SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/24/2014
11:08 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Poor Little
Rich Girl PT-2
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ezekiel
16:34-63
Message of the
verses: As I mentioned in yesterday’s
SD we will look at what Steward Briscoe has written on this rather long chapter
in Ezekiel. We also mentioned that this
chapter is a parable that Ezekiel wrote to the exiles who were living there in
Babylon at this time and it spoke of a history of the nation of Israel and how
God brought it into existence and how He had to deal with it because of the
sins that they had committed against the Lord.
Steward Briscoe has written two points on this chapter and we will
finish the one and then quote the second one too.
“Through Ezekiel, the Lord announced that He would deal
with Israel in the manner of an abused husband.
Publicly disgraced by His wife, He would publicly disgrace her before
the ones with whom she had misbehaved.
“To add weight to His words, the Lord reminded His ‘wife’
of her two sisters, Sodom and Samaria,
whom she despised. ‘They didn’t do half
the things you did, bu I dealt with them.
So don’t think for a minute that I will fail to deal with you,’ He
said. ‘Sodom was truly guilty of all
manner of things, but not like you. Her
problem was that she became self-satisfied and selfish, caring nothing for
those in need around her. She became
lazy and thoroughly obnoxious, wallowing in luxury while those around her
struggled with insurmountable problems.
To a certain degree, the same was true of Samaria. You thought you were far superior to both of
your sisters, but you were far worse. I
judged them; and I will judge you’ (see 16:25-59).
“A note of impending judgment sounded from the Lord’s
prophet, but remember that there was always a message of hope, a promise of
something better. ‘I will bring back your sisters from their captivity and
restore them to their rightful place, and when they return you will return too’
(See Ezek. 16:60-63).”
The Covenant
Charles Lee Feinberg, commenting on Ezekiel’s
presentation of God’s dealing with His ‘unfaithful wife’ Israel wrote in The Prophecy of Ezekiel, ‘God can no
more help being gracious than He can cease begin God. He is the God of all grace, and He always
finds a covenant basis on which He can express His grace.’ This is beautifully true of God’s ways with
His people, Ezekiel quoted the Lord’s words, ‘Nevertheless, I will remember My
covenant with thee in the days of they youth and I will establish unto thee an
everlasting covenant’ (16:60). At the
very time that He was pronouncing His judgments, the Lord was announcing His
covenant.
“Such statements seem so contradictory to us that some
commentators believe that the sections dealing with eternal covenants in the context
of judgment are obviously in the wrong place and probably belong in another
part of the prophecy. Without denying
the possibility that some parts of the manuscript were shuffled over the years,
it hardly seems necessary to suggest that the Lord could not speak in grace at
the same time He spoke in judgment.
Surely this is the essence of Calvary, where grace and justice met and ‘righteousness
and peace kissed each other.’
“The everlasting covenant God announced to His people was
designed, as we have come to expect, to let the people know that He is the
Lord. He is Lord not only of unfailing
mercy, but One willing to take the most unfaithful and restore them to positions
of trust and opportunity. He was willing
to take Israel and make her a blessing to the nations of the world.
“The same God has shown that He was willing to take
murderer Moses and make him a leader of men; adulterer David and through him
bring sinners to repentance; persecutor Saul and make him Paul, the missionary
par excellence; and slave trader John Newton and make him a minister of the
Gospel. It has been demonstrated through
the years that the everlasting covenant of our God is one of forgiveness and
unbelievable trust. He is prepared to
run the risk of placing irresponsible and unfaithful people in areas of
responsibility. He gives second chances
to the repentant and superb opportunities to the undeserving. He is eternally committed to being a
forgiving and restoring God.
“What a humbling thing for the forgiven and the restored
to realize. Ezekiel said that those so
forgiven would ‘remember and be confounded and never open their mouths again’
(16:63). I’m sure he didn’t mean to
contradict the psalmist who insisted that the ‘redeemed of the Lord’ should ‘say
so’ (Ps. 107:2). Rather, they should
never open their mouths to brag and boast again but only to proclaim ‘the
riches of the glory of His grace.’”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: Stewart Briscoe
has brought some very interesting and truthful points out of this 16th
chapter of Ezekiel. I especially liked
the points he made about how the Lord used all the people he mentions even
after the wrong things they had done. We
have to remember that it is only sinners that the Lord has to work with, and
when He uses us we can truly be amazed at His amazing grace, and we can also
realize that by Him using us He shall receive all of the glory and not us.
My Steps of Faith for Today: To God be the glory, great things He has
done.
Memory verses for the
week: 2 Peter 1:5-6.
5 Now for this very reason
also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in
your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in
your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “A priest and a Levite” (Luke
10:31-32).
Today’s Bible
question: “Who said ‘Woman, why are you
weeping? Whom are you seeking?’”
Answer in our next SD.
12/24/2014 11:48 AM
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