Nowata Methodists Podcast

'“And the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.” - Matthew 28:5-6

This week we return to our study of the Gospel of Matthew and finishing it up with the resurrection story in chapter 28, the final chapter of this gospel.

Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament in Christian bibles. It sets things up for the arrival of John the Baptist, as well as Jesus. We get some good reflections on the nature of sacrifice and devotion. Good stuff. Enjoy!

Malachi 1

This is the burden of the word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi:

“I have loved you,” says the LORD.

But you ask, “How have You loved us?”

“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet Jacob I have loved,

but Esau I have hated, and I have made his mountains a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.”

Though Edom may say, “We have been devastated, but we will rebuild the ruins,” this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Land of Wickedness, and a people with whom the LORD is indignant forever.

You will see this with your own eyes, and you yourselves will say, ‘The LORD is great—even beyond the borders of Israel.’ ”

“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of Me?” says the LORD of Hosts to you priests who despise My name.

“But you ask, ‘How have we despised Your name?’

By presenting defiled food on My altar.

But you ask, ‘How have we defiled You ?’

By saying that the table of the LORD is contemptible.

When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present the lame and sick ones, is it not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor?” asks the LORD of Hosts.

“But ask now for God’s favor. Will He be gracious? Since this has come from your hands, will He show you favor?” asks the LORD of Hosts.

“Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would no longer kindle useless fires on My altar! I take no pleasure in you,” says the LORD of Hosts, “and I will accept no offering from your hands.

For My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place, incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name, because My name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD of Hosts.

“But you profane it when you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is contemptible.’

You also say: ‘Oh, what a nuisance!’ And you turn up your nose at it,” says the LORD of Hosts.

“You bring offerings that are stolen, lame, or sick! Should I accept these from your hands?” asks the LORD.

“But cursed is the deceiver who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but sacrifices a defective animal to the Lord. For I am a great King,” says the LORD of Hosts, “and My name is to be feared among the nations.

Malachi 2

“And now this decree is for you, O priests:

If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to honor My name,” says the LORD of Hosts, “I will send a curse among you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already begun to curse them, because you are not taking it to heart.

Behold, I will rebuke your descendants, and I will spread dung on your faces, the waste from your feasts, and you will be carried off with it.

Then you will know that I have sent you this commandment so that My covenant with Levi may continue,” says the LORD of Hosts.

“My covenant with him was one of life and peace, which I gave to him; it called for reverence, and he revered Me and stood in awe of My name.

True instruction was in his mouth, and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity.

For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the LORD of Hosts.

But you have departed from the way, and your instruction has caused many to stumble. You have violated the covenant of Levi,” says the LORD of Hosts.

“So I in turn have made you despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not kept My ways, but have shown partiality in matters of the law.”

Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Why then do we break faith with one another so as to profane the covenant of our fathers?

Judah has broken faith; an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the LORD’s beloved sanctuary by marrying the daughter of a foreign god.

As for the man who does this, may the LORD cut off from the tents of Jacob everyone who is awake and aware—even if he brings an offering to the LORD of Hosts.

And this is another thing you do: You cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and groaning, because He no longer regards your offerings or receives them gladly from your hands.

Yet you ask, “Why?”

It is because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have broken faith, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.

Has not the LORD made them one, having a portion of the Spirit? And why one? Because He seeks godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.

“For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel. “He who divorces his wife covers his garment with violence,” says the LORD of Hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith.

You have wearied the LORD with your words; yet you ask, “How have we wearied Him?”

By saying, “All who do evil are good in the sight of the LORD, and in them He delights,” or, “Where is the God of justice?”

Malachi 3

“Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts.

But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap.

And He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the LORD in righteousness.

Then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the LORD, as in days of old and years gone by.

“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against sorcerers and adulterers and perjurers, against oppressors of the widowed and fatherless, and against those who defraud laborers of their wages and deny justice to the foreigner but do not fear Me,” says the LORD of Hosts.

“Because I, the LORD, do not change, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.

Yet from the days of your fathers, you have turned away from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD of Hosts.

“But you ask, ‘How can we return?’

Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me!

But you ask, ‘How do we rob You?’

In tithes and offerings.

You are cursed with a curse, yet you—the whole nation—are still robbing Me.

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this,” says the LORD of Hosts. “See if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you blessing without measure.

I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your land, and the vine in your field will not fail to produce fruit,” says the LORD of Hosts.

“Then all the nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight,” says the LORD of Hosts.

“Your words against Me have been harsh,” says the LORD. “Yet you ask, ‘What have we spoken against You?’

You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What have we gained by keeping His requirements and walking mournfully before the LORD of Hosts?

So now we call the arrogant blessed. Not only do evildoers prosper, they even test God and escape.’ ”

At that time those who feared the LORD spoke with one another, and the LORD listened and heard them. So a scroll of remembrance was written before Him regarding those who feared the LORD and honored His name.

“They will be Mine,” says the LORD of Hosts, “on the day when I prepare My treasured possession. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.

So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”

Malachi 4

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of Hosts. “Not a root or branch will be left to them.”

“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and leap like calves from the stall.

Then you will trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I am preparing,” says the LORD of Hosts.

“Remember the law of My servant Moses, the statutes and ordinances I commanded him for all Israel at Horeb.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD.

And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

Psalm 71

In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge;

let me never be put to shame.

In Your justice, rescue and deliver me;

incline Your ear and save me.

Be my rock of refuge,

where I can always go.

Give the command to save me,

for You are my rock and my fortress.

Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,

from the grasp of the unjust and ruthless.

For You are my hope, O Lord GOD,

my confidence from my youth.

I have leaned on You since birth;

You pulled me from my mother’s womb.

My praise is always for You.

I have become a portent to many,

but You are my strong refuge.

My mouth is filled with Your praise

and with Your splendor all day long.

Do not discard me in my old age;

do not forsake me when my strength fails.

For my enemies speak against me,

and those who lie in wait for my life conspire,

saying, “God has forsaken him;

pursue him and seize him,

for there is no one to rescue him.”

Be not far from me, O God.

Hurry, O my God, to help me.

May the accusers of my soul

be ashamed and consumed;

may those who seek my harm

be covered with scorn and disgrace.

But I will always hope

and will praise You more and more.

My mouth will declare Your righteousness

and Your salvation all day long,

though I cannot know their full measure.

I will enter in the strength of the Lord GOD;

I will proclaim Your righteousness—Yours alone.

O God, You have taught me from my youth,

and to this day I proclaim Your marvelous deeds.

Even when I am old and gray,

do not forsake me, O God,

until I proclaim Your power to the next generation,

Your might to all who are to come.

Your righteousness reaches to the heavens, O God,

You who have done great things.

Who, O God, is like You?

Though You have shown me many troubles and misfortunes,

You will revive me once again.

Even from the depths of the earth

You will bring me back up.

You will increase my honor

and comfort me once again.

So I will praise You with the harp

for Your faithfulness, O my God;

I will sing praise to You with the lyre,

O Holy One of Israel.

When I sing praise to You

my lips will shout for joy,

along with my soul,

which You have redeemed.

My tongue will indeed proclaim

Your righteousness all day long,

for those who seek my harm

are disgraced and confounded.

Psalm 73

Surely God is good to Israel,

to those who are pure in heart.

But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;

my steps had nearly slipped.

For I envied the arrogant

when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

They have no struggle in their death;

their bodies are well-fed.

They are free of the burdens others carry;

they are not afflicted like other men.

Therefore pride is their necklace;

a garment of violence covers them.

From their prosperity proceeds iniquity;

the imaginations of their hearts run wild.

They mock and speak with malice;

with arrogance they threaten oppression.

They set their mouths against the heavens,

and their tongues strut across the earth.

So their people return to this place

and drink up waters in abundance.

The wicked say, “How can God know?

Does the Most High have knowledge?”

Behold, these are the wicked—

always carefree as they increase their wealth.

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure;

in innocence I have washed my hands.

For I am afflicted all day long

and punished every morning.

If I had said, “I will speak this way,”

then I would have betrayed Your children.

When I tried to understand all this,

it was troublesome in my sight

until I entered God’s sanctuary;

then I discerned their end.

Surely You set them on slick ground;

You cast them down into ruin.

How suddenly they are laid waste,

completely swept away by terrors!

Like one waking from a dream,

so You, O Lord, awaken and despise their form.

When my heart was grieved

and I was pierced within,

I was senseless and ignorant;

I was a brute beast before You.

Yet I am always with You;

You hold my right hand.

You guide me with Your counsel,

and later receive me in glory.

Whom have I in heaven but You?

And on earth I desire no one besides You.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever.

Those far from You will surely perish;

You destroy all who are unfaithful to You.

But as for me, it is good to draw near to God.

I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,

that I may proclaim all Your works.

Today we finish Ezekiel with a finished description of the temple grounds, the dimensions of the restored Jerusalem, and a reapportioning of the land to the restored Twelve Tribes of Israel. Much of this prefigures what is laid out in Revelation, as we have already seen. How amazing it will be when the Lord makes good on all of these promises!

Ezekiel 46

“This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘The gate of the inner court that faces east must be kept shut during the six days of work, but on the Sabbath day and on the day of the New Moon it shall be opened.

The prince is to enter from the outside through the portico of the gateway and stand by the gatepost, while the priests sacrifice his burnt offerings and peace offerings. He is to bow in worship at the threshold of the gate and then depart, but the gate must not be shut until evening.

On the Sabbaths and New Moons the people of the land are also to bow in worship before the LORD at the entrance to that gateway.

The burnt offering that the prince presents to the LORD on the Sabbath day shall be six unblemished male lambs and an unblemished ram.

The grain offering with the ram shall be one ephah, and the grain offering with the lambs shall be as much as he is able, along with a hin of oil per ephah.

On the day of the New Moon he shall offer a young, unblemished bull, six lambs, and a ram without blemish.

He is to provide a grain offering of an ephah with the bull, an ephah with the ram, and as much as he is able with the lambs, along with a hin of oil per ephah.

When the prince enters, he shall go in through the portico of the gateway, and he shall go out the same way.

When the people of the land come before the LORD at the appointed feasts, whoever enters by the north gate to worship must go out by the south gate, and whoever enters by the south gate must go out by the north gate. No one is to return through the gate by which he entered, but each must go out by the opposite gate.

When the people enter, the prince shall go in with them, and when they leave, he shall leave.

At the festivals and appointed feasts, the grain offering shall be an ephah with a bull, an ephah with a ram, and as much as one is able to give with the lambs, along with a hin of oil per ephah.

When the prince makes a freewill offering to the LORD, whether a burnt offering or a peace offering, the gate facing east must be opened for him. He is to offer his burnt offering or peace offering just as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and the gate must be closed after he goes out.

And you shall provide an unblemished year-old lamb as a daily burnt offering to the LORD; you are to offer it every morning.

You are also to provide with it every morning a grain offering of a sixth of an ephah with a third of a hin of oil to moisten the fine flour—a grain offering to the LORD. This is a permanent statute.

Thus they shall provide the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil every morning as a regular burnt offering.’

This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘If the prince gives a gift to any of his sons as an inheritance, it will belong to his descendants. It will become their property by inheritance.

But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it will belong to that servant until the year of freedom; then it will revert to the prince. His inheritance belongs only to his sons; it shall be theirs.

The prince must not take any of the inheritance of the people by evicting them from their property. He is to provide an inheritance for his sons from his own property, so that none of My people will be displaced from his property.’ ”

Then the man brought me through the entrance at the side of the gate into the holy chambers facing north, which belonged to the priests, and he showed me a place there at the far western end

and said to me, “This is the place where the priests shall boil the guilt offering and the sin offering, and where they shall bake the grain offering, so that they do not bring them into the outer court and transmit holiness to the people.”

Then he brought me into the outer court and led me around to its four corners, and I saw a separate court in each of its corners.

In the four corners of the outer court there were enclosed courts, each forty cubits long and thirty cubits wide. Each of the four corner areas had the same dimensions.

Around the inside of each of the four courts was a row of masonry with ovens built at the base of the walls on all sides.

And he said to me, “These are the kitchens where those who minister at the temple will cook the sacrifices offered by the people.”

Ezekiel 47

Then the man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar.

Next he brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and there I saw the water trickling out from the south side.

As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and led me through ankle-deep water.

Then he measured off a thousand cubits and led me through knee-deep water.

Again he measured a thousand cubits and led me through waist-deep water.

Once again he measured off a thousand cubits, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough for swimming—a river that could not be crossed on foot.

“Son of man, do you see this?” he asked. Then he led me back to the bank of the river.

When I arrived, I saw a great number of trees along both banks of the river.

And he said to me, “This water flows out to the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah. When it empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh.

Wherever the river flows, there will be swarms of living creatures and a great number of fish, because it flows there and makes the waters fresh; so wherever the river flows, everything will flourish.

Fishermen will stand by the shore; from En-gedi to En-eglaim they will spread their nets to catch fish of many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea.

But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt.

Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of all kinds will grow. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. Each month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will be used for food and their leaves for healing.”

This is what the Lord GOD says: “These are the boundaries by which you are to divide the land as an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel; Joseph shall receive two portions.

You are to divide it equally among them. Because I swore with an uplifted hand to give it to your forefathers, this land will fall to you as an inheritance.

This shall be the boundary of the land:

On the north side it will extend from the Great Sea by way of Hethlon through Lebo-hamath to Zedad,

Berothah, and Sibraim (which is on the border between Damascus and Hamath), as far as Hazer-hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran.

So the border will run from the Sea to Hazar-enan, along the northern border of Damascus, with the territory of Hamath to the north. This will be the northern boundary.

On the east side the border will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel, to the Eastern Sea and as far as Tamar. This will be the eastern boundary.

On the south side it will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, and along the Brook of Egypt to the Great Sea. This will be the southern boundary.

And on the west side, the Great Sea will be the boundary up to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This will be the western boundary.

You are to divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel.

You shall allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners who dwell among you and who have children. You are to treat them as native-born Israelites; along with you, they shall be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.

In whatever tribe a foreigner dwells, you are to assign his inheritance there,” declares the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 48

“Now these are the names of the tribes:

At the northern frontier, Dan will have one portion bordering the road of Hethlon to Lebo-hamath and running on to Hazar-enan on the border of Damascus with Hamath to the north, and extending from the east side to the west side.

Asher will have one portion bordering the territory of Dan from east to west.

Naphtali will have one portion bordering the territory of Asher from east to west.

Manasseh will have one portion bordering the territory of Naphtali from east to west.

Ephraim will have one portion bordering the territory of Manasseh from east to west.

Reuben will have one portion bordering the territory of Ephraim from east to west.

Judah will have one portion bordering the territory of Reuben from east to west.

Bordering the territory of Judah, from east to west, will be the portion you are to set apart. It will be 25,000 cubits wide, and the length of a tribal portion from east to west. In the center will be the sanctuary.

The special portion you set apart to the LORD shall be 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide.

This will be the holy portion for the priests. It will be 25,000 cubits long on the north side, 10,000 cubits wide on the west side, 10,000 cubits wide on the east side, and 25,000 cubits long on the south side. In the center will be the sanctuary of the LORD.

It will be for the consecrated priests, the descendants of Zadok, who kept My charge and did not go astray as the Levites did when the Israelites went astray.

It will be a special portion for them set apart from the land, a most holy portion adjacent to the territory of the Levites.

Bordering the territory of the priests, the Levites shall have an area 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide. The whole length will be 25,000 cubits, and the width 10,000 cubits.

They must not sell or exchange any of it, and they must not transfer this best part of the land, for it is holy to the LORD.

The remaining area, 5,000 cubits wide and 25,000 cubits long, will be for common use by the city, for houses, and for pastureland. The city will be in the center of it

and will have these measurements: 4,500 cubits on the north side, 4,500 cubits on the south side, 4,500 cubits on the east side, and 4,500 cubits on the west side.

The pastureland of the city will extend 250 cubits to the north, 250 cubits to the south, 250 cubits to the east, and 250 cubits to the west.

The remainder of the length bordering the holy portion and running adjacent to it will be 10,000 cubits on the east side and 10,000 cubits on the west side. Its produce will supply food for the workers of the city.

The workers of the city who cultivate it will come from all the tribes of Israel.

The entire portion will be a square, 25,000 cubits by 25,000 cubits. You are to set apart the holy portion, along with the city property.

The remaining area on both sides of the holy portion and of the property of the city will belong to the prince. He will own the land adjacent to the tribal portions, extending eastward from the 25,000 cubits of the holy district toward the eastern border, and westward from the 25,000 cubits to the western border. And in the center of them will be the holy portion and the sanctuary of the temple.

So the Levitical property and the city property will lie in the center of the area belonging to the prince—the area between the borders of Judah and Benjamin.

As for the rest of the tribes:

Benjamin will have one portion extending from the east side to the west side.

Simeon will have one portion bordering the territory of Benjamin from east to west.

Issachar will have one portion bordering the territory of Simeon from east to west.

Zebulun will have one portion bordering the territory of Issachar from east to west.

And Gad will have one portion bordering the territory of Zebulun from east to west.

The southern border of Gad will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, then along the Brook of Egypt and out to the Great Sea.

This is the land you are to allot as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel, and these will be their portions,” declares the Lord GOD.

“These will be the exits of the city:

Beginning on the north side, which will be 4,500 cubits long,

the gates of the city will be named after the tribes of Israel. On the north side there will be three gates: the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah, and the gate of Levi.

On the east side, which will be 4,500 cubits long, there will be three gates: the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin, and the gate of Dan.

On the south side, which will be 4,500 cubits long, there will be three gates: the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar, and the gate of Zebulun.

And on the west side, which will be 4,500 cubits long, there will be three gates: the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher, and the gate of Naphtali.

The perimeter of the city will be 18,000 cubits, and from that day on the name of the city will be:

THE LORD IS THERE.”

Psalm 67

May God be gracious to us and bless us,

and cause His face to shine upon us,

Selah

that Your ways may be known on earth,

Your salvation among all nations.

Let the peoples praise You, O God;

let all the peoples praise You.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,

for You judge the peoples justly

and lead the nations of the earth.

Selah

Let the peoples praise You, O God;

let all the peoples praise You.

The earth has yielded its harvest;

God, our God, blesses us.

God blesses us,

that all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.

Psalm 68

God arises. His enemies are scattered,

and those who hate Him flee His presence.

As smoke is blown away,

You will drive them out;

as wax melts before the fire,

the wicked will perish in the presence of God.

But the righteous will be glad

and rejoice before God;

they will celebrate with joy.

Sing to God!

Sing praises to His name.

Exalt Him who rides on the clouds —

His name is the LORD—

and rejoice before Him.

A father of the fatherless,

and a defender of the widows,

is God in His holy habitation.

God settles the lonely in families;

He leads the prisoners out to prosperity,

but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.

O God, when You went out before Your people,

when You marched through the wasteland,

Selah

the earth shook and the heavens poured down rain

before God, the One on Sinai,

before God, the God of Israel.

You sent abundant rain, O God;

You refreshed Your weary inheritance.

Your flock settled therein;

O God, from Your bounty You provided for the poor.

The Lord gives the command;

a great company of women proclaim it:

“Kings and their armies flee in haste;

she who waits at home divides the plunder.

Though you lie down among the sheepfolds,

the wings of the dove are covered with silver,

and her feathers with shimmering gold.”

When the Almighty scattered the kings in the land,

it was like the snow falling on Zalmon.

A mountain of God is Mount Bashan;

a mountain of many peaks is Mount Bashan.

Why do you gaze in envy, O mountains of many peaks?

This is the mountain God chose for His dwelling,

where the LORD will surely dwell forever.

The chariots of God are tens of thousands—

thousands of thousands are they;

the Lord is in His sanctuary

as He was at Sinai.

You have ascended on high;

You have led captives away.

You have received gifts from men,

even from the rebellious,

that the LORD God may dwell there.

Blessed be the Lord,

who daily bears our burden,

the God of our salvation.

Selah

Our God is a God of deliverance;

the Lord GOD is our rescuer from death.

Surely God will crush the heads of His enemies,

the hairy crowns of those who persist in guilty ways.

The Lord said, “I will retrieve them from Bashan,

I will bring them up from the depths of the sea,

that your foot may be dipped

in the blood of your foes—

the tongues of your dogs in the same.”

They have seen Your procession, O God—

the march of my God and King into the sanctuary.

The singers lead the way,

the musicians follow after,

among the maidens playing tambourines.

Bless God in the great congregation;

bless the LORD from the fountain of Israel.

There is Benjamin, the youngest, ruling them,

the princes of Judah in their company,

the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.

Summon Your power, O God;

show Your strength, O God,

which You have exerted on our behalf.

Because of Your temple at Jerusalem

kings will bring You gifts.

Rebuke the beast in the reeds,

the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations,

until it submits, bringing bars of silver.

Scatter the nations who delight in war.

Envoys will arrive from Egypt;

Cush will stretch out her hands to God.

Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;

sing praises to the Lord—

Selah

to Him who rides upon the highest heavens of old;

behold, His mighty voice resounds.

Ascribe the power to God,

whose majesty is over Israel,

whose strength is in the skies.

O God, You are awesome in Your sanctuary;

the God of Israel Himself

gives strength and power to His people.

Blessed be God!

Psalm 69

Save me, O God,

for the waters are up to my neck.

I have sunk into the miry depths,

where there is no footing;

I have drifted into deep waters,

where the flood engulfs me.

I am weary from my crying;

my throat is parched.

My eyes fail,

looking for my God.

Those who hate me without cause

outnumber the hairs of my head;

many are those who would destroy me—

my enemies for no reason.

Though I did not steal,

I must repay.

You know my folly, O God,

and my guilt is not hidden from You.

May those who hope in You not be ashamed through me,

O Lord GOD of Hosts;

may those who seek You not be dishonored through me,

O God of Israel.

For I have endured scorn for Your sake,

and shame has covered my face.

I have become a stranger to my brothers

and a foreigner to my mother’s sons,

because zeal for Your house has consumed me,

and the insults of those who insult You have fallen on me.

I wept and fasted,

but it brought me reproach.

I made sackcloth my clothing,

and I was sport to them.

Those who sit at the gate mock me,

and I am the song of drunkards.

But my prayer to You, O LORD,

is for a time of favor.

In Your abundant loving devotion, O God,

answer me with Your sure salvation.

Rescue me from the mire

and do not let me sink;

deliver me from my foes

and out of the deep waters.

Do not let the floods engulf me

or the depths swallow me up;

let not the Pit close its mouth over me.

Answer me, O LORD,

for Your loving devotion is good;

turn to me in keeping with Your great compassion.

Hide not Your face from Your servant,

for I am in distress.

Answer me quickly!

Draw near to my soul and redeem me;

ransom me because of my foes.

You know my reproach, my shame and disgrace.

All my adversaries are before You.

Insults have broken my heart,

and I am in despair.

I looked for sympathy, but there was none,

for comforters, but I found no one.

They poisoned my food with gall

and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst.

May their table become a snare;

may it be a retribution and a trap.

May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,

and their backs be bent forever.

Pour out Your wrath upon them,

and let Your burning anger overtake them.

May their place be deserted;

let there be no one to dwell in their tents.

For they persecute the one You struck

and recount the pain of those You wounded.

Add iniquity to their iniquity;

let them not share in Your righteousness.

May they be blotted out of the Book of Life

and not listed with the righteous.

But I am in pain and distress;

let Your salvation protect me, O God.

I will praise God’s name in song

and exalt Him with thanksgiving.

And this will please the LORD more than an ox,

more than a bull with horns and hooves.

The humble will see and rejoice.

You who seek God, let your hearts be revived!

For the LORD listens to the needy

and does not despise His captive people.

Let heaven and earth praise Him,

the seas and everything that moves in them.

For God will save Zion

and rebuild the cities of Judah,

that they may dwell there and possess it.

The descendants of His servants will inherit it,

and those who love His name will settle in it.

Psalm 70

Make haste, O God, to deliver me!

Hurry, O LORD, to help me!

May those who seek my life

be ashamed and confounded;

may those who wish me harm

be repelled and humiliated.

May those who say, “Aha, aha!”

retreat because of their shame.

May all who seek You

rejoice and be glad in You;

may those who love Your salvation always say,

“Let God be magnified!”

But I am poor and needy;

hurry to me, O God.

You are my help and my deliverer;

O LORD, do not delay.

Ezekiel continues the description of the new temple given him by the heavenly messenger. So many of the different phrases and conventions here prefigure what we see fulfilled in Revelation. It is worth remembering that this description was given before the construction of the second temple. Based on this description, in recent years some scholars have questioned whether or not the Dome of the Rock really does sit atop the location of the second temple. I won’t pretend to recall the arguments used by the scholars I read on this matter a few years ago. Remember Ezekiel was a priest. The fact that he is given revelation to speak to the restoration of the priestly order is quite a compliment to his service.

Ezekiel 41

Then the man brought me into the outer sanctuary and measured the side pillars to be six cubits wide on each side.

The width of the entrance was ten cubits, and the sides of the entrance were five cubits on each side. He also measured the length of the outer sanctuary to be forty cubits, and the width to be twenty cubits.

And he went into the inner sanctuary and measured the side pillars at the entrance to be two cubits wide. The entrance was six cubits wide, and the walls on each side were seven cubits wide.

Then he measured the room adjacent to the inner sanctuary to be twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide. And he said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.”

Next he measured the wall of the temple to be six cubits thick, and the width of each side room around the temple was four cubits.

The side rooms were arranged one above another in three levels of thirty rooms each. There were ledges all around the wall of the temple to serve as supports for the side rooms, so that the supports would not be fastened into the wall of the temple itself.

The side rooms surrounding the temple widened at each successive level, because the structure surrounding the temple ascended by stages corresponding to the narrowing of the temple wall as it rose upward. And so a stairway went up from the lowest story to the highest, through the middle one.

I saw that the temple had a raised base all around it, forming the foundation of the side rooms. It was the full length of a rod, six long cubits.

The outer wall of the side rooms was five cubits thick, and the open area between the side rooms of the temple and the outer chambers was twenty cubits wide all around the temple.

The side rooms opened into this area, with one entrance on the north and another on the south. The open area was five cubits wide all around.

Now the building that faced the temple courtyard on the west was seventy cubits wide, and the wall of the building was five cubits thick all around, with a length of ninety cubits.

Then he measured the temple to be a hundred cubits long, and the temple courtyard and the building with its walls were also a hundred cubits long.

The width of the temple courtyard on the east, including the front of the temple, was a hundred cubits.

Next he measured the length of the building facing the temple courtyard at the rear of the temple, including its galleries on each side; it was a hundred cubits. The outer sanctuary, the inner sanctuary, and the porticoes facing the court,

as well as the thresholds and the beveled windows and the galleries all around with their three levels opposite the threshold, were overlaid with wood on all sides. They were paneled from the ground to the windows, and the windows were covered.

In the space above the outside of the entrance to the inner sanctuary on all the walls, spaced evenly around the inner and outer sanctuary,

were alternating carved cherubim and palm trees. Each cherub had two faces:

the face of a man was toward the palm tree on one side, and the face of a young lion was toward the palm tree on the other side. They were carved all the way around the temple.

Cherubim and palm trees were carved on the wall of the outer sanctuary from the floor to the space above the entrance.

The outer sanctuary had a rectangular doorframe, and the doorframe of the sanctuary was similar.

There was an altar of wood three cubits high and two cubits square. Its corners, base, and sides were of wood. And the man told me, “This is the table that is before the LORD.”

Both the outer sanctuary and the inner sanctuary had double doors, and each door had two swinging panels. There were two panels for one door and two for the other.

Cherubim and palm trees like those on the walls were carved on the doors of the outer sanctuary, and there was a wooden canopy outside, on the front of the portico.

There were beveled windows and palm trees on the sidewalls of the portico. The side rooms of the temple also had canopies.

Ezekiel 42

Then the man led me out northward into the outer court, and he brought me to the group of chambers opposite the temple courtyard and the outer wall on the north side.

The building with the door facing north was a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide.

Gallery faced gallery in three levels opposite the twenty cubits that belonged to the inner court and opposite the pavement that belonged to the outer court.

In front of the chambers was an inner walkway ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits long. Their doors were on the north.

Now the upper chambers were smaller because the galleries took more space from the chambers on the lower and middle floors of the building.

For they were arranged in three stories, and unlike the courts, they had no pillars. So the upper chambers were set back further than the lower and middle floors.

An outer wall in front of the chambers was fifty cubits long and ran parallel to the chambers and the outer court.

For the chambers on the outer court were fifty cubits long, while those facing the temple were a hundred cubits long.

And below these chambers was the entrance on the east side as one enters them from the outer court.

On the south side along the length of the wall of the outer court were chambers adjoining the courtyard and opposite the building,

with a passageway in front of them, just like the chambers that were on the north. They had the same length and width, with similar exits and dimensions.

And corresponding to the doors of the chambers that were facing south, there was a door in front of the walkway that was parallel to the wall extending eastward.

Then the man said to me, “The north and south chambers facing the temple courtyard are the holy chambers where the priests who approach the LORD will eat the most holy offerings. There they will place the most holy offerings—the grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings—for the place is holy.

Once the priests have entered the holy area, they must not go out into the outer court until they have left behind the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they approach the places that are for the people.”

Now when the man had finished measuring the interior of the temple area, he led me out by the gate that faced east, and he measured the area all around:

With a measuring rod he measured the east side to be five hundred cubits long.

He measured the north side to be five hundred cubits long.

He measured the south side to be five hundred cubits long.

And he came around and measured the west side to be five hundred cubits long.

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

Ezekiel 43

Then the man brought me back to the gate that faces east, and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of many waters, and the earth shone with His glory.

The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when He came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the River Kebar. I fell facedown,

and the glory of the LORD entered the temple through the gate facing east.

Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.

While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple,

and He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place for the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the Israelites forever. The house of Israel will never again defile My holy name—neither they nor their kings—by their prostitution and by the funeral offerings for their kings at their deaths.

When they placed their threshold next to My threshold and their doorposts beside My doorposts, with only a wall between Me and them, they defiled My holy name by the abominations they committed. Therefore I have consumed them in My anger.

Now let them remove far from Me their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings, and I will dwell among them forever.

As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, so that they may be ashamed of their iniquities. Let them measure the plan,

and if they are ashamed of all they have done, then make known to them the design of the temple—its arrangement and its exits and entrances—its whole design along with all its statutes, forms, and laws. Write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its complete design and all its statutes and may carry them out.

This is the law of the temple: All its surrounding territory on top of the mountain will be most holy. Yes, this is the law of the temple.

These are the measurements of the altar in long cubits (a cubit and a handbreadth): Its gutter shall be a cubit deep and a cubit wide, with a rim of one span around its edge.

And this is the height of the altar:

The space from the gutter on the ground to the lower ledge shall be two cubits, and the ledge one cubit wide. The space from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge shall be four cubits, and the ledge one cubit wide.

The altar hearth shall be four cubits high, and four horns shall project upward from the hearth.

The altar hearth shall be square at its four corners, twelve cubits long and twelve cubits wide.

The ledge shall also be square, fourteen cubits long and fourteen cubits wide, with a rim of half a cubit and a gutter of a cubit all around it. The steps of the altar shall face east.”

Then He said to me: “Son of man, this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘These are the statutes for the altar on the day it is constructed, so that burnt offerings may be sacrificed on it and blood may be sprinkled on it:

You are to give a young bull from the herd as a sin offering to the Levitical priests who are of the family of Zadok, who approach Me to minister before Me, declares the Lord GOD.

You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and all around the rim; thus you will cleanse the altar and make atonement for it.

Then you are to take away the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the appointed part of the temple area outside the sanctuary.

On the second day you are to present an unblemished male goat as a sin offering, and the altar is to be cleansed as it was with the bull.

When you have finished the purification, you are to present a young, unblemished bull and an unblemished ram from the flock.

You must present them before the LORD; the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the LORD.

For seven days you are to provide a male goat daily for a sin offering; you are also to provide a young bull and a ram from the flock, both unblemished.

For seven days the priests are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; so they shall consecrate it.

At the end of these days, from the eighth day on, the priests are to present your burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar. Then I will accept you, declares the Lord GOD.’ ”

Ezekiel 44

The man then brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary that faced east, but it was shut.

And the LORD said to me, “This gate is to remain shut. It shall not be opened, and no man shall enter through it, because the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered through it. Therefore it will remain shut.

Only the prince himself may sit inside the gateway to eat in the presence of the LORD. He must enter by way of the portico of the gateway and go out the same way.”

Then the man brought me to the front of the temple by way of the north gate. I looked and saw the glory of the LORD filling His temple, and I fell facedown.

The LORD said to me: “Son of man, pay attention; look carefully with your eyes and listen closely with your ears to everything I tell you concerning all the statutes and laws of the house of the LORD. Take careful note of the entrance to the temple, along with all the exits of the sanctuary.

Tell the rebellious house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I have had enough of all your abominations, O house of Israel.

In addition to all your other abominations, you brought in foreigners uncircumcised in both heart and flesh to occupy My sanctuary; you defiled My temple when you offered My food—the fat and the blood; you broke My covenant.

And you have not kept charge of My holy things, but have appointed others to keep charge of My sanctuary for you.’

This is what the Lord GOD says: No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh may enter My sanctuary—not even a foreigner who lives among the Israelites.

Surely the Levites who wandered away from Me when Israel went astray, and who wandered away from Me after their idols, will bear the consequences of their iniquity.

Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, having charge of the gates of the temple and ministering there. They shall slaughter the burnt offerings and other sacrifices for the people and stand before them to minister to them.

Because they ministered before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, therefore I swore with an uplifted hand concerning them that they would bear the consequences of their iniquity, declares the Lord GOD.

They must not approach Me to serve Me as priests or come near any of My holy things or the most holy things. They will bear the shame of the abominations they have committed.

Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of all the work for the temple and everything to be done in it.

But the Levitical priests, who are descended from Zadok and who kept charge of My sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from Me, are to approach Me to minister before Me. They will stand before Me to offer Me fat and blood, declares the Lord GOD.

They alone shall enter My sanctuary and draw near to My table to minister before Me. They will keep My charge.

When they enter the gates of the inner court, they are to wear linen garments; they must not wear anything made of wool when they minister at the gates of the inner court or inside the temple.

They are to wear linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments around their waists. They must not wear anything that makes them perspire.

When they go out to the outer court, to the people, they are to take off the garments in which they have ministered, leave them in the holy chambers, and dress in other clothes so that they do not transmit holiness to the people with their garments.

They must not shave their heads or let their hair grow long, but must carefully trim their hair. No priest may drink wine before he enters the inner court.

And they shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman, but must marry a virgin of the descendants of the house of Israel, or a widow of a priest.

They are to teach My people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to discern between the clean and the unclean.

In any dispute, they shall officiate as judges and judge according to My ordinances. They must keep My laws and statutes regarding all My appointed feasts, and they must keep My Sabbaths holy.

A priest must not defile himself by going near a dead person. However, for a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother, or an unmarried sister, he may do so,

and after he is cleansed, he must count off seven days for himself.

And on the day he goes into the sanctuary, into the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he must present his sin offering, declares the Lord GOD.

In regard to their inheritance, I am their inheritance. You are to give them no possession in Israel, for I am their possession.

They shall eat the grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings. Everything in Israel devoted to the LORD will belong to them.

The best of all the firstfruits and of every contribution from all your offerings will belong to the priests. You are to give your first batch of dough to the priest, so that a blessing may rest upon your homes.

The priests may not eat any bird or animal found dead or torn by wild beasts.

Ezekiel 45

“When you divide the land by lot as an inheritance, you are to set aside a portion for the LORD, a holy portion of the land 25,000 cubits long and 20,000 cubits wide. This entire tract of land will be holy.

Within this area there is to be a section for the sanctuary 500 cubits square, with 50 cubits around it for open land.

From this holy portion, you are to measure off a length of 25,000 cubits and a width of 10,000 cubits, and in it will be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place.

It will be a holy portion of the land to be used by the priests who minister in the sanctuary, who draw near to minister before the LORD. It will be a place for their houses, as well as a holy area for the sanctuary.

An adjacent area 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide shall belong to the Levites who minister in the temple; it will be their possession for towns in which to live.

As the property of the city, you are to set aside an area 5,000 cubits wide and 25,000 cubits long, adjacent to the holy district. It will belong to the whole house of Israel.

Now the prince will have the area bordering each side of the area formed by the holy district and the property of the city, extending westward from the western side and eastward from the eastern side, running lengthwise from the western boundary to the eastern boundary and parallel to one of the tribal portions.

This land will be his possession in Israel.

And My princes will no longer oppress My people, but will give the rest of the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes.

For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Enough, O princes of Israel! Cease your violence and oppression, and do what is just and right. Stop dispossessing My people, declares the Lord GOD.’

You must use honest scales, a just ephah, and a just bath.

The ephah and the bath shall be the same quantity so that the bath will contain a tenth of a homer, and the ephah a tenth of a homer; the homer will be the standard measure for both.

The shekel will consist of twenty gerahs. Twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels will equal one mina.

This is the contribution you are to offer: a sixth of an ephah from each homer of wheat, and a sixth of an ephah from each homer of barley.

The prescribed portion of oil, measured by the bath, is a tenth of a bath from each cor (a cor consists of ten baths or one homer, since ten baths are equivalent to a homer).

And one sheep shall be given from each flock of two hundred from the well-watered pastures of Israel. These are for the grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement for the people, declares the Lord GOD.

All the people of the land must participate in this contribution for the prince in Israel.

And it shall be the prince’s part to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings for the feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths—for all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel. He will provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings to make atonement for the house of Israel.

This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘On the first day of the first month you are to take a young bull without blemish and purify the sanctuary.

And the priest is to take some of the blood from the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the gateposts of the inner court.

You must do the same thing on the seventh day of the month for anyone who strays unintentionally or in ignorance. In this way you will make atonement for the temple.

On the fourteenth day of the first month you are to observe the Passover, a feast of seven days, during which unleavened bread shall be eaten.

On that day the prince shall provide a bull as a sin offering for himself and for all the people of the land.

Each day during the seven days of the feast, he shall provide seven bulls and seven rams without blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD, along with a male goat for a sin offering.

He shall also provide as a grain offering an ephah for each bull and an ephah for each ram, along with a hin of olive oil for each ephah of grain.

During the seven days of the feast that begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, he is to make the same provision for sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, and oil.’

Psalm 66

Make a joyful noise to God,

all the earth!

Sing the glory of His name;

make His praise glorious.

Say to God, “How awesome are Your deeds!

So great is Your power

that Your enemies cower before You.

All the earth bows down to You;

they sing praise to You;

they sing praise to Your name.”

Selah

Come and see the works of God;

how awesome are His deeds toward mankind.

He turned the sea into dry land;

they passed through the waters on foot;

there we rejoiced in Him.

He rules forever by His power;

His eyes watch the nations.

Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves.

Selah

Bless our God, O peoples;

let the sound of His praise be heard.

He preserves our lives

and keeps our feet from slipping.

For You, O God, have tested us;

You have refined us like silver.

You led us into the net;

You laid burdens on our backs.

You let men ride over our heads;

we went through fire and water,

but You brought us into abundance.

I will enter Your house with burnt offerings;

I will fulfill my vows to You—

the vows that my lips promised

and my mouth spoke in my distress.

I will offer You fatlings as burnt offerings,

with the fragrant smoke of rams;

I will offer bulls and goats.

Selah

Come and listen, all you who fear God,

and I will declare what He has done for me.

I cried out to Him with my mouth

and praised Him with my tongue.

If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,

the Lord would not have listened.

But God has surely heard;

He has attended to the sound of my prayer.

Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer

or withheld from me His loving devotion!

The Valley of Dry Bones is found in this section, as is God’s promise to restore his people for his own glory. The apocalyptic battle from Gog of Magog is foretold, which one cannot help but wonder at. Also is a description of a new temple, hard to image in my little pea brain. We close with a psalm about the glory of God’s restored Jerusalem for which we are yearning!

Ezekiel 36

“And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say: O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD.

This is what the Lord GOD says: Because the enemy has said of you, ‘Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession,’

therefore prophesy and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: Because they have made you desolate and have trampled you on every side, so that you became a possession of the rest of the nations and were taken up in slander by the lips of their talkers,

therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD.

This is what the Lord GOD says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the desolate ruins and abandoned cities, which have become a spoil and a mockery to the rest of the nations around you.

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Surely in My burning zeal I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who took My land as their own possession with wholehearted joy and utter contempt, so that its pastureland became plunder.

Therefore, prophesy concerning the land of Israel and tell the mountains and hills, the ravines and valleys, that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I have spoken in My burning zeal because you have endured the reproach of the nations.

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I have sworn with an uplifted hand that surely the nations around you will endure reproach of their own.

But you, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and bear fruit for My people Israel, for they will soon come home.

For behold, I am on your side; I will turn toward you, and you will be tilled and sown.

I will multiply the people upon you—the house of Israel in its entirety. The cities will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.

I will fill you with people and animals, and they will multiply and be fruitful. I will make you as inhabited as you once were, and I will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

Yes, I will cause My people Israel to walk upon you; they will possess you, and you will be their inheritance, and you will no longer deprive them of their children.

For this is what the Lord GOD says: Because people say to you, ‘You devour men and deprive your nation of its children,’

therefore you will no longer devour men or deprive your nation of its children, declares the Lord GOD.

I will no longer allow the taunts of the nations to be heard against you, and you will no longer endure the reproach of the peoples or cause your nation to stumble, declares the Lord GOD.”

Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

“Son of man, when the people of Israel lived in their land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds. Their behavior before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman’s impurity.

So I poured out My wrath upon them because of the blood they had shed on the land, and because they had defiled it with their idols.

I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered throughout the lands. I judged them according to their ways and deeds.

And wherever they went among the nations, they profaned My holy name, because it was said of them, ‘These are the people of the LORD, yet they had to leave His land.’

But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they had gone.

Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: It is not for your sake that I will act, O house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations to which you went.

I will show the holiness of My great name, which has been profaned among the nations—the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when I show My holiness in you before their eyes.

For I will take you from among the nations and gather you out of all the countries, and I will bring you back into your own land.

I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.

Then you will live in the land that I gave your forefathers; you will be My people, and I will be your God.

I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will summon the grain and make it plentiful, and I will not bring famine upon you.

I will also make the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field plentiful, so that you will no longer bear reproach among the nations on account of famine.

Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and abominations.

It is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord GOD—let it be known to you. Be ashamed and disgraced for your ways, O house of Israel!

This is what the Lord GOD says: On the day I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be resettled and the ruins to be rebuilt.

The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through.

Then they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden. The cities that were once ruined, desolate, and destroyed are now fortified and inhabited.’

Then the nations around you that remain will know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt what was destroyed, and I have replanted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it.

This is what the Lord GOD says: Once again I will hear the plea of the house of Israel and do for them this: I will multiply their people like a flock.

Like the numerous flocks for sacrifices at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so the ruined cities will be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

Ezekiel 37

The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley, and it was full of bones.

He led me all around among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, and indeed, they were very dry.

Then He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones come to life?”

“O Lord GOD,” I replied, “only You know.”

And He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and tell them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!

This is what the Lord GOD says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will come to life.

I will attach tendons to you and make flesh grow upon you and cover you with skin. I will put breath within you so that you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’ ”

So I prophesied as I had been commanded. And as I prophesied, there was suddenly a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to bone.

As I looked on, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them.

Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and tell the breath that this is what the Lord GOD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, so that they may live!”

So I prophesied as He had commanded me, and the breath entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet—a vast army.

Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Look, they are saying, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished; we are cut off.’

Therefore prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘O My people, I will open your graves and bring you up from them, and I will bring you back to the land of Israel.

Then you, My people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.

I will put My Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.’ ”

Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

“And you, son of man, take a single stick and write on it: ‘Belonging to Judah and to the Israelites associated with him.’ Then take another stick and write on it: ‘Belonging to Joseph—the stick of Ephraim—and to all the house of Israel associated with him.’

Then join them together into one stick, so that they become one in your hand.

When your people ask you, ‘Won’t you explain to us what you mean by these?’

you are to tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel associated with him, and I will put them together with the stick of Judah. I will make them into a single stick, and they will become one in My hand.’

When the sticks on which you write are in your hand and in full view of the people,

you are to tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will take the Israelites out of the nations to which they have gone, and I will gather them from all around and bring them into their own land.

I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over all of them. Then they will no longer be two nations and will never again be divided into two kingdoms.

They will no longer defile themselves with their idols or detestable images, or with any of their transgressions. I will save them from all their apostasies by which they sinned, and I will cleanse them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God.

My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow My ordinances and keep and observe My statutes.

They will live in the land that I gave to My servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They will live there forever with their children and grandchildren, and My servant David will be their prince forever.

And I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary among them forever.

My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be My people.

Then the nations will know that I the LORD sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is among them forever.’ ”

Ezekiel 38

And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face against Gog of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Prophesy against him

and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.

I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws, and bring you out with all your army—your horses, your horsemen in full armor, and a great company armed with shields and bucklers, all brandishing their swords.

Persia, Cush, and Put will accompany them, all with shields and helmets, as well as Gomer with all its troops, and Beth-togarmah from the far north with all its troops—the many nations with you.

Get ready; prepare yourself, you and all your company gathered around you; you will be their guard.

After a long time you will be summoned. In the latter years you will enter a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and all now dwell securely.

You and all your troops, and many peoples with you will go up, advancing like a thunderstorm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.

This is what the Lord GOD says: On that day, thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will devise an evil plan.

You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will come against a tranquil people who dwell securely, all of them living without walls or bars or gates—

in order to seize the spoil and carry off the plunder, to turn a hand against the desolate places now inhabited and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and possessions and who live at the center of the land.’

Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish with all its villages will ask, ‘Have you come to capture the plunder? Have you assembled your hordes to carry away loot, to make off with silver and gold, to take cattle and goods, to seize great spoil?’

Therefore prophesy, son of man, and tell Gog that this is what the Lord GOD says: On that day when My people Israel are dwelling securely, will you not take notice of this?

And you will come from your place out of the far north—you and many peoples with you, all riding horses—a mighty horde, a huge army.

You will advance against My people Israel like a cloud covering the land. It will happen in the latter days, O Gog, that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I show Myself holy in you before their eyes.

This is what the Lord GOD says: Are you the one of whom I have spoken in former days through My servants, the prophets of Israel, who in those times prophesied for years that I would bring you against them?

Now on that day when Gog comes against the land of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, My wrath will flare up.

In My zeal and fiery rage I proclaim that on that day there will be a great earthquake in the land of Israel.

The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that crawls upon the ground, and all mankind on the face of the earth will tremble at My presence. The mountains will be thrown down, the cliffs will collapse, and every wall will fall to the ground.

And I will summon a sword against Gog on all My mountains, declares the Lord GOD, and every man’s sword will be against his brother.

I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed. I will pour out torrents of rain, hailstones, fire, and sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him.

I will magnify and sanctify Myself, and will reveal Myself in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 39

“As for you, O son of man, prophesy against Gog and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.

I will turn you around, drive you along, bring you up from the far north, and send you against the mountains of Israel. Then I will strike the bow from your left hand and dash down the arrows from your right hand.

On the mountains of Israel you will fall—you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to every kind of ravenous bird and wild beast.

You will fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD.

I will send fire on Magog and on those who dwell securely in the coastlands, and they will know that I am the LORD.

So I will make My holy name known among My people Israel and will no longer allow it to be profaned. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.

Yes, it is coming, and it will surely happen, declares the Lord GOD. This is the day of which I have spoken.

Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out, kindle fires, and burn up the weapons—the bucklers and shields, the bows and arrows, the clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel.

They will not gather wood from the countryside or cut it from the forests, for they will use the weapons for fuel. They will loot those who looted them and plunder those who plundered them, declares the Lord GOD.

And on that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, the Valley of the Travelers, east of the Sea. It will block those who travel through, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called the Valley of Hamon-gog.

For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them in order to cleanse the land.

All the people of the land will bury them, and it will bring them renown on the day I display My glory, declares the Lord GOD.

And men will be employed to continually pass through the land to cleanse it by burying the invaders who remain on the ground. At the end of the seven months they will begin their search.

As they pass through the land, anyone who sees a human bone will set up a pillar next to it, until the gravediggers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon-gog.

(Even the city will be named Hamonah.) And so they will cleanse the land.

And as for you, son of man, this is what the Lord GOD says: Call out to every kind of bird and to every beast of the field: ‘Assemble and come together from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a great feast on the mountains of Israel. There you will eat flesh and drink blood.

You will eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth as though they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls—all the fattened animals of Bashan.

At the sacrifice I am preparing, you will eat fat until you are gorged and drink blood until you are drunk.

And at My table you will eat your fill of horses and riders, of mighty men and warriors of every kind,’ declares the Lord GOD.

I will display My glory among the nations, and all the nations will see the judgment that I execute and the hand that I lay upon them.

From that day forward the house of Israel will know that I am the LORD their God.

And the nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile for their iniquity, because they were unfaithful to Me. So I hid My face from them and delivered them into the hands of their enemies, so that they all fell by the sword.

I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and transgressions, and I hid My face from them.

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Now I will restore Jacob from captivity and will have compassion on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for My holy name.

They will forget their disgrace and all the treachery they committed against Me, when they dwell securely in their land, with no one to frighten them.

When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them out of the lands of their enemies, I will show My holiness in them in the sight of many nations.

Then they will know that I am the LORD their God, when I regather them to their own land, not leaving any of them behind after their exile among the nations.

And I will no longer hide My face from them, for I will pour out My Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD.”

Ezekiel 40

In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month—in the fourteenth year after Jerusalem had been struck down—on that very day the hand of the LORD was upon me, and He took me there.

In visions of God He took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, on whose southern slope was a structure that resembled a city.

So He took me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze. He was standing in the gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand.

“Son of man,” he said to me, “look with your eyes, hear with your ears, and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for that is why you have been brought here. Report to the house of Israel everything you see.”

And I saw a wall surrounding the temple area. Now the length of the measuring rod in the man’s hand was six long cubits (each measuring a cubit and a handbreadth), and he measured the wall to be one rod thick and one rod high.

Then he came to the gate facing east and climbed its steps. He measured the threshold of the gate to be one rod deep.

Each gate chamber was one rod long and one rod wide, and there were five cubits between the gate chambers. The inner threshold of the gate by the portico facing inward was one rod deep.

Then he measured the portico of the gateway inside; it was eight cubits deep, and its jambs were two cubits thick. And the portico of the gateway faced the temple.

There were three gate chambers on each side of the east gate, each with the same measurements, and the gateposts on either side also had the same measurements.

And he measured the width of the gateway entrance to be ten cubits, and its length was thirteen cubits.

In front of each gate chamber was a wall one cubit high, and the gate chambers were six cubits square.

Then he measured the gateway from the roof of one gate chamber to the roof of the opposite one; the distance was twenty-five cubits from doorway to doorway.

Next he measured the gateposts to be sixty cubits high. The gateway extended around to the gatepost of the courtyard.

And the distance from the entrance of the gateway to the far end of its inner portico was fifty cubits.

The gate chambers and their side pillars had beveled windows all around the inside of the gateway. The porticos also had windows all around on the inside. Each side pillar was decorated with palm trees.

Then he brought me into the outer court, and there were chambers and a pavement laid out all around the court. Thirty chambers faced the pavement,

which flanked the gateways and corresponded to the length of the gates; this was the lower pavement.

Then he measured the distance from the front of the lower gateway to the outside of the inner court; it was a hundred cubits on the east side as well as on the north.

He also measured the length and width of the gateway of the outer court facing north.

Its three gate chambers on each side, its side pillars, and its portico all had the same measurements as the first gate: fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

Its windows, portico, and palm trees had the same measurements as those of the gate facing east. Seven steps led up to it, with its portico opposite them.

There was a gate to the inner court facing the north gate, just as there was on the east. He measured the distance from gateway to gateway to be a hundred cubits.

Then he led me to the south side, and I saw a gateway facing south. He measured its side pillars and portico, and they had the same measurements as the others.

Both the gateway and its portico had windows all around, like the other windows. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

Seven steps led up to it, and its portico was opposite them; it had palm trees on its side pillars, one on each side.

The inner court also had a gate facing south, and he measured the distance from gateway to gateway toward the south to be a hundred cubits.

Next he brought me into the inner court through the south gate, and he measured the south gate; it had the same measurements as the others.

Its gate chambers, side pillars, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both the gateway and its portico had windows all around; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

(The porticoes around the inner court were twenty-five cubits long and five cubits deep.)

Its portico faced the outer court, and its side pillars were decorated with palm trees. Eight steps led up to it.

And he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and he measured the gateway; it had the same measurements as the others.

Its gate chambers, side pillars, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both the gateway and its portico had windows all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

Its portico faced the outer court, and its side pillars were decorated with palm trees on each side. Eight steps led up to it.

Then he brought me to the north gate and measured it. It had the same measurements as the others,

as did its gate chambers, side pillars, and portico. It also had windows all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

Its portico faced the outer court, and its side pillars were decorated with palm trees on each side. Eight steps led up to it.

There was a chamber with a doorway by the portico in each of the inner gateways. There the burnt offering was to be washed.

Inside the portico of the gateway were two tables on each side, on which the burnt offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings were to be slaughtered.

Outside, as one goes up to the entrance of the north gateway, there were two tables on one side and two more tables on the other side of the gate’s portico.

So there were four tables inside the gateway and four outside—eight tables in all—on which the sacrifices were to be slaughtered.

There were also four tables of dressed stone for the burnt offering, each a cubit and a half long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit high. On these were placed the utensils used to slaughter the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices.

The double-pronged hooks, each a handbreadth long, were fastened all around the inside of the room, and the flesh of the offering was to be placed on the tables.

Outside the inner gate, within the inner court, were two chambers, one beside the north gate and facing south, and another beside the south gate and facing north.

Then the man said to me: “The chamber that faces south is for the priests who keep charge of the temple,

and the chamber that faces north is for the priests who keep charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, the only Levites who may approach the LORD to minister before Him.”

Next he measured the court. It was square, a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits wide. And the altar was in front of the temple.

Then he brought me to the portico of the temple and measured the side pillars of the portico to be five cubits on each side. The width of the gateway was fourteen cubits and its sidewalls were three cubits on either side.

The portico was twenty cubits wide and twelve cubits deep, and ten steps led up to it. There were columns by the side pillars, one on each side.

Psalm 65

Praise awaits You, O God, in Zion;

to You our vows will be fulfilled.

O You who listen to prayer,

all people will come to You.

When iniquities prevail against me,

You atone for our transgressions.

Blessed is the one You choose

and bring near to dwell in Your courts!

We are filled with the goodness of Your house,

the holiness of Your temple.

With awesome deeds of righteousness You answer us,

O God of our salvation,

the hope of all the ends of the earth

and of the farthest seas.

You formed the mountains by Your power,

having girded Yourself with might.

You stilled the roaring of the seas,

the pounding of their waves,

and the tumult of the nations.

Those who live far away fear Your wonders;

You make the dawn and sunset shout for joy.

You attend to the earth and water it;

with abundance You enrich it.

The streams of God are full of water,

for You prepare our grain

by providing for the earth.

You soak its furrows and level its ridges;

You soften it with showers and bless its growth.

You crown the year with Your bounty,

and Your paths overflow with plenty.

The pastures of the wilderness overflow;

the hills are robed with joy.

The pastures are clothed with flocks,

and the valleys are decked with grain.

They shout in triumph;

indeed, they sing.

Special curses today for Egypt, for the unfaithful shepherds of Israel, and for Edom. It is clear as God dispenses justice that he has a special concern for his own covenant people, but even if he didn’t, these parties stand condemned by basic principles of justice. Moreover, he directly refutes any notion that a life is judged based on the sum of its experiences. It doesn’t matter how much good a person has done earlier in life; if he chooses sin later on, he has canceled out all he did before. The inverse is also true. This is a scandalous concept that is only made more bearable when one sees God on the cross. Speaking of which, today is Good Friday, the day on which Christians celebrate what Christ accomplished for us on the cross. Meditate on these things.

Ezekiel 31

In the eleventh year, on the first day of the third month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude:

‘Who can be compared

to your greatness?

Look at Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon,

with beautiful branches that shaded the forest.

It towered on high;

its top was among the clouds.

The waters made it grow;

the deep springs made it tall,

directing their streams all around its base

and sending their channels to all the trees of the field.

Therefore it towered higher

than all the trees of the field.

Its branches multiplied,

and its boughs grew long

as it spread them out

because of the abundant waters.

All the birds of the air

nested in its branches,

and all the beasts of the field

gave birth beneath its boughs;

all the great nations

lived in its shade.

It was beautiful in its greatness,

in the length of its limbs,

for its roots extended

to abundant waters.

The cedars in the garden of God

could not rival it;

the cypresses could not compare with its branches,

nor the plane trees match its boughs.

No tree in the garden of God

could compare with its beauty.

I made it beautiful with its many branches,

the envy of all the trees of Eden,

which were in the garden of God.’

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Since it became great in height and set its top among the clouds, and it grew proud on account of its height,

I delivered it into the hand of the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with it according to its wickedness. I have banished it.

Foreigners, the most ruthless of the nations, cut it down and left it. Its branches have fallen on the mountains and in every valley; its boughs lay broken in all the earth’s ravines. And all the peoples of the earth left its shade and abandoned it.

All the birds of the air nested on its fallen trunk, and all the beasts of the field lived among its boughs.

This happened so that no other trees by the waters would become great in height and set their tops among the clouds, and no other well-watered trees would reach them in height. For they have all been consigned to death, to the depths of the earth, among the mortals who descend to the Pit.’

This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘On the day it was brought down to Sheol, I caused mourning. I covered the deep because of it; I held back its rivers; its abundant waters were restrained. I made Lebanon mourn for it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it.

I made the nations quake at the sound of its downfall, when I cast it down to Sheol with those who descend to the Pit.

Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, all the well-watered trees, were consoled in the earth below.

They too descended with it to Sheol, to those slain by the sword. As its allies they had lived in its shade among the nations.

Who then is like you in glory and greatness among the trees of Eden? You also will be brought down to the depths of the earth to be with the trees of Eden. You will lie among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord GOD.’ ”

Ezekiel 32

In the twelfth year, on the first day of the twelfth month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, take up a lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:

‘You are like a lion among the nations;

you are like a monster in the seas.

You thrash about in your rivers,

churning up the waters with your feet

and muddying the streams.’

This is what the Lord GOD says:

‘I will spread My net over you

with a company of many peoples,

and they will draw you up in My net.

I will abandon you on the land

and hurl you into the open field.

I will cause all the birds of the air

to settle upon you,

and all the beasts of the earth

to eat their fill of you.

I will put your flesh on the mountains

and fill the valleys with your remains.

I will drench the land

with the flow of your blood,

all the way to the mountains—

the ravines will be filled.

When I extinguish you,

I will cover the heavens

and darken their stars.

I will cover the sun with a cloud,

and the moon will not give its light.

All the shining lights in the heavens

I will darken over you,

and I will bring darkness

upon your land,’

declares the Lord GOD.

‘I will trouble the hearts of many peoples,

when I bring about your destruction among the nations,

in countries you do not know.

I will cause many peoples

to be appalled over you,

and their kings will shudder in horror because of you

when I brandish My sword before them.

On the day of your downfall

each of them will tremble

every moment for his life.’

For this is what the Lord GOD says:

‘The sword of the king of Babylon

will come against you!

I will make your hordes fall

by the swords of the mighty,

the most ruthless of all nations.

They will ravage the pride of Egypt

and all her multitudes will be destroyed.

I will slaughter all her cattle

beside the abundant waters.

No human foot will muddy them again,

and no cattle hooves will disturb them.

Then I will let her waters settle

and will make her rivers flow like oil,’

declares the Lord GOD.

‘When I make the land of Egypt a desolation

and empty it of all that filled it,

when I strike down all who live there,

then they will know that I am the LORD.’

This is the lament they will chant for her; the daughters of the nations will chant it. Over Egypt and all her multitudes they will chant it, declares the Lord GOD.”

In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

“Son of man, wail for the multitudes of Egypt, and consign her and the daughters of the mighty nations to the depths of the earth with those who descend to the Pit:

Whom do you surpass in beauty?

Go down and be placed with the uncircumcised!

They will fall among those slain by the sword.

The sword is appointed!

Let them drag her away

along with all her multitudes.

Mighty chiefs will speak from the midst of Sheol

about Egypt and her allies:

‘They have come down and lie with the uncircumcised,

with those slain by the sword.’

Assyria is there with her whole company;

her graves are all around her.

All of them are slain,

fallen by the sword.

Her graves are set in the depths of the Pit,

and her company is all around her grave.

All of them are slain,

fallen by the sword—

those who once spread terror

in the land of the living.

Elam is there

with all her multitudes around her grave.

All of them are slain,

fallen by the sword—

those who went down uncircumcised

to the earth below,

who once spread their terror

in the land of the living.

They bear their disgrace

with those who descend to the Pit.

Among the slain they prepare

a resting place for Elam

with all her hordes,

with her graves all around her.

All of them are uncircumcised,

slain by the sword,

although their terror was once spread

in the land of the living.

They bear their disgrace

with those who descend to the Pit.

They are placed among the slain.

Meshech and Tubal are there

with all their multitudes,

with their graves all around them.

All of them are uncircumcised,

slain by the sword,

because they spread their terror

in the land of the living.

They do not lie down

with the fallen warriors of old,

who went down to Sheol

with their weapons of war,

whose swords were placed under their heads,

whose shields rested on their bones,

although the terror of the mighty

was once in the land of the living.

But you too will be shattered

and lie down among the uncircumcised,

with those slain by the sword.

Edom is there,

and all her kings and princes,

who despite their might

are laid among those slain by the sword.

They lie down with the uncircumcised,

with those who descend to the Pit.

All the leaders of the north

and all the Sidonians are there;

they went down in disgrace with the slain,

despite the terror of their might.

They lie uncircumcised

with those slain by the sword

and bear their shame

with those who descend to the Pit.

Pharaoh will see them

and be comforted over all his multitude—

Pharaoh and all his army,

slain by the sword,

declares the Lord GOD.

For I will spread My terror

in the land of the living,

so that Pharaoh and all his multitude

will be laid to rest among the uncircumcised,

with those slain by the sword,

declares the Lord GOD.”

Ezekiel 33

Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

“Son of man, speak to your people and tell them: ‘Suppose I bring the sword against a land, and the people of that land choose a man from among them, appointing him as their watchman,

and he sees the sword coming against that land and blows the ram’s horn to warn the people.

Then if anyone hears the sound of the horn but fails to heed the warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head.

Since he heard the sound of the horn but failed to heed the warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had heeded the warning, he would have saved his life.

But if the watchman sees the sword coming and fails to blow the horn to warn the people, and the sword comes and takes away a life, then that one will be taken away in his iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.’

As for you, O son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word from My mouth and give them the warning from Me.

If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ but you do not speak out to dissuade him from his way, then that wicked man will die in his iniquity, yet I will hold you accountable for his blood.

But if you warn the wicked man to turn from his way, and he does not turn from it, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.

Now as for you, son of man, tell the house of Israel that this is what they have said: ‘Our transgressions and our sins are heavy upon us, and we are wasting away because of them! How can we live?’

Say to them: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’

Therefore, son of man, say to your people: ‘The righteousness of the righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression; neither will the wickedness of the wicked man cause him to stumble on the day he turns from his wickedness. Nor will the righteous man be able to survive by his righteousness on the day he sins.’

If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but he then trusts in his righteousness and commits iniquity, then none of his righteous works will be remembered; he will die because of the iniquity he has committed.

But if I tell the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and he turns from his sin and does what is just and right—

if he restores a pledge, makes restitution for what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without practicing iniquity—then he will surely live; he will not die.

None of the sins he has committed will be held against him. He has done what is just and right; he will surely live.

Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just. If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he will die for it.

But if a wicked man turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live because of this.

Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to his ways, O house of Israel.”

In the twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth day of the tenth month, a fugitive from Jerusalem came to me and reported, “The city has been taken!”

Now the evening before the fugitive arrived, the hand of the LORD was upon me, and He opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer mute.

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

“Son of man, those living in the ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as a possession.’

Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘You eat meat with the blood in it, lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood. Should you then possess the land?

You have relied on your swords, you have committed detestable acts, and each of you has defiled his neighbor’s wife. Should you then possess the land?’

Tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘As surely as I live, those in the ruins will fall by the sword, those in the open field I will give to be devoured by wild animals, and those in the strongholds and caves will die by plague.

I will make the land a desolate waste, and the pride of her strength will come to an end. The mountains of Israel will become desolate, so that no one will pass through.

Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land a desolate waste because of all the abominations they have committed.’

As for you, son of man, your people are talking about you near the city walls and in the doorways of their houses. One speaks to another, each saying to his brother, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the LORD!’

So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest gain.

Indeed, you are to them like a singer of love songs with a beautiful voice, who skillfully plays an instrument. They hear your words but do not put them into practice.

So when it comes to pass—and surely it will come—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

Ezekiel 34

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who only feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed their flock?

You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened sheep, but you do not feed the flock.

You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bound up the injured, brought back the strays, or searched for the lost. Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty.

They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild beasts.

My flock went astray on all the mountains and every high hill. They were scattered over the face of all the earth, with no one to search for them or seek them out.’

Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:

‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, because My flock lacks a shepherd and has become prey and food for every wild beast, and because My shepherds did not search for My flock but fed themselves instead,

therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD!’

This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand from them My flock and remove them from tending the flock, so that they can no longer feed themselves. For I will deliver My flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.’

For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I Myself will search for My flock and seek them out.

As a shepherd looks for his scattered sheep when he is among the flock, so I will look for My flock.

I will rescue them from all the places to which they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.

I will bring them out from the peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them into their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the settlements of the land.

I will feed them in good pasture, and the lofty mountains of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in a good grazing land; they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.

I will tend My flock and make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD.

I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bind up the broken, and strengthen the weak; but the sleek and strong I will destroy. I will shepherd them with justice.’

This is what the Lord GOD says to you, My flock: ‘I will judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and the goats.

Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of the pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink the clear waters? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?

Why must My flock feed on what your feet have trampled, and drink what your feet have muddied?’

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says to them: ‘Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.

Since you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak ones with your horns until you have scattered them abroad,

I will save My flock, and they will no longer be prey. I will judge between one sheep and another.

I will appoint over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them. He will feed them and be their shepherd.

I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David will be a prince among them. I, the LORD, have spoken.

I will make with them a covenant of peace and rid the land of wild animals, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forest.

I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season—showers of blessing.

The trees of the field will give their fruit, and the land will yield its produce; My flock will be secure in their land. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bars of their yoke and delivered them from the hands that enslaved them.

They will no longer be prey for the nations, and the beasts of the earth will not consume them. They will dwell securely, and no one will frighten them.

And I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations.

Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people,’ declares the Lord GOD.

‘You are My flock, the sheep of My pasture, My people, and I am your God,’ declares the Lord GOD.”

Ezekiel 35

Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir and prophesy against it, and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says:

Behold, I am against you,

O Mount Seir.

I will stretch out My hand against you

and make you a desolate waste.

I will turn your cities into ruins,

and you will become a desolation.

Then you will know that I am the LORD.

Because you harbored an ancient hatred and delivered the Israelites over to the sword in the time of their disaster at the final stage of their punishment,

therefore as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will give you over to bloodshed and it will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, it will pursue you.

I will make Mount Seir a desolate waste and will cut off from it those who come and go.

I will fill its mountains with the slain; those killed by the sword will fall on your hills, in your valleys, and in all your ravines.

I will make you a perpetual desolation, and your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

Because you have said, ‘These two nations and countries will be ours, and we will possess them,’ even though the LORD was there,

therefore as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will treat you according to the anger and jealousy you showed in your hatred against them, and I will make Myself known among them when I judge you.

Then you will know that I, the LORD, have heard every contemptuous word you uttered against the mountains of Israel when you said, ‘They are desolate; they are given to us to devour!’

You boasted against Me with your mouth and multiplied your words against Me. I heard it Myself!

This is what the Lord GOD says: While the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate.

As you rejoiced when the inheritance of the house of Israel became desolate, so will I do to you. You will become a desolation, O Mount Seir, and so will all of Edom. Then they will know that I am the LORD.

Psalm 64

Hear, O God, my voice of complaint;

preserve my life from dread of the enemy.

Hide me from the scheming of the wicked,

from the mob of workers of iniquity,

who sharpen their tongues like swords

and aim their bitter words like arrows,

ambushing the innocent in seclusion,

shooting suddenly, without fear.

They hold fast to their evil purpose;

they speak of hiding their snares.

“Who will see them?” they say.

They devise injustice and say,

“We have perfected a secret plan.”

For the inner man and the heart are mysterious.

But God will shoot them with arrows;

suddenly they will be wounded.

They will be made to stumble,

their own tongues turned against them.

All who see will shake their heads.

Then all mankind will fear

and proclaim the work of God;

so they will ponder what He has done.

Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD

and take refuge in Him;

let all the upright in heart exult.

Lots of overlap in today’s reading from the Revelation of John and from Job. The nations are depicted as divine in nature in a couple of ways. God threatens to destroy them because they deserve it. One cannot help but think of modern geopolitics, especially as it involves Lebanon and Egypt. The scriptures are not simple, but they are beautiful and deep. May the Lord bless you as his message brings it all together in Psalm 63, where the Lord’s justice is described and dispensed. Glory to God in the Highest Heaven! They Kingdom come!

Ezekiel 26

In the eleventh month of the twelfth year, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

“Son of man, because Tyre has said of Jerusalem, ‘Aha! The gate to the nations is broken; it has swung open to me; now that she lies in ruins I will be filled,’

therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, O Tyre, I am against you, and I will raise up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves.

They will destroy the walls of Tyre and demolish her towers. I will scrape the soil from her and make her a bare rock.

She will become a place to spread nets in the sea, for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD. She will become plunder for the nations,

and the villages on her mainland will be slain by the sword. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’

For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, with cavalry and a great company of troops.

He will slaughter the villages of your mainland with the sword; he will set up siege works against you, build a ramp to your walls, and raise his shields against you.

He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and tear down your towers with his axes. His multitude of horses will cover you in their dust.

When he enters your gates as an army entering a breached city, your walls will shake from the noise of cavalry, wagons, and chariots.

The hooves of his horses will trample all your streets. He will slaughter your people with the sword, and your mighty pillars will fall to the ground.

They will plunder your wealth and pillage your merchandise. They will demolish your walls, tear down your beautiful homes, and throw your stones and timber and soil into the water.

So I will silence the sound of your songs, and the music of your lyres will no longer be heard.

I will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread the fishing nets. You will never be rebuilt, for I, the LORD, have spoken, declares the Lord GOD.’

This is what the Lord GOD says to Tyre: ‘Will not the coastlands quake at the sound of your downfall, when the wounded groan at the slaughter in your midst?

All the princes of the sea will descend from their thrones, remove their robes, and strip off their embroidered garments. Clothed with terror, they will sit on the ground, trembling every moment, appalled over you.

Then they will lament for you, saying,

“How you have perished, O city of renown

inhabited by seafaring men—

she who was powerful on the sea, along with her people,

who imposed terror on all peoples!

Now the coastlands tremble

on the day of your downfall;

the islands in the sea

are dismayed by your demise.” ’

For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘When I make you a desolate city like other deserted cities, and when I raise up the deep against you so that the mighty waters cover you,

then I will bring you down with those who descend to the Pit, to the people of antiquity. I will make you dwell in the earth below like the ancient ruins, with those who descend to the Pit, so that you will no longer be inhabited or set in splendor in the land of the living.

I will make you an object of horror, and you will be no more. You will be sought, but will never be found,’ declares the Lord GOD.”

Ezekiel 27

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Now you, son of man, take up a lament for Tyre.

Tell Tyre, who dwells at the gateway to the sea, merchant of the peoples on many coasts, that this is what the Lord GOD says:

You have said, O Tyre,

‘I am perfect in beauty.’

Your borders are in the heart of the seas;

your builders perfected your beauty.

They constructed all your planking

with cypress from Senir.

They took a cedar from Lebanon

to make a mast for you.

Of oaks from Bashan

they made your oars;

of wood from the coasts of Cyprus

they made your deck, inlaid with ivory.

Of embroidered fine linen from Egypt

they made your sail,

which served as your banner.

Of blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah

they made your awning.

The men of Sidon and Arvad

were your oarsmen.

Your men of skill, O Tyre,

were there as your captains.

The elders of Gebal were aboard as shipwrights,

repairing your leaks.

All the ships of the sea and their sailors

came alongside to barter for your merchandise.

Men of Persia, Lydia, and Put

served as warriors in your army.

They hung their shields and helmets on your walls;

they gave you splendor.

Men of Arvad and Helech

manned your walls all around,

and the men of Gammad

were in your towers.

They hung their shields around your walls;

they perfected your beauty.

Tarshish was your merchant because of your great wealth of goods; they exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your wares.

Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your merchants. They exchanged slaves and bronze utensils for your merchandise.

The men of Beth-togarmah exchanged horses, war horses, and mules for your wares.

The men of Dedan were your clients; many coastlands were your market; they paid you with ivory tusks and ebony.

Aram was your customer because of your many products; they exchanged turquoise, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies for your wares.

Judah and the land of Israel traded with you; they exchanged wheat from Minnith, cakes and honey, oil and balm for your merchandise.

Because of your many products and your great wealth of goods, Damascus traded with you wine from Helbon, wool from Zahar,

and casks of wine from Izal for your wares. Wrought iron, cassia, and sweet cane were exchanged for your merchandise.

Dedan was your merchant in saddlecloths for riding.

Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your customers, trading in lambs, rams, and goats.

The merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded with you; for your wares they exchanged gold, the finest of all spices, and precious stones.

Haran, Canneh, and Eden traded with you, and so did the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad.

In your marketplace they traded with you fine garments of blue, embroidered work, and multicolored rugs with cords tightly twisted and knotted.

The ships of Tarshish

carried your merchandise.

And you were filled with heavy cargo

in the heart of the sea.

Your oarsmen have brought you

onto the high seas,

but the east wind will shatter you

in the heart of the sea.

Your wealth, wares, and merchandise,

your sailors, captains, and shipwrights,

your merchants and all the warriors within you,

with all the other people on board,

will sink into the heart of the sea

on the day of your downfall.

The countryside will shake

when your sailors cry out.

All who handle the oars

will abandon their ships.

The sailors and all the captains of the sea

will stand on the shore.

They will raise their voices for you

and cry out bitterly.

They will throw dust on their heads

and roll in ashes.

They will shave their heads for you

and wrap themselves in sackcloth.

They will weep over you

with anguish of soul and bitter mourning.

As they wail and mourn over you,

they will take up a lament for you:

‘Who was ever like Tyre,

silenced in the middle of the sea?

When your wares went out to sea,

you satisfied many nations.

You enriched the kings of the earth

with your abundant wealth and merchandise.

Now you are shattered by the seas

in the depths of the waters;

your merchandise and the people among you

have gone down with you.

All the people of the coastlands

are appalled over you.

Their kings shudder with fear;

their faces are contorted.

Those who trade among the nations

hiss at you;

you have come to a horrible end

and will be no more.’ ”

Ezekiel 28

And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre that this is what the Lord GOD says:

Your heart is proud,

and you have said,

‘I am a god;

I sit in the seat of gods

in the heart of the sea.’

Yet you are a man and not a god,

though you have regarded your heart

as that of a god.

Behold, you are wiser than Daniel;

no secret is hidden from you!

By your wisdom and understanding

you have gained your wealth

and amassed gold and silver

for your treasuries.

By your great skill in trading

you have increased your wealth,

but your heart has grown proud

because of it.

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says:

Because you regard your heart

as the heart of a god,

behold, I will bring foreigners against you,

the most ruthless of nations.

They will draw their swords

against the beauty of your wisdom

and will defile your splendor.

They will bring you down to the Pit,

and you will die a violent death

in the heart of the seas.

Will you still say, ‘I am a god,’

in the presence of those who slay you?

You will be only a man, not a god,

in the hands of those who wound you.

You will die the death of the uncircumcised

at the hands of foreigners.

For I have spoken,

declares the Lord GOD.”

Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, take up a lament for the king of Tyre and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says:

‘You were the seal of perfection,

full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

You were in Eden,

the garden of God.

Every kind of precious stone adorned you:

ruby, topaz, and diamond,

beryl, onyx, and jasper,

sapphire, turquoise, and emerald.

Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold,

prepared on the day of your creation.

You were anointed as a guardian cherub,

for I had ordained you.

You were on the holy mountain of God;

you walked among the fiery stones.

From the day you were created

you were blameless in your ways—

until wickedness was found in you.

By the vastness of your trade,

you were filled with violence, and you sinned.

So I drove you in disgrace

from the mountain of God,

and I banished you, O guardian cherub,

from among the fiery stones.

Your heart grew proud of your beauty;

you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor;

so I cast you to the earth;

I made you a spectacle before kings.

By the multitude of your iniquities

and the dishonesty of your trading

you have profaned your sanctuaries.

So I made fire come from within you,

and it consumed you.

I reduced you to ashes on the ground

in the eyes of all who saw you.

All the nations who know you

are appalled over you.

You have come to a horrible end

and will be no more.’ ”

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face against Sidon and prophesy against her. And you are to declare that this is what the Lord GOD says:

‘Behold, I am against you, O Sidon,

and I will be glorified within you.

They will know that I am the LORD

when I execute judgments against her

and demonstrate My holiness through her.

I will send a plague against her

and shed blood in her streets;

the slain will fall within her,

while the sword is against her on every side.

Then they will know that I am the LORD.

For the people of Israel will no longer face a pricking brier or a painful thorn from all around them who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD.’

This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they have been scattered, I will show Myself holy among them in the sight of the nations.

Then they will dwell in their own land, which I have given to My servant Jacob.

And there they will dwell securely, build houses, and plant vineyards. They will dwell securely when I execute judgments against all those around them who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.’ ”

Ezekiel 29

In the tenth year, on the twelfth day of the tenth month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.

Speak to him and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says:

Behold, I am against you,

O Pharaoh king of Egypt,

O great monster who lies

among his rivers,

who says, ‘The Nile is mine;

I made it myself.’

But I will put hooks in your jaws

and cause the fish of your streams

to cling to your scales.

I will haul you up out of your rivers,

and all the fish of your streams

will cling to your scales.

I will leave you in the desert,

you and all the fish of your streams.

You will fall on the open field

and will not be taken away

or gathered for burial.

I have given you as food

to the beasts of the earth

and the birds of the air.

Then all the people of Egypt

will know that I am the LORD.

For you were only a staff of reeds

to the house of Israel.

When Israel took hold of you with their hands,

you splintered, tearing all their shoulders;

when they leaned on you,

you broke, and their backs were wrenched.

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I will bring a sword against you and cut off from you man and beast.

The land of Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the LORD.

Because you said, ‘The Nile is mine; I made it,’

therefore I am against you and against your rivers. I will turn the land of Egypt into a ruin, a desolate wasteland from Migdol to Syene, and as far as the border of Cush.

No foot of man or beast will pass through, and it will be uninhabited for forty years.

I will make the land of Egypt a desolation among desolate lands, and her cities will lie desolate for forty years among the ruined cities. And I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them throughout the countries.

For this is what the Lord GOD says: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the nations to which they were scattered.

I will restore Egypt from captivity and bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land of their origin. There they will be a lowly kingdom.

Egypt will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself above the nations. For I will diminish Egypt so that it will never again rule over the nations.

Egypt will never again be an object of trust for the house of Israel, but will remind them of their iniquity in turning to the Egyptians. Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD.”

In the twenty-seventh year, on the first day of the first month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

“Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to labor strenuously against Tyre. Every head was made bald and every shoulder made raw. But he and his army received no wages from Tyre for the labor they expended on it.

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will carry off its wealth, seize its spoil, and remove its plunder. This will be the wages for his army.

I have given him the land of Egypt as the reward for his labor, because it was done for Me, declares the Lord GOD.

In that day I will cause a horn to sprout for the house of Israel, and I will open your mouth to speak among them. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

Ezekiel 30

Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, prophesy and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says:

Wail, ‘Alas

for that day!’

For the day is near,

the Day of the LORD is near.

It will be a day of clouds,

a time of doom for the nations.

A sword will come against Egypt,

and there will be anguish in Cush

when the slain fall in Egypt,

its wealth is taken away,

and its foundations are torn down.

Cush, Put, and Lud,

and all the various peoples,

as well as Libya and the men of the covenant land,

will fall with Egypt by the sword.

For this is what the LORD says:

The allies of Egypt will fall,

and her proud strength will collapse.

From Migdol to Syene

they will fall by the sword within her,

declares the Lord GOD.

They will be desolate among desolate lands,

and their cities will lie among ruined cities.

Then they will know that I am the LORD

when I set fire to Egypt

and all her helpers are shattered.

On that day messengers will go out from Me in ships to frighten Cush out of complacency. Anguish will come upon them on the day of Egypt’s doom. For it is indeed coming.

This is what the Lord GOD says:

I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt

by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

He and his people with him,

the most ruthless of the nations,

will be brought in to destroy the land.

They will draw their swords against Egypt

and fill the land with the slain.

I will make the streams dry up

and sell the land to the wicked.

By the hands of foreigners I will bring desolation

upon the land and everything in it.

I, the LORD, have spoken.

This is what the Lord GOD says:

I will destroy the idols

and put an end to the images in Memphis.

There will no longer be a prince in Egypt,

and I will instill fear in that land.

I will lay waste Pathros,

set fire to Zoan,

and execute judgment on Thebes.

I will pour out My wrath on Pelusium,

the stronghold of Egypt,

and cut off the crowds of Thebes.

I will set fire to Egypt,

Pelusium will writhe in anguish,

Thebes will be split open,

and Memphis will face daily distress.

The young men of On and Pi-beseth

will fall by the sword,

and those cities will go into captivity.

The day will be darkened in Tahpanhes

when I break the yoke of Egypt

and her proud strength comes to an end.

A cloud will cover her,

and her daughters will go into captivity.

So I will execute judgment on Egypt,

and they will know that I am the LORD.”

In the eleventh year, on the seventh day of the first month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

“Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. See, it has not been bound up for healing, or splinted for strength to hold the sword.

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt. I will break his arms, both the strong one and the one already broken, and will make the sword fall from his hand.

I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands.

I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king and place My sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, who will groan before him like a mortally wounded man.

I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king, but Pharaoh’s arms will fall limp.

Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I place My sword in the hand of Babylon’s king, and he wields it against the land of Egypt.

I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

Psalm 63

O God, You are my God.

Earnestly I seek You;

my soul thirsts for You.

My body yearns for You

in a dry and weary land without water.

So I have seen You in the sanctuary

and beheld Your power and glory.

Because Your loving devotion is better than life,

my lips will glorify You.

So I will bless You as long as I live;

in Your name I will lift my hands.

My soul is satisfied as with the richest of foods;

with joyful lips my mouth will praise You.

When I remember You on my bed,

I think of You through the watches of the night.

For You are my help;

I will sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings.

My soul clings to You;

Your right hand upholds me.

But those who seek my life to destroy it

will go into the depths of the earth.

They will fall to the power of the sword;

they will become a portion for foxes.

But the king will rejoice in God;

all who swear by Him will exult,

for the mouths of liars will be shut.

Blow a trumpet in Zion,And make a loud shout on My holy mountain!Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,For the day of Yahweh is coming;Surely it is near,2 A day of darkness and thick darkness,A day of clouds and dense gloom.As the dawn is spread over the mountains,So there is a numerous and mighty people;There has never been anything like it,Nor will there be again after itFor the years from generation to generation.3 A fire consumes before them,And behind them a flame burns.The land is like the garden of Eden before themBut a desolate wilderness behind them,And nothing at all escapes them.4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses;And like war horses, so they run.5 [a]With a noise as of chariotsThey leap on the tops of the mountains,Like the [b]crackling of a flame of fire consumes the stubble,Like a mighty people arranged for battle.6 Before them the peoples are writhing;All faces [c]turn pale.7 They run like mighty men;They climb up the wall like men of war;And they each march [d]in line,And they do not deviate from their paths.8 They do not crowd each other;They march everyone in his path;When they fall against the defending weapons,They do not break ranks.9 They rush on the city;They run on the wall;They climb up into the houses;They enter through the windows like a thief.10 Before them the earth trembles;The heavens quake;The sun and the moon grow dark,And the stars [e]lose their brightness.11 But Yahweh gives forth His voice before His military force;Surely His camp is very numerous,For mighty is he who does His word.The day of Yahweh is indeed great and very awesome,And who can endure it?

12 “Yet even now,” declares Yahweh,“Return to Me with all your heartAnd with fasting, weeping, and [f]wailing;13 And tear your heart and not your garments.”Now return to Yahweh your God,For He is gracious and compassionate,Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness,And relenting concerning evil.14 Who knows whether He will not turn and relentAnd leave a blessing behind Him,Even a grain offering and a drink offeringFor Yahweh your God?

Joel 2:1-14 (LSB)

This week is the final installment of our series on the doctrine of repentance. We are covering the concept of turning from sin.

Ezekiel is pretty much rated ‘R.’ There isn’t really any way around it. The worldview is very much in full recognition of how cruel the ancient world was, by our standards, with women who were unfaithful to righteous men. The Lord is rightly aggrieved with our unfaithfulness. There is punishment for this. In general, we understand this. When it is applied to a romantic and sexual relationship, things get a bit different for us, especially when the violence is done to the female. It is important for us to categorically reject violence in our relationships even while acknowledging that we very much still deserve terrible punishment for our unfaithfulness. Because God has forgiven our trespasses, then we must mirror such grace in our relationships. We must show mercy as we hope our Father in heaven will be merciful to us. These are deep things. I don’t let my kids read Ezekiel yet. As I recall, Jewish children aren’t allowed to read it until their 12th birthday. Some wisdom is too deep for the immature. If you are an immature believer, you might consider going back and listening to a different episode of this series.

Ezekiel 21

And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel

and tell her that this is what the LORD says: ‘I am against you, and I will draw My sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked.

Because I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked, My sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north.

Then all flesh will know that I, the LORD, have taken My sword from its sheath, not to return it again.’

But you, son of man, groan! Groan before their eyes with a broken heart and bitter grief.

And when they ask, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you are to say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt, and every hand will go limp. Every spirit will faint, and every knee will turn to water.’ Yes, it is coming and it will surely happen, declares the Lord GOD.”

Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord says:

‘A sword, a sword,

sharpened and polished—

it is sharpened for the slaughter,

polished to flash like lightning!

Should we rejoice in the scepter of My son?

The sword despises every such stick.

The sword is appointed to be polished,

to be grasped in the hand.

It is sharpened and polished,

to be placed in the hand of the slayer.

Cry out and wail,

O son of man,

for the sword is wielded against My people;

it is against all the princes of Israel!

They are tossed to the sword with My people;

therefore strike your thigh.

Surely testing will come!

And what if even the scepter,

which the sword despises,

does not continue?’

declares the Lord GOD.

‘So then, son of man,

prophesy and strike your hands together.

Let the sword strike two times,

even three.

It is a sword that slays,

a sword of great slaughter

closing in on every side!

So that their hearts may melt

and many may stumble,

I have appointed at all their gates

a sword for slaughter.

Yes, it is ready to flash like lightning;

it is drawn for slaughter.

Slash to the right;

set your blade to the left—

wherever your blade is directed.

I too will strike My hands together,

and I will satisfy My wrath.’

I, the LORD, have spoken.”

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

“Now you, son of man, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take, both starting from the same land. And make a signpost where the road branches off to each city.

Mark out one road for the sword to come against Rabbah of the Ammonites, and another against Judah into fortified Jerusalem.

For the king of Babylon stands at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He shakes the arrows, he consults the idols, he examines the liver.

In his right hand appears the portent for Jerusalem, where he is to set up battering rams, to call for the slaughter, to lift a battle cry, to direct the battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp, and to erect a siege wall.

It will seem like a false omen to the eyes of those who have sworn allegiance to him, but it will draw attention to their guilt and take them captive.

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you have drawn attention to your guilt, exposing your transgressions, so that your sins are revealed in all your deeds—because you have come to remembrance—you shall be taken in hand.

And you, O profane and wicked prince of Israel,

the day has come for your final punishment.’

This is what the Lord GOD says:

‘Remove the turban,

and take off the crown.

Things will not remain as they are:

Exalt the lowly

and bring low the exalted.

A ruin, a ruin,

I will make it a ruin!

And it will not be restored

until the arrival of Him to whom it belongs,

to whom I have assigned the right of judgment.’

Now prophesy, son of man, and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says concerning the Ammonites and their contempt:

‘A sword! A sword

is drawn for slaughter,

polished to consume,

to flash like lightning—

while they offer false visions for you

and lying divinations about you—

to be placed on the necks

of the wicked who are slain,

whose day has come,

the time of their final punishment.

Return the sword to its sheath!

In the place where you were created,

in the land of your origin,

I will judge you.

I will pour out My anger upon you;

I will breathe the fire of My fury against you;

I will hand you over to brutal men,

skilled in destruction.

You will be fuel for the fire.

Your blood will stain your own land.

You will not be remembered,

for I, the LORD, have spoken.’ ”

Ezekiel 22

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “As for you, son of man, will you judge her? Will you pass judgment on the city of bloodshed? Then confront her with all her abominations

and tell her that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘O city who brings her own doom by shedding blood within her walls and making idols to defile herself,

you are guilty of the blood you have shed, and you are defiled by the idols you have made. You have brought your days to a close and have come to the end of your years. Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations and a mockery to all the lands.

Those near and far will mock you, O infamous city, full of turmoil.

See how every prince of Israel within you has used his power to shed blood.

Father and mother are treated with contempt. Within your walls the foreign resident is exploited, the fatherless and the widow are oppressed.

You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths.

Among you are slanderous men bent on bloodshed; within you are those who eat on the mountain shrines and commit acts of indecency.

In you they have uncovered the nakedness of their fathers; in you they violate women during their menstrual impurity.

One man commits an abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another wickedly defiles his daughter-in-law; and yet another violates his sister, his own father’s daughter.

In you they take bribes to shed blood. You engage in usury, take excess interest, and extort your neighbors. But Me you have forgotten, declares the Lord GOD.

Now look, I strike My hands together against your unjust gain and against the blood you have shed in your midst.

Will your courage endure or your hands be strong in the day I deal with you? I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will act.

I will disperse you among the nations and scatter you throughout the lands; I will purge your uncleanness.

And when you have defiled yourself in the eyes of the nations, then you will know that I am the LORD.’ ”

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

“Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me. All of them are copper, tin, iron, and lead inside the furnace; they are but the dross of silver.

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because all of you have become dross, behold, I will gather you into Jerusalem.

Just as one gathers silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into the furnace to melt with a fiery blast, so I will gather you in My anger and wrath, leave you there, and melt you.

Yes, I will gather you together and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you will be melted within the city.

As silver is melted in a furnace, so you will be melted within the city. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have poured out My wrath upon you.’ ”

And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, say to her, ‘In the day of indignation, you are a land that has not been cleansed, upon which no rain has fallen.’

The conspiracy of the princes in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing its prey. They devour the people, seize the treasures and precious things, and multiply the widows within her.

Her priests do violence to My law and profane My holy things. They make no distinction between the holy and the common, and they fail to distinguish between the clean and the unclean. They disregard My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.

Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives for dishonest gain.

Her prophets whitewash these deeds by false visions and lying divinations, saying, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says,’ when the LORD has not spoken.

The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy and have exploited the foreign resident without justice.

I searched for a man among them to repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, so that I should not destroy it. But I found no one.

So I have poured out My indignation upon them and consumed them with the fire of My fury. I have brought their ways down upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD.”

Ezekiel 23

Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother,

and they played in Egypt, prostituting themselves from their youth. Their breasts were fondled there, and their virgin bosoms caressed.

The older was named Oholah, and her sister was named Oholibah. They became Mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. As for their identities, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.

Oholah prostituted herself while she was still Mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians—warriors

clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all desirable young men, horsemen mounted on steeds.

She offered sexual favors to all the elite of Assyria. She defiled herself with all the idols of those for whom she lusted.

She did not give up the prostitution she began in Egypt, when men slept with her in her youth, caressed her virgin bosom, and poured out their lust upon her.

Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, the Assyrians for whom she lusted.

They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and put her to the sword. Thus she became a byword among women, and they executed judgment against her.

Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister.

She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors dressed in splendor, horsemen riding on steeds, all desirable young men.

And I saw that she too had defiled herself; both of them had taken the same path.

But Oholibah carried her prostitution even further. She saw the men portrayed on the wall, images of the Chaldeans, engraved in vermilion,

wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like officers of the Babylonians in Chaldea, the land of their birth.

At the sight of them, she lusted for them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.

Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. But after she had been defiled by them, she turned away in disgust.

When Oholibah openly prostituted herself and exposed her nakedness, I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister.

Yet she multiplied her promiscuity, remembering the days of her youth, when she had prostituted herself in the land of Egypt

and lusted after their lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of stallions.

So you revisited the indecency of your youth, when the Egyptians caressed your bosom and pressed your young breasts.

Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will incite your lovers against you, those from whom you turned away in disgust. And I will bring them against you from every side—

the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, the men of Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them—all desirable young men, governors and commanders, officers and men of renown, mounted on horses.

They will come against you with a host of peoples, with weapons, chariots, and wagons. They will array themselves against you on every side with buckler and shield and helmet. I will delegate judgment to them, and they will punish you according to their own standards.

And I will set My jealous rage against you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will cut off your noses and ears, and your survivors will fall by the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and your remnant will be consumed by fire.

They will strip off your clothes and take your fine jewelry.

So I will put an end to your indecency and prostitution, which began in the land of Egypt, and you will not lift your eyes to them or remember Egypt anymore.’

For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Surely I will deliver you into the hands of those you hate, from whom you turned away in disgust.

They will treat you with hatred, take all for which you have worked, and leave you naked and bare, so that the shame of your prostitution will be exposed. Your indecency and promiscuity

have brought these things upon you, because you have prostituted yourself with the nations and defiled yourself with their idols.

Because you have followed the path of your sister, I will put her cup into your hand.’

This is what the Lord GOD says:

‘You will drink your sister’s cup,

a cup deep and wide.

It will bring scorn and derision,

for it holds so much.

You will be filled with drunkenness and grief,

with a cup of devastation and desolation,

the cup of your sister Samaria.

You will drink it and drain it;

you will dash it to pieces,

and tear your breasts.

For I have spoken,’

declares the Lord GOD.

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you have forgotten Me and have cast Me behind your back, you must bear the consequences of your indecency and prostitution.’ ”

Then the LORD said to me: “Son of man, will you pass judgment against Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations.

For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols. They have even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to Me, in the fire as food for their idols.

They have also done this to Me: On that very same day, they defiled My sanctuary and profaned My Sabbaths.

On the very day they slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered My sanctuary to profane it. Yes, they did this inside My house.

Furthermore, you sisters sent messengers for men who came from afar; and behold, when they arrived, you bathed for them, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with jewelry.

You sat on a couch of luxury with a table spread before it, on which you had set My incense and My oil,

accompanied by the sound of a carefree crowd. Drunkards were brought in from the desert along with men from the rabble, who put bracelets on your wrists and beautiful crowns on your head.

Then I said of her who had grown old in adulteries: ‘Now let them use her as a prostitute, for that is all she is!’

And they slept with her as with a prostitute; they slept with Oholah and Oholibah, those lewd women.

But righteous men will sentence them to the punishment of those who commit adultery and bloodshed, because they are adulteresses with blood on their hands.

This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Bring a mob against them and consign them to terror and plunder.

The mob will stone them and cut them down with their swords. They will kill their sons and daughters and burn down their houses.

So I will put an end to indecency in the land, and all the women will be admonished not to imitate your behavior.

They will repay you for your indecency, and you will bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Lord GOD.’ ”

Ezekiel 24

In the ninth year, on the tenth day of the tenth month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, write down today’s date, for on this very day the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem.

Now speak a parable to this rebellious house and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says:

‘Put the pot on the fire;

put it on and pour in the water.

Put in the pieces of meat,

every good piece—

thigh and shoulder—

fill it with choice bones.

Take the choicest of the flock

and pile the fuel beneath it.

Bring it to a boil

and cook the bones in it.’

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says:

‘Woe to the city of bloodshed,

to the pot now rusted,

whose rust will not come off!

Empty it piece by piece;

cast no lots for its contents.

For the blood she shed is still within her;

she poured it out on the bare rock;

she did not pour it on the ground

to cover it with dust.

In order to stir up wrath

and take vengeance,

I have placed her blood on the bare rock,

so that it would not be covered.’

Yes, this is what the Lord GOD says:

‘Woe to the city of bloodshed!

I, too, will pile the kindling high.

Pile on the logs and kindle the fire;

cook the meat well

and mix in the spices;

let the bones be burned.

Set the empty pot on its coals

until it becomes hot and its copper glows.

Then its impurity will melt within;

its rust will be consumed.

It has frustrated every effort;

its thick rust has not been removed,

even by the fire.

Because of the indecency of your uncleanness

I tried to cleanse you,

but you would not be purified

from your filthiness.

You will not be pure again

until My wrath against you has subsided.

I, the LORD, have spoken;

the time is coming, and I will act.

I will not refrain or show pity,

nor will I relent.

I will judge you

according to your ways and deeds,’

declares the Lord GOD.”

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

“Son of man, behold, I am about to take away the desire of your eyes with a fatal blow. But you must not mourn or weep or let your tears flow.

Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Put on your turban and strap your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips or eat the bread of mourners.”

So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. And the next morning I did as I had been commanded.

Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things you are doing mean to us?”

So I answered them, “The word of the LORD came to me, saying:

Tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I am about to desecrate My sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and the delight of your soul. And the sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword.’

Then you will do as I have done: You will not cover your lips or eat the bread of mourners.

Your turbans will remain on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep, but you will waste away because of your sins, and you will groan among yourselves.

‘Thus Ezekiel will be a sign for you; you will do everything that he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Lord GOD.’

And you, son of man, know that on the day I take away their stronghold, their pride and joy—the desire of their eyes which uplifted their souls—and their sons and daughters as well,

on that day a fugitive will come and tell you the news.

On that day your mouth will be opened to him who has escaped; you will speak and no longer be mute. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the LORD.”

Ezekiel 25

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites and prophesy against them.

Tell the Ammonites to hear the word of the Lord GOD, for this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you exclaimed, “Aha!” when My sanctuary was profaned, when the land of Israel was laid waste, and when the house of Judah went into exile,

therefore I will indeed give you as a possession to the people of the East. They will set up their camps and pitch their tents among you. They will eat your fruit and drink your milk.

I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels, and Ammon a resting place for sheep. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’

For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you clapped your hands and stomped your feet and rejoiced over the land of Israel with a heart full of contempt,

therefore I will indeed stretch out My hand against you and give you as plunder to the nations. I will cut you off from the peoples and exterminate you from the countries. I will destroy you, and you will know that I am the LORD.’

This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because Moab and Seir said, “Look, the house of Judah is like all the other nations,”

therefore I will indeed expose the flank of Moab beginning with its frontier cities—Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim—the glory of the land.

I will give it along with the Ammonites as a possession to the people of the East, so that the Ammonites will no longer be remembered among the nations.

So I will execute judgments on Moab, and they will know that I am the LORD.’

This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because Edom acted vengefully against the house of Judah, and in so doing incurred grievous guilt,

therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I will stretch out My hand against Edom and cut off from it both man and beast. I will make it a wasteland, and from Teman to Dedan they will fall by the sword.

I will take My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, and they will deal with Edom according to My anger and wrath. Then they will know My vengeance, declares the Lord GOD.’

This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because the Philistines acted in vengeance, taking vengeance with malice of soul to destroy Judah with ancient hostility,

therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant along the coast.

I will execute great vengeance against them with furious reproof. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I lay My vengeance upon them.’ ”

Proverbs 30

These are the words of Agur son of Jakeh—the burden that this man declared to Ithiel:

“I am weary, O God,

and worn out.

Surely I am the most ignorant of men,

and I lack the understanding of a man.

I have not learned wisdom,

and I have no knowledge of the Holy One.

Who has ascended to heaven and come down?

Who has gathered the wind in His hands?

Who has bound up the waters in His cloak?

Who has established all the ends of the earth?

What is His name, and what is the name of His Son—

surely you know!

Every word of God is flawless;

He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

Do not add to His words,

lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar.

Two things I ask of You—

do not refuse me before I die:

Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me.

Give me neither poverty nor riches;

feed me with the bread that is my portion.

Otherwise, I may have too much

and deny You, saying, ‘Who is the LORD?’

Or I may become poor and steal,

profaning the name of my God.

Do not slander a servant to his master,

or he will curse you, and you will bear the guilt.

There is a generation of those who curse their fathers

and do not bless their mothers.

There is a generation of those who are pure in their own eyes

and yet unwashed of their filth.

There is a generation—how haughty are their eyes

and pretentious are their glances—

there is a generation whose teeth are swords

and whose jaws are knives,

devouring the oppressed from the earth

and the needy from among men.

The leech has two daughters:

Give and Give.

There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’:

Sheol,

the barren womb,

land never satisfied with water,

and fire that never says, ‘Enough!’

As for the eye that mocks a father

and scorns obedience to a mother,

may the ravens of the valley pluck it out

and young vultures devour it.

There are three things too wonderful for me, four that I cannot understand:

the way of an eagle in the sky,

the way of a snake on a rock,

the way of a ship at sea,

and the way of a man with a maiden.

This is the way of an adulteress:

She eats and wipes her mouth

and says, ‘I have done nothing wrong.’

Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up:

a servant who becomes king,

a fool who is filled with food,

an unloved woman who marries,

and a maidservant who supplants her mistress.

Four things on earth are small, yet they are exceedingly wise:

The ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;

the rock badgers are creatures of little power, yet they make their homes in the rocks;

the locusts have no king, yet they all advance in formation;

and the lizard can be caught in one’s hands, yet it is found in the palaces of kings.

There are three things that are stately in their stride, and four that are impressive in their walk:

a lion, mighty among beasts, refusing to retreat before anything;

a strutting rooster;

a he-goat;

and a king with his army around him.

If you have foolishly exalted yourself

or if you have plotted evil,

put your hand over your mouth.

For as the churning of milk yields butter,

and the twisting of the nose draws blood,

so the stirring of anger brings forth strife.”

Do generational curses exist? Are children ever punished for the sins of the parents? How is a daughter like her mother and sisters? How can a man leave his father’s sin behind? Can God’s justice be satisfied if we repent of our evil? Or do our good and righteous deeds matter if one day we fall off the wagon?

These are the topics of Ezekiel’s message today. Come to the Rock. Remember the Word is the hammer that smashes apart everything else. All we are left with afterwards is the truth, which is good.

Ezekiel 16

Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her abominations

and tell her that this is what the Lord GOD says to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth were in the land of the Canaanites. Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.

On the day of your birth your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing. You were not rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths.

No one cared enough for you to do even one of these things out of compassion for you. Instead, you were thrown out into the open field, because you were despised on the day of your birth.

Then I passed by and saw you wallowing in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, ‘Live!’ There I said to you, ‘Live!’

I made you thrive like a plant of the field. You grew up and matured and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed and your hair grew, but you were naked and bare.

Then I passed by and saw you, and you were indeed old enough for love. So I spread My cloak over you and covered your nakedness. I pledged Myself to you, entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine, declares the Lord GOD.

Then I bathed you with water, rinsed off your blood, and anointed you with oil.

I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk.

I adorned you with jewelry, and I put bracelets on your wrists and a chain around your neck. I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head.

So you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was made of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey, and oil. You became very beautiful and rose to be queen.

Your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect in the splendor I bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD.

But because of your fame, you trusted in your beauty and played the harlot. You lavished your favors on everyone who passed by, and your beauty was theirs for the asking.

You took some of your garments and made colorful high places for yourself, and on them you prostituted yourself. Such things should not have happened; never should they have occurred!

You also took the fine jewelry of gold and silver I had given you, and you made male idols with which to prostitute yourself.

You took your embroidered garments to cover them, and you set My oil and incense before them.

And you set before them as a pleasing aroma the food I had given you—the fine flour, oil, and honey that I had fed you. That is what happened, declares the Lord GOD.

You even took the sons and daughters you bore to Me and sacrificed them as food to idols. Was your prostitution not enough?

You slaughtered My children and delivered them up through the fire to idols.

And in all your abominations and acts of prostitution, you did not remember the days of your youth when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your own blood.

Woe! Woe to you, declares the Lord GOD. And in addition to all your other wickedness, you built yourself a mound and made yourself a lofty shrine in every public square.

At the head of every street you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty. With increasing promiscuity, you spread your legs to all who passed by.

You prostituted yourself with your lustful neighbors, the Egyptians, and increased your promiscuity to provoke Me to anger.

Therefore I stretched out My hand against you and reduced your portion. I gave you over to the desire of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd conduct.

Then you prostituted yourself with the Assyrians, because you were not yet satisfied. Even after that, you were still not satisfied.

So you extended your promiscuity to Chaldea, the land of merchants—but even with this you were not satisfied!

How weak-willed is your heart, declares the Lord GOD, while you do all these things, the acts of a shameless prostitute!

But when you built your mounds at the head of every street and made your lofty shrines in every public square, you were not even like a prostitute, because you scorned payment.

You adulterous wife! You receive strangers instead of your own husband!

Men give gifts to all their prostitutes, but you gave gifts to all your lovers. You bribed them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors.

So your prostitution is the opposite of that of other women: No one solicited your favors, and you paid a fee instead of receiving one; so you are the very opposite!

Therefore, O prostitute, hear the word of the LORD!

This is what the Lord GOD says: Because you poured out your wealth and exposed your nakedness in your promiscuity with your lovers and with all your detestable idols, and because of the blood of your children which you gave to them,

therefore I will surely gather all the lovers with whom you found pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and expose you before them, and they will see you completely naked.

And I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and those who shed blood; so I will bring upon you the wrath of your bloodshed and jealousy.

Then I will deliver you into the hands of your lovers, and they will level your mounds and tear down your lofty shrines. They will strip off your clothes, take your fine jewelry, and leave you naked and bare.

They will bring a mob against you, who will stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords.

Then they will burn down your houses and execute judgment against you in the sight of many women.

I will put an end to your prostitution, and you will never again pay your lovers.

So I will lay to rest My wrath against you, and My jealousy will turn away from you. Then I will be calm and no longer angry.

Because you did not remember the days of your youth, but enraged Me with all these things, I will surely bring your deeds down upon your own head, declares the Lord GOD. Have you not committed this lewdness on top of all your other abominations?

Behold, all who speak in proverbs will quote this proverb about you:

‘Like mother, like daughter.’

You are the daughter of your mother, who despised her husband and children. You are the sister of your sisters, who despised their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.

Your older sister was Samaria, who lived with her daughters to your north; and your younger sister was Sodom, who lived with her daughters to your south.

And you not only walked in their ways and practiced their abominations, but soon you were more depraved than they were.

As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did as you and your daughters have done.

Now this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed, and complacent; they did not help the poor and needy.

Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them, as you have seen.

Furthermore, Samaria did not commit half the sins you did. You have multiplied your abominations beyond theirs, and all the abominations you have committed have made your sisters appear righteous.

So now you must bear your disgrace, since you have brought justification for your sisters. For they appear more righteous than you, because your sins were more vile than theirs. So you too must bear your shame and disgrace, since you have made your sisters appear righteous.

But I will restore Sodom and her daughters from captivity, as well as Samaria and her daughters. And I will restore you along with them.

So you will bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you did to comfort them.

And your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to their former state. You and your daughters will also return to your former state.

Did you not treat your sister Sodom as an object of scorn in the day of your pride,

before your wickedness was uncovered? Even so, you are now scorned by the daughters of Edom and all those around her, and by the daughters of the Philistines—all those around you who despise you.

You will bear the consequences of your lewdness and your abominations, declares the LORD.

For this is what the Lord GOD says: I will deal with you according to your deeds, since you have despised the oath by breaking the covenant.

But I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.

Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your older and younger sisters. I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of My covenant with you.

So I will establish My covenant with you, and you will know that I am the LORD,

so that when I make atonement for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth because of your disgrace, declares the Lord GOD.”

Ezekiel 17

Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, pose a riddle; speak a parable to the house of Israel and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says:

‘A great eagle with great wings and long pinions,

full of feathers of many colors,

came to Lebanon

and took away the top of the cedar.

He plucked off its topmost shoot,

carried it to the land of merchants,

and planted it in a city of traders.

He took some of the seed of the land

and planted it in fertile soil;

he placed it by abundant waters

and set it out like a willow.

It sprouted and became a spreading vine,

low in height, with branches turned toward him;

yet its roots remained where it stood.

So it became a vine and yielded branches

and sent out shoots.

But there was another great eagle

with great wings and many feathers.

And behold, this vine bent its roots toward him.

It stretched out its branches to him from its planting bed,

so that he might water it.

It had been planted in good soil

by abundant waters

in order to yield branches and bear fruit

and become a splendid vine.’

So you are to tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says:

‘Will it flourish?

Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit

so that it shrivels?

All its foliage will wither!

It will not take a strong arm or many people

to pull it up by its roots.

Even if it is transplanted,

will it flourish?

Will it not completely wither when the east wind strikes?

It will wither on the bed where it sprouted.’ ”

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Now say to this rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’

Tell them, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, carried off its king and officials, and brought them back with him to Babylon.

He took a member of the royal family and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. Then he carried away the leading men of the land,

so that the kingdom would be brought low, unable to lift itself up, surviving only by keeping his covenant.

But this king rebelled against Babylon by sending his envoys to Egypt to ask for horses and a large army. Will he flourish? Will the one who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and yet escape?’

‘As surely as I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘he will die in Babylon, in the land of the king who enthroned him, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke.

Pharaoh with his mighty army and vast horde will not help him in battle, when ramps are built and siege walls constructed to destroy many lives.

He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Seeing that he gave his hand in pledge yet did all these things, he will not escape!’

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘As surely as I live, I will bring down upon his head My oath that he despised and My covenant that he broke.

I will spread My net over him and catch him in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment upon him there for the treason he committed against Me.

All his choice troops will fall by the sword, and those who survive will be scattered to every wind. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken.’

This is what the Lord GOD says:

‘I will take a shoot from the lofty top of the cedar,

and I will set it out.

I will pluck a tender sprig from its topmost shoots,

and I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.

I will plant it on the mountain heights of Israel

so that it will bear branches;

it will yield fruit

and become a majestic cedar.

Birds of every kind will nest under it,

taking shelter in the shade of its branches.

Then all the trees of the field will know

that I am the LORD.

I bring the tall tree down

and make the low tree tall.

I dry up the green tree

and make the withered tree flourish.

I, the LORD, have spoken,

and I have done it.’ ”

Ezekiel 18

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel:

‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,

and the teeth of the children are set on edge’?

As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel.

Behold, every soul belongs to Me; both father and son are Mine. The soul who sins is the one who will die.

Now suppose a man is righteous and does what is just and right:

He does not eat at the mountain

or look to the idols of the house of Israel.

He does not defile his neighbor’s wife

or approach a woman during her period.

He does not oppress another,

but restores the pledge to the debtor.

He does not commit robbery,

but gives his bread to the hungry

and covers the naked with clothing.

He does not engage in usury

or take excess interest,

but he withholds his hand from iniquity

and executes true justice between men.

He follows My statutes

and faithfully keeps My ordinances.

That man is righteous;

surely he will live,

declares the Lord GOD.

Now suppose that man has a violent son, who sheds blood or does any of these things, though the father has done none of them:

Indeed, the son eats at the mountain

and defiles his neighbor’s wife.

He oppresses the poor and needy;

he commits robbery

and does not restore a pledge.

He lifts his eyes to idols;

he commits abominations.

He engages in usury

and takes excess interest.

Will this son live? He will not! Since he has committed all these abominations, he will surely die; his blood will be on his own head.

Now suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father has committed, considers them, and does not do likewise:

He does not eat at the mountain

or look to the idols of the house of Israel.

He does not defile his neighbor’s wife.

He does not oppress another,

or retain a pledge, or commit robbery.

He gives his bread to the hungry

and covers the naked with clothing.

He withholds his hand from harming the poor

and takes no interest or usury.

He keeps My ordinances

and follows My statutes.

Such a man will not die for his father’s iniquity. He will surely live.

As for his father, he will die for his own iniquity, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what was wrong among his people.

Yet you may ask, ‘Why shouldn’t the son bear the iniquity of his father?’

Since the son has done what is just and right, carefully observing all My statutes, he will surely live.

The soul who sins is the one who will die. A son will not bear the iniquity of his father, and a father will not bear the iniquity of his son. The righteousness of the righteous man will fall upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked man will fall upon him.

But if the wicked man turns from all the sins he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die.

None of the transgressions he has committed will be held against him. Because of the righteousness he has practiced, he will live.

Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord GOD. Wouldn’t I prefer that he turn from his ways and live?

But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, committing the same abominations as the wicked, will he live? None of the righteous acts he did will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness and sin he has committed, he will die.

Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’

Hear now, O house of Israel: Is it My way that is unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust?

If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, he will die for this. He will die because of the iniquity he has committed.

But if a wicked man turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life.

Because he considered and turned from all the transgressions he had committed, he will surely live; he will not die.

Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’

Are My ways unjust, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?

Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that your iniquity will not become your downfall.

Cast away from yourselves all the transgressions you have committed, and fashion for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel?

For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death, declares the Lord GOD. So repent and live!

Ezekiel 19

“As for you, take up a lament for the princes of Israel and say:

‘What was your mother?

A lioness among the lions!

She lay down among the young lions;

she reared her cubs.

She brought up one of her cubs,

and he became a young lion.

After learning to tear his prey,

he devoured men.

When the nations heard of him,

he was trapped in their pit.

With hooks they led him away

to the land of Egypt.

When she saw that she had waited in vain,

that her hope was lost,

she took another of her cubs

and made him a young lion.

He prowled among the lions,

and became a young lion.

After learning to tear his prey,

he devoured men.

He broke down their strongholds

and devastated their cities.

The land and everything in it

shuddered at the sound of his roaring.

Then the nations set out against him

from the provinces on every side.

They spread their net over him;

he was trapped in their pit.

With hooks they caged him

and brought him to the king of Babylon.

They brought him into captivity

so that his roar was heard no longer

on the mountains of Israel.

Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard,

planted by the water;

it was fruitful and full of branches

because of the abundant waters.

It had strong branches, fit for a ruler’s scepter.

It towered high above the thick branches,

conspicuous for its height

and for its dense foliage.

But it was uprooted in fury,

cast down to the ground,

and the east wind dried up its fruit.

Its strong branches were stripped off

and they withered;

the fire consumed them.

Now it is planted in the wilderness,

in a dry and thirsty land.

Fire has gone out from its main branch

and devoured its fruit;

on it no strong branch remains

fit for a ruler’s scepter.’

This is a lament and shall be used as a lament.”

Ezekiel 20

In the seventh year, on the tenth day of the fifth month, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and they sat down before me.

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: Have you come to inquire of Me? As surely as I live, I will not be consulted by you, declares the Lord GOD.

Will you judge them, will you judge them, son of man? Confront them with the abominations of their fathers

and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt. With an uplifted hand I said to them, ‘I am the LORD your God.’

On that day I swore to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands.

And I said to them: ‘Each of you must throw away the abominations before his eyes, and you must not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’

But they rebelled against Me and refused to listen. None of them cast away the abominations before their eyes, and they did not forsake the idols of Egypt. So I resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and vent My anger against them in the land of Egypt.

But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they were living, in whose sight I had revealed Myself to Israel by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.

So I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them into the wilderness.

And I gave them My statutes and made known to them My ordinances—for the man who does these things will live by them.

I also gave them My Sabbaths as a sign between us, so that they would know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.

Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not follow My statutes and they rejected My ordinances—though the man who does these things will live by them—and they utterly profaned My Sabbaths. Then I resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and put an end to them in the wilderness.

But I acted for the sake of My name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.

Moreover, with an uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land that I had given them—a land flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands—

because they kept rejecting My ordinances, refusing to walk in My statutes, and profaning My Sabbaths; for their hearts continually went after their idols.

Yet I looked on them with pity and did not destroy them or bring them to an end in the wilderness.

In the wilderness I said to their children: ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols.

I am the LORD your God; walk in My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them.

Keep My Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us, so that you may know that I am the LORD your God.’

But the children rebelled against Me. They did not walk in My statutes or carefully observe My ordinances—though the man who does these things will live by them—and they profaned My Sabbaths. So I resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and vent My anger against them in the wilderness.

But I withheld My hand and acted for the sake of My name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.

However, with an uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands.

For they did not practice My ordinances, but they rejected My statutes and profaned My Sabbaths, fixing their eyes on the idols of their fathers.

I also gave them over to statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live.

And I pronounced them unclean through their gifts—the sacrifice of every firstborn in the fire—so that I might devastate them, in order that they would know that I am the LORD.

Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: In this way also your fathers blasphemed Me by their unfaithfulness against Me.

When I brought them into the land that I swore to give them and they saw any high hill or leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices, presented offerings that provoked Me, sent up their fragrant incense, and poured out their drink offerings.

So I asked them: ‘What is this high place to which you go?’

(And to this day it is called Bamah.)

Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: Will you defile yourselves the way your fathers did, prostituting yourselves with their abominations?

When you offer your gifts, sacrificing your sons in the fire, you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. So should I be consulted by you, O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will not be consulted by you!

When you say, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the peoples of the lands, serving wood and stone,’ what you have in mind will never come to pass.

As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, with a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and outpoured wrath I will rule over you.

With a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and outpoured wrath I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands to which you have been scattered.

And I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, where I will enter into judgment with you face to face.

Just as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the Lord GOD.

I will make you pass under the rod and will bring you into the bond of the covenant.

And I will purge you of those who rebel and transgress against Me. I will bring them out of the land in which they dwell, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

And as for you, O house of Israel, this is what the Lord GOD says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you. But afterward, you will surely listen to Me, and you will no longer defile My holy name with your gifts and idols.

For on My holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, there the whole house of Israel, all of them, will serve Me in the land. There I will accept them and will require your offerings and choice gifts, along with all your holy sacrifices.

When I bring you from the peoples and gather you from the lands to which you have been scattered, I will accept you as a pleasing aroma. And I will show My holiness through you in the sight of the nations.

Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land that I swore to give your fathers.

There you will remember your ways and all the deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evils you have done.

Then you will know, O house of Israel, that I am the LORD, when I have dealt with you for the sake of My name and not according to your wicked ways and corrupt acts, declares the Lord GOD.”

Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face toward the south, preach against it, and prophesy against the forest of the Negev.

Say to the forest of the Negev: Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Lord GOD says: I am about to ignite in you a fire, and it will devour all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and by it every face from south to north will be scorched.

Then all people will see that I, the LORD, have kindled it; it will not be quenched.”

Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD, they are saying of me, ‘Is he not just telling parables?’ ”

Psalm 62

In God alone my soul finds rest;

my salvation comes from Him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation.

He is my fortress;

I will never be shaken.

How long will you threaten a man?

Will all of you throw him down

like a leaning wall

or a tottering fence?

They fully intend to cast him down from his lofty perch;

they delight in lies;

with their mouths they bless,

but inwardly they curse.

Selah

Rest in God alone, O my soul,

for my hope comes from Him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation;

He is my fortress; I will not be shaken.

My salvation and my honor rest on God, my strong rock;

my refuge is in God.

Trust in Him at all times, O people;

pour out your hearts before Him.

God is our refuge.

Selah

Lowborn men are but a vapor,

the exalted but a lie.

Weighed on the scale, they go up;

together they are but a vapor.

Place no trust in extortion,

or false hope in stolen goods.

If your riches increase,

do not set your heart upon them.

God has spoken once;

I have heard this twice:

that power belongs to God,

and loving devotion to You, O Lord.

For You will repay each man

according to his deeds.