Ezekiel 9:1"Executioners, come!"
Ezekiel 10:1 - The Temple was filled with the Presence of God.
Ezekiel 11:1 - Then the Spirit picked me up and took me to the north gate...Oppose them, son of man. Preach against them.Ezekiel 12:1 - God's Message came to me: "Son of man, you're living with a bunch of rebellious people. They have eyes but don't see a thing, they have ears but don't hear a thing.
God's Message: 'You'll eat your meals shaking in your boots and drink your water in terror because your land is going to be stripped bare as punishment for the brutality rampant in it. ... Then you'll realize that I am God.'"Time's about up. ""Your hand has been over your eyes. It belongs over your mouth." 66 LL. I stand silenced before a holy God for 4 reasons seen in the Vision that I read about in 66 LL:
1. The idol of Jealousy - desire to feel loved, to enjoy good relationships, to be affirmed, to see yourself as worthy of respect and entitled to a pleasant life. These desires become your idol of jealousy when they rule your life.
2. The idol of Appreciation - when you, in the secret place of your heart, want something more than My Pleasure, the power of your flesh is turned loose.
3. The idol of Self-interest - when self obsession sinks its way into my conversations. When you value anything above Me, when self interest rules your life, you feel only your desires for what is available in this world: good health, warm relationships, fulfilling work and you assume it is my job to satisfy those desires.
4. The idol of false hope. exchanging true hope for false hope when you turn from Me to enjoy the smug satisfaction of superiority.
Do I mourn at the failure of my spouse to love me well or the failure of my ministry to affirm my gifts and calling or the failure of my friends to appreciate me----do I mourn that MORE than I mourn distance from God?
'God, the Master, says, This proverb's going to have a short life!' "Tell them, 'Time's about up. Every warning is about to come true.
ReplyDeleteEzekiel is a tough book again. The prophets warn, the time draws near, God is ready. What do I need to do to be ready? Open my eyes and shut my mouth. Quit talking it and start living it.
I wonder if I would have taken to heart the prophet's message to me from God?
ReplyDeleteBlindness must be contagious. So many follow the path that God has forbidden...thinking He doesn't see.
But He sees.
Angry God shows up. The description of the executioners, the man in linen, the sapphire throne, the corpses (beginning in the TEMPLE)...such visuals that create a desire in me to plead with God for mercy.
But mercy is nowhere to be found.
Time's up!
Just how is the book of Ezekial a "Love Letter from God?"
Does this message stir us to obedience? I sure hope we are changed by these words. Changed to make an impact for Christ while we have the opportunity.
Bev, I just want you and Bob to know that I am so sorry about your situation. Please immerse yourselves in Grace right now. Wherever you can find it...splash in it...swim in it...let your feet wade in it...drink it in as though you were in the desert. God has aplenty just for you. It will not run out, it has been given to you freely for such a time as this. And you cannot use it up! Embrace it like a beautiful wedding gown, hand-sewn and carefully spun together like silk for every need you have THIS day! God is preparing you both for something worth getting excited about. I'm praying that your cup will overflow with His blessings.
May we all feel His love in abundance as we seach our hearts and draw closer to Him through this message from Ezekial. Let's leave here CHANGED! For Glory!
I really want to put my hands over my mouth and keep my eyes open. I want to learn from Him and so live that I radiate Him and people see Him when they see me or hear me. I want Him to get all the glory and all the praise. I loved what Lary Crabb wrote about the four gates...it screamed truth, truth to me. I am much better today after my reaction Monday night..it had to have the shrimp or anchovies or both..my husband ate the same thing out of the same container..I do NOW have an epi pen...never needed it before now. and I am going to go and get tested for allergies.I feel like God spared me the other night..just all the little details that fell into place enable me to see His hands all over it. Bev they did give me not only two shots but also thru a face mask to breathe it in...they actually gave me that twice...the bill is going to be terrible, but praise God I do have good insurance. Thank you for your prayers...blessings on all of you. Love Mary Lou
ReplyDeleteEzekiel was a priest without a temple. Now God was calling him to be a prophet to the exiles. He gave prophecy after prophecy. God's intent: "Then they shall know that I am the LORD."
ReplyDeleteAs I kept seeing this phrase, I thought of Paul and his passionate desire: "...that I may know Him..."
What a contast between the cold, rebellious hearts of the exiles and Paul's.
In chapter 8, we saw the Glory of God appearing to Ezekiel in a vision. In chapters 9-11, we followed the progressive departure of that Glory - God's manifest
Presence - as it leaves the temple. He has left the temple!
Can you imagine what this felt like to Ezekiel. Ezek.11:23 tells us that "the Glory of God...rested on the mountain east of the city." He will return there someday!
And then in 11:16 God promises to restore Israel. "...although I have scattered them among the countries...yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them..." I love that phrase in the NKJ. Then we have in verse 19 the promise of a new heart and a new spirit.
The people in chapter 12 thought Ezekiel's message was "...for a long time off...the far off future." They were wrong. I don't want to miss what He's telling me.
Jealousy, appreciation, self-interest and false hope. The day I'm home with Jesus is when those areas won't be a problem for me anymore. Hopefully, I'm growing in Christ, but there is still the tension of living in the "now but
not yet."
Bev, my prayer for you today was:
"As your days, so shall your strength be." Deut.32:25b God's got your back and we're undergirding you in prayer. You are loved!
Mary Lou, wow! I do hope you are feeling better and know which food to avoid. Praying you will get your strength back.
Cici, we have watched you live out 1 Thessalonians 1:3. We saw "...your work of faith, labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ..." The LORD knew who to choose to be this child's mother.
Hope the rest of you will join in. I enjoy your insights!
FG
I added myself to follow your blog. You are more than welcome to visit mine and become a follower if you want to.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless You ~Ron