TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
Ezekiel 10:1-11:25
Hebrews 6:1-20
Psalm 105:16-36
Proverbs 27:1-2
Ezekiel 10 includes references to several gems, and because I’m not used to thinking in terms of the color Beryl, I find it helpful to see what Beryl looks like.
Ezekiel 10:11 — Sound familiar? We read about this in Ezekiel 1. Interestingly, this is the 5th time we’ve seen this phrase “… they turned not when they went …”
Ezekiel 11:1 — We saw the “five and twenty men” earlier in Ezekiel 8:16.
Ezekiel 11:3 — From the Pulpit Commentary:
As in most proverbs of this kind, the thought is condensed to the very verge of obscurity, and the words have received very different interpretations. “It (the judgment of which the true prophets spoke) is not near. Let us build houses, not, as Jeremiah bids (Jeremiah 39:5), in the land of exile, but here in Jerusalem, where we shall remain in safety. Are we threatened with the imagery of the ‘seething pot’ (Jeremiah 1:13)? Let us remember that the caldron protects the meat in it from the fire. The walls of the city will protect us from the army of the Chaldeans.”
Ezekiel 11:5 — Whoa! “I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them!” Sometimes when reading the prophets, a phrase will jump out at you. You know that God is omniscient, but you don’t think of how His omniscience affects you. You sometimes pray to Him when you think of Him, but you don’t always live with a conscious awareness of His presence. Yet, He knows every thought in your mind!
Ezekiel 11:17 — We see a special promise in these verses:
- “I will give you the land of Israel” – interesting to think that just 80 years ago this seemed to be an allegorical promise. Since 1948, there is a nation of Israel again, but the nation still doesn’t possess all the promised land.
- “I will put a new spirit within you … I will be their God” – unfortunately, Paul’s heart’s desire has not been fulfilled yet (Romans 10:1). Interestingly, 20% of Jewish Millennials believe Jesus is the Son of God.
Ezekiel 11:23 — What mountain is on the east side of the city?
Hebrews 6:4-6 — Here’s another scary part of the third warning passage from Hebrews. It is impossible for partakers of the Holy Ghost to be saved again. They cannot crucify the Son of God again. This is a reiteration of Hebrews 6:1 – we cannot again repent, believe, and identify with Jesus.
Hebrews 6:10 — Paul balances his warning with his word of encouragement for those who have supported God’s work!
Hebrews 6:19 — Our salvation could be lost if it were up to us. But God swore by Himself (Hebrews 6:13). We have a refuge (Hebrews 6:18), an anchor for the soul, and my anchor holds!
Psalm 105:18 — Interesting that we didn’t know this about Joseph in Genesis.
Psalm 105:25 — The Egyptians were grateful for Joseph, but they proceeded to enslave his descendants. As Bob Jones Sr. said, “When gratitude dies on the altar of a man’s heart, that man is well nigh hopeless.”
Proverbs 27:1-2 — Two verses that talk about humility. Boasts of tomorrow and boasts of thyself. Recognition of the inability to prognosticate and the inappropriateness of self-congratulations.
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