TODAY IN THE WORD

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ezekiel 4:1-5:17
I spoke to the prophets, gave them many visions and told parables through them. - Hosea 12:10
TODAY IN THE WORD
The heavy wooden cross contrasted sharply with the seemingly carefree people sitting in outdoor cafes. A man, struggling under the cross’s weight, slowly entered the plaza--a few people glanced up at him. As the missionary explained the gospel, a handful of people listened, curious at this strange man and his unusual prop.

Perhaps it was like this for Ezekiel. Maybe the exiles found him interesting, perhaps just amusing. The first sign (4:1–3) involved sketching the city of Jerusalem. Curiosity probably mounted when Ezekiel enacted the city’s siege. Using an iron pot, Ezekiel also showed the heavy wall of sin that separated the city from the Lord.

As if this weren’t odd enough, Ezekiel lay on his left side for 390 days, followed by forty days on his right side. Whereas Ezekiel represented God in the first sign, in the second, he portrayed the people, symbolically bearing their sin (vv. 4–6). The exact meaning of the number of days is unknown, but they clearly indicated that judgment would be long.

While on his side, Ezekiel was commanded to eat starvation rations, indicating how desperate Jerusalem’s final siege would be. The command to cook over human excrement (v. 12) showed how defiling the siege and exile would be. As an obedient priest, Ezekiel objected to this abomination, and the Lord honored his request (v. 15).

Finally, Ezekiel was ordered to shave his head and beard (5:1)--an act of extreme humiliation (see 7:18), especially for a priest. Using the model of Jerusalem, Ezekiel divided his hair into three piles; one was burned, one was hacked into pieces, and one was scattered by wind--only a few strands were spared (5:3).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Why would Ezekiel talk about Jerusalem’s judgment to a group of exiles miles away? Because Jerusalem housed God’s holy Temple, which the people had come to worship instead of worshiping the One who dwelled there.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ezekiel 6:1-7:27
This is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction. Truth has perished. - Jeremiah 7:28
TODAY IN THE WORD
For centuries, Rome was the undisputed world power. Its destruction was unimaginable. As is often the case, however, Rome’s fall began long before its actual ruin. Weakened by greed, lust, and bad leadership, Rome became vulnerable to barbaric invasions in the fourth and fifth centuries. In 410, Alaric the Visigoth delivered a devastating blow--soon Rome was ruined, its former glory never recaptured.

To Judah, Jerusalem’s destruction was also unthinkable, despite the Lord’s repeated warnings. The strange command to prophesy against Israel’s mountains (6:1–7) was another such warning. But why mountains? Because they represented the high places where the people worshipped pagan idols (v. 4) and practiced prostitution and child sacrifice. Throughout their history, the Israelites disobeyed God’s commands to rid the land of idolatry; now God Himself would destroy these detestable places.

Remember the few hairs hidden in Ezekiel’s robe in yesterday’s reading? True to God’s Word, a chosen remnant would be spared, finally realizing how they had grieved the Lord with their sin. Clapping hands and stomping feet (v. 11) were signs of deep remorse.

Again the Word of the Lord came to Ezekiel (7:1). Despite the repetition of “the end” five times in five verses, many exiles doubted Ezekiel’s messages because false prophets predicted peace. The people found it nearly impossible to believe that God would really destroy Jerusalem, the site of His Temple. Even if they themselves were taken from the land, surely the Temple would be spared! That’s why Ezekiel emphasized that the “unheard-of disaster” (v. 5) was upon them.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Reading about God’s judgment on sin is never easy. But 1 Corinthians 10:6 reminds us that “these things occurred as examples, to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.”

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ezekiel 8:1-9:11
Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. - 1 John 5:21
TODAY IN THE WORD
Imagine walking into a church, ahead of you is a cross, to one side is a piano, and to the other side, a small organ. It looks pretty much like any other church you’ve been in. Suddenly you notice small voodoo dolls along window ledges--above them, crystals hang. Instead of hymnals, you find Tarot cards in the pew racks. A cold chill runs down your spine. Sadly, if people from Ezekiel’s day could have traveled in time and space, they probably would have felt right at home in this “church.”

About fourteen months after Ezekiel’s acted parables (see August 4), he was taken by the Spirit to Jerusalem (vv. 1–3), where he was horrified to find in the holy Temple “the idol that provokes to jealousy.” This vile image, probably a Canaanite fertility goddess, provoked God’s holy jealousy because it stood for all that is against Him and His people. And this horrible image stood opposite the glory of the Lord. Such abomination eventually drove His glory from the Temple, for His holiness cannot coexist with evil.

The entire Temple was defiled with pagan practices. Ezekiel discovered seventy elders, worshiping what were probably Egyptian gods (v. 10). They were worshiping in the dark, thinking that somehow the Lord couldn’t see them or that He had forsaken them (v. 12). What the spiritual leaders were practicing in secret, the rest of the people were doing openly. Tammuz was a pagan god of the underworld, whose worshipers believed that their tears (v. 14) enabled him to provide rain and fertility. Just past these women, Ezekiel saw 25 men worshipping the sun--with their backs turned to the Temple (v. 16)! It’s no wonder that such flagrant violation of God’s commandments in his House provoked his wrath!
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Idolatry is a problem of every human heart--sophisticated idols are still idols.

One way to detect an idol is to ask, “What do I think I must have in order for life to be good?” For example, a successful career, a stable family, or a nice home. Or consider a specific element of your life, and ask, “If this item were taken away would I still believe that abundant life was possible?” Now take your answers to the only One who can release us from idols–Jesus Christ!

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ezekiel 10:1-22
Around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. - Revelation 4:6
TODAY IN THE WORD
While exploring Alaska, naturalist John Muir once beheld an ethereal sight: a streak of crimson light pierced the cold gray dawn and crowned a distant peak in splendor. Suddenly this shaft of “celestial fire” lit the glacier-filled fjord in such a way that years later Muir wrote: “We had seen the heavens open and God made manifest.” Yet even the glory of God’s creation pales next to His Shekinah glory!

It may seem incongruent that Ezekiel beheld the Lord’s glory immediately following the vision of Jerusalem’s sinful inhabitants massacred. We may not always link God’s glory with His wrath, but the fact that God punishes sin and eradicates evil should evoke our praise and worship. God’s judgment on sin reflects both His justice and His mercy. The fire of God’s judgment purifies and refines (vv. 2, 6–7; cf. Isa. 6:5-7) His people so that His glory might be restored among them.

Having begun the destruction of Jerusalem, the Temple once again filled with the holy cloud of God’s presence, as in the wilderness tabernacle (Ex. 40:34). Ezekiel then saw the same creatures and wheels that he had seen along the Kebar River. Notice how Ezekiel again described this sight in great detail. The majesty of God’s glory was so impressive that, even though he had seen it before, he could not help but be awestruck anew. Ezekiel’s realization that the creatures were cherubim (v. 20) intensifies the holiness of this scene, for these awesome creatures always accompany God’s glory.

But God’s righteousness demands complete judgment, and until Jerusalem and its people were completely cleansed of sin, God’s glory would have to separate itself (v. 18). The Lord’s glory was slowly removing itself from the defiled Temple. Having departed from the Holy of Holies (v. 18), it would eventually depart Jerusalem altogether.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Ezekiel had the benefit of a divine vision of God’s glory, but today we have an even better picture.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ezekiel 11:1-25
I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. . . . They will be my people, and I will be their God. - Ezekiel 11:19–20
TODAY IN THE WORD
A few years ago a snappy little song became quite popular. Some of its lyrics went as follows: “In every life we have some trouble / But when you worry, you make it double. Don’t worry, be happy!” This song could have been sung by Jerusalem’s leaders (vv. 1–3)!

By telling people to build houses, these leaders were implying that peaceful times were ahead. But to preach peace in the face of impending judgment was disobedient and cruel. Through His prophets, including Jeremiah and Ezekiel, the Lord had made it clear that judgment was coming.

Using the false prophets’ own words, the Lord revealed that the “meat” referred to those slain by these false prophets, and the “pot” was for judgment, not protection (v. 7). Because these leaders had forsaken God’s laws (v. 12), they would be killed outside the “pot.” As proof, one such prophet, Pelatiah, died even as Ezekiel was speaking (v. 13)!

Furthermore, some false prophets claimed that God’s judgment had fallen on the exiles, whereas those in Jeru-salem rightfully possessed the land (vv. 14-16). In response to this blatant lie, the Lord gave Ezekiel the first in a series of messages about the future restoration of the true remnant. Not only would this remnant receive the land (v. 17), but God had actually been making His sanctuary with them in their exile (v. 16)! This was a huge blow to the proud residents of Jerusalem.

Far more important than a restored land were restored hearts. Following His judgment, God’s people would no longer be divided by their hardened hearts toward Him (vv. 19–20).

But this future glory must await the present judgment. As God had promised, Jerusalem’s terrible sin drove away His glory. Led by the holy cherubim, God’s glory finally departed the Temple (v. 23) and hovered over an eastern mountain, the Mount of Olives. What a sad day for Jerusalem!
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Heart disease continues to be a leading killer in the United States. We hear ads urging us to consider heart scans, but how often do we think about our spiritual hearts?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ezekiel 12:1-28
I tell you the truth, if a man keeps my word, he will never see death. - John 8:51
TODAY IN THE WORD
Imagine walking down your street one day only to find one of your neighbors, bags all packed, just standing there. When you ask where he’s going, he doesn’t say anything, but just keeps standing there. Later that evening, you see him cutting a hole in the side of his house and then stuffing himself and his bags through it! You would certainly begin to wonder about your neighbor! No doubt Ezekiel completely baffled his neighbors.

Today’s passage contains more acted parables (see Aug. 4). Although there was little response from such earlier acts, it’s clear that God was willing to reach His people in dramatic ways, especially when they had difficulty hearing His Word (v. 2).

In the light of sieges and deportations, it’s hard to understand the people’s persistent false optimism, yet many exiles believed they would quickly return to Jerusalem where they would resume normal life. That’s why Ezekiel had to keep stressing the harsh reality of the judgment of Jerusalem and its ultimate exile.

Most likely some interpreted Ezekiel’s actions as a sign of their own return to Judah. But the sight of Ezekiel marching blind-folded off into the sunset (v. 6) should have indicated otherwise. And indeed it did. The sad truth was that King Zedekiah would be bound, blinded, and taken from Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 39:2–9 (see also Aug. 1) records this horrifying event. In 586 B.C., when Jerusalem fell to Nebuchadnezzar, Zedekiah and his entourage tried to flee at night through a breach in the wall, but were caught. After witnessing the execution of his own sons, Zedekiah was blinded and deported to Babylon. The second acted parable (vv. 17–20) showed the extreme anxiety that would seize the residents of Jerusalem in their final hour.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Pastor Stuart Briscoe wrote, “The main problem with our failure to assimilate truth is the will.”

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ezekiel 13:1-14:23
Speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. - Ephesians 4:15
TODAY IN THE WORD
For years, numerous Turkish building inspectors turned a blind eye to shoddy construction techniques. Lucrative bribes were hard to resist. Although some officials suspected problems, it was often easier to dismiss concerns and to proceed, hoping for the best. As these corrupt officials continued approving new homes, they implicitly assured people that these houses were fine. A devastating earthquake in August 1999 revealed the deadly consequences of these inspectors’ deception.

Yesterday we saw the people’s resistance to accept Ezekiel’s prophecies--this was due in part to many false prophets, who said what they imagined the people wanted to hear, and whose empty prophecies (not surprisingly) never came to pass. Like building inspectors who cared little about the potential devastation of their deception, these false prophets weren’t concerned with the deadly impact of their words.

But the Lord is never deceived. Because these prophets tore down instead of building up (13:5–7), and because they covered “a flimsy wall” (v. 10) with whitewash, the Lord was about to exclude them from His people. Like a “house of cards,” their hollow promises would be utterly blown apart when the torrent of God’s rightful wrath was unleashed upon the land.

There were also false prophetesses, or perhaps sorceresses, who practiced magic or fortune-telling. Like their male counterparts, these women were ensnaring the people (vv. 17-19), while enriching themselves. Like the false prophets, they would receive God’s judgment (vv. 20-23). Ezekiel 14 continues recording their judgment, but most significant is the goal of this judgment: that the Lord might be known (13:9, 14, 21, 23; 14:. God’s judgment is for the purpose of removing snares that keep His people from knowing Him. His judgment always works toward their restoration (v. 23).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The one thing false prophets never ask anyone to do is to change. “Life is good . . . I’m OK, you’re OK!”

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ezekiel 15:1-16:43
I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. - Hosea 14:4
TODAY IN THE WORD
Sociologists say that most cultures have some taboo against adultery. Even with widely varying marriage customs, people around the world usually recognize the exclusive claims inherent in marriage. The sanctity of marriage is what lends “shock value” to the second parable in today’s reading.

This parable is preceded by another in which the people are likened to a useless vine (cf. Deut. 32:32–33). If a vine fails to produce fruit, it’s not good for much else and will be burned (15:5). The point of this parable was clear: worthless Jerusalem would be destroyed.

To drive this point home, the Lord gave Ezekiel another parable that showed Judah’s faithlessness and the Lord’s faithfulness.

This parable begins with a declaration of the Lord’s unconditional election of the nation–like an unloved child left to die, the Lord took in the nation and compassionately nurtured it. The reference to her parents shows the moral depravity out of which the Lord had brought His people (16:3).

Having grown to maturity (alluding to the nation’s growth in Egypt), the Lord entered into marriage vows with the young woman (an allusion to the Sinai covenant). Under the Lord’s tender care, she became a very beautiful queen (v. 13; alluding to the Davidic kingdom).

The story takes an unexpected twist in verse 15. With everything to lose and nothing to gain, the “wife” trusts in her beauty and prostitutes herself to “anyone who passed by,” a reference to the nation’s illicit political alliances (vv. 26–29). These alliances forfeited trust in God and introduced detestable pagan practices, including lewd sexual conduct and child sacrifice.

Judah actually paid her lovers (v. 33), an allusion to tributes paid to foreign nations. God’s punishment was decisive: like a harlot, Judah would be publicly shamed (during Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion) in the sight of her former lovers (the nations with whom Judah had treaties) and her house would be burned.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
One of the key factors in the nation’s decline was that it had forgotten where it had come from (v. 22).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ezekiel 16:44-17:24
I will remember the covenant I made with you, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. - Ezekiel 16:60
TODAY IN THE WORD
People love a good story. Ezekiel’s crowd was probably amused by this strange man, but things got uncomfortable when they realized that they were part of the story! Today’s passage continues yesterday’s parable. The same shocking language describes Judah’s unfaithfulness to the Lord.

Judah had a proverb much like one of ours: like mother, like daughter. Here, it meant that Judah was just like the pagan Canaanites. Even today, most people equate Sodom with sin. Ezekiel 16 cites arrogance, gluttony, and disregard of the poor as Sodom’s sins (v. 49); Genesis 19 adds even more. What’s shocking is that these sins did not compare with Judah’s sins! Judah even managed to “outsin” Samaria (the northern kingdom), who did not have one righteous king in its two-hundred year history. Instead of learning from God’s judgment of Sodom and Samaria, Judah continued in sin, making her two “sisters” look righteous by comparison (v. 51).

The mere mention of despised Sodom and Samaria together with Judah was deeply insulting; the fact that somehow Sodom and Samaria would be restored before Judah was simply unthinkable! Such humiliation is what Judah deserved--restoration and an everlasting covenant were pure, unmerited grace (v. 60).

Then the Lord gave Ezekiel another parable. While the first parable was fairly straightforward, the second one required detailed explanation (vv. 17:12–18). Here the Lord showed His displeasure over Zedekiah’s broken treaty with Nebuchadnezzar (v. 15). Why would the Lord care so much about a treaty with a pagan king? Because Zedekiah had sealed this treaty using the Lord’s name--“my oath” and “my covenant” (v. 19). In breaking this treaty, Zedekiah brought reproach on God’s holy name!
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today’s passage shows that God is always faithful to His covenants.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ezekiel 18:1-32
The righteous will live by his faith. - Habakkuk 2:4
TODAY IN THE WORD
Oedipus Rexrecounts the tragic tale of Oedipus, who unwittingly kills his father and marries his mother, Jocasta. Each of Oedipus and Jocasta’s four children suffer greatly because of their parents’ incest. One daughter in particular, Antigone, defies the Greek gods to give her brother a proper burial. Rather than face the gods’ wrath, she commits suicide.

Ezekiel’s audience would have loved this story! The point of their proverb (v. 2) was that somehow God unjustly punished an innocent person for someone else’s sin, as if one person biting into a sour grape could cause another to person to wince! The exiles wanted to believe that they were exiled because of their parents’ sins, not their own. It was ridiculous logic, of course, but we find a lot of this victim-mentality today.

That God is unjust is a blatant lie--no wonder the Lord forbade this proverb (v. 3). The exiles needed a lesson on personal responsibility. This lesson began by citing three generations (vv. 5–20): a righteous father, a wicked son, and a righteous grandson. These examples clearly showed that each individual was responsible for his own actions, not those of a previous generation.

Righteousness in the Old Testament is understood somewhat differently than in the New Testament. Because Judah was in a covenant with God, it was assumed the nation would keep the stipulations of the covenant. To “live” meant to enjoy covenant blessings; to “die” meant to experience covenant curses (Deut. 28–30). Today’s passage does not teach that salvation is earned, but rather that true righteousness leads to righteous living, which brings God’s blessing. Salvation has always been by faith, whether looking forward (as the Old Testament saints did) or back to the Lord (as we do).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Sometimes we actually want an unjust situation to continue!

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ezekiel 19:1-14; 2 Kings 25:27-30
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. - 1 Corinthians 13:6
TODAY IN THE WORD
Perhaps one of the most surprising events following WW II was the outpouring of Allied aid directed toward conquered countries’ restoration. The Marshal Plan alone pumped $12 billion into Germany and other parts of Europe from 1948 to 1951. It may have been surprising to defeated German citizens that their former enemies would become their benefactors.

In a similar way, it probably surprised Ezekiel’s listeners that he was lamenting the princes of Israel. Previously he had uttered the Lord’s judgments against them and pointed out their folly and disobedience. Human reasoning would have expected some gloating, or perhaps an “I told you so,” when their end was so clearly in sight. Instead, the Lord commanded Ezekiel to mourn the “lion cubs” whom He had raised up to govern the nation.

The lioness probably refers to the nation in general, and the first cub (vv. 3–4)--to Jehoahaz, Zedekiah’s brother. He had reigned only three months when the Egyptian pharaoh took him captive back to Egypt. Jehoahaz’s nephew, Jehoachin (vv. 5–9) succeeded him to the throne (see Aug. 1). Jehoachin was an evil king, who was exiled to Babylon, where he spent 37 years in prison.

Although the imagery shifts to a vine in the final part of this chapter, the passage is still about Israel’s kings. The lament is intensified when the grandeur of the united kingdom is recalled (vv. 10–11). From its former heights, Judah was finally uprooted and replanted in a “dry and thirsty land”--the exile in Babylon.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
How often do we mourn when our national leaders are doing wrong?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ezekiel 20:32-21:32
Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. - Proverbs 16:20
TODAY IN THE WORD
In the comic strip, Peanuts,a particular scenario is frequently replayed. Lucy offers to hold the football for Charlie Brown so that he can kick it. As he approaches the football, Lucy lets go and Charlie falls flat on his back. We are tempted to wonder how Charlie Brown can keep trusting Lucy over and over.

The same question might have been asked of Judah and its misplaced trust in Egypt. On numerous occasions Egypt had either failed or refused to help. Yet in 591 B.C., Judah again turned to Egypt when Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. Because this was really rebellion against God, Ezekiel reviewed Judah’s rebellious history to show that “rebellion doesn’t pay.”

Beginning with the Exodus, the Lord recounted the people’s rebellious idol worship and failure to obey His laws, particularly the Sabbath. This rebellion persisted to Ezekiel’s day (vv. 29–32), but now included abominable child sacrifice.

Yet this could have been called a history of God’s grace. He led His people out of Egypt, gave them His laws, and brought them into the Promised Land. Even now, God was promising that He would lead His people out of exile and restore them to their land (vv. 41–44). But God also allowed the people to persist in sin until they grew weary of it (v. 39), followed by a fiery cleansing of their sin (vv. 45–48).

The ultimate goal of God’s judgment is to bring forth a people for Himself. Suffering is not the end of the story, salvation is! That’s important to remember while reading the terrifying sword prophecy of Ezekiel 21. Ezekiel’s groaning showed just how bad was the judgment, which sadly affected righteous and wicked alike.

The thrice-repeated outcome of Nebuchadnezzar’s superstitious divination emphasized God’s ordained destruction of Jerusalem, even though hardened hearts would dismiss this as a false omen (v. 23).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
“The silence of God is perhaps more frightening than the Word of God,” wrote one Bible commentator. We’re not exactly sure what the elders sought from Ezekiel (20:1). Perhaps they wanted to know when they were going to return to Jerusalem. But God refused to answer them because they had refused to obey Him. Instead, He reviewed their rebellion and His grace. Is there some area of your life where God seems to be silent? Perhaps a prayerful review of any rebellion in your life and trusting in God and His faithfulness might be illuminating.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ezekiel 22:1-31
I looked for a man among them who would stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land, but I found none. - Ezekiel 22:30
TODAY IN THE WORD
In 1895, an Irish missionary arrived in India, little knowing how God would use her to rescue hundreds of young girls, “dedicated” as temple prostitutes. Her heart broken with God’s love, Amy Carmichael ministered for 53 years to these precious little ones. To this day, the Dohnavur Fellowship remains a refuge for many facing unspeakable dangers.

The power of one individual fully committed to the Lord is truly amazing. How awful then is the place where not a single righteous individual is found! Such was Jerusalem, a “city of bloodshed,” just prior to its fall. You don’t have to read much of Ezekiel 22 to see complete social disintegration. Individuals shed blood, defied parental authority, mistreated the oppressed, desecrated the holy, and committed all manner of sexual immorality. And it all boiled down to one reason: they had forgotten the Sovereign Lord (v. 12).

What else could the Lord do but purify away the dross? It is amazing that the Lord did not forsake His people altogether, a thing that would be impossible for His complete faithfulness. But their excessive sin did provoke His momentary wrath. Understanding this explains such severe judgment.

God’s judgment obviously entailed withholding His blessing, even upon the land--His own creation--which suffered drought and barrenness.

Physical drought illustrated the spiritual drought of the people. Their dry, hard hearts were cruel and vicious, so God withheld His gracious gifts of rain and abundance. The priests especially should have understood this connection between physical deprivation and disobedience (Lev. 26:3–4).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
One Bible scholar defined standing in the gap as the call “to expose oneself for the protection of something.”

This is not an easy place to stand, but the Lord powerfully uses individuals who are willing! Think of those who are vulnerable around you--the homeless, street kids, students exposed to drugs and gangs, forgotten elderly. Is there someway you can be the Lord’s advocate for these individuals?

www.guidestar.org lists organizations that help such individuals. Consider how you can “stand in the gap,” either physically or prayerfully.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ezekiel 23:1-49
Since you have forgotten me and thrust me behind your back,you must bear the consequences. - Ezekiel 23:35
TODAY IN THE WORD
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby,Daisy Buchanan appears to be the ideal woman. Yet as the story unfolds, the reader discovers that Daisy is easily impressed by wealth and success--and Jay Gatsby, who has spent his life trying to win her. The only problem is that Daisy is already married. This tragic tale of ambition and infidelity is a more modern version of today’s passage.

Judah and Samaria were like two sisters--the older Oholah represented the northern kingdom, Israel, whose capital was Samaria; Oholibah represented Judah, whose capital was Jerusalem. Despite the rift between these two, they were united on one thing--their sin.

Oholah prostituted herself with the Assyrians, but Oholibah --with both the Assyrians and the Chaldeans (another name for the Babylonians). The language here (vv. 1–21) is often revolting. Why would the Lord object so vehemently to what might be dismissed as ill-advised international relations? The answer lies in Israel and Judah’s reasons for seeking foreign alliances.

Throughout Israel’s long history, the Lord had promised to provide all it needed--including a relationship with Himself. But both Israel and Judah were easily impressed with the wealth and military prowess of neighboring countries. Chariots and vast armies were easier to trust than the Lord. Even more appealing to these two “sisters” was the pantheon of foreign gods and goddesses. Not only did these foreign idols shift the Israelites’ allegiance from the One True God, worship of these false deities entailed debasing and defiling practices. No wonder the Lord likened “mere” political alliances to prostitution--that’s where these alliances led!

The consequences of thrusting God behind one’s back (v. 35) are terrifying. Worn out from their adultery (v. 43), the sisters would be stripped (referring to the despoiling of Samaria and Jerusalem) and humiliated (Jerusalem’s destruction and exile).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness,” states 2 Timothy 3:16.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ezekiel 24:1-14
His anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime. - Psalm 30:5
TODAY IN THE WORD
The process of extracting iron from iron ore involves massive furnaces, in which the ore becomes molten and descends into a large crucible. The iron then sinks to the bottom and impurities float on top, where they are drained off through pipes and discarded. The valuable iron is tapped from below and runs into sand molds to harden.

Looking back over the past few chapters of Ezekiel, the intense heat of God’s refining fires should come as no surprise. Although these passages seem harsh, God had been urging His people to repent of their sin for centuries. Even when judgment became inevitable, God mercifully warned the people of the exact nature of the impending disaster. Putting the nation’s judgment into the context of its long (rebellious) history reveals the truth of today’s verse from the Psalms, which is followed by this wonderful promise: “Weeping may remain a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

Although a glorious morning of restoration would indeed come to the exiles, the weeping of the night was now upon them.

Recall from Ezekiel 11 (Aug. that Jerusalem’s residents believed that the city would protect them--like a cooking pot protects its contents. Today’s parable, written at the beginning of Nebuchadnezzar’s siege of Jerusalem in 588 B.C. (v. 2), completely removed this false hope. In this parable, choice pieces of meat were placed into an encrusted (rusty) cooking pot, and randomly removed (v. 6). This described the rulers of the corrupt city, Jerusalem, who were about to be indiscriminately exiled. The flames of the cooking fire became so intense that the bones in the pot were charred (v. 10). Yet even this searing heat could not burn off the pot’s rust, so badly was it encrusted. The only possible cleansing would be the full extent of God’s wrath (v. 13), which had finally come upon Jerusalem.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
You often hear it said, “God loves you too much to leave you as you are!” If you are currently experiencing God’s refining fire, take comfort in the knowledge that God purifies His children so they can experience life as it was intended to be. Purification is about restoration, not punishment. If you have a hymnal, “How Firm a Foundation” contains some encouraging words about God’s good purposes in fiery trials. If your day includes time with friends or family, you could sing this hymn together.