See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. – Isaiah 48:10

Today's Scripture Reading (July 31, 2020): Isaiah 48

A story is told about an old-fashioned church testimony service in which one of the parishioners rose to tell his story of a changed life in Christ. "I was sinking deep in sin, stuck in the miry clay of selfishness. The Devil was getting the better of me as my life just got worse, but when I turned seven, I asked Jesus to come into my life, and the last year has been the best that I have ever lived." The reality of the testimony service is that children listen well to us and mimic the things that we say. But the humor of the situation is that, as an adult, it is hard to imagine just how deep into the miry clay of sin a seven-year-old child could get.

But the voice of a child also points us to a reality that we sometimes miss. Yes, sin is sin, and all sin carries us farther away from God, but what is different in all of us is that sin forms habits, which creates momentum toward more sin. My habits and yours are not the same. And the habits of an adult who decided as a seven-year-old child to turn to Christ make life far more manageable than one who built up forty years of experience and habits before making that decision. The longer we put off getting our lives right, the more patterns we build-up that makes it harder to accomplish that feat. Sin is sin, but our habits complicate our efforts to live better.

And sometimes, the only solution is to tear down what went before totally. This is the message that Isaiah has for the exiles. Isaiah tells them that all that had happened to them had to happen. God was refining them. But the refining process, which is sometimes likened to that of refining silver and gold, really isn't. God is not passing us through a literal fire. And the process for purifying silver is a neutral one. It is just part of the procedure. But with us, we have ownership over all of the impurities that have built up in our lives. It was our actions or inactions that caused the habits which drove us toward sin in the first place.

And it is up to us to take the action needed amid the purification. Israel had a choice. They had been uprooted from everything that they knew in their lives and placed in Babylon. But the refining process depended on what the exiles did next. They could take the opportunity of that had been presented to them by the exile and get things right, or they could simply rebuild what they had built before their expulsion out of Judah. And that choice had to be made by the people. Silver does not have a will. It would be purified whether it wanted to be cleaned or not. But the refugees in Babylon were not silver. They had a choice about whether the process would work or not. They could give in to the will of God or continue to rebel against it. And the decision was theirs.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 49

Your nakedness will be exposed and your shame uncovered. I will take vengeance; I will spare no one.” – Isaiah 47:3

Today's Scripture Reading (July 30, 2020): Isaiah 47

Hans Christian Anderson tells the fable about an Emperor who wanted to find a way to discern which of his subjects were worthy of positions in his government, and which of his advisors are incompetent and need to be removed. Two weavers came up with a plan that they argued would fulfill the need of the king. They proposed that they weave a new suit for the Emperor out of a magical cloth that anyone who is unfit or incompetent, or just plain too stupid, could not see. But in reality, the weavers simply make no clothes at all.

On the day of the grand reveal, the weavers enter into the presence of the Emperor to dress him. The Emperor is surprised that he can’t see the suit that has been prepared for him, but he is too afraid to admit it because that would reveal his own incompetence. The weavers assure the king of how magnificent the suit looks and the Emperor prepares to walk outside and tour the people.

And so, the Emperor begins his tour naked. The people are surprised that the Emperor is touring the countryside without any clothes, but they are afraid to say anything because of the incompetence that they think that will reveal in them. As a result of their fear, the people ooh and aah at the Emperor’s new clothes. In the end, the charade falls apart because of the honesty of a young child who declares that the Emperor “isn't wearing anything at all!"

The Neo-Babylonian Empire started under the reign of Nabopolassar just as the Assyrian Empire was folding under the weight of its own civil unrest. Babylon made the most of the absence of Assyria on the World stage, and then benefitted from the impressive reign of Nebuchadnezzar II, the second King to rule over this phase of the Empire, as he ushered in the golden age for the Babylonians.

But the Empire did not last long; less than a century, and it seems that as soon as the Kingdom reached its height, it began a swift decline. For a while, they survived on the memory of what they had been under Nebuchadnezzar, but the truth was that none of the Kings that followed Nebuchadnezzar measured up to either his ability or his drive to make Babylon great. And it quickly became apparent that the Empire had no clothes. All the power they pretended to weild was nothing more than a mirage and a memory of what was.

And soon, the Achaemenid or Old Persian Empire would reveal the nakedness of the Babylonians. The pride of the Empire would turn to shame, and the once mighty Neo-Babylonian Empire would fall without even putting up a fight.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 48

I am bringing my righteousness near, it is not far away; and my salvation will not be delayed. I will grant salvation to Zion, my splendor to Israel. – Isaiah 46:13

Today's Scripture Reading (July 29, 2020): Isaiah 46

Seventeenth-Century philosopher Thomas Hobbes argued that "Hell is truth seen too late." Everything in life is all about timing. The right thing only works if it is present at the right time. The right place and the right person are both connected with the right timing. And when someone comes to our rescue, the timing is essential; too early and we don't need rescuing, but too late there is nothing left to save. Hobbes is right. Hell is truth seen too late.

The thought reminds me of some old Westerns that I have watched. At the highest point of the drama, when the danger to the hero is at its greatest, we know the cavalry is lurking just over the next hill. And before our hero meets his end at the hands of the villain of the story, the cavalry will ride over the hill and save the day. It is all about timing.

Isaiah asserts that God's righteousness is near. Isaiah is sure that God has his deliverer standing by, even though, for the people, deliverance seems to be so far away. The time would soon be upon them when the deliverer would not just be brought near but would become a reality among the people. Isaiah is positive that God is still in control of the future and that he has a purpose for his chosen people. And it is for those reasons that the people can still place their trust in him.

We sometimes say that we serve an on-time God; he is never early, and he is never late. God is always on time. And Isaiah would seem to agree with that thought. God is near, and he will not be delayed. There is likely a two-fold fulfillment of this prophecy. The one that Isaiah had focused his attention on was Cyrus of the Persians. He was the righteous King who would save Israel, not because of what he gained, but because it was the right thing to do. But, as Christians, it is hard not to see the coming of the Messiah as a second stage to this prophecy. What Cyrus would do was save Israel, and several other displaced nations, in the short-term. But the long-term salvation of Israel and the world would have to wait for the day of the Messiah.

And maybe, if Hell is truth seen too late, then God is truth understood and accepted at the proper time. It is the real argument behind the genealogy of Jesus that is found in Matthew 1. Matthew concludes his genealogy with this statement; "Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah." We sometimes miss the message that Matthew was getting to with his conclusion. Fourteen is double the number seven, and seven, in Jewish thought, was perfect. Matthew's message to his readers by stressing the number "fourteen" is simply this; when the time was perfect, Jesus came. And he will be there just when we need him, too.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 47

I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness. I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says the LORD Almighty." – Isaiah 45:13

Today's Scripture Reading (July 28, 2020): Isaiah 45

I have a friend who argues that everything that we do, we do because we have either trained ourselves to do it, or because we have some motivation to do it. As a result, there is no such thing as altruism; we do nothing simply because it is the right thing to do. Morality does not exist. All that exists is a carrot and a stick, and so we chase after what pleases us and avoid what brings us punishment. And unfortunately, most of the evidence for his thesis he finds inside of the Christian church. He breaks down our actions and our words and makes the argument that you will only be kind to someone inside of the church if you believe that you can get something out of them. Even our ministries that extend to those at the edges of society get us something we need; recognition. We are recognized as good human beings connected to the world that exists around us, and if that weren't true, we wouldn't bother with the ministries. And those who cannot elevate us in some way are quickly forgotten, ignored, or worse, abused.

It is probably not a big surprise that I disagree with my friend. Doing what is right, rather than what is expedient, is something that I believe is a crucial step of faith. We stand up to bullies, even inside the church and even when they stand with the majority, not because we gain something from the interaction, but because it is the right thing to do. We love all people not because it is easy, but because it is right.

The problem is that I know some people feel excluded from the church. These are people who just don't seem to fit in, or maybe who believe things that we don't believe or act in a way that is unbecoming of the church. These people we have never accepted, and that says more about our lack of faith than about the ones that we reject.

Isaiah continues his prophecy about Cyrus the Great. Cyrus was the King of Persia, or modern-day Iran, and was located just to the east of Babylon (Iraq). Cyrus had fought and claimed the territory for his kingdom to the East and North of the Babylonian Empire. But in 540 B.C.E, Cyrus turned his attention to the Babylonian Empire, beginning with the satellite nations the surrounded Babylon. It seems likely that it was around this period that our second Isaiah found his prophetic voice. In October 539 B.C.E., Cyrus began a campaign that would lead him to the great city of Babylon itself. And on October 29, 539 B.C.E. Cyrus entered the city of Babylon and declared that he was the King of Babylon and the four corners of the world.

We also know from the Cyrus cylinder, found in a temple dedicated to the Babylonian god, Marduk, that Cyrus was proud of what he did in Babylon. According to the cylinder, Cyrus significantly improved the lives of the citizens of the Babylonian Empire and restored temples and sanctuaries there. He also repatriated the exiles in Babylon, sending them home to rebuild their lives once more, including the refugees that had originated in Judah. Cyrus declares that the Babylonians had been impious when they had removed these people from their lands and that what Cyrus did, he did because it was the right and moral thing to do, not because he would gain any reward. And in this act of righteousness, the new King pleased the god, Marduk.

Isaiah says that in doing this, he also pleased the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who had raised Cyrus for just this purpose. It was time for Israel to go home.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 46

Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come—yes, let them foretell what will come. – Isaiah 44:7

Today's Scripture Reading (July 27, 2020): Isaiah 44

Some of the more humorous memes that have come out of the Trump era are ones like this one on fatherhood: "Nobody is better at Fatherhood than you. All the other dads are a total disaster. Everyone agrees. Believe me. You are a great Dad!" The meme is based on President Trump's over the top confidence in himself and his friends. In the mind of Donald Trump, there is no one quite like him or like the people that he gathers around him. Of course, when it comes to his friends, they seem to quickly fall out of favor, at which point they immediately make the trip from best to worst. Everyone agrees.

The humor, of course, is found in the over the top statement. I hope that every Dad feels like they are the best. I hope that we all feel like we are experts in several areas of our lives. But we also know that there are other good dads and that we can do all better. One of the dangers of believing that we have arrived is that we stop the struggle to improve. People may tell us that we are the greatest, but the people who actually believe it are often the dangerous ones. Believing that we are infallible leads us toward some horrible decisions.

Infallibility also leads us to believe that we are gods. It was one of the failures of the Roman Catholic Church in past centuries. The Popes thought that they were infallible, the very voice of God, which for some of them led them down a short journey toward the belief that they were God. Kings and Queens fell into the same dangerous pattern. They quickly went from being answerable to God alone, to believing that they were the gods that led the nations. And maybe, that is the reason why some of the best leaders were people of apparent faults. There was no doubt that they were not gods and no danger that they might be able to convince themselves that they were because their mistakes had betrayed them.

I hope that you know that you know that you are great, absolutely the best. The world needs you. But you are not God, and neither am I. There is only one who can make that claim, and all of the rest of us fall far short of that standard. Isaiah makes it clear. No one can claim that they are God. And it is only toward God that the Trump era statement actually makes sense. It is the confession of the believing church. "Nobody is better at being a God than you. All the other gods are a total disaster. Everyone agrees. Believe me. You are a great God!"

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 45

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. – Isaiah 43:2

Today's Scripture Reading (July 26, 2020): Isaiah 43

American Novelist Lev Grossman in "The Magicians" commented, "I got my heart's desire, and there my troubles began." Sometimes getting what the heart wants is one of the worst things that can happen to us. Our hearts don't understand the concept of happiness as closely as we think that they should. Therefore, sometimes our hearts chase after things that will ultimately cause us pain. And that is where some of our trouble begins.

But only some of it. The reality of life is that trouble is our constant companion, and it has many causes. Grossman is correct, sometimes getting the desires of our heart is the source of trouble. Sometimes trouble results from the mistakes, choices, and sins of our life. Sometimes trouble is the result of the actions of the people around us and has nothing to do with us. And sometimes we find that trouble doesn't really need a root cause, it finds us, often in some of the most inappropriate points in our lives.

However, the end result is that trouble comes. It is a constant companion in our lives. And it steals our attention from other deserving circumstances. Trouble has the amazing potential to steal away our joy, or even overshadow the happiness present in our lives. It is the reality that some young brides understand. Their wedding day can come off almost perfectly, and yet in the aftermath, tears are shed over the one or two mistakes that might have occurred. One pastor remarked to me that he would prefer to conduct a funeral than a wedding. The reason he gave was that a funeral is held in an atmosphere of pain, and just the presence of clergy and friends is appreciated as they try to comfort the family's grief. But with a wedding, a magnifying glass is used, which makes every mistake appear bigger and enlarges every trouble well beyond the impact of the problem, to the point where sometimes it is the trouble that is all that is noticed.

As God speaks through Isaiah, his message is clear. It is not, "If trouble comes, I will be there." The message is "When trouble comes …," because trouble always comes. It is also important to note that God's message is not "when you walk across the plush carpet, I will be there." It is not that God is not with us when things are going good, because he is. But the times when we need him the most are in the moments of our trouble. Which means, we often need the presence of God.

When trouble comes, when the water gets high or the fire burns, when sickness comes and pandemics entangle, when economies fall, and the money gets tight, God has promised that he will be there to walk through the trouble with us. And sometimes that is all that we need to know to find our way to the other side.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 44

Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see! Who is blind but my servant and deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind like the one in covenant with me, blind like the servant of the LORD? – Isaiah 42:18-19

Today's Scripture Reading (July 25, 2020): Isaiah 42

Author Ahmed Mostafa argues that some toxic people cannot be saved. "You're damaged beyond repair that even if I wanted to fix you I couldn't." The problem with Mostafa's argument is that being damaged beyond repair is the reality of more of us than we might want to admit. But the even bigger problem is that too many of us recognize the damage when we find it in someone else, and too few of us see the damage when it resides in us. Welcome to what we call life. I have always found it surprising that when people get real and try to describe to me the kind of people that they cannot stand to be around, how often they are portraying themselves and don't even know it. Know-it-alls can't stand being around people who are the self-determined experts in everything. Usually, they don't like experts of any kind. Negative people typically hate being around other negative people. It is an interesting quirk in our emotional makeup.

Isaiah turns his attention to the children of Israel. And he makes a command that cannot be followed. "Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see" (Isaiah 42:18)! Most should be able to see the humor in the statement. The deaf can't hear, and the blind can't see. But Isaiah speaks something even crazier. God has made the blind his servants. But how does a blind man serve? How does he find the things that the master needs when he can't even see them? God makes the deaf his messenger. But again, how does a deaf man, who cannot hear the message, faithfully carry that message to the one who needs to receive it. The deaf and blind are broken, and they are, therefore, disqualified from any act of service.

Except that Isaiah is talking about us. The message he extends to his brothers and sisters applies as well to those of us living in the twenty-first century. We are the blind and deaf. Just like the people of Isaiah's day, we are so sure that we know the will of God that we have stopped looking for it. We have become blind. We are so confident that we carry the message of God that we stop listening for it. We speak our human philosophies, saying that they are the will of God. We express our judgments with the voice of God, and never even question if our "Thus saith the Lord" is remotely true. We are blind servants and deaf messengers because we have chosen to be.

But the first step back to finding the message of God is to admit that we are the blind guides. We don't have to look any further than our own lives to find the deaf messengers. We are broken beyond repair. But, luckily, we serve the one who heals the blind and the deaf, and who puts back together those whom life has broken.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 43

Be silent before me, you islands! Let the nations renew their strength! Let them come forward and speak; let us meet together at the place of judgment. – Isaiah 41:1

Today's Scripture Reading (July 24, 2020): Isaiah 41

I have had the opportunity to sit in a courtroom with friends, and they are strange places. It is interesting to watch the lawyers bow toward the bench as a sign of respect as they both enter and exit the courtroom. The courtroom, especially ones that have several items on the docket, is organized with an order all of its own. You may have your case coming before the judge at the 2:15 sitting of the court, but all that means is that the case will be handled sometime after 2:15, but before the close of day. And the courtroom is a place of silence. In a couple of the court sittings I have attended, the matter that I had come to observe was late in the session. And what that means is that you have a few hours left to you just sitting in the room, allowing you to offend the judge if you are not careful – or if you are not quiet. In one case, I sometimes wondered if that is what had happened. The ruling of the judge seemed strange when compared with some of the other matters that he had overseen. But I wonder if something had happened in the intervening hours that had offended him, and he was waiting to pounce.

Isaiah speaks here to the islands. It is a word that the prophet uses to describe the distant lands. As far as Isaiah knew, he lived on the only mainland in the world. All else existed as islands made up of coastline and little else. And the command the Isaiah issues to the Islands is that they should be quiet. The reason for the silence is that they are being ushered into a place of judgment, the courtroom of God.

But there also seems to be little malice in the statement. The distant lands are not coming before a God who is uninterested in them, or who is just waiting to throw the book at the offenders. Judgment is not always a bad thing. Sometimes the judge sees the efforts being made on the part of the accused, and is willing to meet them partway. Sometimes the judge is ready to throw away the accusations, even if the accused is guilty. But always, respecting the system works on behalf of the accused.

So, this is Isaiah's advice to the far-off lands. Sit quietly, renew your strength, come before God with respect, and maybe his grace and mercy will fall on you. And his grace and mercy is not something of which any of us can benefit too much. We all stand in quietly in need of the grace that flows from the Throne of God.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 42

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. – Isaiah 40:1

Today's Scripture Reading (July 23, 2020): Isaiah 40

Sixteenth-century poet and playwright John Heywood is credited with saying that "It's no use closing the barn door after the horse is gone." And there is no use protecting something that has already been lost or stolen. Discipline is also all about timing. It is an art that I am not sure that Christians have mastered. Sometimes, we seem to be all about judgment. But there are times when we should be all about comfort.

I think this is especially true when it comes to some of our hot button issues. I am not sure that we understand opposition with the heart of Christ. Let me go out on a limb. One example that comes to mind is our stance on the hot button issue of abortion. Is it possible for us to take a position on the incredible value of the life of the unborn child without belittling and terrorizing women who are making one of the hardest decisions of their lives? I keep on wondering where Jesus would be in the midst of a protest of an abortion clinic. Would Jesus be standing outside the abortion clinic holding a picket sign with the protestors? Or would he be holding the one in tears on the inside of the clinic, the one who is scared and all alone, experiencing one of the worst moments of her life? I kind of think that the answer might be the latter. It is not that we should not uphold the value of a human life but that we need to find ways to value the life of the unborn child without diminishing the life of the mother or others involved in the abortion process. We need to understand somehow that there is a time to preach judgment and a time to speak comfort to those who have fallen.

There is a distinct change in Isaiah's prophecy as we move from chapter 39 to chapter 40. From here on, Isaiah's name no longer appears in the text of the document. In the first thirty-nine chapters, his name appears eighteen times, almost once every other chapter. And the message shifts from one of judgment to one of comfort. There are many attempts to try to explain this significant shift, but maybe one of the most potent explanations is that from this point on, the words are written by a different Isaiah, at a later time, and with a very different purpose. The Isaiah of chapters 1 – 39 is concerned that if Israel's behavior continues, that it will end with the defeat and exile of the nation at the hands of the Babylonians. But for the Isaiah of Chapters 40 forward, the exile is no longer in the future; it is a present reality. And what Israel needs now is not judgment, but comfort.

The Isaiah of Chapter 40 wants Israel to know that they are still loved. The begins to preach a message that God is still present, even though the Temple is gone, and that God still has a plan for the nation. The Isaiah of Chapter 40 onward wants to preach to hearts already broken, rather than proud hearts that need to be broken. The horse has already left the barn, so there is no need to check to make sure that the door is closed. What Israel needs now is not judgment, but comfort. They need to be held by a loving God in their moment of need and know that, in spite of their rebellion, he is still there for them.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 41

These are the tribes, listed by name: At the northern frontier, Dan will have one portion; it will follow the Hethlon road to Lebo Hamath; Hazar Enan and the northern border of Damascus next to Hamath will be part of its border from the east side to the west side. – Ezekiel 48:1

Today's Scripture Reading (July 22, 2020): Ezekiel 48

C.S. Lewis argued that "To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you." Christianity is impossible without forgiveness, and it is impossible to claim to be a Christian if there is no effort to forgive those who have wronged us. We forgive, partially, because we are an army of the forgiven. Unfortunately, I know of a few people outside of the church who feel that the church has no forgiveness available for them. But if Christ is in the church, then it is those who feel that they are among the unforgiven who have the loudest voice to speak against us.

Ezekiel ends both his general prophecy and his description of this mysterious future Temple with a word of inclusion to the tribes of Israel. All of the tribes are listed and given an allotment of land in this future Israel. And Ezekiel begins with the Tribe of Dan.

For Christians, the inclusion of Dan in his list of tribes given allotments of land is highly significant. When John creates his symbolic list of the 144,000 who were sealed at the end of all things in his "Revelation," he includes 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel (Revelation 7). The problem with John's list is that when the descendants of Levi, who were the priests and directly involved with the worship of the nation and because of that unique role did not receive an allotment of land that they could call their own, are included, there are actually thirteen tribes of Israel. If the Tribe of Levi is included in Revelation, and the Tribe of Levi is included in both John's and Ezekiel's rendering, then John's math does not work. For there to be 12,000 sealed from each of the tribes of Israel in John's prophecy, then there would have to be 156,000 sealed on that day, and not 144,000.

To make the math work, John's 144,000 sealed includes no one from the Tribe of Dan. The reason that is often given for Dan's omission in Revelation is that Dan was the first Tribe to embrace idolatry, a story that is outlined in Judges 17 and 18. It was the Tribe of Dan that stole the household gods away from Micah in the hill country of Ephraim, as well as the priest who served Micah in Judges 18, and made the worship of these household gods the official religion of the Tribe. The Tribe of Dan started Israel on its path toward idolatry and, therefore, are omitted from the 144,000 Sealed in Revelation.

But Ezekiel not only includes the Tribe of Dan, but lists the Tribe first. And when Ezekiel's vision is taken in combination with the message we find in John's Revelation, we see an incredible message about the forgiveness and mercy of God. The Tribe of Dan would pay a price for their transgression, but would also receive special recognition and forgiveness in the time that is yet to come.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 40

As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. – Ezekiel 47:3

Today's Scripture Reading (July 21, 2020): Ezekiel 47

Interpretation is hard. I am not a big fan of social media because it is often difficult to get the entire meaning of the words when it is written down in text form. And in the past, I have gotten into spitting wars with people (usually tongue in cheek, at least on my part), over the use of words. By the way, spitting wars never work, and I really need to learn to leave them alone.

One such war concluded with the comment, not from me, that my words were wasted because my opponent was not like any of the (Insert occupation here) that I was describing. What he missed was that I was not like any of the Christians or pastors that he was describing. It was an impressive double standard that my friend apparently did not understand. This is you, but this is not me. Did I mention interpretation is hard?

So-, if we misunderstand each other on social media, how much harder can it get when we begin to try to interpret the written comments of a foreign language. And Ezekiel's comment here is an example of that problem.

Ezekiel is clearly describing the deepening water of the River of Life flowing out of the Temple in his vision. But when he gets to this point in the river, he says that the water is ankle deep, or deep enough to cover the ankles. The phrase he actually uses is literally "water of ankles," which is an unusual phrase. Theologian John Taylor relates that when the translators of the Septuagint got to Ezekiel's "water of ankles," they tried to make sense of it by translating it as "water of remission." A few centuries later, Christians took hold of the Septuagint translation and made it into the "waters of baptism," and in the process created a theology that simply did not follow from the text.

But the reality is that there is nothing more meant by the phrase than that the water was deep enough to reach the ankles. Sometimes the most obvious explanation really is the best. Or, as Sigmund Freud is supposed to have said, "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 48

He said to me, "These are the kitchens where those who minister at the temple are to cook the sacrifices of the people." – Ezekiel 46:24

Today's Scripture Reading (July 20, 2020): Ezekiel 46

American poet Criss Jami writes in "Killosophy" that "telling an introvert to go to a party is like telling a saint to go to Hell." I feel the truth of the words in the center of my being. I remember being invited to parties when I was younger and not being happier than when I got there and couldn't get in, or if I got lost and couldn't find the place. (Sorry, I tried!) But then I know that I am an introvert, and often parties and social gatherings of any kind feel like being sent to Hell. But that doesn't mean that I don't need social events in my life. It just means that generally, I like them smaller and with people that have earned my trust. For me, there is nothing scarier than meeting with a bunch of people that I don't know well; in either big or small groups.

All of this can make church hard because, at its best, the church is not just a spiritual activity; it is also a social one. It is a point that Ezekiel makes in his vision of the temple. The temple was a place of worshipping God, but on several levels, it was also a place of social interaction and fellowship. The church is made stronger by its connection with God, as well as the social interconnections that it creates between its worshippers. "The worship that went on in the temple was not confined to word and gesture. It included the eating and the experience of fellowship that comes from sharing a meal" (Bruce Vawter and Leslie Hoppe).

John Taylor makes a similar point.

"So the temple was a place for sacrificing, cooking and eating, as well as for prayer and so-called 'spiritual' activities. The Christian church has been the poorer when it has drawn a firm dividing line between spiritual life and social activities. In Ezekiel's temple, at any rate, there was envisaged a healthy fusion of the two elements, and this was typical of much in Old Testament worship."

In a world that is made up of both introverts and extroverts, that means that the church needs to create several kinds of social connections. Parties might feel like Hell for the introvert but are necessary for the health of the extrovert. But pushing introverts into social situations with strangers is terrifying for the one being pushed. (I can't tell you the horror I feel every time I go to a ministerial meeting, and it is announced that we are going to break up into groups for prayer. Social prayer interactions with people you do not know are emotional poison for the introverted.) But it is not that the introvert doesn't need these interactions, but rather that we need to find careful social connections that will build them up so that they don't feel like they are being sent to Hell.

Because the healthy church is made up of both spiritual activities and social interactions, the sacred and the profane, for both the extrovert and the introvert, and everyone else who is stuck somewhere in-between.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 47

This is what the Sovereign LORD says: You have gone far enough, princes of Israel! Give up your violence and oppression and do what is just and right. Stop dispossessing my people, declares the Sovereign LORD. – Ezekiel 45:9

Today's Scripture Reading (July 19, 2020): Ezekiel 45

The cry of the opposition in every election season seems to be similar. Still, the current electoral season in the United States appears to be an even more graphic application of the call. The cry goes something like this; the people are oppressed, the government, in some manner, is perpetuating violence on the people, and we pledge to stop the violence. Often the opposition parties like to call to attention the "wars of the nations" with which the country might be involved. Of course, when you are the ruling party, wars are sometimes a necessary part of the defense of the country and the status quo. But the opposition never seems to see the justice in that kind of war. For them, war is always illegitimate. And, to a certain extent, they are right. I am not sure that a truly just war has ever been fought.

But the truth probably exists somewhere between the two extremes. The truth, if there is truth to be found, is that none of us see reality as it really is. We see shades interpreted by both our own world view and the facts as others shape them and deliver them to us. It is this situation, governed by the glasses that we and others have created that shapes our reality. Did Iraq have weapons of mass destruction during the reign of Saddam Hussein? Probably not, as we found out later. But that was a reality that none of us, regardless of our political stripe, really understood at the moment. President Bush was not a warmonger, but someone who seemed to misunderstand the situation, just as Barak Obama did in his dealings with Russia and Ukraine over Crimea. No one understood what was really happening, and to a certain extent, we still don’t. We only see the shadows that lurk around the situation. The truth of our reality would be a powerful tool in our decision making, but it is not a tool that we will ever really possess. Instead, all of us have to deal and make decisions based on the shadows that we can see. Sometimes those decisions might be right. But it is just as likely that will be wrong, even if we are honest about our motivations.

All of which presents to us the other side of the problem. Not only do we only see shadows, but we interpret those shadows through the lenses of our motivations and according to what we want to see happen.

Ezekiel has a vision of a future where righteousness reigns. It is a time when we can clearly see what up until now has been hidden in the shadow. On that day, we will be able to act according to the truth we know. According to Ezekiel, on that day, our leaders will be able to do what is right, and they will also choose what is right. The need to accept violence and oppression will disappear, and on that day, what should have always been our reality will be the truth. Leaders will work for the benefit of the people.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 46

Then the man brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, the one facing east, and it was shut. The LORD said to me, "This gate is to remain shut. It must not be opened; no one may enter through it. It is to remain shut because the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered through it. – Ezekiel 44:1-2

Today's Scripture Reading (July 18, 2020): Ezekiel 44

In 1517, Jerusalem and the surrounding area came under the influence of the Ottoman Turks. It would remain under Turkish control for the next 400 years. In the early days of their control, under Suleiman the Magnificent, the city enjoyed a time of peace and renewal. It was a prosperous, if now minor, city in the Middle East. The trade routes that dominated the area no longer went anyplace near Jerusalem. The city was important because if its religious significance, but that was all.

At that time, Suleiman the Magnificent began a campaign of restoration in the city, including the rebuilding of the walls around the Old City. And in the process, Suleiman sealed the Eastern Gate in 1540-41. His reason for the closure was to prevent the Jewish Messiah from entering into the city through that gate, which was the expected route that the Jews expected the Messiah to take on his return to the Holy City. For the past almost five centuries, the Eastern Gate to the city has remained closed; for five centuries, no one has entered into the city through the Gate called Beautiful.

Of course, the Temple, the reason why the Eastern Gate had been famous in the first place, has also been removed. But some still see Suleiman's closure of the Eastern Gate as a fulfillment of the prophecy of Ezekiel. Others scoff that cannot be not the case since Ezekiel's Temple still does not exist.

Whatever the prophecy might be, the reality is that the Eastern Gate remains closed. And this prophecy has been viewed in various ways over the centuries. Some Roman Catholic Christians have even argued that it is Ezekiel's prophecy about the closure of the Eastern Gate that confirms their belief in the eternal virginity of Mary. Jesus entered the world through Mary, and after his birth through that "gate," the "gate" was closed. Joseph had no marital relations with his wife and, of course, Mary had no further children, despite what the Gospels seem to indicate. But that interpretation seems to be more of a stretch than the impossibility of Ezekiel speaking of the current closure of the Eastern Gate in modern times.

For now, the Eastern Gate to the city remains closed. And it might be that the Gate that Ezekiel speaks of here has yet even to be built. But even then, the gate will be used only by the Messiah, and after he passes through the gate, the Eastern Gate will once again be closed and locked. The place of entrance will be reserved, only available for the use of the one who is to come, in the Temple that has yet to be built.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 45

Then the man brought me to the gate facing east … - Ezekiel 43:1

Today's Scripture Reading (July 17, 2020): Ezekiel 43

I live in the northern end of a major North American city. The significance of the geographical location of my home, at least for me, is that most of the places I frequently visit outside of my local neighborhood are located south of the city.  This means, to get where I want to go, I have first to cross the city, which can be an ordeal in itself. Of course, the city planners recognized my plight (okay, they understood my suffering and that of another million inhabitants of the city) and built a road that does nothing but circle the city. It is possible to get onto this road, and never get off it, just traveling in circles around and between the metropolitan population centers of the area. The highway goes absolutely nowhere. And I have threatened that one day I will do precisely that; I will go to this road and travel around the city, re-entering the city at the exact place where I left it. Unfortunately, or maybe, fortunately, I haven't been that bored yet, although I know of parents who have found that a lap around the city can do wonders to settle an upset child.

The actual purpose of the road is not to give bored people that opportunity to drive in circles. The route provides a quicker way to get where it is that you need to go. You can exit the city and travel on this highway, which has a higher speed limit and no stoplights, and then re-enter the city close to where you need to be. Or you can exit the city in the north and drive to the cities and towns located to the south of the urban center. (It also works if you want to go east or west, or if you live in the south and need to go north of the city.) Wherever you need to go, it is a quick and efficient way of getting you where you need to be. Of course, the exception is the central core of the city. To get there, you still have to fight through the traffic of the city.

Ezekiel here begins a discourse on the Eastern Gate of the Temple. There is a significance here that is merely geographical in nature. The Eastern Gate of the Temple was close to the Eastern Gate of the city, or the gate called Beautiful, the Golden Gate. And it is the proximity of these two gates that is important. If you wanted to go to the Temple area, the easiest way to get there was to enter the city through the Gate Beautiful and into the Temple through the Eastern Gate.

When Ezekiel saw the presence of God leave the Temple, he writes that "The glory of the Lord went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain east of it" (Ezekiel 11:23). God left through the Eastern Gate. Now, God takes Ezekiel to Eastern Gate of the Temple in his vision to witness the return of the glory of God through that same gate. Old Testament Scholar Daniel Block makes this observation about the Eastern Gate: "Although Yahweh could have entered the temple area through the northern or southern gate, the choice of the east gate is deliberate, leading in a straight line along the central spine of concentrated sacrality to the holy of holies." Apparently, it was the easiest way to enter the Temple for both God and man.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 44

So he measured the area on all four sides. It had a wall around it, five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide, to separate the holy from the common. – Ezekiel 42:20

Today's Scripture Reading (July 16, 2020): Ezekiel 42

Temple Mount is believed to be the place where both of Solomon's Temple and Zerubbabel's Temple, which Herod began to enhance significantly during his reign just before the life of Jesus, had been built. The Western Wall, a relatively short segment of an ancient limestone wall built by Herod the Great in his enhancement of Zerubbabel's Temple, can be found on one side of Temple Mount. Because of entrance restrictions, the Western Wall is the closest place to the Temple Mount, where Jewish believers are allowed to pray.

Today, the top of Temple Mount is dominated by Islamic believers. The top of Temple Mount is open for tourists who are Jewish or Christian, but here their prayers are not welcome there. Only Muslims are allowed to pray on top of Temple Mount.

One of the main features of the top of Temple Mount is "The Dome of the Rock," an Islamic Shrine that was built in 691-92 C.E. At the center of the Dome of the Rock, is the Foundation Stone, a large stone with a small hole in the southeastern corner. Entering into the hole, one gains access to the "Well of Souls," which some believe to be the Holy of Holies of the Temple, and therefore the most sacred place in Judaism. The entire Temple Mount, expanded and built up by Herod the Great, covers an area of about thirty-seven acres.

It is the area of Temple Mount that gives rise to questions about Ezekiel's description of his Temple. The NIV has chosen to represent the area of the Ezekiel's Temple as being a square measuring five hundred cubits on each side. But that is not what the original text says. The original prophecy says that the measurement of Ezekiel's Temple was not five hundred cubits, but rather five hundred rods. The problem with that measurement is that, if that is true and conservative scholars often see no reason other than the grandness of size to change the measurement from rods to cubits, then that means that Ezekiel's Temple would cover an area of six hundred and thirty-three acres, almost twenty times the size of Temple Mount.

It is this grandness of size that is partially seen as the reason why many scholars believe that this Temple is one that is yet to be built. It is also the reason why some believe that Ezekiel's Temple cannot be constructed except by God after his return to the earth. Changing the measurement from rods to cubits allows us to see the possibility of its construction by human hands. But leaving the measurement as rods just might represent the final Temple of God on the earth, one that is so large and secure that, at least in Ezekiel's mind, no enemy could ever hope to destroy it.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 43

There was a wooden altar three cubits high and two cubits square; its corners, its base and its sides were of wood. The man said to me, "This is the table that is before the LORD." – Ezekiel 41:22

Today's Scripture Reading (July 15, 2020): Ezekiel 41

In the church of my youth, it lined the front of the sanctuary. Built of wood, it was a little more than a couple of feet high and extended the entire width of the sanctuary just in front of the platform area, with breaks in the center and on both edges. The wooden platform was only about foot wide. We called these wooden structures altars, although they were not intended to receive the sacrifice of an animal. The sacrifices received on these wooden platforms were human; it was here that the lives, hopes, and dreams of all who dared to kneel there, were turned over to God.

The church I pastor now is without these strange platforms. Some years ago, I thought about having these altars built for our new place of worship, but one of the congregants who had worshiped at this place for several years was hesitant. The idea was too foreign for him, too cultish for his imagination, and so I cautiously backed away from the plan. And yet, there are moments when I still long to kneel at the altars of youth.

Ezekiel's Temple contains an image of an altar that was made of wood. Typically such altars would be covered with metal. It made them easier to clean after the animal was sacrificed, and the blood had covered the table. After all, in Ezekiel's day, the sacrifice of an animal was the primary purpose of the altar.

But Ezekiel altar is different and seems to be built with a different purpose in mind. It's construction and dimensions reveal that this altar was not built as a place of sacrifice for an animal. This altar had a different purpose. But it was also more than just a table made to display the shewbread.

Ezekiel's altar, which was placed just in front of the Holy of Holies, and therefore "before the Lord," was an altar of incense. The smoke of the incense was intended to remind the priests who ministered in the Temple that their daily prayers rose continually to God. The altar that Ezekiel describes in his prophecy is more like the altar that sat at the front of the church of my youth than anything else in scripture. It was a place of prayer and a place where God met the human race.

Of course, our glorious reality is that, in our day, because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the curtain that in Ezekiel's day had separated the altar of incense from the Holy of Holies and the very presence of God, has been removed. Now, when we come to our places of prayer, there is nothing between God and us. We get to meet with God of all Creation, face to face.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 42

In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year after the fall of the city—on that very day the hand of the LORD was on me and he took me there. – Ezekiel 40:1

Today's Scripture Reading (July 14, 2020): Ezekiel 40

Fourteen years can make a huge difference in our lives. Fourteen years ago, my life looked a lot different than it does today. Fourteen years ago, I had different dreams and different expectations. I could not have dreamed what my life looks like now, then. I remember when I was in college and amid the stresses of exams and papers, occasionally just sitting and contemplating what my life might look like ten or twenty years down the road. But there is nothing about the reality of my life that was reflected in those dreams. That is not all bad. Maybe one of the best blessings that I know is simply this; "And when your dreams do not come true, may new dreams arise."

For Ezekiel, it has been fourteen years since the fall of Jerusalem. It has been fourteen years since Solomon's Temple was reduced to a pile of rubble. Ezekiel has been in exile much longer, probably closer to thirty-five years. Most of his adult life has been spent in exile. For the first two decades of his exile, there was the knowledge that Jerusalem, although rebellious and likely to have to pay a heavy price for that rebellion, still stood. There was a place that Ezekiel could look toward and call home. As a priest, a Temple stood where he had worked and ministered, a place that filled his memories with dimensions and features. But fourteen years ago, all of that had disappeared. Home no longer existed. The Temple was gone. We probably can't fathom the depth of that loss for one who was trained to perform his duties in the House of God built by Solomon.

Fourteen years ago, the Temple of Solomon was destroyed. The construction on Zerubbabel's Temple, the Second Temple of Jerusalem, would not begin for another forty or fifty years. For fourteen years, Ezekiel had lived in the space between the Temples.

There is much that we don't know about the Temple that Ezekiel talks about in the latter chapters of his prophecy. There is intense discussion about whether this Temple is past or future (if it is past, we have no idea when or where such a Temple would have been built), or even if the vision of the Temple is real or a flight of fancy. But this much we do know. The prophecy of Ezekiel's Temple consumes the last days of Ezekiel's life. This prophecy is his final message to those in exile who have followed him and listened to his teachings. And this prophecy of a future Temple is intended to be a message of hope.

Fourteen years ago, the Babylonians destroyed Solomon's Temple. But Ezekiel wants to leave his people with a message that God is not finished with them yet. Ezekiel points to a future Temple that will be even grander than that of Solomon. Ezekiel's Temple is a marvel of engineering that no one, not the Babylonians who destroyed Solomon's Temple, and not the Romans, who destroyed Zerubbabel's or Herod's Temple, would be able to destroy again.

Welcome to Ezekiel's Temple.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 41

Finally, Daniel came into my presence and I told him the dream. (He is called Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.) – Daniel 4:8

Today's Scripture Reading (July 13, 2020): Daniel 4

It happened a few years ago at a local convenience store. I walked in to pick up a bottle of Diet Coke, something that was not an uncommon thing for me to do. The owner of the store was a Muslim, and he knew that I was a Christian. We had passed greetings back and forth from one side of the cash register to the other at different times when I had come into his store. But on this day, he was quiet. There was no hello as I entered the store. And no smile for the customers as they paid for their goods and left. I grabbed my diet coke and then waited for the store to be empty.

Then I went to the cash register. "Is everything okay?" It seemed like such a simple question between two people who only knew each other from a very superficial point of view. There was no real reason for him to trust me, or for me to be concerned. And yet, there we stood.

But there was a reply. "My mother is sick. We don't know if she will live." It is strange the everyday things that we share, even when we see life in very different ways. And at various points in our lives, we all have concerns for our mothers and our fathers. And then, right there in the middle of an empty convenience store, we paused our day as we prayed for our mothers, one praying to Allah and the other to Yahweh.

Was this a conversion moment? No, not for either us. It was a moment of respect and an acknowledgment of the essential things in life. Sometimes I wonder if we forget that we can respect each other without agreeing with each other. I wonder if we forget that we can love and care for each other, and appreciate each other, even amid some pretty essential disagreements. Sometimes I wonder if we forget that we can oppose each other and still treat each other with humanity.

Nebuchadnezzar tells us two things with this statement in his letter. First, he respects and appreciates Daniel. Part of that respect is found in the fact that he calls him by his Jewish name, Daniel, rather than the name that Nebuchadnezzar had given him, Belteshazzar. It was part of the King's way of honoring the servant of Yahweh. Second, he recognized that God was moving inside of Daniel. But he was not a convert of Daniel's God. Nebuchadnezzar still considered Bel to be his God. He respected Daniel, and he was impressed by Yahweh, but that was the extent of Nebuchadnezzar's belief. There were still some deep disagreements between the two men, but those disagreements did not trump the care and admiration that the two men felt for the other.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 40