Reading: Ezekiel 23,24
My Verse: "The word of the LORD came to me:
"Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes
away from you at a stroke;
yet you shall not mourn or weep,
nor shall your tears run down.
Sigh, but not aloud;
make no mourning for the dead.
Bind on your turban,
and put your shoes on your feet;
do not cover your lips,
nor eat the bread of men."
So I spoke to the people in the morning,
and at evening my wife died.
And on the next morning I did as I was commanded" (Ezekiel 24:15-18).
What an incredible thing! Oh, LORD God, and that I would read this on Valentine's Day! You actually told Ezekiel that You would take his wife. Not only that but he was not to mourn her in the typical way. And she was his "delight." Ezekiel loved her.
Prior to this You have Ezekiel tell the people that You will punish them for all their disobedience, their "corrosive lewedness." Because they would not relent You will vent upon them Your holy judgement.
"Therefore, thus says the LORD God:
Woe to the bloody city,
to the pot whose corrosion is in it,
and whose corrosion has not gone out of it!"
. . .
Therefore thus says the LORD God:
Woe to the bloody city!
She has wearied herself with toil;
its abundant corrosion does not go out of it.
Into the fire with its corrosion!
On account of your unclean lewdness,
because I would have cleansed you and your were not cleansed from your uncleanness,
you shall not be cleansed anymore till I have satisfied my fury upon you.
I am the LORD.
I have spoken;
it shall come to pass;
I will do it.
I will not go back;
I will not spare;
I will not relent;
according to your ways and your deeds you will be judged,
declares the LORD God" (Ezekiel 24:6-14).
This is a place You do not want to go to with us. You would so much rather we relent and allow You to heal and forgive us.
My heart hurts for Ezekiel. The ESV study bible states that he was only 35 at this time. What was required of him was so huge. Yet, the situation required much and I know that You were with Ezekiel through his pain, his awful loss.
This incredible event illustrates so graphically to what great lengths You will go to bring us to You. Again I thank You for the heroes who have stood up for You, willing to do whatever was needed to bring Your purposes about. Ezekiel was certainly one of them.
So many of those that scorn Your love for them have no idea with whom they contend. You will not be scorned.
"Do not be deceived,
God is not mocked
[He will not allow Himself to be ridiculed,
nor treated with contempt
nor allow His precepts to be scornfully set aside];
for whatever a man sows,
this and this only is what he will reap" (Galatians 6:7AMP).
Oh, LORD God, on this day we celebrate "love." Yet few realize that You, LORD God, are Love - love originates from You.
"Whoever does not love does not know God,
because God is love" (1 John 4:8).
"And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us.
God is love;
whoever abides in love abides in God,
and God in him" (1 John 4:16).
Hard to understand but taking Ezekiel's wife was done out of Your love for Ezekiel, his wife and for us. Thank You for loving us so much. Thank You for Your son Jesus.
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
My Verse: "The word of the LORD came to me:
"Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes
away from you at a stroke;
yet you shall not mourn or weep,
nor shall your tears run down.
Sigh, but not aloud;
make no mourning for the dead.
Bind on your turban,
and put your shoes on your feet;
do not cover your lips,
nor eat the bread of men."
So I spoke to the people in the morning,
and at evening my wife died.
And on the next morning I did as I was commanded" (Ezekiel 24:15-18).
What an incredible thing! Oh, LORD God, and that I would read this on Valentine's Day! You actually told Ezekiel that You would take his wife. Not only that but he was not to mourn her in the typical way. And she was his "delight." Ezekiel loved her.
Prior to this You have Ezekiel tell the people that You will punish them for all their disobedience, their "corrosive lewedness." Because they would not relent You will vent upon them Your holy judgement.
"Therefore, thus says the LORD God:
Woe to the bloody city,
to the pot whose corrosion is in it,
and whose corrosion has not gone out of it!"
. . .
Therefore thus says the LORD God:
Woe to the bloody city!
She has wearied herself with toil;
its abundant corrosion does not go out of it.
Into the fire with its corrosion!
On account of your unclean lewdness,
because I would have cleansed you and your were not cleansed from your uncleanness,
you shall not be cleansed anymore till I have satisfied my fury upon you.
I am the LORD.
I have spoken;
it shall come to pass;
I will do it.
I will not go back;
I will not spare;
I will not relent;
according to your ways and your deeds you will be judged,
declares the LORD God" (Ezekiel 24:6-14).
This is a place You do not want to go to with us. You would so much rather we relent and allow You to heal and forgive us.
My heart hurts for Ezekiel. The ESV study bible states that he was only 35 at this time. What was required of him was so huge. Yet, the situation required much and I know that You were with Ezekiel through his pain, his awful loss.
This incredible event illustrates so graphically to what great lengths You will go to bring us to You. Again I thank You for the heroes who have stood up for You, willing to do whatever was needed to bring Your purposes about. Ezekiel was certainly one of them.
So many of those that scorn Your love for them have no idea with whom they contend. You will not be scorned.
"Do not be deceived,
God is not mocked
[He will not allow Himself to be ridiculed,
nor treated with contempt
nor allow His precepts to be scornfully set aside];
for whatever a man sows,
this and this only is what he will reap" (Galatians 6:7AMP).
Oh, LORD God, on this day we celebrate "love." Yet few realize that You, LORD God, are Love - love originates from You.
"Whoever does not love does not know God,
because God is love" (1 John 4:8).
"And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us.
God is love;
whoever abides in love abides in God,
and God in him" (1 John 4:16).
Hard to understand but taking Ezekiel's wife was done out of Your love for Ezekiel, his wife and for us. Thank You for loving us so much. Thank You for Your son Jesus.
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
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