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The 365-Day Devotional Commentary

DRY BONES LIVE
Ezekiel 37–39

“I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD” (Ezek. 37:6).

People who find it hard to believe warnings of divine judgment also find it hard to believe God’s good news.

Background
Prophetic overview. Biblical scholars tend to take one of two views of passages like the one we explore today. They either see the passage as a visionary’s use of highly symbolic language to affirm some spiritual reality, or they see the passage as a literal, though often obscure, description of events which will actually take place in the future.
One who takes the first approach will see these chapters in Ezekiel as a symbolic affirmation of God’s power over all the forces of evil throughout history, and an affirmation of His ultimate victory. In God’s time evil will be put away, and only good will reign.
One who takes the second approach sees these chapters in Ezekiel as a preview of history. The timetable may be obscure, and the exact sequence of events uncertain, but what the prophet describes—a regathering of God’s Old Testament people to Israel, invasion of the Holy Land, direct divine intervention, a national conversion of Israel, the rule of earth by a Descendant of David—all this is understood to lie ahead, perhaps just beyond the headlines of tomorrow’s news.
Whichever view a person may hold today, there is no doubt that Ezekiel and the other Old Testament prophets expected a literal fulfillment of their visions of the future. Their belief was rooted in the conviction that the God of the covenant would be utterly faithful to His promises to Abraham, which included possession of a Jewish homeland as well as the spiritual blessing of intimate relationship with the Lord. And the prophets speak with a unified voice when describing the earthly future of God’s Old Testament people. They may have misunderstood the meaning of what they foresaw. But each prophet, whether crying out about the destruction of Jerusalem, the fall of Nineveh, or the restoration of scattered Israel, expected his words to be literally fulfilled.
I don’t want to come down too hard on the literalist side. But it is fascinating to note. Just 60 years ago if anyone had suggested that the Jewish people might have a nation of their own in Palestine, all would have scoffed. Yet today that nation is firmly established: struggling, yes, but there. The dry bones have begun to come back together. Perhaps even tendons and flesh have appeared. But again using Ezekiel’s
words, we might well say there is yet “no breath in them.” Still a secular state, still relying on the arm of flesh rather than on God, Israel awaits the miracle that Ezekiel said would then surely come. And then the dry bones will live.
And we too will live. For these events, which the flow of history suggests may lie just beyond tomorrow, mean that Christ, David’s Successor and Son, will appear. Then God’s time for celebration by the redeemed of every age will at last have come.

Overview
The vision of a valley of dry bones emphasized God’s power to revitalize and restore Israel and Judah (37:1–14). There will again be a united nation under a Davidic king (v. 28). But the restoration was linked with invasion by a great northern power (38:1–17), whose destruction by God Himself (v. 18–39:21) would precipitate lasting national conversion (vv. 22–29).

Understanding the Text
“These bones are the whole house of Israel” Ezek. 37:1–14. The text interprets Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones that come together at his command, are fleshed out, and finally come to life. The bones in the vision represent Israel, whose people are scattered and hopeless among the nations. Though devoid of hope, God will “bring you back to the land of Israel” (reassemble the bones). The graves (representing the nations to which the Jews have been scattered) will be opened, permitting the return, and God’s Spirit will be given to His people.
Whatever the prophetic meaning, the application to our lives is clear. All too often we too give up. We feel deadened, dried up. All seems bleak; we feel utterly doomed. When those emotions come, we need to remember the dry bones. God can take our dead and scattered hopes, pull them together, and breathe life into them again. Because we know the Lord, and because He loves us dearly, we do have hope and a future.

“They will never again be two nations” Ezek. 37:15–27. This powerful messianic prophecy again looks forward to a return of the Jews to their homeland, and establishment of a nation ruled by a Davidic King.
Once united under David and Solomon, the Hebrew nation split into Northern and Southern Kingdoms in 931B.C The population of the north (Israel) was deported by the Assyrians in 722B.C, and scattered through many cities. The south (Judah) was crushed by the Babylonians, and its population taken in a series of deportations ending in 586B.C Now Ezekiel said that God intends to unite the scattered tribes of Israel, bring them back to the homeland, and establish a united kingdom to be ruled by a Descendant of David.
To date this has not happened. There have been partial returns, and a kind of semi-independence under the Maccabees. But no independent, united kingdom has emerged in the nearly 2,600 years since Ezekiel’s time. In fact, the only known lineal descendant of David who yet lives is Jesus Christ! Thus this prophecy, which links a restoration of Israel to the land (v. 21), spiritual renewal (vv. 23–24), rule by a Descendant of David (v. 24), and a rebuilt sanctuary (v. 26), is one of the many that makes those who take a literal view of prophecy to believe that what is described here still lies ahead, and will be fulfilled when Jesus returns.

“Set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog” Ezek. 38:1–16. Now Ezekiel described an invasion force assembled from many nations about to strike a peaceful and unsuspecting Israel.
Several Hebrew phrases woven into the message fix the time. What Ezekiel foresaw will happen “after many days” (v. 8), “in future years” (v. 8). Another phrase, translated “in days to come” (v. 16) helps locate the prophecy in the end times, near history’s end. Some see this as an attack to come just before the establishment of a Millennium of peace at Christ’s return; others place it after the Millennium and identify it with a Satan-stimulated, final rebellion of humanity against God (cf. Rev. 19:17–21).
Etymologically “Gog” and “Magog”are impossible to identify, though many students of prophecy teach that these represent Russia. Of more significance is the fact that the enemy forces are drawn from nations at every point of the compass: the east (Persia), the southwest (Cush: Ethiopia), the west (Put: Libya, and the “islands of the sea”), the north (Gomer: Cimmerians?).
You and I may at times feel, “Everybody’s against me.” What Ezekiel is saying is that at history’s end, “everybody” will be against God’s people.
But the text shows something else. The Lord says to His enemies, “I will bring you against My land,” and then adds, “so that the nations may know Me when I show Myself holy through you.” God will use the evil intent of the wicked to bring them to a place where He can act openly against them.
What a reminder for you and me. Everybody may actually be against us. But God isn’t against us. He has permitted our enemies to attack, only to put them in a position where they will be vulnerable to judgment. So the next time you feel a little persecuted, don’t feel sorry for yourself. Feel sorry for your persecutors!

“In My zeal and fiery wrath” Ezek. 38:17–39:24. In a series of announcements (38:17–23; 39:1–16, 17–24) God told what He would do to the invading forces. He Himself would intervene and, with miracles that recall His acts for the Exodus generation, would utterly destroy the enemy. These acts will forever establish the Lord as God in the sight of both Israel and the nations (39:22).
But is God fair to establish His identity at the cost of so many human lives? The text answers us. In all that God has done, to Israel and to the nations, He has “dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their offenses” (v. 24).

DEVOTIONAL
What to Forget
(Ezek. 39)
My wife tells our nine-year-old that God has a video recorder focused on her. One day, when we meet the Lord, He’s going to show the tape, and give her her rewards. And, every once in a while when she does something especially nice, Sue tells her, “That’s on your video tape.”
I like her emphasis. So many mom’s might turn this around, and when a child did something bad, shriek, “Now, that’s going on your video tape!”
I couldn’t help thinking of Sue’s practice when I read Ezekiel 39. The passage so powerfully portrays God’s hatred of sin and the judgment that sin merits. Reading it, we almost cringe at the thought of our own faults and the memory of our failings. But then we read God’s summary, in the last paragraph. There, nestled in verses that express the compassion God will show when judgment is past, is a verse that says, “They will forget their shame and all the unfaithfulness they showed toward Me” (v. 26).
What a wonderful promise! Yes, we’re weak. We stumble, and sometimes fall. And then what a burden of shame and guilt we bear. But God promises that when we see Him, when we truly “know that I am the LORD,” no shred of memory of our sins will remain to mar our joy.

Personal Application
Forgiven means forgotten! Even now we can put our past behind us, and live in joy.

Quotable
“One day a Christian visited a minister in his home. As he sat in the study, he began to read one of the minister’s books. Suddenly he cried, ’Glory! Praise the Lord.’ The minister hurried into the study, asking, ’What’s the matter?’
” ’Why, this book says that the sea is five miles deep! The Bible says my sins have been cast into the depth of the sea, and if it’s that deep, I’m not afraid of their coming up again!’
“Nor do we need to bring them up!”—Walter B. Knight

The 365-Day Devotional Commentary

RESTORATION AHEAD
Ezekiel 33–36

“I will place over them . . . My servant David, and he will tend them . . . and be their shepherd” (Ezek. 34:23).

Though Jerusalem was in ruins, God had not abandoned His people. However grim present circumstances may appear, there is always a future for the people of God.

Background
From chapter 33 on, the prophecies in the Book of Ezekiel look forward. Prior to that Ezekiel focused his listeners’ attention on the history of sins that made Jerusalem’s imminent fall certain. But with the city fallen and the homeland depopulated, the prophet was able to speak about the future. God would restore scattered Israel. Many wonderful promises in these four chapters underscore this glorious hope. Yet the fate of the individual still rests on his or her personal choice, to hear and obey God’s Word, or to ignore and reject.
For us too, Scripture is filled with promising tomorrows that we can claim. But today as in ancient Babylon, the experience of God’s blessing requires us to hear and to live by His Word.

Overview
Ezekiel began a new phase of his ministry by restating key truths: he was a watchman (33:1–11), and each individual was responsible to respond to God’s Word (vv. 12–20). To avoid Jerusalem’s fate, God’s people must take His Word to heart (vv. 27–33). God would replace wicked leaders with the Messiah (34:1–24), and there would be peace (vv. 25–31). Edom would fall (35:1–15), but the mountains of Israel would be cleansed and repopulated by a people transformed by the Lord (36:1–38).

Understanding the Text
“I have made you a watchman” Ezek. 33:1–11. We see it even in nature. As the herd grazes, one male stands alert, head raised, sniffing the air. The watchbeast stands aloof from the crowd, and the welfare of the herd depends on how vigilant he is.
Ezekiel was a watchman for Israel. This was established in chapter 3, and the charge is repeated here. Ezekiel was faithful in warning the people of Judah before the city fell: he must continue to warn.
Ezekiel was required to be alert, to warn his people of spiritual dangers. The responsibility was heavy: Ezekiel would often be alone, standing apart from the crowd. But the very lives of his fellow Jews depended on his faithfulness.
Are we ready to pay the cost of being watchmen for our friends and neighbors? Are we prepared to share Jesus, warning others of the eternal cost of rejection, inviting them to accept the forgiveness and renewal Christ died to provide?

“He has done what is just and right; he will surely live” Ezek. 33:12–20. The message of personal responsibility was also found in the first half of Ezekiel, in chapter 18. There Ezekiel warned that responsiveness to God’s word was the key to survival for those under siege in Jerusalem.
That siege was over now, and the bones of the wicked of Judah were scattered in Jerusalem’s ruined streets. But the principle of personal responsibility had not been altered. In the future too, God will make a distinction between the good man who hears and obeys His Word, and the wicked man who turns his back on the Lord.
God’s promises are for all His people. But they can be claimed only by those who trust—and obey.

“The people living in those ruins in the land of Israel” Ezek. 33:21–29. The few thousand Jews left in Judah had learned nothing from the recent devastation. Despite continued sinning (vv. 25–26), they supposed they had inherited Abraham’s title to the land!
But God does not reserve His gifts for the wicked. What He reserves for them is punishment. The Book of Jeremiah tells how the remnant in Judah refused to accept God’s guidance, and fled toward destruction in Egypt after the assassination of their Babylonian-appointed governor (cf. Jer. 40–44).

“A beautiful voice” Ezek. 33:30–33. Ezekiel had suddenly become popular among the exiles in Babylon! Everyone came to listen to him, and they were all full of compliments. Ezekiel heard, “Fine sermon, Ezekiel,” everywhere he went. Folks just loved to come out every time Ezekiel held a meeting!
The trouble was, it was entertainment to the exiles (cf. v. 32). They listened and smiled and shouted, “Amen”—and probably had the gaunt preacher over for after—service dessert—all without taking his words to heart. “They hear your words,” God told Ezekiel, “but do not put them into practice.”
The true measure of a modern ministry isn’t how popular a preacher becomes, or how many thousands come out to hear him.
The true measure of a modern ministry is hearing. Does the congregation then put God’s words into practice?

“Prophesy against the shepherds of Israel” Ezek. 34:1–10. The term “shepherd” is often used in the Old Testament to designate Israel’s kings and her spiritual leaders. Now Ezekiel looked back and identified the leadership flaws which contributed to Judah’s recent disaster. The real purpose Ezekiel had in mind, however, was to create a background against which a coming Shepherd he was about to describe would stand out.
What flaws in Israel’s and Judah’s leaders brought the nation to disaster? The Hebrew kingdom’s rulers had thought only of themselves rather than the flock (v. 2). They greedily exploited the flock for personal gain (v. 3). They refused to
intervene on behalf of the weak and injured (v. 4). And they permitted the flock of God to be scattered throughout the nations (vv. 5–6). Because of these sins, God would “remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves” (v. 10).
James 3:1 warns against stepping presumptuously into a leadership role, “because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” Any person who views leadership as a position “above” others, rather than a position of service “under” them is not yet ready to be a spiritual leader.

“I Myself will tend My sheep and have them lie down” Ezek. 34:11–23. Human leaders have failed miserably to protect God’s flock. In this powerful messianic passage God promises to intervene directly. He Himself will tend His sheep. God will “place over them one shepherd, My servant David.” When the promised Descendant of David appeared, God’s flock would at last have a Leader whose sole concern was their well-being.
How beautifully this thought is picked up by Jesus, who identified Himself as the Good Shepherd in John 10. In Christ, at long last, the people of God have a Shepherd who willingly “lays down His life for the sheep.” Rather than grasp, this Shepherd gives. He is no hireling, but cares deeply for the sheep. His sacrifice of Himself proves once and for all that we are loved and secure. As we hear His voice, and follow Him, He will do us nothing but good.

“I will make a covenant of peace” Ezek. 34:25. Like Jeremiah, Ezekiel introduced the concept of a New Covenant which God will make with His people. In this chapter Ezekiel emphasized the material blessings associated with that covenant, while Jeremiah stressed the spiritual.
What material blessings are foreseen for that future time? The prophet emphasized a rescue of the Jews from the lands where they have been scattered. Then, in their ancient homeland, they will know a time of peace, safety, and prosperity.
This picture of the Jews restored to an abundantly fertile homeland is frequently found in prophetic images of a coming golden age (cf. Hosea 2:22; Joel 3:18; Amos 9:13–15; Zech. 8:12). All this is promised to Israel when at last David’s promised Offspring appears as Ruler of every land.
Many understand such prophecies to teach a literal restoration of the Jewish people to the land of Israel at Christ’s second coming. But there is a spiritual application too. When Christ reigns in a person’s life, whatever the outward strife, there is peace within. Hidden in our hearts, beyond the reach of circumstance, there is a garden to which we can retreat, and there find rest.

DEVOTIONAL
God’s Holy Name
(Ezek. 36)
Looking around our little Phoenix congregation, I saw so many familiar faces. There was the young man who’d been so driven by sex that he lost his job and family, and almost his mind. There was the ex-hippy, who’d thought nothing of buying a record he wanted when his kids were without shoes. There, near the front, was the wife who’d been caught in adultery with a family friend, sitting by her husband. Everywhere I looked there were people I loved. People who brought honor to God’s holy name.
Many people would be shocked at that last statement. But this is just the sort of thing Ezekiel was talking about in this 36th chapter of his book. Earlier, in chapter 6, Ezekiel prophesied “against” the mountains of Israel. Their high places, the sites selected for orgiastic pagan worship rituals, were to witness the destruction of God’s rebellious people. Judah had dishonored the Lord, and He would proclaim His holiness by punishing them (36:16–21).
But now, Ezekiel prophesied “to” these same mountains. Their slopes will again be populated and fruitful (vv. 8–15). The mountains will observe the descendants of sinners, dancing and rejoicing in the Lord. And in that repopulation, God will affirm His holiness. As the Lord said through Ezekiel, “I will show Myself holy through you before their eyes” (v. 23).
How? What is it that the mountains and surrounding peoples will witness that demonstrates God’s holiness? The next verses tell us, as the Lord continues to speak through His prophet. As for the returned exiles, God said, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws” (vv. 26–27).
That’s what I saw in church Sunday morning. People who were sinners. But people whom God had changed.
And the glory of God’s holiness was revealed in their transformation.

Personal Application
Transformed sinners still bear witness to the holiness of God. And sinning saints remain a blot on His holy name.

Quotable
“God never asks us to do anything we can do. He asks us to live a life which we can never live and to do a work which we can never do. Yet, by His grace, we are living it and doing it. The life we live is the life of Christ lived in the power of God, and the work we do is the work of Christ carried on through us by His Spirit whom we obey.”—Watchman Nee

The 365-Day Devotional Commentary

AGAINST NATIONS
Ezekiel 25–32

“All the princes of the north and all the Sidonians are there; they went down with the slain in disgrace despite the terror caused by their power” (Ezek. 32:30).

God is Ruler of the whole earth. Those who do not believe in Him, as well as we who do, are subject to His power. And we will be judged.

Background
This series of predictions against foreign nations was apparently given while the exiles in Babylon awaited word of Jerusalem’s fate. Ezekiel had announced the commencement of that city’s siege: now all the Jewish captives in Babylon could do was anxiously await word of what was happening in their homeland, some 700 miles away.
During that interim Ezekiel raised his voice against other nations who would become victims of Babylon. The implication for the Jewish captives was twofold. First, their God was God of the whole earth. He was not powerless against the nations that had historically troubled Judah, as Israel’s and Judah’s present subjection might imply. Second, God is Judge of the whole earth. National sins of aggression and atrocity, of treaty-breaking and arrogance, would be punished wherever they might be found! Judah and Jerusalem, about to fall to Babylon, were not being treated unfairly, but were being held accountable to a standard of righteousness that God requires of all humankind.
These chapters on the judgment of nations millenniums ago remind us, as they did the Jewish captives then, that countries are morally responsible to God for their international behavior. Nations that support terrorism, that break treaty commitments, that adopt policies of repression, and rely on force to coerce neighbors bring themselves inexorably under the judgment of a God who does act in history, and who will repay.

Overview
While awaiting word of Jerusalem, Ezekiel predicted the judgment to fall on pagan nations. He touched on the fate of states close to Judah (25:1–17), and focused in-depth on Tyre (26:1–28:26) and Egypt (29:1–32:32).

Understanding the Text
“Rejoicing with all the malice of your heart against the land of Israel” Ezek. 25:1–7. The Ammonites were one possible victim of the current Babylonian campaign, but were spared when Nebuchadnezzar turned west toward Judah (cf. 21:18–23). Their delight at Jerusalem’s fall, however, was rooted as much in malice against an ancient enemy as in relief. Now Ezekiel announced that their turn would soon come—as indeed it did.
The passage also reflects one element of God’s promise to Abraham: those who bless his descendants will be blessed, and those who curse them will be cursed (cf. Gen. 12:3). The rise and fall of nations up to our own time suggests that God continues to bless those who welcome and support His covenant people.

“I will inflict punishment” Ezek. 25:8–17. The same thought is emphasized in prophecies against other nations close to Israel and Judah. Moab ridiculed Judah in her disaster (v. 8); Edom “took revenge on the house of Judah and became very guilty” (v. 12); Philistia “with ancient hostility sought to destroy Judah” (v. 15). In each case the nation not only was antagonistic to the Jews but had discounted her God. In each case, God said, “They will know that I am the LORD.”
The capitalization of LORD in the English text tells us that the Hebrew reads YAHWEH. This unique personal name of God has great significance, and identifies Him as “The One Who Is Always Present.” This is the name associated with God’s great Exodus miracles, and with His later interventions in history on behalf of His people. It suggests a vision of God as living, active, present, and all-powerful.
The pagan nations around Judah, and indeed Judah herself, failed to see God in this way. But when judgment fell, then the true nature of God would be realized.
How wonderful that through Jesus you and I know God as living, active, present, and all-powerful in our own lives. With the eyes of faith we see constant evidence of His work in us and for us. Only those who forget who God really is, and behave as though He were not present, need punishment to remind them.

“O Tyre . . . I will bring many nations against you” Ezek. 26:1–21. Tyre lay only a hundred miles from Jerusalem, and on a clear day could be seen from its heights. The city was built half on the mainland, and half on an offshore island, and possessed two secure harbors. Tyre was a famous commercial center, and possessed a dominant fleet that was thought to make the sea-wrapped city impregnable. While other states in Syria-Palestine were being crushed by northern powers, Tyre retained her independence and prospered.
The prophecy against Tyre is complex, and has five major divisions. Chapter 26 describes the city’s destruction. Chapter 27 is a lament, picturing Tyre as a trading-vessel loaded with goods that is suddenly wrecked. Chapter 28:1–10 is an oracle about the prince of Tyre, verses 11–19 a lament over the king of Tyre, and verses 20–26 a prophecy against nearby Sidon.
The date at the beginning of the prophecy (26:1) suggests Ezekiel spoke out against Tyre about a month after the fall of Jerusalem, with word possibly brought by traders from Tyre itself.

“I will make you a bare rock” Ezek. 26:14. This is one of the most quoted of Old Testament verses, referred to often by those who study Scripture’s predictive prophecy. It reads, “I will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread fishnets. You will never be rebuilt, for I the LORD have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD.”
Despite the scarcity of good natural harbors on the eastern Mediterranean coast, and despite the natural harbors at that site, Tyre has never been rebuilt. Where the grand city once stood a few fishermen still dry their nets. But the bare rock remains desolate and empty, as the waves roll endlessly against the shore.

“Merchant of peoples on many coasts” Ezek. 27:1–36. One of the most fascinating features of this chapter is the trade directory in verses 10–25a. The list of Tyre’s trading partners, beginning with Tarshish in the west and moving east, is the most important existing document used by those who study commerce in the ancient Mediterranean world.
What a unique book our Bible is! People often say such things as, “The Bible is not a science textbook,” as if it were all right to find our religion there, but everything else must be discounted. Yet Ezekiel’s writings about Tyre describe in great and accurate detail Nebuchadnezzar’s military campaign, and carefully and accurately reflect trading practices and trade goods of the era. The utter authenticity of such historic detail reminds us that the Bible is not a book of religious myth and mystery. It is a historical and accurate report of what God said and did in space and time. We can trust the Bible completely and in every detail, despite the attempts of some to challenge Scripture’s accuracy and deny its character as a divinely inspired work.

“The king of Tyre” Ezek. 28:11–19. The shift in midchapter from addressing the ruler (naged) of Tyre to addressing the king (melek) of Tyre seems significant to many commentators. They believe that the focus of the prophecy shifts at this point from the human ruler of the contemporary city-state to Satan. This conviction is supported by the text’s references to Eden (v. 13), to the subject’s position as a “guardian cherub” (vv. 14, 16), and to the reference to his creation by God (v. 15). If this view is correct, what we have here is an analysis of Satan’s fall, and a unique insight into the entry of evil into God’s universe.
Again, if this view is correct, it suggests that even before man’s creation earth was the focus of God’s purposes in our universe. Satan, then a ranking cherub, strode the heavens above earth in a crystal Eden, all asparkle with glorious jewels. Though created “a model of perfection” and “blameless,” pride corrupted this angelic being, and he was cast down to earth’s surface. Untold ages later God refashioned the planet, and beneath original Eden planted a Garden, filled with frolicking beasts, where He placed Adam and Eve. There they were tempted by the deposed angel, and led by this now hostile foe of God and man to make the choice of sin.
Is this what we really have here, or are the words and phrases simply poetry, filled with symbols, not intended to be taken literally? Whichever view we hold, we can be sure that the sin of pride, that emphasis on the almighty “I,” remains at the root of Satan’s and man’s fall. (See DEVOTIONAL.)

“Set your face against Pharaoh, king of Egypt . . . and against all Egypt” Ezek. 29:1–32:32. The last four chapters of this section, and indeed one twelfth of Ezekiel’s words, are directed against Egypt. Why?
Historically tiny Judah was subject to the whims of the great world powers of that time, Babylon and Egypt. Less than a pawn in the game of international chess, Judah had been manipulated and betrayed by Egypt.
But as powerless as Judah seemed, the God of Judah is God of the whole earth. Now through Ezekiel the Lord announced that He would use His power to execute judgment on this manipulator of His people.
People with power tend to look down on the weak. What can the powerless person do against men of wealth and position? Nothing. But the God of the powerless is unimpressed by any human being. He can, and will, act.
Thus, Ezekiel said, Egypt would be destroyed, and her ruler would fall.

DEVOTIONAL
The Almighty “I”
(Ezek. 28:11–19)
She was crying as she spoke with the late-night hostess of “TalkNet.” She was 17 and pregnant. And things had been going so well. She was home with her dad again, after being sent off to boarding school. She had friends. She was having fun. Real fun. And then this!
She had to have an abortion, of course. Everything was going too well to spoil. Her question was, should she tell her dad? He’d tell her to get the abortion, but he might get mad and send her away again.
The talk show hostess gushed sympathy. That was really a hard decision. She had a regular therapist? Good. Why not talk it over with the therapist first, and ask him about telling her dad.
All I could mutter was, “Poor baby.”
No, not the unborn child the caller had already determined to kill. Poor little 17-year-old.
Poor little girl, thinking only about her fun, and the pregnancy’s threat to her good times. Never the slightest glimmer of an idea that the life she carried should be considered. Never a thought that possibly she should accept responsibility for the consequences of her fling at sex. Only the tears, only the terror, that she might lose the chance to keep on having fun.
Poor baby.
How fragile that universe we create, with ourselves as sole inhabitant and every other person just something to use for our amusement. How threatening when only “I” count, and then something comes along to threaten our self-indulgence.
Poor baby.
How is she ever to discover that God is the center of the real universe. How is she ever to realize that she is a Creature, whose true identity can only be found in putting Him first, and whose happiness depends on choosing to live by the standards He says are right and good.
I must confess I was upset by the talk show hostess. She clucked and cooed and sympathized, and never once even imagined that the pregnancy was a chance for this teen to consider another human being. The hostess, never in her wildest dreams, would suppose that putting self aside and acting responsibly might be the way this 17-year-old could find both her better self, and peace.
I know. I shouldn’t have expected more. We live in a society where self is assumed to be the rightful center of each person’s life. Why shouldn’t the calling teen have thought only and always of herself? Doesn’t everyone?
Poor baby.
Who will ever help her realize that the most insidious expression of Satan’s original sin of pride is self-centeredness. That our greatest spiritual flaw, and most persistent enemy, is our own concentration on the almighty “I.”

Personal Application
The old prescription still works: God first, others second, self last.

Quotable
ILLUSION
There’s a heap o’ joy in living,
When we’re living as we should;
And the greatest joy is giving,
Where it does the greatest good;
And we come to this conclusion,
As the more of life we see,
It is merely an illusion,
When we live it selfishly.

It’s the old, but truthful story,
  If we strive for great success,
And we win, it lacks the glory,
  If we won by selfishness,
For we find life’s sweetest pleasure,
  After all is said and done,
When we give in fullest measure,
  Of the riches we have won.-Frank C. Nelson

The 365-Day Devotional Commentary

DEFECTIVE LEADERSHIP
Ezekiel 20–24

“See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood” (Ezek. 22:6).

Leaders carry heavy responsibility. They set the moral tone of a nation or community, and are accountable for the flaws and failures of the people they rule over.

Overview
Israel’s history was one of rebellion (20:1–31), yet after punishment the nation would be restored (vv. 32–44). Ezekiel prophesied immediate judgment of fire (vv. 45–49) and sword (21:1–32), to descend on Jerusalem and her corrupt leaders (22:1–31). The people’s sin was portrayed in a famous allegory (23:1–49), and even as the siege of Jerusalem began in faraway Judah, Ezekiel announced the event (24:1–15). When Ezekiel’s wife died, he was told to “groan quietly,” even as the people of Jerusalem would be struck dumb in their grief (vv. 16–27).

Understanding the Text
“Confront them with the detestable practices of their fathers” Ezek. 20:1–31. In July/August of 591B.C elders of the people came to “inquire of the LORD.” The phrase means to consult the prophet about the outcome of plans they were considering.
God would not even listen to them, but told Ezekiel to lay out clearly the charges against them. So Ezekiel demonstrated from history that the people of Israel had always been rebellious. And charged that the present generation defiled itself in the same way “to this day” (v. 31).
The point of the passage was clear. It was time to repent, not to make plans! The elders of Judah formed committees and set up contingency plans, when what they should have been doing was calling the people of Judah to abandon idolatry and return to God.
You and I too must put first things first. It’s fine to make careful plans for the future. But man’s first priority is his personal relationship with the Lord. If that relationship is wrong, whatever plans we may make are irrelevant. It is futile to ask God for guidance, or pray about plans we’re struggling to make, if serious sin has interrupted our fellowship with God. At such times repentance is a first priority.
This was one of the most serious flaws in Judah’s leaders. They seemed totally unaware of their own and of their people’s spiritual condition. Insensitive leaders, out of touch with God, can only lead God’s people to disaster.

“Afterward you will surely listen” Ezek. 20:32–49. God is as determined to pursue us as we ever are to escape Him! Judah would experience judgment. But there was no way that God would let His people stray permanently into idolatry and sin. (See DEVOTIONAL.)

“I will draw My sword from its scabbard” Ezek. 21:1–17. The Old Testament frequently pictures enemy nations as a rod of discipline. Here Babylon was pictured as a “sword.” In Hebrew the word for sword indicates a “destroying instrument.” Thus Ezekiel cried:

  A sword, a sword,
    sharpened and polished—
  sharpened for the slaughter,
    polished, and flashing like lightning (v. 9).

Judah had “despised the rod” of lighter punishments. Now she must bear the greater punishment inflicted by God’s sword.
We see the same peculiar trait in some children. One child will respond to a stern glance or slight slap. Another will grimly endure a severe spanking, refusing to break or to give in. Stubborn Judah was like the strong-willed child, determined to have its own way despite correction. As a result, an anguished God must increase the intensity of the punishment. Judah must be taught to respond.

“Mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take” Ezek. 21:18–32. Ezekiel was told to draw a map on the ground, marking clearly the route from Babylon to Syria-Palestine. There, above Damascus, the road forks, with one route leading to Judah, and the other along the highlands across the Jordan to the land of the Ammonites. Ezekiel was told that the king of Babylon, reaching that fork in the road, would call on his wise men to divine for a sign showing him which people to war on. God would see to it that the omens directed him to Judah!
The point Ezekiel made here was that the Babylonians did not have to invade Judah. God intervened to cause Nebuchadnezzar to select the Jews as his current victims.
But why? The spotlight is on Judah’s leadership. The prince of Judah is “profane and wicked” (v. 25). In the coming judgment this exalted person will be stripped of the symbols of royalty, and they will not be restored “until He comes to whom it rightfully belongs” (v. 27).

“Each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood” Ezek. 22:1–31. Again we see a recurring theme. Leaders are to serve God’s flock, not fleece it! Those who use power to treat “father and mother with contempt” and to oppress the alien and mistreat the fatherless are users, not servants. The sins of the people of Jerusalem are listed (vv. 9–12), and rather than stand against such behavior the leaders conspire to profit from the situation (vv. 23–29). It is no wonder that God “will pour out My wrath on them and consume them with My fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done” (v. 31).
Any person who accepts the role of a spiritual leader takes on dreadful responsibility. He or she must purge himself of every selfish motive, and stand before the Lord “in the gap [of the wall] on behalf of the land.” Spiritual leaders must be dedicated to standing before the Lord and to serving God’s people. No other commitment can preserve us from straying—and from judgment.

“You will drink your sister’s cup” Ezek. 23:1–49. In an extended allegory Israel and Judah were likened to two adulterous sisters. Judah had not learned from the punishment of Israel, and so would suffer the same terrible fate.
You and I can learn from both nations. They “have forgotten Me and thrust Me behind your back.” We remember the Lord daily, and keep Him and His Word always before us.

“This very date” Ezek. 24:1–14. On January 15, 588B.C, Nebuchadnezzar began the siege of Jerusalem. On that very date in Babylon Ezekiel announced what was happening in the homeland, and likened Jerusalem to a pot about to be brought to a boil, and the inhabitants to meat that is cooked until all the water is gone from the pot and even the remains are charred and useless. “The time has come for Me to act,” God said: “I will not hold back.”
God has fixed a date for the judgment of our world too. When that date comes, nothing can hold God back.

“I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes” Ezek. 24:15–27. Before Ezekiel’s wife died, the prophet was warned, and told to make no outward sign of mourning. He was only to groan quietly. When the devastation ended in Jerusalem, and death took the sons and daughters of the few survivors, they too would be too stunned and crushed to mourn.
Why should Ezekiel have to suffer the death of his wife? The best answer probably is, “Why not?” God’s dearest saint is not immune from the anguish that is common to all men. God’s most intimate friends often experience the darkest trials. During such times we sense our identity with the rest of humankind, and out of shared suffering often grows the most effective ministry. In our trials we, like Ezekiel, are often God’s sign to others, pointing the way to comfort, and to Him.

DEVOTIONAL
“It’ll Never Happen!”
(Ezek. 20)
What is the most unlikely thing you can imagine? You walking on the moon? Being visited by little green men?
Well, those are pretty unlikely, I confess. In fact, they probably fit into the same category with something God scoffs at in this chapter. The category of “Never!” We find the category in verse 32: “What you have in mind will never happen.” That “never happen” is one of the most comforting phrases in Scripture, especially for parents whose children seem to have abandoned the faith.
You see, the people of Judah wanted to abandon God. They wanted to adopt other ways and be “like the nations, like the peoples of the world.” They were running away from God as fast as their legs could carry them. And despite this, God said, “What you have in mind will never happen.” We might paraphrase this way: “You don’t want to be My people, or live the good life I’ve chosen for you? Well, you can run—but I won’t let you get away. Even though you reject Me, I won’t reject you. You’re Mine, and I’ll never let you go.”
God was determined to rescue His people from paganism in spite of themselves.
This passage is comforting to parents whose children make unwise choices. A son or daughter drifts away from God, adopts a doubtful morality, makes mistake after mistake, and suffers painful consequences. It’s so easy then for parents to give in to despair. My child is lost. All hope is gone! But this passage tells us not to give up! Run away from God? “What you have in mind will never happen!” Abandon Mom’s and Dad’s values? “What you have in mind will never happen!” Make such a mess of life that there is no way back to God and goodness? “What you have in mind will never happen!”
Oh, there will be the pain of discipline until the wanderer turns back. The people of Judah were soon to discover just how painful the divine discipline could be. But to be abandoned? Never! God is a ferocious Lover. He never gives up, but fiercely pursues His loved ones until they return to Him.
And so if your children or mine make a bad turn along the road of life, let’s not give up hope. What they had in mind when they turned away from the Lord will never happen! God doesn’t let His loved ones get away.

Personal Application
Put your hope where your faith is. In God.

Quotable
I fled Him down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes, I sped;
And shot, precipitated
Adown Titanic glooms of chasmed fears,
From those strong Feet that followed,
followed after.
But with unhurrying chase,
And unperturbed pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat—and a Voice beat
More instant than the Feet—
“All things betray thee, who betrayest Me.”
I pleaded, outlaw-wise,
By many a hearted casement, curtained red,
Trellised with intertwining charities;
(For though I knew His love Who followed,
Yet I was sore adread
Lest, having Him I might have nought beside).

. . . .

“Whom wilt thou find to love ignoble thee,
  Save Me, save only Me?
All which I took from thee I did but take,
  Not for thy harms,
But just that thou might’st seek it in
  My arms. All which thy child’s mistake
Fancies as lost, I have stored for thee
  at home: Rise, clasp My hand, and come.”

-Francis Thompson

The 365-Day Devotional Commentary

NO BASIS FOR HOPE
Ezekiel 12–19

” ’In your days, you rebellious house, I will fulfill whatever I say,’ declares the Sovereign Lord” (Ezek. 12:25).

Maybe someday, but not now,” and “Maybe somebody else, but not me,” are still common reactions to warnings about the consequences of sin. This passage reminds moderns that such hopes are empty.

Background
The Jewish exiles expected an early return to their homeland. Optimism was fostered by false prophets, and encouraged by popular notions—that a God of love would never really judge; that the visions of Ezekiel would not come true; that if judgment did come it would strike a different generation.
In this section of Ezekiel the prophet dealt with the false hopes of God’s still stubborn people. Through him the Lord announced that the judgments prophesied would strike the present generation. In an address on personal responsibility that is vitally relevant to us today, Ezekiel showed that individual choices affect individual destiny. It was too late for Judah as a nation, but the individual could still respond to God, and be safe.

Overview
Ezekiel acted out the imminent deportation of Jerusalem’s population (12:1–20). Hope of delay was futile (vv. 21–28): the prophets who stimulated such hope lied (13:1–23), for purifying judgment (14:1–11) is inescapable (vv. 12–23). Two allegories show the justice of the coming judgment (15:1–16:63), while a third shows the futility of a military alliance against Babylon (17:1–24). Ezekiel then proclaimed that each person would live or die according to his own decision to obey or disobey God’s word (18:1–32). The section concludes with a dirge poem for Judah’s rulers (19:1–14).

Understanding the Text
“While they watch” Ezek. 12:1–16. Again Ezekiel acted out a prophecy. This time he played the role of an inhabitant of Jerusalem, packing his few belongings in the morning, and in the evening digging through the mud-brick wall of his house to crawl out with them and move to another location. In just this way the few survivors of Jerusalem’s siege would crawl out of the ruined city on the way to Babylon.
But Ezekiel’s actions had a more direct reference to the “prince among them.” This is Zedekiah, called a prince because Judah’s rightful king, Jehoiachin, was alive in Babylon. Zedekiah was to leave through a hole in the wall, his head covered (indicating a disguise), only to be snared by the Babylonians and brought to the land of the enemy, though “he will not see it.”
Within a few short years, when the city of Jersualem fell, Zedekiah tried to make his escape. He fled toward the Jordan, but was caught by Nebuchadnezzar’s forces. There his sons were slaughtered as he watched, and he was blinded. Zedekiah did go to the land of Babylon as a captive. But, in accord with Ezekiel’s words, the eyeless king never saw the land of his exile.
The word of the Lord is sure. What God says is utterly trustworthy. How desperately the exiles needed to hear, and to believe. Even as today our generation needs to hear, and to believe, the words of Scripture.

“Tremble as you eat your food” Ezek. 12:17–20. Ezekiel was told to shudder as he ate and drank to portray the utter terror soon to be felt by the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
People who fail to fear the Word of the Lord will feel fear—when the things foretold in that Word come to pass.

“Every vision comes to nothing” Ezek. 12:21–28. Ezekiel now began to deal with the false hopes held by the captives in Babylon as well as by the Jews left in the homeland.
One basis for these rests on the observation that past warnings by God’s prophets seem to have “come to nothing.” Ezekiel did not bother to explain that judgment had been delayed by a gracious God, whose loving-kindness had been expressed in His long-suffering attitude toward an unrepentant people. Ezekiel simply said that the disasters foretold by the former prophets would be fulfilled “in your days.”
This thought is reemphasized, for another popular saying is that prophetic visions of judgment are “for many years from now.” It might be that God would do what He had said. But surely not now! Again God spoke through Ezekiel: “None of My words will be delayed any longer.”
There’s a carelessness here that is often reflected in the Christian church. When Christ taught His disciples about His return, He emphasized the importance of being ready (see esp. Matt. 25–26). The Lord might appear at any time, and so His servants are to actively go about His business, eager and excited at the prospect of His sudden return. It’s to be this way for us: we’re to be constantly aware that Jesus may come today—this morning, this afternoon!
Yet as the years pass, and we begin a career, marry, and plan for our children’s college and for our retirement, the sense of imminence is somehow lost. Some, looking back over two millennium, dismiss the whole idea, saying “every vision comes to nothing.” Others, more conservative, simply assume the return “is for many years from now.” And so we settle down in this world, adopt its values, and lose sight of our calling as servants of a Master who may appear at any moment. A Master who expects to find His staff ready, actively involved in doing His business.
We do not know, as Ezekiel did, that this vision is for our generation. It may not be. I clearly remember my mother telling me, when I was a child of just five or six, that she expected the Lord to return in her lifetime. He did not. But I expect Him to return in mine.
And if He delays beyond the length of my years, not one thing will change. The vision of Jesus’ return is still for each believer today. And the expectation that Christ might come at any moment remains one of the most purifying doctines in the Word of God.

“Foolish prophets who follow their own spirit” Ezek. 13:1–16. False prophets are a major theme addressed in Jeremiah and in Ezekiel. The emphasis reminds us to be very careful in our response to modern spiritual leaders. Ezekiel noted that such persons may be totally sincere: they “expect their words to be fulfilled!” He also observed that they tend to preach popular messages. People want to hear about peace? OK, the theme of today’s sermon is peace, even though there is no peace (v. 10).
Sincerity without truth is as useless as a map of Kentucky when you’re traveling through Texas. A good many people, totally sincere in what they believe, are on the highway to hell, and all too many totally sincere preachers are busy erecting signs along the roadway.

“They cover it with whitewash” Ezek. 13:10. What a powerful image. Build a flimsy wall, cover it with whitewash, and everything seems all right. But no matter how good it looks under all that trim, a flimsy wall remains flimsy.
The teachings of false prophets may look attractive. But however thick the coat of whitewash they are given, the teachings are still flimsy, and will be carried away in the torrent of God’s judgment.

“I am against your magic charms” Ezek. 13:17–23. I suppose Shirley Maclaine is sincere in her “new age” writings and lectures. The crystal craze, the notion that there is power in pyramids, fascination with “channeling” and supposed contact with beings who lived long ago, all relate to the theme Ezekiel touched on here. Divination. Magic. Charms. Efforts to find and manipulate the supernatural while ignoring God.
Whatever the fad, Scripture has a simple message: God is “against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination.”

“They could save only themselves” Ezek. 14:12–23. Another argument raised by the exiles and by the population of Jerusalem against imminent judgment was rooted in Genesis 18. God heeded Abraham’s prayer, and promised to spare Sodom if even five righteous men might be found in it. Surely God would not destroy a nation that must possess at least some godly men and women!
Ezekiel destroyed this notion—which by the way has remained popular in Judaism—by saying that even if several of sacred history’s most righteous persons (Noah, Daniel, and Job) lived in Jerusalem, the city would perish even though they would be saved.
Similar thinking about our own country is just as erroneous. You’ve no doubt heard, or thought, something like . . . God will spare the United States because (a) We supply most of the world’s missionaries, (b) We have the highest percent of churchgoers in the Western world, (c) We are a “Christian” nation, (d) Democracy is closer to the divine ideal than any other form of government, (e) Any other, similiar reason. Ezekiel suggested that such notions foster false hope. God deals with any nation as its deeds require. The righteousness of the few will in no way preserve the wicked.

“The wood of a vine” Ezek. 15:1–8. The Old Testament frequently portrays Israel and Judah as a vine (cf. Gen. 49:22; Ps. 80; Isa. 5:1–7; Hosea 10:1). The vine was prized for the fruit it bore, and so was an appropriate symbol of God’s people as His prized possession.
But the vine was prized only for its fruit. The wood is stringy and twisted, and has no use in construction or value for fashioning furnishings. All a fruitless vine is good for is to be burned. Fruitless Judah, already charred by the flames of God’s judgment, was totally worthless, and destined to be consumed.

“You prostitute, hear the word of the LORD” Ezek. 16:1–63. In an extended allegory the Lord compared His people to an unwanted girl-child, discarded at birth. God saved her life, nurtured her, and ultimately accepted her as His wife and showered her with presents. Then unfaithful Judah broke the covenant relationship by seeking out pagan gods to worship, and by turning to immorality. God would punish Judah for her spiritual adultery and prostitution, and for being “arrogant, overfed and unconcerned” with “the poor and needy.” Yet when the time of punishment is past the Lord would again “establish My covenant with you” and make atonement for Judah’s sins.

“The soul who sins . . . will die” Ezek. 18:1–32. In reading this chapter it’s important to understand that “soul” is used in the common Hebrew sense of “person” or “individual.” Also, death in this chapter is physical rather than spiritual. Ezekiel’s message is that those who obey God will be spared in the coming devastation of Jerusalem, while God will use the Babylonian invasion to take the life of the wicked. Thus each individual’s choices will determine his own fate. (See DEVOTIONAL.)

“His roar was heard no longer” Ezek. 19:1–14. The section ends with a dirge poem, a lament intended to express grief and sorrow. This poem is about the rightful kings of Judah, and particularly Jehoiachin, who was pulled into a cage with hooks and brought to Babylon. The Promised Land, once so fruitful, has become a desert, as shriveled as a vine torn from the earth and left, unrooted, on the burning sand.
Yes, judgment does come. It comes on individuals as well as nations. And when it does, even though judgment is deserved, we are free with Ezekiel to mourn over what was, and what might have been.

DEVOTIONAL
Who Done It?
(Ezek. 18)
A columnist recently made an acute observation about the gang of boys who raped and nearly killed a woman jogger in New York’s Central Park. The columnist noted that already some psychiatrists had popped up, eager to explain away the attack, to call it an expression of frustration and anger by disadvantaged youths who had been forced by society to hate. What the columnist noted was that the boys involved, when asked “why?” at the time of their arrest, had just shrugged and said, “It was fun.” No doubt, the columnist suggested wryly, by the time of the trial the teenagers would know enough to redefine their act, and blame society for victimizing them.
The argument that society is at fault when a person acts in a criminal way isn’t new. Even back in Ezekiel’s time, people were saying that if judgment came, it would be their father’s fault, not theirs (vv. 1–2). That’s what “my teeth are crooked ’cause dad ate sour grapes” means. What happens to me, what I do, isn’t my responsibility. My acts are determined by what others have done to me.
Ezekiel 18 confronts this still popular view, and flatly denies its validity. Yes, we may be influenced by others. But we remain responsible for our choices. What we choose to do is not determined by anyone else at all. When someone asks, “Who done it?” there’s no use pointing the finger of responsibility at someone else, and crying, “It wasn’t really me.”
To drive home this point Ezekiel set up a number of cases. What about the good man who has a bad son? The dad’s merits will not save the son from the consequences of his acts. What about the good son of an evil father? The dad’s sins will not be held against the son. Each person is responsible for his own choices.
So the message is clear. Don’t blame dear old Dad for what you do, even if Dad isn’t such a dear. And don’t blame society, even if society hasn’t given you a fair shake. Most important, don’t buy the notion that you haven’t got a chance because of your past. You do have a chance. You can succeed. Because you can choose.

Personal Application
The freedom to choose is one of the many gifts that God has given to you.

Quotable
“The power of individual choice is the secret of human responsibility. I can choose which line I will go on, but I have no power to alter the destination of that line once I have taken it—yet I always have the power to get off one line on to the other.”—Oswald Chambers