Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: 'Because you have all become dross, I will gather you into Jerusalem. – Ezekiel 22:19

Today's Scripture Reading (June 30, 2023): Ezekiel 22

Over the past few decades, Meeting Places, Gathering Spots, and Evacuation Assembly Areas have increased. The idea is that if something happens and an evacuation of a building is necessary, if there is a joint meeting area, then there is at least a chance to verify that no one was left behind. If someone doesn't show up at the Meeting Place, there is a real chance that they are still trapped inside the building. And maybe, depending on what the circumstances are that caused the evacuation in the first place, a rescue can be launched; or after the emergency has finished, a recovery process can be carried out. The information of who might still be trapped inside the building is an essential piece of information for those who are dealing with the disaster.

Babylon was a severe disaster for the nations of the Middle East. The Babylonian rebellion began as a group of people who wanted to shed the authority of the Assyrians over their nations. But after Assyria was destroyed, it became apparent that the nations the Assyrian Empire had defeated were ripe for defeat again. And so, the Babylonians began to bring those nations under its banner.

But Babylon didn't just attack a nation all at once. They had a system. The nations were already weak, made that way by an extended period under the Assyrians. As a result, they wouldn't be able to mount an effective defense against any new enemy. And so the Babylonians became a spreading disease over the land. They would begin in one area, fighting against the smaller towns and cities and gradually spreading their influence throughout the land, just as Assyria had done before them. And as the Babylonian plague spread over the land. People ran from the outer villages to the ones in more central areas. And as the Babylonians encroached more and more on the center of the nation, the people ran further inside, finally congregating at the center, Jerusalem, which would be the last to be attacked.

Once again, the people believed that Jerusalem would survive as had happened during the attack of the Assyrians more than a century earlier. God would protect the city and the Temple. In Jerusalem, the people would be safe.

But the truth was that it was not Babylon gathering the people in Jerusalem. It was God. The people had become dross, the slag that results from the purification of metals. Judah and Israel had become waste, and they needed to be purified. And so, God gathered the people in Jerusalem to begin the purification process.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 23

The sword is appointed to be polished, to be grasped with the hand; it is sharpened and polished, made ready for the hand of the slayer. – Ezekiel 21:11

Today's Scripture Reading (June 29, 2023): Ezekiel 21

When I was young, I played a lot of hide-and-seek games. Hide and seek, hide and seek in the dark (a personal favorite best played outside in those moments between the final setting of the sun and the complete darkness of night), or games like “Sardines,” where one player hides, and the others seek. And when you find the person, you must join them in hiding in the same place.   Another version was the classic hide-and-seek game, except that instead of being caught by the one that was it and sent to jail, when you were caught, you became part of the finders. As the game progresses, more and more are “it,” and fewer and fewer are hiding.

This last version is precisely what the church is supposed to look like. We are it, and when the church is at its best, we find lost people and love them into the Kingdom of God, and they become the seekers. It is an extension of the purpose that God had placed on Israel when he said to Abraham, “and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Israel had made a series of wrong choices. Their opinion of themselves had faltered, and they struggled with life just like we do. And the heart of God broke. At that moment, God knew that something had to be done. If he could have taken all of the pain of Israel on himself and released them from it, he would have, and one day that was precisely what he would do, but that time had not yet come.

And so, God picked up the polished and sharp sword and flashed it against his own people. Just like a father disciplining a child, Israel had strayed from her purpose for too long. There had to be a significant change, which would require drastic methods on the part of God.

I believe God weeps over his church, which seems to want to stray away from her purpose too. Sometimes, I admit that I don’t think we understand God. God created you; he created you unique and significant. The world wouldn’t be right without you. You are beautiful and special. But we have lost that knowledge of ourselves. We have started to see ourselves differently, and in a way we didn’t like. We have also started to believe what is false, lies about our own selves and our uniqueness and beauty, and lies about the world God created. And God sent prophets and priests, and even Kings into our presence to show us who we were created to be. 

Finally, he sent Jesus. A small group of disciples began to carry this message to a world that needed it. And each time these disciples found someone, the found became “it” in this game of spiritual hide and seek. At that moment, they reached out to us, revealing God to us, and in response, we became searchers for those who were still lost, the ones who still didn’t see the absolute beauty that God had created in them.

Originally Israel was it, but they became ingrown and left God to follow what was false. And finally, God had to hold the sword over them and cut them off. All in the hope that one day, a remnant would return to Canaan and follow God again, blessing the world in the process.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 22

Will you judge them? Will you judge them, son of man? Then confront them with the detestable practices of their ancestors. – Ezekiel 20:4

Today's Scripture Reading (June 28, 2023): Ezekiel 20

Justice is not impartial. Who you are matters when it comes to what you are being tried for and the eventual punishment you will receive. It matters how much money you have, even if it is just that the wealthy can afford the best representation in court. Justice is not impartial. It isn't supposed to be that way, we understand that justice is supposed to be objective, but we know it isn't. And, maybe, it can't be; perhaps we can't dispense justice equally.

There is a former president that understands that. He famously argued that he could kill someone on Wall Street and would receive no punishment. As a result, this ex-president has lived his life as if the law didn't apply to him. Of course, he also claims to be a victim of unfair prosecutions. And what you believe is probably related to your opinion of his character. But either way, whether you think he is getting away with things or paying a higher price than others, the result is that justice isn't impartial.

The elders of the Israelite people in exile come once more to Ezekiel to inquire of God. But God does not want the inquiry. The reason for the exile is already out there if the leaders were willing to listen. God had put up with the rebellion of Israel for generations, and now he had reached his limit. The Babylonian exile happened because of the disobedience of the people. And if the exiles wanted to repossess the Promised Land, then they had to confront the sins of the past, as well as the sins of the present and future. The exiles had to break from the behavior of their ancestors.

And so, God asks Ezekiel, "Are you ready to bring my judgment on my people? Are you willing to stand up and tell the elders how they and their ancestors have failed to live up to the standard I have raised for them? Are you willing to challenge them so that they have the opportunity to make a change? Or will you let their behavior slide, believing they have already suffered much just by being taken into exile?

It is a good question for Ezekiel and us. Justice isn't objective in the church, just as it isn't objective in society. And often, the modern-day prophets seem unwilling to confront the people of their sin. We hope that a God of mercy will let the behavior slide, often because we fear they will pull their support from us. But maybe, just like Ezekiel, we need to fear more from God than from the people who have gathered around us; we need to give those around us at least a chance to change their direction and truthfully follow the path that God has placed before us.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 21

What a lioness was your mother among the lions! She lay down among them and reared her cubs. – Ezekiel 19:2

Today's Scripture Reading (June 27, 2023): Ezekiel 19

William Shakespeare, in his play "MacBeth" writes;

What man dare, I dare:
Approach thou like the rugged Russian bear,
The armed rhinoceros, or the Hyrcan tiger;
Take any shape but that, and my firm nerves
Shall never tremble: or be alive again.

"Macbeth" was first performed in front of an audience in 1606. In this scene, the titular character is being plagued by the ghost of Banquo, a fellow general in the King's army who Macbeth, at first, is allied with, but then the plot turns, and Macbeth has Banquo murdered. After Banquo's death, the ghost of the late general begins to haunt Macbeth. And Macbeth's comments here assert that he could easily handle a rugged Russian bear, an armed rhinoceros, or even a Hyrcan or Caspian tiger. But the ghost of Banquo is more than Macbeth can take.

What is significant about this quote is that it is the first Western reference to the "Russian Bear." The symbolism of the Great Bear of Russia was already established before Shakespeare wrote his play. However, "Macbeth" proves how important the bear had become in culture as a description of Russia, just as the Eagle has come to represent the United States today.

And in Ezekiel's day, the "Lion of Judah" was already a well-known image that described Judah and, even more specifically, Jerusalem. Jerusalem, the city of David, is often described as lying down among the lions of the nation or the Kings of Judah. It is a powerful image, yet the lions were eventually defeated and tamed in this passage.

The image of a lion connected with the Kings of Judah dates back to Jacob's prophecy over his son Judah.

You are a lion's cub, Judah;
    you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
    like a lioness—who dares to rouse him (Genesis 49:9)

God picks up the image with Ezekiel here. But while Jacob's words in Genesis 49 are intended as praise of his son, Judah, here they are part of a lament.

At the time of Ezekiel, lions would have been a common sight in Judah. And these Judean lions wouldn't disappear from Judah until after the time of the Crusades.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 20

Personal Note: Happy 64^th Anniversary to my Mom and Dad.

What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: 'The parents eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge'? – Ezekiel 18:2

Today's Scripture Reading (June 26, 2023): Ezekiel 18

I come from a fantastic family. I have never had to put up with negative ancestors hanging out on the branches of my family tree, causing me trouble. And the more I learn about my ancestors, I admit that I continue to be impressed and think they are (and were) remarkable, but then again, maybe I am a bit biased. But I am proud to be the son of Duane and Shirley, and I never had to deal with people who wanted to blame me for what my parents did. The same goes for my grandparents, Deverne and Fannie, and Murray and Aura. In fact, it was quite the reverse. I remember trying to date a girl in my mid-teens. I had long hair and often wore jeans and a vest, and I probably didn't look like anything that any mother would want spending time with their daughter, which was precisely what happened with my efforts to get to know this girl. Mom didn't like me and didn't want me to spend time with her daughter. That was until she found out that Deverne Mullen was my grandfather. Grandpa was a popular Christian singer, at least in some circles, at the time, and suddenly I went from being persona non grata to being a valued guest, one she wanted to make sure she introduced to all her friends. And I know that the change had nothing to do with me and everything to do with who my grandfather was.

Sometimes, I worry that I have not had as favorable a social effect on my children and grandchildren as my parents and grandparents had on me. I have many people who don't like me or strongly disagree with some of the things I have said or done. I also have to admit that I worry about the debt that we are leaving for our kids. It is our negative legacy that they will have to deal with after we are gone, and it is a legacy that makes me very uncomfortable.

But in Ezekiel's day, there was a belief that this positive and negative legacy also extended to spiritual things. The assumption was that children of adults had to pay for their parent's sins as well as their own. It is an interesting concept, and one that biblical experts try to write off by saying that while this was a famous proverb, being popular didn't mean that it was true.

I am not so sure that they are right. I have already mentioned the sin of our debt that I  believe we are leaving for our children, but our kids also learn tendencies from us. I have chastised parents, angry because their kids begin smoking, that if that worries them, then mom and dad need to stop smoking. The adage "do as I say and not as I do" rarely works. But there are a lot of other traits that our kids pick up from our habits, which include the sins with which we struggle.

I am not sure that God is trying to debunk this proverb as being obviously false, but rather that he wants to help us understand that it doesn't have to be that way. Yes, we pick up our parents' bad habits, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can also choose to chart a different course, one that follows God. We don't have to repeat the mistakes of our parents; every one of us can take the good from Mom and Dad and reject whatever it might be that is bad.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 19

… so that the kingdom would be brought low, unable to rise again, surviving only by keeping his treaty. – Ezekiel 17:14

Today's Scripture Reading (June 25, 2023): Ezekiel 17

Chris Christie, as he announced his candidacy for the Republican Presidential nomination for the 2024 election, began the announcement of his White House run by arguing that the United States had gotten smaller. According to Christie, this smallness started during the reign of President Barak Obama and continued during the administrations of Donald Trump and Joseph Biden. We no longer meet with people with whom we disagree; the current trend is that we only have the time to meet with people with whom we agree, and because of that, we ensure that we never meet anyone who might challenge us. Our world is getting smaller and smaller, and we are letting it happen.

It is something about which I have been teaching over the past few years. We don't want diversity; we want unity. In fact, it isn't even unity that we are pursuing; it is unison. We want everyone to act the same way and believe the same things. We exile all those who think differently than we do because we have no room for them on our self-built islands. As a result, we are never challenged by a truth we don't already believe. And our world gets smaller.

And I'm not too fond of the movement. I want a diverse group of people gathered around me. I might not like it, but I must be challenged with new ideas. And I need to learn to love people who are different from me. We don't need the small; we need our world to get bigger.

God talks about eagles and trees, but his point was that the people needed to understand that what Nebuchadnezzar was doing was to make Israel small. He took some people away and planted them in a foreign land. Others, scared, left the land where they had been born to go and hide in other nations, and Israel got smaller. A Nebuchadnezzar placed a member of the Royal family on the throne and forced him into a treaty with Babylon, and that king lost the ability to choose the path for the nation. And Israel got smaller. And the result of all of this was that the kingdom would be laid low and unable to rise again. It had become too small.

To my friends who walk with me, we can't let this happen to us. We need to get bigger. We need to heal the splits and continue to challenge each other on this shared journey we are walking. We need to learn to disagree with love and follow Jesus with all the boldness of a people who have been called to follow him and reflect his nature to a world that needs him. I know we have differences, but as long as we are following the one who died in our stead, we are on the right path. And the only way we can get home is by banding together and refusing to get smaller.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 18

Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her detestable practices. – Ezekiel 16:2

Today's Scripture Reading (June 24, 2023): Ezekiel 16

I am a Canadian. I may write a bit about American politics, but I am just an observer of the events in the area controlled by our Southern neighbors. Often the events in the United States affect us as Canadians more than the political events in our own country. Maybe our fifteenth Prime Minister, and the father of our current Prime Minister, sums up this relationship best. Pierre Elliott Trudeau argued that "Living next to you is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly and even-tempered is the beast, if I can call it that, one is affected by every twitch and grunt." If you are a mouse sleeping next to an elephant, every sniffle of the elephant is newsworthy to the mouse.

So, Canadians pay close attention to the beast living in the south. We are interested in elections in the United States and always ask how this political movement will affect our situation back home in Canada. And, of course, we have many Americans who live here in Canada. My earliest ancestors landed in New Amsterdam, on what is now the southern tip of Manhattan Island, in the 1650s. My family has been living in Canada since the late 1700s. But even my roots extend back to the place where now the United States stands, although the United States was just a fledgling nation when my ancestors left for the Canadian frontier.

It always amazes me that God tells Ezekiel to confront Jerusalem when Ezekiel wasn't even in Jerusalem but was instead in Babylon. But the reason for the instruction is that God doesn't use Jerusalem as a term for a city; Jerusalem, in this case, stands for Israel, wherever you might find her. Confront Jerusalem, the city, but confront those living in the countryside as well. Confront Jerusalem living on the coast and in the other cities of Canaan. And confront Jerusalem living in exile in Babylon. Wherever you find her, confront her because her detestable practices have caused the nation's failure. Anywhere Jerusalem can be found, she lives in the depths of her wickedness.

But there is also a level of truth that argues that the failure of Jerusalem meant destruction even for the nations that surrounded her. While Israel wasn't even close to the prestige the country had held in the days of David, the nation's failure would also bring disaster to the other nations. The nation's loss would change the area forever because Jerusalem had done detestable things.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 17

I will make the land desolate because they have been unfaithful, declares the Sovereign LORD. – Ezekiel 15:8

Today's Scripture Reading (June 23, 2023): Ezekiel 15

As Christians, we sometimes seem to have a hard time accepting climate change or that climate change is at least partially our fault. As I have said at other times on this blog, we often treat God's creation as if it is given to us for our use, with little consideration for how our treatment of the environment might damage it. Of course, we also believe that Jesus will come again and take us to be with him before things get too bad. I have wondered if some of the chaotic events that we think will take place in the last days might directly result from climate change.

On the other side of the environmental coin is the idea that the human race's first job was as an environmentalist. "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it" (Genesis 2:15). Maybe the first command of God to his new creation, even before the immortal words to go and "be fruitful and increase in number" (Genesis 1:28), was an instruction to care for the earth. I believe it is a job we should be sure we take seriously.

During the days of Moses, Israel inspected the Promised Land. The spies sent in to examine the land revealed that this tract of property was a land filled with milk and honey. It was a fertile land of which everyone wanted a portion, but God had promised it to Jacob's descendants.

Often, the penalty of God on a people and land was to make it desolate; to take a fertile plain and make it suitable for nothing but growing weeds and dust. And that is what Ezekiel says God has decided to do to the Promised Land. He would take this land flowing with milk and honey and turn it into a desolate desert. The Sabbath rests that Israel was supposed to have given to the land had been ignored; a regulation that would have helped keep the land healthy would now be observed. Now the land would rest from the mistreatment of Israel, the very people who understood best that God had called them to the task of caring for the land.

We live in an interesting time. And once again, our mismanagement of the land has begun to change the landscape of our world. If we keep going in our current direction, coasts will no longer be safe for human inhabitation. We will see deserts arise in areas that had once been fertile, and floods destroy the wandering desert. And maybe we should recognize that all of this might be a direct result of our sin, whether that sin includes the mismanagement of God's gift of land to us or not.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 16

Then the word of the LORD came to me: - Ezekiel 14:2

Today's Scripture Reading (June 22, 2023): Ezekiel 14

Evangelism has become a formula rather than the result of a relationship. And I get it; relationships can be challenging, and following a formula is much easier. I have an old book in my library entitled "Scriptures for Soul-Winning." More than one person has come into my office, found the book, and laughed that such a book exists. Maybe that laughter is because it reflects a former way of looking at things. The Bible was once a much-respected book to everyone, whether you were a Christian or not. But those days are gone. The Bible is an unknown book to most of our neighbors, and they have no reason to trust it. So, quoting from it to "save the souls of those around us" doesn't work like it once did. If you are listening to some portions of the contemporary church, the Bible is filled with homophobic passages and commands that abortion is wrong. But the truth is that those are minor topics, at least as measured by the number of verses opposing those activities in the Bible.

The Bible is a story of God's interaction with the human race. There are beautiful stories within its pages. And there are things that I admit I still don't understand. It is a complex book. I have read through its pages several times, yet I still find something I didn't know or understand. And after years of reading and teaching from its pages, it still holds surprises for me.

And sometimes, its revelations are timely. I have never been sold on a formula version of Christianity that includes specific steps that carry you to salvation because I am not convinced that our paths are all the same. God reveals himself in different and deeply personal ways.

The leaders of the Jewish community in exile once more came to Ezekiel. And it seems that God doesn't instruct Ezekiel until the moment that the leaders arrive. The word to Ezekiel is fresh. When Ezekiel begins to speak to these leaders, he has new insight into what is going on in their lives.

Sometimes I wish God would give me more insight as I meet with people. I recently met with a church leader (not from my church) who was upset at the goings on in his church. And as we talked, I asked about what he had done to try to fix the situation. This leader replied that he was waiting for the church to make the first move. My response to this news was that I was skeptical about the success of such a plan. We tend to respond as we always have. If there were going to be a change in the church, he would have to try to model that change in front of the church leaders.

Ezekiel is about to learn that the leaders have set up idol worship in their lives. Ezekiel could accept that as part of living in a foreign land, or he could set the example and let them know that God was not pleased with their behavior. Idol worship was part of the problem back in Canaan, and if they ever wanted to go home, it could not be a problem in Babylon. They had to be willing to listen whenever the word of the Lord came to them through Ezekiel.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 15

Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins. – Ezekiel 13:4

Today's Scripture Reading (June 21, 2023): Ezekiel 13

Tipu Sultan (1751-1759) was the sovereign or Sultan over the Kingdom of Mysore, a kingdom that existed within the borders of modern-day India and a continuous opponent of British Rule on the Indian Continent. During his reign, the Sultan argued, "It is far better to live like a lion for a day than to live like a jackal for a hundred years." It is a descriptive comment for the man often referred to as the "Tiger of Mysore," although maybe in the light of his words, the "Lion of Mysore" might have been more appropriate.

The Sultan's phrase expresses the difference between how a lion and a jackel choose to live in the animal kingdom. A lion chooses to rule over his territory in the open. A jackal would rather hide among the ruins, burrowing into the ground to hide and often further damaging the foundations of the building that once stood there.

There is no doubt that Tipu Sultan lived as a Lion and not a Jackal. The life of the "Tiger of Mysore" ended in the capital city of Mysore, Srirangapatna, during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War. Tupu Sultan was trying to defend the city. It was in the capital that Tipu Sultan was betrayed by some of his own people, who weakened the walls of the city, allowing the soldiers of the British East India Company to enter the city. The Sultan's French advisers told the Sultan to use the secret passageways to escape the city and continue the war from another city. But maybe Tipu Sultan saw escaping the city through underground tunnels as living like a Jackal and not a Lion. The "Tiger of Mysore" refused to leave the city and died defending Srirangapatna in the open instead of escaping through the ruins.

Ezekiel prophesies that the prophets of Israel are like jackals among the ruins. Of course, Jerusalem had not physically been left in ruins yet, although that moment was coming. But the prophets of Israel were already running among the ruins of the faith. By prophesying what was in their imaginations rather than what had come from the mouth of God, they were also destroying the foundation of the Jewish faith. The reality in Jerusalem was that as long as the false prophets had the people's attention, the city was spiritually and physically doomed. And by this time, the hearts of the people were hardened because they had been ignoring the words of true prophets of God, men like Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and had placed their trust in men who were nothing more than jackals hiding among the ruins of the Jewish faith.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 14

Say to them, 'I am a sign to you.' "As I have done, so it will be done to them. They will go into exile as captives. – Ezekiel 12:11

Today's Scripture Reading (June 20, 2023): Ezekiel 12

"Misery loves company." Well, at least according to Christopher Marlow. In his play "The Tragic History of Doctor Faustus," Marlow places the phrase on the lips of the demon Mephastophilis, an agent for Satan in the deal that dealt the soul of the historical Johann Georg Faust to the Devil as his possession. Marlow's phrase was written in Latin and translated to "it is a comfort to the unfortunate to have had companions in woe," or more simply, "Misery loves company." It seems likely that the use of the phrase even precedes Marlow, but Marlow's example is the most well-known of the early uses.

But it is also true. Maybe it is just that we know that those in misery can empathize with how we feel. Or perhaps it is that we are not the only ones missing out on something because of our tragic circumstances; others are also missing out. But there is something comforting in being among those suffering as we suffer.

This had to be one of the most striking scenes recorded in the Bible. I must admit that even as I read the passage, I had to carefully review everything I knew about Ezekiel, verifying each point. Is it possible that this passage has mysteriously taken us back in time to a period before the exile? But the answer is no. Ezekiel, as he goes through this charade, is definitely in Babylon. So, here the prophet acts as if he is going to be taken into exile when, in reality, he is already in exile, and he is going through this drama in front of people who are also already in exile—confused yet?

The reality is that those taken in the first rounds of exile may have believed the teaching going around that those in exile were being punished for their sin, and the remnant that God was going to restore was actually back home in Jerusalem. Somehow, they had missed the mark, and God's punishment was resting hard on them

Ezekiel needed them to understand that that was not true. Yes, they had been brought into the Babylonian captivity. But they were the first and not the only. More misery was on its way to Babylon. More Israelites were coming, they would join them by the Kebar River, and there they would weep the tears witnessed by the Psalmist. "By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion" (Psalm 137:1).

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 13

"Son of man, the people of Jerusalem have said of your fellow exiles and all the other Israelites, 'They are far away from the LORD; this land was given to us as our possession.' – Ezekiel 11:15

Today's Scripture Reading (June 19, 2023): Ezekiel 11

An old adage argues that "possession is nine-tenths of the law." It is a variation on a Scottish Proverb that claims that "Possession is eleven points in the law, and they say there are but twelve." It is an oversimplification of the legal principle. The argument stresses that outside of solid evidence to the contrary, if you are in possession of something, then it is yours. Maybe an example of this is that the shirt that I am wearing as I write these words is mine unless you have definitive evidence that it is yours. But if I steal your car, then the fact that I am in possession of the vehicle doesn't matter because you have the bill of sale and the registration record for that vehicle. And unless I can come up with a bill of sale or evidence of a transaction for the car, then the vehicle is yours.

As the exile begins in Israel, some seem to believe those who have been exiled are the ones in the wrong. God has removed those taken captive to Babylon because of their sin. Now that they have been removed, God will knit together those remaining in Israel, protecting them and making them into the Kingdom of God. The rotten apples have been removed from the barrel so their evil cannot be shared with the other apples. The people left behind in Israel are convinced that the removal of Ezekiel and his contemporaries is for the protection of Israel. God's judgment is on Ezekiel and the rest who are now forced to live in Babylon. And those left behind are in possession of the Promised Land.

Ezekiel's message is the reverse. To the exiles with him in Babylon, Ezekiel stresses that the prisoners in Babylon are the ones God has saved. They have been removed so that they can become the righteous remnant. And in a generation, God will lead a group of them back into Canaan. The promised remnant that God will lead into the future are not those in possession of Israel; they are those who have been taken into Babylon.

Those left behind might have considered themselves lucky, but they aren't. They are the condemned; they just don't realize it yet. Their only hope is to be selected for exile before the nation is destroyed. Because the truth is that there is a generation coming when no one will be in possession of Israel except for the animals of the field and the birds of the air.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 12

Their faces had the same appearance as those I had seen by the Kebar River. Each one went straight ahead. – Ezekiel 10:22

Today's Scripture Reading (June 18, 2023): Ezekiel 10

What are you trying to achieve? Do you know what the goal is that you are trying to achieve, or are you just trying to get to the end of the day and then the end of the week so that you can relax and play before the new week begins? I am not sure there is a right answer to that question, and I am not convinced your answer is stable over time. I think we all go through times in our lives when getting to the end of the day or the weekend is about all we can do. The stress of living exceeds our capacity, and for a while, getting through is about all we can do. And at other times, we can set goals and try to achieve goals that are energetic and worthwhile to chase. Maybe these things, and everything in between, are just a part of life.

At one point in my career, I worked for a very driven individual. He always seemed to be working hard on the next project. And I remember sitting with him in a circle of individuals having an earnest conversation, and my boss was on the other side of the circle, diligently typing the thoughts and feelings being expressed by the people in the meeting. In one of the more serious, quiet moments, the person sitting beside the boss leaned over, pointed at the screen, and commented, "You get double the points if you can get that one." The result was hilarious, starting with the stunned look on my boss's face. There is no evidence that he had ever played a video game or had any idea what had been said. But the rest of us understood the joke, and the fact that my boss didn't only made the joke funnier.

Sometimes I like nothing more than to kick back and play a game. It helps me unwind. But there are also times when I need to chase goals. And we need to know the difference. And when we are pursuing our goals, it is always best to drive straight toward them. To reach our goals, we must avoid the pitfalls and delays of a circular route.

That seems to be precisely what Ezekiel is speaking of here. As he speaks of the Cherubim going straight ahead, he is saying that these angels knew their goal and were driving straight toward that goal. They would not be deterred or encouraged to divert to the right or left. The Cherubim understood the will of God and were willing to chase after that will to the exclusion of all other things.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 11

… and said to him, "Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it." – Ezekiel 9:4

Today's Scripture Reading (June 17, 2023): Ezekiel 9

As a society, Christians seem fascinated with the idea of the end times. And part of that belief is the concept of the Mark of the Beast, a mark that will be placed on those who oppose God in the last days and, of course, the number of this Beast – 666. I have good friends that have refused license plates or other random numbers placed on items that contained three sixes in a row. I have never been bothered by the number itself, believing there is something deeper at work here than just the revelation of a specific number. I will admit that I notice when the number appears at random moments in my life. Of course, for students of the Bible, there is some argument over whether we have the number right. There is some indication that 666 might be a misprint, and the actual number of the Beast is 616, but again, I think what is important here is more than just a number.

There is a quality that marks those who oppose God that is found in how we live our lives that is much more important than just a mark placed on our hand or forehead. It always amazes me when I meet someone who would refuse a license plate with 666 on it and yet who is lax in keeping the expectations of God. I suspect that the Mark of the Beast might already be on them, and all that is left is to wait for the day to come when the mark on their foreheads becomes the condemnation of their lifestyles.

In Ezekiel's vision, the prophet sees six men. And one, who is evidently the group's leader, is told to go out and mark the people on the forehead who grieve and lament over the people's sinful behavior. We must note that the truly righteous will always mourn and weep over any opposition to the will of God. We are not to be the followers of God willing to let evil go without noticing or fighting back against sin. For those who are weeping over sin, the man in linen places a mark on their foreheads, and they will be saved.

There is a belief that the mark this man placed on the righteous of Israel was a Tau and that the man in linen was none other than the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. A tau was written in the form of a T or a cross. And some see a deep significance here of the cross being placed on the people of Jerusalem who were to be saved. Others remain unconvinced, arguing that the cross we know now would have had no significance to Ezekiel or the people of his day. But understanding doesn't seem to be a necessary element of prophecy. A case in point might be Isaiah's prophecy that "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). Isaiah was not speaking of the birth of the Messiah during the days of Herod, but rather the short time that Israel had before judgment. And yet, we still take Isaiah's words as a prophecy of Jesus.

I am not sure that it matters that Ezekiel would not have recognized the significance of the cross being placed on the foreheads of the righteous. All that mattered was that the Tau, or the cross, was a symbol of life to the people living in Jerusalem during Ezekiel's day and to those of us who see the cross as a symbol of everything that Jesus has done to save us from our sins. And today, the cross continues to symbolize life to all who believe.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 10

In the sixth year, in the sixth month on the fifth day, while I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting before me, the hand of the Sovereign LORD came on me there. – Ezekiel 8:1

Today's Scripture Reading (June 16, 2023): Ezekiel 8

At some point, I should make a list of surprising things in the Bible, the things that we might miss because we are not part of the culture in which the Bible was written. One significant surprise event is found in the story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector. Zacchaeus was an example of a person without position or status in his society. Someone without status could never get an audience with someone like this Rabbi from Galilee. No one would associate with someone like Zacchaeus except other people in the society who were without status. They were the despised, and often the unseen. So, when Zacchaeus hears that Jesus is passing through his area, he makes the decision to go and see him. Seeing Jesus was about all that anyone like Zacchaeus could hope to do.

So, according to the biblical tale, Zacchaeus climbs into a tree to get a glimpse of the popular rabbi. Later, when he would come together with other tax collectors or "sinners," he would have a story to tell about seeing Jesus and his disciples as they passed through town.

At least, that was what Zacchaeus expected. We all know the unexpected end of the story. Jesus pauses in front of Zacchaeus, calls him by name, and says he plans to spend some time with him in his home. It was something that literally couldn't happen. It would be like some celebrity in a parade pausing, pointing at you, calling you by name, and then saying that he wanted to come to your house. It was even more of a surprise because Zacchaeus was a tax collector and not even an average citizen. It was an ending of which Zacchaeus couldn't have even dreamed.

This section starts a new vision. The vision in Ezekiel 1 says that "it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin" (Ezekiel 1:2b). Here it is "In the sixth year, in the sixth month" (Ezekiel 8:1), which makes it about a year and a half after the vision that begins in Ezekiel 1. This gives us a possible date for the vision of September 17, 592 B.C.E. But we also learn something else as this vision starts. The first thing is that Ezekiel has his own house in which he lives. He may have been in Babylon, but he had a level of autonomy. Even more surprising is that the elders of Judah, who would have been seen as the leaders of the Jews in exile, came to Ezekiel in his house for an audience. This shouldn't be seen as an unusual occurrence, as was true for Zacchaeus, but rather a comment on the importance of Ezekiel to the people in exile. He was significant enough that even the national leaders came to him instead of sending for Ezekiel to go to them.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 9

The end is now upon you, and I will unleash my anger against you. I will judge you according to your conduct and repay you for all your detestable practices. – Ezekiel 7:3

Today's Scripture Reading (June 15, 2023): Ezekiel 7

A couple of weeks ago, during the debt ceiling drama in the United States, I talked with someone who was an expert in financial management and the various financial markets. He is an elite financial expert, whose clients are among some of the wealthiest people in the area. But I came to him with a question. With the debt of the Western nations numbering in the trillions of dollars, the United States' debt is a fantastic thirty-two trillion dollars; how much is too much? As a spectator to the American debt conversation, it is incredible that the interest on the debt is now over 300 billion dollars a year. With budget cuts cutting into some of the very things we need, what would an extra 300 billion dollars do to the national budget considerations?

My friend laughed off my concerns. He didn't believe that most Western nations were close to their limit. I reminded him of the struggles that both Italy and Greece have recently had with their own debt crises in the past decade. And he agreed, acknowledging that the end was coming and our national debts should be taken seriously, but the final financial crisis was not in view yet. Basically, some of the economic pain of the last few years was a bump in the road, and we still have time to get things done.

Ezekiel looks at the current events of his day and the exile of a Judean king and many of the more important people of the nation, and he has a message. This isn't a bump on the road. The current national events were not something from which Judah would recover. This is the end. Events in Judah might be distressing, but they will only get worse, and better days are a long way off.

As Ezekiel speaks these words, he is in Babylon, communicating with the exiles there. Jerusalem still stands, and Judah has not fallen. But Ezekiel's message is that hope is lost if your hope depends on a healthy Jerusalem and an independent Israel. Both were coming to an end, and that end was prophetically in sight. No one would have to wait long for the nation's demise.

Rev. Dr. G. Campbell Morgan (1863-1945) reminds his readers that "The End" is a complete thought. "The end is here" is the main thought, and nothing more really needs to be said. The end is now upon you is an exclamation, there was no more need for patience or waiting. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 8

But I will spare some, for some of you will escape the sword when you are scattered among the lands and nations. – Ezekiel 6:8

Today's Scripture Reading (June 14, 2023): Ezekiel 6

A friend tells a story about the day he got delayed on the way to a meeting. It wasn't like he had time to spare; he was already late for the meeting when a problem that had to be immediately handled came up at home. Frustrated, he put his briefcase on the counter and went to address the issue. It wasn't that the task would take him a long time to fix; five minutes later, he was already out the door, briefcase in hand, and heading for his meeting. But the problem was that the whole morning had seemed to feature one delay after another. The latest delay was just making him even later for the meeting.

He got into his car and headed for the meeting. The drive would take him almost an hour, so maybe he could still make up some time. And so, he started the journey. He had been driving for about twenty minutes when he came upon a severe traffic accident. An SUV had blown through a stop sign, T-boning a car in the intersection. The scene was fresh; the accident probably occurred in the last five minutes. Emergency vehicles could be heard in the distance, but none had arrived on the scene yet. My friend got out of his car, along with a few other onlookers, wondering if there was something that he could do to help. The meeting was no longer at the top of his agenda, life had intruded, and his priorities had changed. And as he watched and helped some of those involved in the crash out of their cars, he thought back to that last-second task that had delayed him. Five minutes. He could have been involved in the accident if he had not been forced to wait. What he had seen as a terrible delay had become a blessing. A five-minute emergency task had saved him.

Ezekiel wrote his prophecies in exile in Babylon. Taken into captivity in the first exile, Ezekiel was ministering to a series of people who had been uprooted from their homes and forced to live in a foreign land, away from everything they had known. It was probably the worst moment that they could imagine. And if Jeremiah was right, they were never coming back. The hoped-for return to Judah would belong to their children and grandchildren, not to them. Life as they knew it had changed forever, and the change was not a positive one.

But Ezekiel reminds his listeners that they might have been the lucky ones. The very people who had gone into exile with Ezekiel were some of the ones who would live. More exiles would come, but these exiles were not the unlucky prisoners who had lost everything; they were the lucky survivors of the disaster that was on its way. If not for the captivity, they would have died in the war with Babylon or from the disease and famine that would follow the Babylonian attack. They needed to count their blessings because what they saw as a horrible situation was actually going to be their salvation.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 7