SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/1/2014
11:46 AM
My Worship Time Focus: The Leaders
Are Deceived PT-1
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ezekiel 11:1-13
Message of the
verses: We begin our last main point
which takes in the eleventh chapter of Ezekiel.
There are three sub-points in this chapter that we will be looking at
over the next three days (Lord willing).
Introduction: As I
go through the book of Ezekiel I am realizing that Ezekiel’s prophecies were
given to the exiles that came from Judah before they happened in the city of
Jerusalem, and so since we have already looked at the book of Jeremiah we know
that what Ezekiel is prophesying about will happen. We know that the leaders that Judah had
during this time were weak, and that they did not want to call upon the Lord,
but instead tried to get help from Egypt, which did not work. Ezekiel is telling the exiles exactly what
was going to happen in Jerusalem, and to know this was making it hard on
Ezekiel
1. The
City is Like a Cauldron (Ezekiel 11:1-13):
“1 Moreover, the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of
the LORD’S house which faced eastward. And behold, there were twenty-five men
at the entrance of the gate, and among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and
Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people. 2 He said to me, "Son of
man, these are the men who devise iniquity and give evil advice in this city, 3
who say, ’Is not the time near to build houses? This city is the pot and we are the flesh.’ 4 “Therefore,
prophesy against them, son of man, prophesy!" 5 Then the Spirit of the
LORD fell upon me, and He said to me, "Say, ’Thus says the LORD, "So
you think, house of Israel, for I know your thoughts. 6 “You have multiplied
your slain in this city, filling its streets with them." 7 ’Therefore,
thus says the Lord GOD, "Your
slain whom you have laid in the midst of the city are the flesh and this city
is the pot; but I will bring you out of it. 8 “You have feared a sword;
so I will bring a sword upon you," the Lord GOD declares. 9 “And I will
bring you out of the midst of the city and deliver you into the hands of
strangers and execute judgments against you. 10 “You will fall by the sword. I
will judge you to the border of Israel; so you shall know that I am the LORD.
11 "This city will not be a pot for
you, nor will you be flesh in the midst of it, but I will judge you to the
border of Israel. 12 "Thus you will know that I am the
LORD; for you have not
walked in My statutes nor have you executed My ordinances, but have acted according
to the ordinances of the nations around you."’" 13 Now it came about
as I prophesied, that Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell on my face and
cried out with a loud voice and said, "Alas, Lord GOD! Will You bring the
remnant of Israel to a complete end?’”
First of all I did not know what the word cauldron was so I looked it up
and this is what I found: “a large metal pot with a lid and
handle, used for cooking over an open fire.”
As we look through these verses we will see what this word is used in
the introduction to this sub-section.
Stuart Briscoe entitles this section:
“Meat in the Pot.”
12/1/2014
12:09 PM 12/1/2014 4:00 PM
The
following is what Steward Briscoe has to say about this “meat in the pot”: While Ezekiel was watching the slow,
deliberate movement of the Glory, the Lord directed his attention to a group of
25 men who were meeting outside the East gate (11:1). The were people who had been most influential
in forging the attitudes of the unrepentant city. They insisted, ‘It is not near’ (11:3).
By that they were probably saying, ‘Don’t listen to the prophets of
doom. All is well, there is nothing to
fear. Go ahead and build your houses,
and live the good life. Sure, things are
bad around here, but we are all right.
We are like meat cooking in a pot over the fire. The fire can’t get to us, so cheer up and
watch us win through this whole tricky situation.’ This seems to have been their message, and
Ezekiel was told to refute it. He
proceeded to do so in graphic language. ‘You
think you are safe in your cauldron, but I want you to know that this city is
not safe, and you are not going to survive.
The cauldron will be overthrown and you will be cast out and destroyed’
(11:5-12).”
The
following is what Dr. Wiersbe has to say about the meat in the pot: “The innuendo in this metaphor was that the
people in Jerusalem were choice cuts of meat while the exiles in Babylon were
just the scraps and rejected pieces. Of
course, the opposite was true! Had the
leaders in Jerusalem listened to Jeremiah’s message about the baskets of figs,
they would have seen their philosophy completely reversed. The good figs were the exiles and the bad
figs were the people lift in Jerusalem (Jer. 24:1-7) God would preserve a remnant from among the
exiles, but the idolaters in Jerusalem would be slain.”
There
seems to bad people who want to take advantage of bad situations, such as we
see here, and they act like they are helping out, but in the end all they want
to help is themselves.
God
told Ezekiel to speak out against these evil men and he was to point out that
they weren’t the meat, they were the bluchers!
““You have multiplied your slain in this city, filling its streets with
them.’” (vs. 6) These men were going to find out that they
had to be accountable for the death and destruction in this city. How long did they think that God would wait
for them to repent of their sins? He had
waited long enough and now judgment would fall upon these evil men for the shedding
of innocent blood. I have often wondered
how the judges who decided that it were up to them to make law in our country
by making abortion legal. I believe that
they are all passed on now and I also believe that they now understand that
their decision was wrong. Similar things happened to these evil men in Ezekiel’s
day.
While
preaching this message Petaliah fell dead and this was upsetting to Ezekiel as
we see in verse 13. I think of “a man
named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira,” from Acts 5:1, but the difference was
that they were both believers, but they lied to the Holy Spirit and were judged
immediately for their sin, while this man was not a believer and when straight
into Hades.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I think of the verse “Be sure for your sin
will find you out” as I read this passage and that is why that in my prayers
each day I remember that I am to have a fear for the Lord, and I confess any
sins that I have committed, and then ask the Holy Spirit to search my heart for
hidden sin: “23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me
and know my anxious thoughts; 24 And see
if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way (Psalm
139:23-24).”
My Steps of
Faith for Today: I desire to have a short list with the Lord.
Memory verses for the week: 2 Peter 2:1-3.
1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus
Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the
righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the
knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord; 3 Seeing that His divine power has granted
to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge
of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible question: “Quail” (Numbers 11:31).
Today’s Bible question: “Of whom was it said ‘In thee shall all the
nations be blessed’?”
Answer in our next SD.
12/1/2014 4:41 PM
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