Ezekile 24-27

After Reading yesterdays message about the fire of the furnace, I really enjoyed the cooking pot illustration.  Ezekiel speaks to them just like our pastors speak to us to get the point across to us.  The first wave of captives have already been taken so the people left behind thought they were the “choice meat”…..uh no.  Just like if we are not being disciplined by the Lord today we may be thinking we got away with it.  Remember it comes in HIS timing, when the discipline will work to bring us closer to him not further.  Anyway, this story was told the day Jerusalem was attacked by Babylon that lasted 2 years.

God told Ezekiel not to mourn his wife as a parallel for the exiles not to mourn for their brothers under the 2 year attack in Jerusalem that was occurring.  Ezekiel is a portrait of obedience.  He doesn’t ask “really?” “let me pray about that”  & “nahhhh.  He does what the Lord says no matter what is asked of him.

The next chapters are regarding the surrounding nations.  Listen to me…consider this today an important read.  Yes we have read about this not only in Jeremiah and Isaiah,  but we read about EACH nation in its own minor prophet book.  But, are you still with me?  This time consider WHY they were being judged, not just that they were.  Search your heart to make sure you are not a Ammonite, or a Moabite, or any of the nations in the eyes of the Lord.

Ammon: They were judged over their joy over the destruction of the temple. 

Moab: Watching Judah’s wickedness, laughing at it.  Look they are just like everyone else!

Edom: They radically hated the Jews, people not of their own. 

Philistia: They sought vengeance.

Historically it is important to see how Jerusalem was completely surrounded by these nations.  Look at this map so can see matching scriptures.

 

Chapter 27: Tyre. (can you see it).  Notice it is a coastline city.  Tyre rejoiced when Jerusalem fell thinking now they would control all the Sea Trade business.  Well, no.  Nebuchadnezzar attacked them for this land for 15 years.  Actually, some of the scriptures here are a prophecy of the finality of it during the years not in the bible between the OT and NT. (I will talk about it briefly if you come to the recap class).