2nd Evangelical Free Church

What is the symbolism of the mountains?

Ezekiel 6

 

This oracle addresses the mountains of Israel, of Judah. This reference does not invoke fond memories of the landscape of home to the exiles, but of vile wickedness. The mountains were the place where the Israelites and the people of Judah set up altars and worshipped pagan gods such as Baal and Ashtoreth through ritual prostitution as well as infant sacrifice. Bad as this was, they angered God even further by offering unauthorized sacrifices to an idol of Yahweh. They engaged in such abominations in order to ensure seek security, wealth and power in a way that totally denied their covenant with Yahweh. For these abominations, the Lord would judge them with sword (violent conquest), famine, and plague.

 

The lesson here is for the people of God again, the church. We must forsake all idolatry and serve the Lord. Today our idols are not statues of wood or stone, but those personal areas of our lives where we seek our own well-being, security and pleasure. Idols would include our jobs, our bank accounts, our reputation, even our leisure activities as well as all those things we spend time on and value more than we do obedience to the Lord. In addition, those preachers who preach a gospel of self-esteem and/or personal prosperity as well as those who follow them are committing idolatry and will be called to account for it. 

Meditate & Apply: What are your idols? What can you do about them?

God’s people are called to greater accountability.

Ezekiel 5

 

Here we see another symbolic prophetic act that Ezekiel is commanded to perform in a sort of pantomime: no words, just actions. In ancient times, for a man to have his beard and hair shaved off was an act of total humiliation. For Ezekiel it is all that for it means he is violating his priestly office. And he is doing this with great physical pain, as a sword is rather clumsy and dull to use as a razor. All this is to signify the pain and humiliation that the Lord is bringing upon His people. He is doing so in a methodical, calculated fashion, not haphazardly, as the use of the scales to weigh out exact portions tells us. Several strands of hair are hidden for they represent the remnant that does not fall under God’s judgment. Yet even there a few manifest unfaithfulness and are punished.

 

This terrible judgment falls because Judah has violated the stipulations of God’s covenant as clearly stated in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 and brought on herself the curses enumerated there. Israel had been called by God to be a light to the nations, to behave in a way that was holy and pleasing to God to show the world His love and power. Yet their actual behavior was far worse than the nations for though they engaged in the same idolatry and wickedness, they had a greater responsibility for they had been given the truth and ignored it. The nations would witness their destruction and in that way would know there Yahweh is Lord. Today we, God’s people the church, have the truth and so are called to a greater account for our actions. We must obey God and live in holiness so that others will see His love and grace and want it.

Meditate & Apply: How does God’s judgment of his own people affect the way you act? Should we be concerned about punishment for our sins considering God will forgive them by His grace? Why or why not?

What is the meaning of Ezekiel’s strange actions?

Ezekiel 4

 

The Lord commands Ezekiel to perform a symbolic prophetic action such as we have seen in Jeremiah and other prophets. His action prophesies the siege of Jerusalem. He is to suffer in this action, for he will have to lie on his side for two separate periods of time unable to turn to symbolize the fullness of the iniquity of God’s people. The number of days equals the number of years back to the time the temple was built by Solomon. In addition, he will have to eat the meager fare that will barely provide sustenance. This is the bread of affliction that the people will be forced to eat during the siege. The further command to cook the bread in an unclean manner indicates that they will continue to eat the bread of affliction and be defiled by continual contact with unclean people.

 

The iron pan Ezekiel places between himself and the portrait of the city of Jerusalem symbolizes God’s iron will. He has made His decision. He will not hear the prayers or cries of the people. He will not budge from His purpose. The judgment has come and it is too late for people to change His mind. This tells us that though God is long suffering and patient, there will come a day when He will carry out judgment. There will be nothing we or anyone can do to stop it. Considering our duty as watchmen to proclaim the warning, this reminds us that even the alert will have its limits. One day judgment will fall on those who do not believe, including many of those we know and love.

Meditate & Apply: What can we do for the lost while there is still time to do it?

What is Ezekiel’s commission?

Ezekiel 2-3

 

Once Ezekiel saw the vision of the Lord, he was ready to receive his commission. The vision gave him strength as well as the certainty that he was doing the work of the Lord. The people to whom God was sending him were stubborn and obstinate. Nevertheless, he was to proclaim what God told him, His word which is signified by the scroll which though sweet is also bitter for it contains words of judgment. Although the people would not like the message, Ezekiel was not to compromise it to suit his audience. The righteous would listen and heed the Lord’s warning and turn to Him. The wicked would not turn and would be destroyed. The time for negotiation was over so the Lord closed up Ezekiel’s mouth so that the only words he will speak will be those of the Lord. He, although a priest, is not to intercede or mediate for the people. Judgment was coming and there was no stopping it.

 

Ezekiel was warned that he was to preach the warning of God. If he failed to do so or refused, he would be held accountable. This should serve as a warning for all believers. We are called to be vigilant and dutiful watchmen, to warn of the danger, the consequences of sin. If people will not hear what we have to say, if they abuse us or persecute us, they will be held accountable for their own actions. But if we refuse, then their blood is on us. Considering the vision of God we have seen through Ezekiel’s eyes, there should be no reason for us to fear what man will do to us for the omnipotent God is with us.

Meditate & Apply: How does Ezekiel’s vision of God inspire you to preach the word of God?

What does this vision mean?

Ezekiel 1

 

As we recall from our readings in 2 Kings 24 when the Babylonians carted off the first group of Jews into exile, they took King Jehoaichin and the chief citizens of Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar placed Zedekiah on the throne. Ezekiel, a young priest was among the first group of captives. His audience was composed of a large group of captives along the canal Chebar which connected the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The Lord called him to be a prophet by showing Him this awesome vision, filled with symbolism. The details portray the nature and might of God. The wheels and wings signify speed and maneuverability so they convey the omnipresence of God. The living creatures signify His creative power and His completeness. The thunder and lightning signify His omnipotence and power over all things. The eyes on the wheels signify His omniscience for He sees and knows everything.

 

However, if we get caught up in the details of this vision we will miss its significance. On the surface, the vision is illogical and defies reason. This conveys the truth that God is utterly incomprehensible to us. God is so infinite and vast that we cannot define Him or know Him in totality, only what He has chosen to reveal to us. To claim that we know God is an attempt to try to control or limit Him, even though He is, as this vision shows, totally beyond our control. In addition we note the significance to Ezekiel: God was with His people and not limited to the Temple at Jerusalem. Ezekiel and the exiles would be comforted by this but also alarmed for the vision shows God as the Divine warrior. As we proceed in the book we will discover that Yahweh is on the march to attack His own people in Jerusalem and Judah to punish them for their iniquity.

Meditate & Apply: What is the significance of the rainbow?

What relief does the Lord provide for your sin and guilt?

Psalm 103

 

This Psalm of David is one that promotes great comfort and encouragement for all of us. We all at times feel lethargic, bored, tired, full of doubt, despairing of and filled with guilt over our sins. Yet the amazing God that we worship is one who delights to forgive. He reveals Himself to all men so that all may know what He expects of them. This He has done by entering into covenant with Israel through which He reaches out to the whole earth. Daily we see His blessings on the righteous and wicked alike as we are given heath and delivered from a myriad of illnesses, though not all. Daily we are delivered from much danger and peril without a thought.

 

Daily we are blessed with God’s mercy. He delights to forgive us our sins, a trait that we who are righteous ought to share. We are spared the just punishments for our sins. Jesus took the penalty due us for our acts of wicked selfishness on the cross. He did this out of love for us. Our salvation is the greatest of His blessings because He extends mercy to those who deserve otherwise. This offer of mercy extends to all sinners. God will forgive all those who repent and turn to Him. Repentance insures that the righteous will be blessed with an eternity of joy and peace dwelling in the presence of Yahweh. For this reason above all others, God is worthy of praise.

Meditate & Apply: Do you extend forgiveness to those who, in your opinion, do not deserve it? Why or why not? What if God decided to treat you with justice according to your deeds? How would that change your opinion?

Why so much pain?

Psalm 102

 

Here we encounter an anonymous writer crying out to the Lord for help. This lament reflects his feelings of agony and pain either due to a serious wasting illness or because of the reproaches and attacks of his enemies. In any case he is physically wasting away because he has lost interest in sustenance. However, he shifts his focus in verse 12 from self to Zion and the eternal nature of Yahweh. We may think that the Psalmist is asking for strength and a long life in the light of God’s eternal existence. God exists forever, but the world and all mankind do not. They all pass away in a brief span compared to the Lord.

 

The switch in his focus in the subject makes us realize, however, that this Psalm is really Messianic. Verses 25-27 are cited in Hebrews 1:10-12 as descriptive of the Lord Jesus as God and King. They celebrate the glory of His resurrection. The suffering of this Psalmist then matches the suffering of Jesus on the cross. He suffered for the sake of the salvation of Zion, Israel and also for the whole world. By His death and resurrection He releases all those groaning prisoners trapped and bound by sin and death on the way to eternal damnation. In addition the Messiah’s work will also transfer the entire earth to the state it was in at the time of creation, pure, sinless and filled with peace and joy for all people as they dwell in the eternal presence of the Lord.

Meditate & Apply: Think about the pain that the Psalmist suffers. It is difficult but reaps a harvest of eternal bliss. What does this say about the pains the believer endures?

Obedience is a form of worship.

Psalm 100-101

 

These Psalms continue our praise for the God who loves us. Psalm 100, known as the Jubilate ('O be joyful'), is a psalm used in liturgical worship. When we enter into His presence we do so with joy as we give Him thanks because of His love and faithfulness. God is worthy of praise because He is faithful to His promises. All that He has said He will do, He will do, blessings as well as judgments, so no one should think God is soft or easy. In the light of this, perhaps like David the writer of 101, we must desire to live lives that are unblemished by sin and wickedness of any sort. As David indicates, if we want to have fellowship with God we must avoid sin but also live in obedience so that we do what He commands us rather than seek out own way.

David desired to walk in purity, to avoid even the sight of wickedness. This is quite difficult in our day as our lives are saturated by worldly ideas which daily bombard us with immorality and corrupt ideas and images through the media and the Internet. If we are not careful, we will become enslaved to the world and adopt its ungodly values as we gradually compromise our faith and our testimony. In addition, we must also avoid praising those the world praises as that is a form of idolatry that detracts from our worship of the Lord. The world worships celebrity and beauty and ignores the ungodly morals, dishonesty, hypocrisy, selfishness, egotism and lack of integrity of those individuals and groups that it idolizes.

Meditate & Apply: Do you think its okay to idolize celebrities? What’s the harm? 

God’s love is worthy of praise.

Psalm 98-99

 

These 2 Psalms, like some many others, again exhort us to praise the Lord. There are a few things about the nature of God the writers want to acknowledge as worthy of praise. First of all, there is the love of God. He loves everything and everyone He has created. In love He has provided a means by which mankind is granted salvation and, in addition, the entire world is redeemed. This is the means by which the Lord can enjoy fellowship with mankind and vice versa. Therefore all the earth, all peoples, not just Israel should praise the Lord. The Lord is also worthy of praise because He is righteous and just. He punishes iniquity but also grants mercy.

 

The Lord chooses and calls into His service those who are imperfect and continue to be this way even after they have entered into relationship with Him. The Lord is true to us even when we do not remain true to Him. We do not deserve to be forgiven yet because He has entered into covenant with us, He continues to forgive and grant mercy. This does not mean that He does not punish us or that sin has no consequences. When the Lord punishes those He loves it is with the goals of growth in godliness and deeper and closer fellowship with Him. The punishment that falls on the wicked, however, does not sanctify or cleanse them. In fact to those who do not surrender their lives to the Lord, His punishment has no positive value.

Meditate & Apply: How has God’ s punishment benefitted you?

Obedience is an essential aspect of worship.

Psalm 96-97

 

These 2 psalms both focus on the reign of our Lord God, Yahweh. Yahweh is eternal, ever existing. He has created all that exists. He controls all the elements of the natural world, the sun, moon, stars, planets, galaxies, the weather, the seas, rivers, and earthquakes so that all these operate only at His command. He reigns over the entire universe and because of this, there are no other gods. What pass for gods are merely lifeless idols. The Psalms tell us that because He is Almighty, all human beings ought to acknowledge that He is God. They ought to praise and exalt Him. In addition, because the Lord is a God who is just and right, he judges with equity. Because of His justice then, all human beings ought to obey what He commands.

 

In ancient times and in primitive societies, men worship the forces of nature rather than the one who creates them. Our modern culture is too sophisticated for that. Instead, the world worships science. Scientists have become the new priests of this contemporary idol. These scientists seek to control the forces of the created world, even to creating life as well as taking it. And we silly, naive human beings look to them to explain life and solve all of life’s problems. Yet scientists cannot tamper with the forces of the Lord’s universe without suffering serious repercussions both for themselves as well as their followers. Those who try to explain the world apart from God’s revelation have no hope of solving anything.

Meditate & Apply: How does science affect the way you view the claims of the Bible?