Today’s passage: Ezekiel 20

Helpful thoughts:

• God always acts for His name’s sake.  Because He is good, righteous, loving and just, this is a very good thing.  God’s pursuit of His glory is never sinful.
• The elders of the house of Israel come to Ezekiel yet again to hear a “word” from the Lord.  They get a word…but probably not what they wanted.
• Ezekiel is willing to obey the Lord and speak what he is commanded, even while he feels the frustration of knowing that people will respond to him with criticism (Verse 48).

Questions to consider:

1. What are the things that God did over the years “for the sake of His name?”  In what ways did those actions result in His name being exulted (Or prevented His name from being wrongfully ridiculed)?
2. What good news did God allow Ezekiel to share about Israel in the future?  Why was this good news “bad news” to those elders of Israel who had come to Ezekiel on that day?  What might they have wanted from God instead?
3. In what ways does the content of verse 44 compare to what happened in us when we heard the Gospel and were saved?  In other words, how does verse 44 compare with Ephesians 2:1-10?

Today’s passage: Ezekiel 19

Helpful thoughts:

• A “Lament” is a Hebrew poetic form for expressing sadness or grief.
• It seems the mother lioness (And vine) refers to the nation of Judah and the cubs are some of Judah’s final kings who had been taken into captivity.
• In the end, Judah’s leaders have been defeated, the land and the vine have become fruitless, and there is no one left to lead toward restoration.

Questions to consider:

1. Why would it make sense to lament of Judah and Israel?  If their country had existed for over 800 years (Since the Exodus), and having been brought into existence and defended by the Lord Himself, what travesties would come to mind worthy of lament?
2. What did the inability of any man like us to bring Israel (Or any people for that matter) to true repentance and victory prove we need?  Are there any men or women on this earth who can be our true hero, who can bring us final victory?
3. What did Jesus accomplish in His first coming for His people?  What will He accomplish when He comes again?  What Scriptures come to mind?

Today’s passage: Ezekiel 18

Helpful thoughts:

• The three generations listed in this chapter look like they may be referring to three individual people, but these three could represent three generations of the people.
  • The judgment God has been referring to in these prophecies has always been toward the whole communities of Jerusalem and Judah, and specifically the judgment of being defeated by the Babylonians.
• The lists of right and wrong actions are given to depict characteristically righteous and wicked lifestyles.  We know from Romans 3, that “no one is righteous, no not one.”  No individual person could stand before the judgment seat of Christ without any sin on their own.  We can only stand before God and be declared “Not guilty” through the atoning sacrifice of Christ.
  • We can see in the books of the history of Israel (Like Judges, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles) God would bring acts of judgment on the people in times of rebellion and withhold judgment at times of repentance.  These types of instances appear to be what God is referring to in this chapter.
• With judgment looming, with Babylon seemingly ready to attack and God clearly informing the Jews that this is happening because of their sin and lack of repentance, the people question God’s justice.
  • If the Jews believed God was able to be unjust, they had a very low and inaccurate view of God.  They did not know God. (1 John 4:7-8)

Questions to consider:

1. After all was said in this chapter concerning these people’s lives and their opinions of God’s justice (Or the lack thereof) what was God’s concluding command (Verse 30)?  At the end, to whom will all people answer?  Does God answer to us…or will we answer to Him? (2 Corinthians 5:10, Hebrews 9:27)
2. How might our modern individualistic mindset distract us from the importance of community?  How do individuals affect the community?  How does community affect individuals?  How is this important when we think of the local church?
3. As Christians and citizens of the Kingdom of God, how should we think about our roles in the different aspects of community within which we live (The church, our cities, our country, etc.)?  What has Christ told us we are? (Matthew 5:13-16)

Today’s passage: Ezekiel 17

Helpful thoughts:

• The riddle and parable given to Ezekiel in today’s passage explains what occurred in Judah in 2 Kings 24:8-25:7 and 2 Chronicles 36:5-21.
  • After Nebuchadnezzar’s first victory over Jerusalem, he set up a king under his own authority (Zedekiah), who later rebelled by turning to Egypt for help/defense against Babylon.  This brought about the full fall of Jerusalem.
• The prophet Jeremiah had given God’s instruction to Zedekiah in Jeremiah 38:14-23.  God had given Zedekiah specific instructions and he disobeyed.
• Neither Nebuchadnezzar or the Egyptian Pharaoh possess the sovereignty of the Lord.  He will remove power from whom He wishes and give power to whom He wishes.  This will culminate in the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ!

Questions to consider:

1. Zedekiah and Jerusalem were in trouble because they had broken their oath to Nebuchadnezzar, but ultimately, who had they sinned against (Verse 19)?  Why is all our sin first and foremost sin against God?
2. What words does the Lord use repeatedly to give confidence to His promise?  Why is God gracious to give us this assurance?  Does He need them to encourage Himself to remember His promises?
3. Why can we always trust in the promises of God, even when they don’t seem to be coming as fast as we’d hope?  What is true of His nature/character that makes His promises absolutely certain? (Titus 1:2, Malachi 3:6)

Today’s passage: Ezekiel 16

Helpful thoughts:

• If you are using these devotionals for the family, you will want to read ahead and be discerning in how you explain the content of this chapter.
• Israel is depicted as a woman who was rescued, cared for, married, provided with wealth and success…and then used all that God had given her to be “adulterous” with numerous others.
• God is clear in telling the people of Jerusalem their “adultery” has been more severe than that of Samaria (The northern kingdom of Israel) and Sodom!  Yet, He will not forget His covenant with them and they will one day remember their sin and be confounded by the faithfulness, love and forgiveness granted to them by God!

Questions to consider:

1. This passage is not about the sin of sexual immorality (Though that was certainly included in all that the people of Jerusalem/Israel had done).  What are the sins that have been committed?  If God is the “husband” who entered into a covenant relationship with Israel and she broke that covenant, what is the sin being committed?  What did their unfaithfulness to God also then result in?
2. How does this illustration correlate to what we learn about Christ and the church from Ephesians 5:22-33 and Revelation 19:6-8?
3. With Christ in mind, how has God made a way for His people to be made aware of their sin, desire to repent and change, and be made pure?  What has Christ done for His bride?  How does all this urge us toward the righteous worship which He has freed us to pursue in love?

Today’s passage: Ezekiel 15

Helpful thoughts:

• This comparison of Israel and a vine is much different than what we find in different parts of the Bible.  This description is not hopeful or life-giving.  It speaks to their judgment.
• In comparison to all other woods, the wood of a vine is of no value but to use for burning.
  • If Israel thought they were better of more useful than anyone else, they were mistaken.
• Israel had earned judgment (As “fuel” for fire).  For this, they have been deemed “useful.”

Questions to consider:

1. Would it be right for us to think ourselves more useful to God in our natural state? What does Romans 3 teach us about what we were all like (Romans 3:9-12)?
2. What causes the transformation in us?  Why are we (Who were once only fit for judgment) now useful to the building up of the kingdom? (Ephesians 2:8-10)
3. How do these Gospel truths shape the way we see God, ourselves, and others in the world around us?  What does anyone need before they have the ability to change and grow?  Without worrying about how others can be useful to me, how can I be useful to God and others today?

Today’s passage: Ezekiel 14

Helpful thoughts:

• In the hearts and minds of the elders of Israel, the impending doom from Babylon was the most important thing.  In truth, their repentance and relationship with God was the most important thing.
  • They desired a prophecy of what was to come, what they heard was a call to repentance.
• When we worship idols, they are a “stumbling block” and objects “before our face,” which means we are blinded and going to stumble.
• God declares that even with judgment after judgment, and even with men from the past and present (Noah, Daniel, and Job) speaking and living amongst the Jewish people, there will not be repentance.  Except for those who are “brought out,” the remnant.

Questions to consider:

1. Given God’s initial rebuke in this chapter, what is the most important aspect (Or most important relationship) of our lives?  Would these elders have been happy with wealth, health, and peace in the land without God?  Could we be happy today with wealth, health and peace without Jesus?
2. How does blindness come from idolatry?  How does it cause people to stumble?  How do these following passages help us to learn and comprehend what it means to “become like what we worship?” (Psalm 115:4-8, 2 Corinthians 3:18)
3. If we think about the lives of Noah, Daniel and Job, did their righteous choices result in massive amounts of conversions and repentance in the first place?  Who alone has the power to give people a new heart, salvation?  What is our responsibility and privilege? (2 Corinthians 5:17-20)

Today’s passage: Ezekiel 13

Helpful thoughts:

• People were posing as prophets in Israel.  They were saying, “Hear the word of the LORD!” and then sharing whatever it was in their own hearts and minds they wanted to say.
  • Many would have certainly desired these prophets to give them favorable news.
  • This is similar to what we read in 2 Timothy 4:3-4.
• These false prophets are referred to as “jackals,” a scavenger.
  • The false prophets speak in order to gain and take from others (Manipulation, flattery, etc.), true prophets speak to obey the Lord and communicate the truth for the true benefit of the hearers (Love).
• The women (False prophetesses) are mentioned as having incorporated some form of magical bands and are rebuked as well for “hunting” for souls!
  • The magic had to have been either phony tricks or some demonic activity.  Either way, the goal was the same, taking advantage of others for their own personal gain…but remember it wasn’t their gain!  It led to their destruction.

Questions to consider:

1. How can we know whether people are sharing with us the truth?  How can we know the counsel we share and/or receive is in line with God’s will without resorting to how we feel or think about things in our own hearts? (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
2. If a teacher’s/preacher’s primary goal ever becomes gaining a larger following, how might their teaching and preaching change?  How can a verse like Ephesians 4:15 prevent us from going to the other end of the spectrum to being unnecessarily rude or hateful?
3. How can these intense rebukes and obvious abuses of the ministry of prophecy be applied to our relationships and interactions with others today?  How should we speak to people?  Whose glory and whose best interest should we be seeking?  How can love and worship remove our fear to speak the truth?

Today’s passage: Ezekiel 12

Helpful thoughts:

• Ezekiel prophecies the what would happen to Zedekiah in 2 Kings 25.
  • Ezekiel would not refer to Zedekiah as a king, most likely because Nebuchadnezzar had made him king and changed his name (2 Kings 24:10-17).
  • It might be helpful to remember that the fall of Jerusalem and the exiling of the Jewish people happened in stages.
• Since the prophecies Ezekiel had shared didn’t come to pass fast enough for the people’s expectations, the Jews began to dismiss them (Verse 22).
• Part of the excuse to dismiss Ezekiel’s prophecies was to consider them as judgments that were “far off.”  Evidently, if there were no immediate or personal negative consequences, the people were happy to carry on in disobedience!

Questions to consider:

1. What does the expectation of a timeline for God’s judgment reveal about the people’s view of God, or of Ezekiel’s trustworthiness?  If God has to act in a timely fashion according to our point of view, then who do we think is in charge?
2. How can remembering who God is and who we are encourage and help us to be patient when we are praying for something?  When we desire Christ’s return?
3. Should the people have only wanted to repent if the judgment of God was going to affect them personally?  What does love for others compel us to do?  What does love for God compel us to do?  Why is it always right to do what is right? (See the last four words of verses 16 and 20)  What does knowing that Christ took our judgment on Himself at the cross further compel us to do?