Please read Jeremiah 32 and 33; and then Ezekiel 26:1-14. 

I love Jeremiah 32:17-19 (but you might love it in the NKJV – read it there too if you have a minute!):

“I prayed to God, ‘Dear God, my Master, you created earth and sky by your great power—by merely stretching out your arm! There is nothing you can’t do. You’re loyal in your steadfast love to thousands upon thousands—but you also make children live with the fallout from their parents’ sins. Great and powerful God, named God-of-the-Angel-Armies, determined in purpose and relentless in following through, you see everything that men and women do and respond appropriately to the way they live, to the things they do” (Jeremiah 32:17-19 MSG)

God responds appropriately to the way we live, remember that.

“Yes, this is God’s Message: ‘I will certainly bring this huge catastrophe on this people, but I will also usher in a wonderful life of prosperity. I promise” (Jeremiah 32:42 MSG)

Just as the Lord sent calamity, He will send good! What a comfort!

“This is God’s Message, the God who made earth, made it livable and lasting, known everywhere as God: ‘Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own” (Jeremiah 33:3 MSG)

The Lord will show us things we don’t know. We have to trust the Lord in the gap between unknowing and knowing. There must be trust between our seeking of Him and His revealing to us.

Today we are reading Ezekiel 24:15-27, Ezekiel 25, Jeremiah 34, Jeremiah 21, Ezekiel 29:1-16, Ezekiel 30:20-26, and Ezekiel 31. Got a highlight?  Here’s mine:

When this happens you’ll recognize that I am God Ezekiel 24:24 MSG

“they’ll recognize that I am God” (Ezekiel 24:27)

“Then you’ll realize that I am God” (Ezekiel 25:5)

“And you’ll realize that I am God” (Ezekiel 25:7)

“And they’ll realize that I am God” (Ezekiel 25:11)

(and that’s just a few of those statements) Over and over, God tells His people why: ALL of this was done so people would recognize and know the Lord. They didn’t respond to His love or His kindness or His protection or His correction BUT STILL God desires the people to know Him.

He could have said “Well, you don’t want Me, so I’ll leave you alone. Y’all won’t listen to Me, so you won’t hear from Me again” and it actually would have been OVER. (When God gets done, it will be DONE). The point is to know God – He knows how desperately we need Him, even when we don’t know it ourselves.

If God is taking ANY action AT ALL, the point is always to make Himself known to us and restore us back to Him.

We’re in Ezekiel and a few other places today.  Here we go; and Ezekiel 22:17-31, Ezekiel 23, 2 Kings 24:20, 2 Kings 25:1-2, Jeremiah 52:3-5, Jeremiah 39:1, Ezekiel 24:1-14.  What stands out to you in the Word today?  I’d love to hear from you – here’s what I am thinking about:

“I looked for someone to stand up for me against all this, to repair the defenses of the city, to take a stand for me and stand in the gap to protect this land so I wouldn’t have to destroy it. I couldn’t find anyone. Not one. So I’ll…. serve them with the consequences of all they’ve done. Decree of GOD, the Master” (Ezekiel 22:30, 31 MSG)

Before we call God unjust or unkind, we have to realize that these are consequences of actions initiated by man, not reactions initiated by God.

Please read Ezekiel 20, 21, and 22:1-16. Does anyone else get weary of the rebellion?  let’s keep going – what a habit we’ve developed by now.  Here’s what I am thinking about today:

“On the day I chose Israel, I revealed myself to them in the country of Egypt, raising my hand in a solemn oath to the people of Jacob, in which I said, ‘I am God, your personal God.” On the same day that I raised my hand in the solemn oath, I promised them that I would take them out of the country of Egypt and bring them into a country that I had searched out just for them, a country flowing with milk and honey, a jewel of a country.’ At that time I told them, ‘Get rid of all the vile things that you’ve become addicted to. Don’t make yourselves filthy with the Egyptian no-god idols. I alone am God, your God’ But they rebelled against me, wouldn’t listen to a word I said” (Ezekiel 20:5-8 MSG)

God gave them so many chances. Lord, help me answer the first time!

Continuing with Ezekiel – maybe this isn’t as tough as I thought it would be – we’re making progress even through the prophets!  Please read Ezekiel 17, 18, and 19.  Does anything stand out to you today?  Here’s my highlight:

“The upshot is this, Israel: I’ll judge each of you according to the way you live. So turn around! Turn your backs on your rebellious living so that sin won’t drag you down. Clean house. No more rebellions, please. Get a new heart! Get a new spirit! Why would you choose to die, Israel? I take no pleasure in anyone’s death. Decree of GOD, the Master. “Make a clean break! Live!” (Ezekiel 18:30-32 MSG)

The upshot IS that the people would be judged according to their own behavior.  That’s the upshot for us today as well: it means that we choose our consequences, right?  the  promise is that God will judge us fairly – let’s do our best!

There’s always a chance and another chance and a another chance with the Lord. Israel complained that God wasn’t fair, but it wasn’t a matter of fairness; they were being judged for their own actions. People today still complain about fairness…. God is a righteous judge.

Today, we are reading Ezekiel 14, 15, and 16.  Let’s go!  Here’s what I am thinking about today:

Even when Jerusalem forgot her covenant with God, God did remember.

“God, the Master, says, ‘I’ll do to you just as you have already done, you who have treated my oath with contempt and broken the covenant. All the same, I’ll remember the covenant I made with you when you were young and I’ll make a new covenant with you that will last forever. You’ll remember your sorry past and be properly contrite when you receive back your sisters, both the older and the younger. I’ll give them to you as daughters, but not as participants in your covenant. I’ll firmly establish my covenant with you and you’ll know that I am God. You’ll remember your past life and face the shame of it, but when I make atonement for you, make everything right after all you’ve done, it will leave you speechless.’ Decree of God, the Master” (Ezekiel 16:59-63 MSG, emphasis mine)

After these judgments  and prophecies about their blatant sin, God talks about making atonement for them and renewing their covenant. He is a patient – He will do the same for us.

Please read Ezekiel 10, 11, 12, and 13.  Days like this are easy, huh?  Find one place and stay there!  (Of course, the one place we found today was Ezekiel, LOL! Stay with me!)  Let’s chat – leave a comment.  What’s your highlight today?

“I’ll give you a new heart. I’ll put a new spirit in you. I’ll cut out your stone heart and replace it with a red-blooded, firm-muscled heart. Then you’ll obey my statutes and be careful to obey my commands. You’ll be my people! I’ll be your God!” (Ezekiel 11:19-20 MSG)

A phrase kept repeating in the MSG: they’ll “realize that I am God”. God help us realize this before Your judgement comes. It’s so sad that this was the only way to “wake up” some of the people.

All in Ezekiel today.  Let’s read Ezekiel chapters 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.   Let’s visit a little bit:

I know it isn’t an easy day – how about a little exercise for us, as a means of reminding us of what is important?  How about circling or highlighting every time God says something through Ezekiel to the effect of knowing Him or recognizing Him. He has a purpose.  Human anger can easily make us lose focus – God’s anger is never without purpose.

“But I’ll let a few escape” Ezekiel 6:8 MSG

God is leaving a remnant…. what a sad day.

Today, we’ll read Ezekiel 3:16-27, Ezekiel 4, Jeremiah 27, 28, and 51:59-64. Let’s get it done – and you are doing GREAT, by the way!  What an important discipline, daily time in the Word of God!  Let’s visit:

How about Ezekiel’s bearing Jerusalem and Judah’s sins? Such a long time – 390 days plus 390 days plus 40 days….

“Famine conditions. People will look at one another, see nothing but skin and bones, and shake their heads. This is what sin does” (Ezekiel 4:16 MSG)

This is what SIN does – not what GOD does.  Please be conscious of God’s character and righteousness.  He isn’t being “mean” – He is responding to man’s sin and rebellion.

It’s funny that that we mostly remember 29:11 from Jeremiah – wow, there was so much more. Lord, I want to take in all of Your truth and take ALL of Your words into my heart (not just the ones that make me “feel good”). Since everything God says is for our benefit, everything He says ought to bring us a measure of peace.

Getting started in Ezekiel today!  Let’s read Jeremiah 37:11-21, Jeremiah 38, then Ezekiel chapters 1, 2, Ezekiel 3:1-15. Ezekiel isn’t the easiest to take, at least for me – what do you think? 

“Listen please. Listen to God’s voice. I’m telling you this for your own good” (Jeremiah 38:20 MSG)

Even when the words are hard to hear, God never speaks except to bring about the eventual good of those who will obey.

“Each creature went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit went, they went. They didn’t turn as they went” (Ezekiel 1:12 MSG)

I notice: they didn’t turn and they followed the spirit. Good example for us today. Ezekiel begins in such a powerful way, intense. The MSG translation says that Ezekiel was bitter and angry, but he still followed the Lord (note to self: don’t let our personal feelings get in the way of obedience). I also notice Ezekiel is being sent to Israel – God is still not done with His people!