Tag: Ezekiel 20-23
Confronting sin!
Scripture reading for August 22: Ezekiel 20-23
Confronting sin in people is the calling of the prophet and preacher. We who minister the Word of the Lord must speak plainly to those whose souls are in danger of God’s eternal wrath. Sin brings the wrath of God. That wrath is ongoing in the law of sowing and reaping. It is also an eternal thing that will happen to all who die in their sins on the day of judgment. (Romans 1:18-19) (Romans 2:5) God loves each person enough to confront him before He judges him. In fact, He has stated that He will not send His wrath without revealing His plan to the prophets. (Amos 3:7)
In today’s reading, Ezekiel was told to confront the people of Jerusalem with all of their detestable practices. (Ezekiel 22:1) God declared that the sin of bloodshed was bringing doom on the city. The people’s sin of sacrificing their children in the fire to the false idols was bringing God’s wrath! Ezekiel pointed out mistreatment of fathers and mothers by children and mistreatment of the alien and orphan as reasons for the coming destruction. The people had despised the holy things and desecrated the Sabbath as a day of worship and rest. (Ezekiel 22:7-8) Adultery, incest, and lewd sexual conduct were hastening the day of wrath! Excessive interest was being charged and people were extorting money from the weak and powerless with mafia-like tactics. Sure sounds like today!
God also confronted the priests who were doing violence to God’s law. They were twisting God’s law to call evil, good and then to call good, evil. They did not help people to discern between what was holy and what God considered profane. They whitewashed their evil deeds by giving the people false visions and lying divinations. They claimed the the Lord had spoken when He had said nothing of the sort! (Ezekiel 22:26-28) When the ministers of God are messed up, the people are led further astray by their false teaching and example. God looked for one man to stand in the gap on behalf of the land so He would not have to destroy it, but found none! (Ezekiel 22:30-31)
Why does God confront people who are in sin? God is loving and wants all to know that He is the Lord and that what He has decreed will come to pass. He is to be honored and obeyed by those who are His people. When God confronts sin, He gives His people opportunity to repent and be delivered. Take time today and allow the Lord to speak to your heart. Listen and repent so that the wrath may be turned away! If you are right with the Lord, stand in the gap for someone who is lost and in need of His grace!
Confronting sin!
Scripture reading for August 23rd: Ezekiel 20-23
Confronting sin was the job of the prophet and preacher. We who minister the word of the Lord must faithfully declare what God has said and speak plainly to those whose souls are in danger of God’s eternal wrath. Sin brings the wrath of God. His wrath is happening continually and it is also an eternal thing that will happen to all who die in their sins on the day of judgment. (Romans 1:18-19) (Romans 2:5) God loves each person enough to confront him before He judges him.
In today’s reading, Ezekiel was told to confront the people of Jerusalem with all of their detestable practices. (Ezekiel 22:1) God declared that the sin of sacrificing their children in the fire to the false idols was wrong! Ezekiel pointed out mistreatment of fathers and mothers by children and mistreatment of the alien and orphan as reasons for the coming destruction. The people had despised the holy things and desecrated the Sabbath as a day of worship and rest. (Ezekiel 22:7-8) Adultery, incest, and lewd sexual conduct were hastening the day of wrath! Excessive interest was being charged and people were extorting money from the weak and powerless with mafia-like tactics.
God also confronted the priests as well. They were twisting God’s law to call evil good and then to call good, evil. They did not help people to discern between the holy or profane. They whitewashed their evil deeds by giving the people false visions and lying divinations. They claimed the the Lord had spoken when He had said nothing of the sort! (Ezekiel 22:26-28) When the ministers of God are under sin and deception, the people are led further astray by their false teaching and example. God looked for one man to stand in the gap on behalf of the land so He would not have to destroy it, but found none! (Ezekiel 22:30-31)
When God confronts sin, He gives his people opportunity to repent and be delivered. His love brings the confrontation to those who will humbly receive it. Take time today and allow the Lord to speak to your heart. Listen and repent so that the wrath may be turned away! Stand in the gap for someone who is lost and in need of His grace! The rewards are eternal!
Confronting Sin!
Scripture reading for August 22nd: Ezekiel 20-23
Confronting sin in lost people was the job of the prophet and preacher. They faithfully declared what God had spoken plainly to those whose souls were in danger of His eternal wrath. That wrath is happening continually and it is also an eternal thing that will happen to all who die in their sins on the day of judgment. (Romans 1:18-19) (Romans 2:5) God loves each lost person enough to confront him before He judges him. In fact, He has stated that He will not send His wrath without revealing his plan to the prophets. (Amos 3:7) This is part of God’s great mercy that seeks to draw people to repentance.
Ezekiel was told to confront the people of Jerusalem with all of their sins. (Ezekiel 22:1) Sacrificing their children in the fire to the false idols was bringing God’s wrath! Ezekiel pointed out mistreatment of fathers and mothers by children and mistreatment of the alien and orphan as reasons for the coming destruction. The people had despised the holy things and desecrated the Sabbath as a day of worship and rest. (Ezekiel 22:7-8) Adultery, incest, and lewd sexual conduct were hastening the day of wrath! Excessive interest was being charged and people were extorting money from the weak and powerless.
God also confronted the priests who were doing violence to God’s law. They were calling evil, good and good, evil. They did not help people to discern between what was holy and profane. They whitewashed their evil deeds by giving the people false visions and lying divinations. They claimed the the Lord had spoken when He had said nothing of the sort! (Ezekiel 22:26-28) God looked for one man to stand in the gap on behalf of the land so He would not have to destroy it, but found none! (Ezekiel 22:30-31)
In these last days, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to stand in the gap for all lost men and women! God confronted sin on the cross by laying all sin on Jesus Christ, who was the offering for our sins! He now gives all people opportunity to repent and be delivered. His love through the Gospel of Christ brings conviction and salvation to those who will humbly receive it. If you have received God’s grace through Christ, stand in the gap for someone who is in need of His grace! The rewards are eternal!
Keep the Sabbath Holy!
Scripture reading for August 24th: Ezekiel 20-23
In our time, the thought of a day just set apart for God is quite a rare thing. Sunday’s are a time for church and fellowship for a minority of people who claim to be Christians. Sports, family time, sleeping in and other activities often take the place of worship and communion with the Lord. It turns out, that this is not a new problem. Ezekiel was told to address this problem in his day as well. It was one of the contributing reasons for God’s judgment on His people!
God had taken the Israelites out of Egypt and given them His holy laws to set them apart from all the other nations. He also established the Sabbath as a sign for them, so that they would know that the Lord had made them holy people who were set apart for Him. (Ezekiel 20:10-12) But the people rejected His laws and desecrated His holy Sabbath. They clung to their idols. God had pity on them and did not destroy them in the desert, but appealed to the younger generation to keep His laws and Sabbaths. (Ezekiel 20:16-21) They also rebelled against God and went back to idolatry.
When man desecrates the Sabbath and despises the law of God, all sorts of evil manifests. Ezekiel was to call for judgment on Jerusalem because of the sins that came as a result of desecrating God’s Sabbath. (Ezekiel 22:1-8) The people were filled with violence and bloodshed was rampant. The people lived in adultery and idolatry. They failed to care for orphans and widows. They disrespected fathers and mothers. When God is forgotten, evil is the result!
The Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, was the day God set apart for enjoying fellowship with His people. It was a day to be marked by no work. Man was to rest from all his labors as God Himself had rested after the six days of creation. (Exodus 20:8-11) (Deuteronomy 5:12-15) He was to enjoy God and center on his relationship with God. He was to realign himself with God’s laws and seek the Lord for mercy and direction. He was to remember the God of creation as well as the God who delivered His people from slavery and bondage in Egypt.
Could it be that we need to revisit the Sabbath? Have we lost contact with God because of failure to rest in Him?
Confronting sin!
Scripture reading for August 24th: Ezekiel 20-23
Confronting sin in people is the job of the prophet and preacher. We who minister the word of the Lord must faithfully declare what God has said and speak plainly to those whose souls are in danger of God’s eternal wrath. Sin brings the wrath of God. That wrath is an ongoing thing that is happening continually and it is also an eternal thing that will happen to all who die in their sins on the day of judgment. (Romans 1:18-19) (Romans 2:5) God loves each person enough to confront him before He judges him. In fact, He has stated that He will not send His wrath without revealing his plan to the prophets. (Amos 3:7)
In today’s reading, Ezekiel is told to confront the people of Jerusalem with all of their detestable practices. (Ezekiel 22:1) God declared that the sin of bloodshed was bringing doom on the city. The people’s sin of sacrificing their children in the fire to the false idols was bringing God’s wrath! Ezekiel pointed out mistreatment of fathers and mothers by children and mistreatment of the alien and orphan as reasons for the coming destruction. The people had despised the holy things and desecrated the Sabbath as a day of worship and rest. (Ezekiel 22:7-8) Adultery, incest, and lewd sexual conduct were hastening the day of wrath and people needed to be confronted! Excessive interest was being charged and people were extorting money from the weak and powerless with mafia-like tactics. Sure sounds like the prophet was speaking to our day in America!
God also confronted the priests who were doing violence as well. This violence was to God’s law. They were twisting God’s law to call evil, good and then to call good, evil. They did not help people to discern between what was holy and what God considered profane. They whitewashed their evil deeds by giving the people false visions and lying divinations. They claimed the the Lord had spoken when He had said nothing of the sort! (Ezekiel 22:26-28) When the ministers of God are messed up and under sin and deception, the people are led further astray by their false teaching and example. God looked for one man to stand in the gap on behalf of the land so He would not have to destroy it, but found none! (Ezekiel 22:30-31)
Why does God confront people who are in sin? Does He enjoy seeing them squirm? Does He want to embarrass them in a church service? God wants all to know that He is the Lord and that what He has decreed will come to pass. He is to be honored and obeyed by those who are His people. When God confronts sin, He gives his people opportunity to repent and be delivered. His love brings the confrontation to those who will humbly receive it. Take time today and allow the Lord to speak to your heart. Listen and repent so that the wrath may be turned away! If you are right with the Lord, stand in the gap for someone who is lost and in need of His grace! The rewards are eternal!