Ezekiel 21-48______
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Day 245-254 - Ezekiel 21-48____________________________________________ Ezekiel lived among the exiles in Babylon. Ezekiel’s message is mostly aimed at the sins they had committed, but like all the prophets, he also provided his people, now without a land of their own, some hope for the future. The latter section of Ezekiel’s prophecy looks forward to the people’s worship after Christ’s return in the end times, when He will rule Israel and the nations from His throne in Jerusalem. Ezekiel’s theme is that God didn’t exile the Israelites primarily to punish them. God never has been interested in punishment for punishment’s sake. He intended the punishment/judgment in Ezekiel’s day as a means to an end—to bring His people to a state of repentance and humility before the one true God. They had lived for so long in sin and rebellion, confident in their own strength that they needed God to remind them of His holy nature and their humble identity in a most dramatic way. After centuries of warnings, prophetic messages, and invasions, God decided that more significant action was required—He had to remove the people from their promised land. Day 245 - Ez. 21-22 - God asks Ezekiel to publicly mourn the sins of the people and even go out with a real sword to show the people what God is doing. There is not even one righteous man to spare and so God promises judgment for all of them. Tara-Leigh says this about God’s judgment: “God’s wrath toward sin is marked out so clearly here. Most of us probably hate some sins but are fond of others or have a love-hate relationship with them—we enjoy them in the moment but feel guilty later. But God doesn’t know this kind of ambivalence toward sin. He hates it, full stop. While sin can affect the intimacy of our relationship with God, it doesn’t affect the status of our relationship with God.” ➢ What does this tell us about the character of God and the gift of salvation? Day 246 - Ez. 23-24 - Ezekiel’s wife died during his ministry, God told Ezekiel not to mourn her in public. This seems like an odd thing for God to ask of Ezekiel, but as always God has a plan. Tara-Leigh says this about God’s odd request of Ezekiel regarding mourning his wife: “The ancient Jews had very detailed, prolonged ways to mourn the dead, but God says to disregard the traditions. This catches the attention of the exiles, which opens up the conversation in which Ezekiel lets them know about the tragedy in Jerusalem. He says to respond in the same way, because ultimately, they don’t have a right to grieve since this is the result of their sins. God, in His great love and provision, gave Judah a prophet who understood her pain. Ezekiel lost his wife right before the people of Judah lost everything. He knew there was a greater purpose in this loss. ” 1 ➢ Have you ever experienced a loss (of a job, opportunity, relationship etc) in which you knew that God was at work and had a greater purpose? Day 249 - Ez. 31-33 - We see in these chapters that God hates sin, but more than that he hates what sin does to the hearts of His people. God is after more than just their obedience, he is after their hearts and He will go to great lengths to draw them towards repentance. His judgment of sin is necessarily but it is not something that He delights in. In Ezekiel 33:11, God says “ I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel? “ Tara-Leigh talks about … “True repentance is a sign of a new heart. And no matter how righteous they’ve been—even though we know they haven’t been righteous, despite what they think—their actions won’t save them. People who think of themselves as good people still sin. God is clear here that their actions aren’t saving them. He isn’t putting good deeds and bad deeds on a scale and weighing them—that idea is nowhere in Scripture.” ➢ What do we learn from these chapters about God’s view of sin and repentance? Day 251 - Ez 37-39 - Ezekiel 37 presents a striking picture of the resurrection and restoration of God’s people. This is the passage where Ezekiel sees a land of dry bones and God commands these bones to come to life. The vision represents God giving new life to the twelve tribes (Judah/Israel) and bringing them back to their land. Ezekiel 39:28 says “Then they shall know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them into exile among the nations and then assembled them into their own land. I will leave none of them remaining among the nations anymore.” ➢ Put yourself in Ezekiel’s shoes. What do you think he was thinking and feeling as the dry bones came to life? Days 252-254 - Ez.. 40-48 - offers a detailed picture of the future reconstructed temple in Jerusalem, complete with the return of God’s glory to His dwelling place. Tara-Leigh says it’s like God is showing up to say “I know you’ve lost everything. I know the First Temple was … destroyed—the one Solomon built about 350 years ago. I know we’re all living here in the land of our enemies, but I want you to remember that I’ve got a detailed plan for restoration. You’re not forgotten, and I’m with you!” These detailed prophecies about the future temple can be interpreted to be both literal or symbolic, but no matter which view you hold, Tara-Leigh points out that “Prophetic texts are hard to find clarity in sometimes—so we don’t … scream where Scripture whispers, and we don’t whisper where Scripture screams.” ➢ What stood out to you in these last chapters of Ezekiel during the Temple Visions? The book of Ezekiel reminds us to seek out the Lord in those dark times when we feel lost or abandoned, to truly examine our own lives, and seek to align ourselves with the one true God. 2 Day 255 - Joel__________________________________________________________ Joel is a small book written by a little known prophet. Joel’s familiarity with this area and the worship in the temple suggests that he lived in Judah, possibly even in the city of Jerusalem itself. Joel’s book gives some of the most striking and specific details in all of Scripture about the day of the Lord—which makes clear the seriousness of God’s judgment on sin. But in contrast this book also offers a beautiful dose of hope. These verses in Chapter 2 hold some of the greatest promises of hope in the Old Testament. Joel 2:12-14 - “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God? Joel 2:25-26 - I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.” Tara-Leigh says this about Joel and his knowledge of God’s word: “In just three chapters, Joel references seven other prophets and the book of Exodus. Joel knows Scripture! While it helps him grasp Israel’s current situation, it also helps him keep perspective for the future. God wants us to read His Word because He wants to be known but also because He cares about how hopeful we are. The more we know God and His Word, the more hopeful we’ll be—not full of hope in our desired outcome, but hope in Him.” ➢ Do you find this to be true for you as you continue to read through scripture? Does it give you a better understanding of God and His character? ➢ Give examples of things you know now after over 200 days in His Word that you didn’t know before? Day 256-259 - Daniel___________________________________________________ On Days 256 & 257 in Daniel 1-6, we get introduced to Daniel who was a Jewish exile from Israel that was sent to Babylon. Babylonian officials felt young Israelites like Daniel and his friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego would be of great use to them. Once Daniel arrived, the leadership in Babylon renamed him Belteshazzar in an effort to more closely identify him with his new home. Daniel’s service to the king gave him privileged access to the highest levels of society. His faithful service to the Lord in a land and culture that were not his own makes him a unique voice in Scripture. The young Daniel found himself in the midst of a strongly pagan culture, where there were ample opportunities to fall into idolatry.