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:
- 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)?
- 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?
- 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?