.
What can I learn from this? My problem right now is that I am in a set of challenging and difficult situations - health issues and difficulties in ministry, in particular. In reading this I realize that I have not been allowing the Word to be sweet, filling nutrition to my life. Without this, Ezekiel could not have stood the rejection and anger of his fellow exiles and without this I cannot bear the constant sense of isolation that I am experiencing in both health and ministry areas.
Lord, let me look to You and Your Word for all I need!
The first cause is that God told Ezekiel to eat the scroll and actually fed it to him. The effect was sweet in his mouth, food to his stomach, and filling for his body. This is what God's word is to be to me as well - a sweet taste in my mouth, food to meet my immediate needs and nutrition for my long term survival as a Believer.
But the next cause and effect is also typical of my life as a Christian. Ezekiel was given a very specific task - to go to the exiles to preach repentance. In this case the Lord made it clear that the result would not be so pleasant. The task was to take a message of judgment to a stubborn people, and not just any people, but Ezekiel's own people, who were going to be angry, rebellious and stubborn. So the result of this cause - the mission - would not be pleasant and nurturing. It would be difficult and challenging in every way.
In fact, the result of this commission was that Ezekiel was embittered and full or rage. The bitterness and rage seem to be the result of seeing the people through God's eyes. So, although God's word was sweet and good for him, the final result was a very difficult task that filled him with negative emotions.
What can I learn from this? My problem right now is that I am in a set of challenging and difficult situations - health issues and difficulties in ministry, in particular. In reading this I realize that I have not been allowing the Word to be sweet, filling nutrition to my life. Without this, Ezekiel could not have stood the rejection and anger of his fellow exiles and without this I cannot bear the constant sense of isolation that I am experiencing in both health and ministry areas.
Lord, let me look to You and Your Word for all I need!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Ezekiel 2
Suppose that the Lord were to say the following to me:
Wouldn't that be everybody's idea of a great job opportunity? If this had been God's assignment for me, I think I would have been tempted to say, "No thanks, find someone else for this assignment." But God did not ask Ezekiel if he was willing to take this assignment. He just gave it to him and expected Ezekiel to obey.
I looked specifically to see how many times God used the word rebellious and found it used 7 times in verses 3-8, which are the verses that contain God's job description for Ezekiel. Two Hebrew words are used, but apparently from what I can learn, these are basically just two forms of the same word, Marad, which means to rebel or revolt. In addition, God used the words transgressed, stubborn, and obstinate to describe them. In the midst of this, He warns Ezekiel not to be afraid of these stubborn, obstinate, rebellious, rebelling, transgressing people.
What can I learn from this that is relevant for me as I am trying to determine what God wants for Ed and me from here?
1)God's plan is not designed for my private pleasure
2)God's plan is just that - His plan - not my plan, not others' plans for me.
3)My success in carrying out His plan is not based on results but on obedience.
4)I can miss His plan if I rebel.
Lord, help me choose to obey and submit to whatever Your plan is for us.
Attention, Rhoda! Come forward here and stand straight and tall because I have a very special job assignment for you!
OK, here it is: Your job for the rest of your life will be the completely thankless task of telling all your friends that all the terrible things that they have experienced so far in their lives - warfare, defeat, captivity, a death march across the desert, the destruction of their nation and its culture and worship - have not been enough to appease God. They are still rebellious and have stubbornly resisted repenting.
And, by the way, I should tell you that they probably will not listen to you, but will beat you and find ways to torture you.
As for you, Rhoda, don't you be rebellious like them! But do as I tell you even though I know they will not change.
Wouldn't that be everybody's idea of a great job opportunity? If this had been God's assignment for me, I think I would have been tempted to say, "No thanks, find someone else for this assignment." But God did not ask Ezekiel if he was willing to take this assignment. He just gave it to him and expected Ezekiel to obey.
I looked specifically to see how many times God used the word rebellious and found it used 7 times in verses 3-8, which are the verses that contain God's job description for Ezekiel. Two Hebrew words are used, but apparently from what I can learn, these are basically just two forms of the same word, Marad, which means to rebel or revolt. In addition, God used the words transgressed, stubborn, and obstinate to describe them. In the midst of this, He warns Ezekiel not to be afraid of these stubborn, obstinate, rebellious, rebelling, transgressing people.
What can I learn from this that is relevant for me as I am trying to determine what God wants for Ed and me from here?
1)God's plan is not designed for my private pleasure
2)God's plan is just that - His plan - not my plan, not others' plans for me.
3)My success in carrying out His plan is not based on results but on obedience.
4)I can miss His plan if I rebel.
Lord, help me choose to obey and submit to whatever Your plan is for us.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
The assumption of design
God is not a creature, that is, He was not created and at no time was He ever described in the Bible with any inference of createdness. But when Ezekiel saw the vision of the wheels, he describes them as having "workmanship." That is, he perceived a worker, a designer. I looked up the Hebrew word translated workmanship and found that it was ma'aseh, which means a work, a deed, an act, etc. So Ezekiel clearly intended to mean that the wheels had the appearance of having been made. Now the obvious question is, wouldn't anyone? Have I ever seen a wheel that did not appear to have been manufactured? Have I ever even imagined an eternal wheel? So what is it that makes a wheel appear to be designed? It is symmetry, the presence of repetitive structures (spokes), and the presence of matter. I cannot perceive whether Ezekiel saw matter or not, but he definitely perceived the wheels as having symmetry and repetitive structures, in this case the wheels in the wheels and the rims full of eyes. Something about that clearly spoke to Ezekiel of design and a worker who assembled these parts. But, huge but, the wheels are also described as containing the spirits of the living beings. So it seems that we can safely assume that Ezekiel also saw the living beings as having workmanship. He saw them as also having symmetry, both within themselves and between themselves and repetitive structures in the same two ways.
As a biologist, I must ask why it is that when most of my fellow scientists see repetitive structure and symmetry in DNA or proteins or at the organismal level, that they fail to see workmanship and choose chance as a better explanation. To the Biblical writers the assumption is that two kinds exist - created and not created. The not created is One. He is not symmetrical, that is He is the same throughout at every point in time and space. "There is no shadow cast by turning," is James' (1:17) way of describing this. He is not made of repeating parts. The Persons of the Trinity are both one and unique. When Ezekiel looked at the Almighty on His throne, he described Him and His surroundings as having "the appearance" of various material things - the appearance of lapis lazuli, the resemblance of a throne, something like glowing metal, something like fire, appearance of a rainbow, and when all ability to describe nearly forsook him, "the appearance of the likeness" of His glory. He is not designed, He appears.
I don't want to make too much of this work appearance, however, because the living beings also had an "appearance" that Ezekiel had difficulty describing. But the addition of "workmanship" in connection with the wheels definitely seems to convey the difference between the beings and their Creator. They are worked, He appears.
Lord, may my heart be stirred by Your appearance, especially by Your amazing revelation in Jesus Christ. May I see Your appearance reflected in all around me, but may I also see You clearly in the infinite Otherness of Who You are.
As a biologist, I must ask why it is that when most of my fellow scientists see repetitive structure and symmetry in DNA or proteins or at the organismal level, that they fail to see workmanship and choose chance as a better explanation. To the Biblical writers the assumption is that two kinds exist - created and not created. The not created is One. He is not symmetrical, that is He is the same throughout at every point in time and space. "There is no shadow cast by turning," is James' (1:17) way of describing this. He is not made of repeating parts. The Persons of the Trinity are both one and unique. When Ezekiel looked at the Almighty on His throne, he described Him and His surroundings as having "the appearance" of various material things - the appearance of lapis lazuli, the resemblance of a throne, something like glowing metal, something like fire, appearance of a rainbow, and when all ability to describe nearly forsook him, "the appearance of the likeness" of His glory. He is not designed, He appears.
I don't want to make too much of this work appearance, however, because the living beings also had an "appearance" that Ezekiel had difficulty describing. But the addition of "workmanship" in connection with the wheels definitely seems to convey the difference between the beings and their Creator. They are worked, He appears.
Lord, may my heart be stirred by Your appearance, especially by Your amazing revelation in Jesus Christ. May I see Your appearance reflected in all around me, but may I also see You clearly in the infinite Otherness of Who You are.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Ezekiel saw the wheel
Sometimes I wonder why God decided that a particular phrase or verse was something that needed to be included in His written Word. The past two blogs have been about such things: Why did we need to know who, when and where Ezekiel was when he saw the vision of God's majesty?
But the description of the vision itself does not seem so puzzling. This is somehow what I guess I should expect out of an Eternal God: A storm, fire, flashing lightning, glowing metal as in a fire. But amazingly, these were just the living being-announcers who, in turn, were the God Almighty-announcers. That is, when Ezekiel needed to see the Lord God Almighty, before he could even catch a glimpse of Him, he needed to see the precursors (fire, light, burning metal, storm) of the precursors (the four living creatures).
Then came the four living creatures themselves. Their description has fascinated people for thousands of years. The first thing that Ezekiel noticed is that they were different from the fire, storm, lightning, etc. in that they appeared to be alive, that is they were living beings and had a human form. What can I learn from this? God does not approach us primarily through forces, but primarily through life. When God approached Ezekiel, He was not in the fire and lightning and storm, He followed the four living creatures. Somehow that reminds me of Elijah's encounter with God on Mount Horeb (Sinai). God was not in the wind, earthquake and fire, even though each of them preceded His appearing. He revealed Himself as the still small voice in the gentle blowing. God is alive! He is not the expression of the powers of nature, although these always reflect Him. He expresses Himself in life, so in this passage, Ezekiel sees the four living creatures before he sees the Almighty God Himself. Thus the Lord of Life is indeed Who He is. He is the Lord of all creation, but the core of His nature is LIFE!
Lord, I long to worship You! My praise is so weak, my worship so puerile. Help me to fall in worship at Your feet. Help me to know a little of Your amazing You-ness. I cannot do this in myself. I need a fresh glimpse of You! Help me to understand a little of the significance of You as the Lord of Life!
But the description of the vision itself does not seem so puzzling. This is somehow what I guess I should expect out of an Eternal God: A storm, fire, flashing lightning, glowing metal as in a fire. But amazingly, these were just the living being-announcers who, in turn, were the God Almighty-announcers. That is, when Ezekiel needed to see the Lord God Almighty, before he could even catch a glimpse of Him, he needed to see the precursors (fire, light, burning metal, storm) of the precursors (the four living creatures).
Then came the four living creatures themselves. Their description has fascinated people for thousands of years. The first thing that Ezekiel noticed is that they were different from the fire, storm, lightning, etc. in that they appeared to be alive, that is they were living beings and had a human form. What can I learn from this? God does not approach us primarily through forces, but primarily through life. When God approached Ezekiel, He was not in the fire and lightning and storm, He followed the four living creatures. Somehow that reminds me of Elijah's encounter with God on Mount Horeb (Sinai). God was not in the wind, earthquake and fire, even though each of them preceded His appearing. He revealed Himself as the still small voice in the gentle blowing. God is alive! He is not the expression of the powers of nature, although these always reflect Him. He expresses Himself in life, so in this passage, Ezekiel sees the four living creatures before he sees the Almighty God Himself. Thus the Lord of Life is indeed Who He is. He is the Lord of all creation, but the core of His nature is LIFE!
Lord, I long to worship You! My praise is so weak, my worship so puerile. Help me to fall in worship at Your feet. Help me to know a little of Your amazing You-ness. I cannot do this in myself. I need a fresh glimpse of You! Help me to understand a little of the significance of You as the Lord of Life!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Ezekial 1b
Time and place. Why the emphasis in these first three verses on the Chebar River and the 5th day of the 4th month in the 30th year (v1) and the 5th day of the month in the 5th year of Jehiochin's reign? In trying to investigate this, I see that the Chebar River is important throughout the book. Yet we do not even know what the 30th year refers to or for sure where the Chebar R was located. So why did our God prompt Ezekiel to record this so specifically?
Perhaps the reason is that our God enters our time and space at specific times and places. If God is going to reveal Himself, He does not come in some nebulous, airy emptiness. He comes to His people in the reality in which we live. The reality for Ezekiel's people was captivity in Babylon. Doubtless, each day they counted the days since they had been taken captive. Each day they mentally measured the distance from home in Israel. I think of a prisoner of war in severe isolation making marks on the wall each day to remember exactly what day the people back home are keeping and thinking about what life must be like for the people he or she loves. So, for example, the prisoner realizes that Christmas Day has come and pictures the presents under the tree, the manger scene, the food and lights, and all the beauty and trappings of the special day. Surely, in a similar way, the Jewish people in Babylon thought that God was not in Babylon. That the light and beauty of His Presence could not penetrate there in their place and their time.
But God not only showed up in Babylon, He showed up by the River Chebar, where they were sent by the Babylonians to live at Telabib (chapter 3). He showed up in the place of their captivity in the time of their despair. And He did not just show up. He showed up in a splendor and glory and majesty and power that perhaps had not been seen since their ancient ancestors had fled from Him in terror on Mount Sinai or certainly since His Shekinah glory had descended on the temple in Jerusalem nearly 400 years earlier.
Lord, God, I need You to show up in my time and my place. I need Your revelation. Speak to me through Your Word as I listen and long to learn. Help me to see absolutely everything You are wanting to reveal to me about Yourself as I study this book.
Perhaps the reason is that our God enters our time and space at specific times and places. If God is going to reveal Himself, He does not come in some nebulous, airy emptiness. He comes to His people in the reality in which we live. The reality for Ezekiel's people was captivity in Babylon. Doubtless, each day they counted the days since they had been taken captive. Each day they mentally measured the distance from home in Israel. I think of a prisoner of war in severe isolation making marks on the wall each day to remember exactly what day the people back home are keeping and thinking about what life must be like for the people he or she loves. So, for example, the prisoner realizes that Christmas Day has come and pictures the presents under the tree, the manger scene, the food and lights, and all the beauty and trappings of the special day. Surely, in a similar way, the Jewish people in Babylon thought that God was not in Babylon. That the light and beauty of His Presence could not penetrate there in their place and their time.
But God not only showed up in Babylon, He showed up by the River Chebar, where they were sent by the Babylonians to live at Telabib (chapter 3). He showed up in the place of their captivity in the time of their despair. And He did not just show up. He showed up in a splendor and glory and majesty and power that perhaps had not been seen since their ancient ancestors had fled from Him in terror on Mount Sinai or certainly since His Shekinah glory had descended on the temple in Jerusalem nearly 400 years earlier.
Lord, God, I need You to show up in my time and my place. I need Your revelation. Speak to me through Your Word as I listen and long to learn. Help me to see absolutely everything You are wanting to reveal to me about Yourself as I study this book.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Ezekiel 1
Today I am going to commit myself to a careful study of Ezekiel. What can I learn? What does the Lord know that I need to know?
Who was the author? Ezekiel the priest the son of Buzi. Why did God decide that this man's heredity mattered? I think that the reason might be the timing of his prophesy. Ezekiel prophesied during the exile to Babylon. I can only imagine the isolation and desolation of a conquered people in captivity, but undoubtedly this was a time when the people felt unable to understand what was happening to their beloved nation and wanted to find answers.
What kinds of answers did they think they needed? They must have had several major questions: Why are we here? Has God abandoned us? What does the future hold?
But what does God answer? At least initially He does not address their burning questions because He knows it is not their burning need. Their burning need is to know Him. So what He does is to give Ezekiel a vision of His majesty, power, beauty, and perhaps most strikingly, His difference.
Oh, Lord, I am here. I long to be in China even though the life is much easier here. But You have sent me back to my own country, the USA. I have wondered what purpose You might have in my illnesses and weakness and our inability to stay in China and perhaps this book of Ezekiel has Your answer for me. Help me to see You - to see Your majesty, Your power, Your beauty and Your glorious difference.
Who was the author? Ezekiel the priest the son of Buzi. Why did God decide that this man's heredity mattered? I think that the reason might be the timing of his prophesy. Ezekiel prophesied during the exile to Babylon. I can only imagine the isolation and desolation of a conquered people in captivity, but undoubtedly this was a time when the people felt unable to understand what was happening to their beloved nation and wanted to find answers.
What kinds of answers did they think they needed? They must have had several major questions: Why are we here? Has God abandoned us? What does the future hold?
But what does God answer? At least initially He does not address their burning questions because He knows it is not their burning need. Their burning need is to know Him. So what He does is to give Ezekiel a vision of His majesty, power, beauty, and perhaps most strikingly, His difference.
Oh, Lord, I am here. I long to be in China even though the life is much easier here. But You have sent me back to my own country, the USA. I have wondered what purpose You might have in my illnesses and weakness and our inability to stay in China and perhaps this book of Ezekiel has Your answer for me. Help me to see You - to see Your majesty, Your power, Your beauty and Your glorious difference.
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