Month: October 2024

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Ezekiel 3:16-6:14
  Hebrews 4:1-16
  Psalm 104:24-35
  Proverbs 26:27

Ezekiel 3:18 — The scariest words in the Old Testament: “… his blood will I require at thine hand.” God has given us a message to warn the wicked that they shall die in their sins (Romans 6:23). If we do not warn him, he will die for his sins; he will receive the just punishment of his deeds, but God will hold us accountable.

Ezekiel 3:20 — When we see a Christian falling into temptation, we have the same responsibility!

Ezekiel 3:26-27 — May this be our prayer: “LORD, keep my mouth shut when I need to keep it shut, and keep it open when I need to keep it open!”

Ezekiel 4:1 — BibleBlender.com has some interesting visual depictions of what this scene may have looked like.

Ezekiel 4:5 — Over a year Ezekiel lay on his left side, and for over a month he lay on his right side.

Ezekiel 4:15 — Ezekiel the priest was revulsed by what was coming and asked God, “Are you sure?” God was not instituting a new dispensation here (Acts 10:15), just illustrating how desperate the country would get. Thus, He allowed Ezekiel to prepare his bread with cow dung rather than human dung.

Ezekiel 5:3 — God’s pictures were very graphic. The preaching hadn’t made a difference, so God tried another technique to teach His people.

Ezekiel 6:7 — God is judging sin harshly so that His people “shall know that I am the LORD.” Four times in this chapter we read this purpose for God’s actions. He will not abandon His bride that has gone “a whoring after their idols.” (Ezekiel 6:9)

Ezekiel 6:10 — “I have not said in vain.” Deuteronomy 27 contained the curses of Mount Ebal. They were not in vain. God doesn’t say, “Try harder next time!”

Hebrews 4:12 — How can we keep our hearts from hardening? How can we know we can enter the rest? How can we not fall victim to unbelief?

• Through the Scripture of God … our powerful Hope!
• Through the Sight of God … our omniscient Creator!
• Through the Son of God … our empathetic Priest!

Hebrews 4:14-16 — Here’s another great doctrinal insight:

• Hebrews 4:14 – Jesus is transcendent – He has the ability – He CAN help us
• Hebrews 4:15 – Jesus is immanent – He has the experience – He WILL help us
• Hebrews 4:16 – Let’s GO to God. His throne of grace is accessible. Compare this to the inaccessible Tree of Life (Genesis 3:24).

Psalm 104:34 — Take time to enjoy the sweetness of our LORD. Don’t let the cares of the world drag you down.

Proverbs 26:27 — As Patch the Pirate shares with us, “You Reap What You Sow.”

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Ezekiel 1:1-3:15
  Hebrews 3:1-19
  Psalm 104:1-23
  Proverbs 26:24-26

We’re just two months from the end of the year! Hang in there!

Ezekiel 1:1-3 — Ezekiel is an Exilic Prophet. Jeremiah wrote about the coming Exile, but Ezekiel is the first prophet we’ll be reading from within the Exile. The year is 592 BC, and we’re a little northwest of Babylon. In this passage we find out why he was part of the second group to be deported – he was a priest and an influential leader.

Book of Ezekiel Chapter 1¹

Ezekiel 1:16 — Yes, this is the “wheel in a wheel” passage that inspired the spiritual, “Ezekiel Saw The Wheel.”

Illustration of the “Chariot Vision” by Matthaeus (Matthäus) Merian²

Ezekiel 1:27 — In Revelation 1:15-16, John describes seeing Jesus: “… his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace …” and “… his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength …”

Ezekiel 1:28 — What to do when you see things unexplainable and indescribable? Fall on your face in humility!

Ezekiel 2:2 — Notice that when Ezekiel didn’t have the strength to stand, the Spirit set him on his feet! When we’ve exhausted our store of endurance, “He giveth more grace!”

Ezekiel 2:5 — Ezekiel must have felt like a Christian school teacher. Out of strength and can’t get up after lying face down on the ground (Ezekiel 1:28)! He’s speaking to “impudent children and stiffhearted.” God says, “… whether they will hear or whether they will forbear … [they] shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.” Pray for the Christian school teachers that you know – they ain’t getting rich, they are exhausted, and they are prophets to their “impudent children!”

Ezekiel 3:5 — Home missions may not be as rewarding, but God calls people to reach their Judea first! Yes, the monthly updates to supporting churches may be discouraging, but faithfulness … not results … is what the Master calls for (2 Timothy 2:2).

Ezekiel 3:15 — Ezekiel was astonished seven days at the vision he saw. Don’t worry if you are still scratching your head about the incredible vision of Ezekiel 1.

Hebrews 3:1 — Yes, Ezekiel was a priest, but he struggled to explain the things that God showed him. We have a greater priest (Hebrews 3:3), One that is greater than Moses (Hebrews 3:3) and greater than creation (Hebrews 3:4).

Hebrews 3:7 — We start the second warning passage. Hebrews 2:1-4 began the first warning passage (“How shall we escape?”). Now we begin the “Harden not your hearts” warnings.

Hebrews 3:12 — Here’s a scary concept. Paul is writing to his brethren and warning them about an evil heart of unbelief that will cause them to depart from the living God. You can always find “atheist activists” like Dan Barker who were pastors at one time but now have turned their backs on God.

Hebrews 3:15 — How do we avoid being shipwrecked and denied entry into the rest (Hebrews 3:11, Hebrews 3:18)? Hear His voice and open your heart.

Psalm 104:4 — Interesting that this description matches Ezekiel’s references to fire (Ezekiel 1:4, 1:13). This whole psalm echoes Hebrews 3:4 – “… he that built all things …” As the Psalmist inventories creation, God made it all!

Proverbs 26:25 — A great admonition for election season!

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

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Image¹ Credit: Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Image² Credit: Matthaeus (Matthäus) Merian (1593-1650), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Lamentations 4:1-5:22
  Hebrews 2:1-18
  Psalm 103:1-22
  Proverbs 26:23

Lamentations 4:13 — God judges a nation’s religious leaders first. Look how they are described in Lamentations 4:14-15.

Lamentations 5:21 — Jeremiah ends his lament with a plea for God to return, yet he realizes that for Israel it is too late.

Hebrews 2:2 — Almost every time a human encounters an angel, the first angelic words are “Fear not!” If we fear an angel, shall we not fear the maker of the angel? We have not the word of an angelic encounter but the Word of God!

Hebrews 2:4 — What was the purpose of the signs and wonders? To confirm His revelation to man.

Hebrews 2:7 — The back and forth between humans and angels is emphasized here: created lower than the angels but crowned with glory and honor!

Hebrews 2:16-17 — Jesus took not the nature of angels but was “made like unto his brethren.” He chose to be like us!

Psalm 103:11 — How great is God’s mercy! In just a few verses (Psalm 103:17), we’ll see how long is His mercy!

Proverbs 26:23 — We talked about this a while back. A potsherd is a broken piece of pottery. Jesus had a similar thought in Matthew 23:27 when He called the scribes and Pharisees “whited sepulchers.”

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.