Ezekiel 12 by Pastor Mark Hudson Remember in these early chapters, the dynamic Ezekiel is facing and the dynamic his listeners are experiencing.  Ezekiel was removed from Jerusalem and is living in Babylon with about 10,000 other Jews forced to live in this ungodly, foreign country.  Ezekiel and his contemporaries saw different sights, smelled different smells, ate unfamiliar food, and learned to speak a language that was not their own.  Ezekiel often prophesied about (and…

Ezekiel 11 by Pastor David Groendyk If you were able to track with the previous chapter, you could tell that God was slowly but steadily leaving his temple. First, he moves from the Most Holy Place to the threshold of the sanctuary (Ezek. 10:4); then, he moves from the threshold to the gateway of the courtyard (Ezek. 10:19); and, by the end of this chapter, he leaves the gateway to go all the way out…

Ezekiel 10 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence Once again in this chapter Ezekiel sees in a vision something of God’s chariot throne.  Normally we would imagine the throne of a king as a stationary object permanently situated in a palace, and the same could be said for God’s throne here on earth as it was situated in the Holy of Holies within the temple, for God was said to be enthroned there above the cherubim.  But…

Ezekiel 9 by Pastor Mark Hudson In chapter 9, Ezekiel is seeing a vision of the destruction of Jerusalem.  He and Daniel are in Babylon (Daniel probably arriving approximately 10 years earlier than Ezekiel.  Daniel arrives in 605 BC and Ezekiel in 597/6).  We are not told if they ever met but it does seem likely.  Jeremiah, back in Jerusalem, is warning those in Jerusalem until he is taken to Egypt. The vision of Ezekiel…

Ezekiel 8 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence Sitting in his house some fourteen months after receiving his first vision from God, Ezekiel, who is now surrounded by the elders of Judah in exile, receives a second vision of the Lord which is described in chs.8-11. Once again, Ezekiel sees the glory of the Lord in the figure of man who transports him in a vision to the city of Jerusalem and shows him many vile things.…

Ezekiel 7 by Pastor Mark Hudson Ezekiel is singing the same song. He begins this chapter by stating the authority he has. “The word of the Lord came to me.” His sermon or preaching is not what you want to hear. Where is the ‘repent and God will forgive’? What about these verses: Ex. 34:6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and…

Ezekiel 6 by Pastor David Groendyk Ezekiel has been commanded by God to act out some object lessons for the nation of Judah in the past two chapters, including carving a map of Jerusalem on a brick, lying on his side, and shaving off his hair. However, chapter 6 is pure verbal prophecy. The latter half of chapter 5 and all of chapter 6 are filled with the covenantal curses that God had earlier promised…

Ezekiel 4 by Pastor Mark Hudson In chapter 4, we have completed the first three chapters that covers Ezekiel’s call and commission.  He is 30 years old, living in Babylonia, and from chapter 4 – 24, Ezekiel is telling the awful truth of God’s judgment. If there is a bad news, good news scenario, this is it.  The reason this is so bad is because the Jews thought their time in Babylon would be brief. …

Ezekiel 3 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence There was no ordinary office of prophet in the Old Testament like there was with the priests. One did not become a prophet due to genealogy or by human promotion. It was a very rare calling that God alone could give and often in the worst of times. It was precisely because the king and the priests along with all the people refused to obey the Word of the…

Ezekiel 2 by Pastor Mark Hudson If any parent named their child the right name, it was Ezekiel’s.  In 622, they named their son “May God strengthen him” but Buzi and his wife had no idea how much strength he would need.  Ezekiel was trained and raised to be a priest.  While we do not know how extensive that training was, the book of Ezekiel shows his priestly background.  Ezekiel was destined to be a…

Ezekiel 1 by Pastor David Groendyk Before we begin this long trek through the book of Ezekiel, I’m reminded of something Kevin DeYoung once said. Before preaching a sermon from Revelation, he said that perhaps the only book of the Bible more difficult to understand than Revelation is Ezekiel. So, brother or sister, if you find yourself confused while reading through this section of the Bible, take heart. You’re not alone in not understanding Ezekiel.…

James 5 by Pastor Lawrence Bowlin The rich man that James speaks of at the beginning of this chapter does not refer to any believer but only to the wicked who accumulate their wealth off the backs of the poor and the righteous. These first few verses are not written for the sake of the rich that they might repent of their sins but to those who are oppressed by them that they might bear…

James 4 By Pastor Mark Hudson James 4:1-3 invites us to ponder these truths for ourselves individually as well as corporately.  Anytime there is one person, let alone many, there are conflicts.  James wastes no words in asking why are there so many quarrels and fights among you?  James lays the blame internally or inside us.   It is our passions (desires or pleasures)?  We desire or want something and since we don’t have it, we…

James 2 by Pastor Mark Hudson James 2:1-13 is relatively easy to understand and, because of that, easy to disregard.   James addresses a real problem.  We can’t help but make judgements about people.  We see a nice home, nice car, or a good-looking person and we make assumptions.  We see an average home, an older car and someone who we deem less than good looking and make assumptions.  The second thing we do is what…

James 1 by Pastor David Groendyk The epistle written by James is possibly the earliest book written in the New Testament. Scholars have debated who wrote the letter itself, but the best guess is that this is Jesus’ own brother. If that is the case, it’s fascinating to track James’ personal spiritual progress throughout the New Testament. In Matthew 13:55 and John 7:5, James is named as Jesus’ brother and as someone who didn’t believe…

Nehemiah 13 by Pastor Lawrence The events occurring in this chapter take place almost thirteen years after Ezra and Nehemiah had lead the Israelites to renew their covenant with the Lord in chapter ten. We are told in v.6 that in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes, Nehemiah needed to return to Susa presumably to give a report to the king of Persia, and he was there for some period of time. While he was away,…

Nehemiah 12 by Pastor Mark Hudson Nehemiah 12 begins with a long list of names but then we proceed to the dedication of the walls. Essentially, we have two groups going around the city meeting at the temple.  One group led by Ezra and the other group with Nehemiah in the procession.  After all this work, all the opposition, the danger coming to Jerusalem, the funds needed to build, the teamwork to protect and build…

Nehemiah 11 by Pastor Lawrence Bowlin After the wall had been built and the covenant renewed, it was necessary to determine who would need to dwell within the holy city of Jerusalem. It was not that there were too many Israelites vying for the opportunity to live within the walled city but, rather, too few. Just as only a remnant of Israelites chose to return to the Promised Land after the decree of Cyrus, so…

Nehemiah 10 by Pastor Mark Hudson This chapter is a response of the people to what happened in chapter 8.  Ezra reads the law with others interpreting the verses (8:7-8).  The people respond by lifting up their hands, bowing and prostrating themselves (8:6). But Nehemiah , Ezra, and the Levites remind the people not mourn or weep over their sins.  But they are to “eat the fat and drink sweet wine” because “this day is…

Nehemiah 9 by Pastor David Groendyk The wall is finished, the attackers are fended off, and the law of God has been read, explained, and preached. About three-and-a-half weeks after this grand reform through Ezra has started, the people offer this corporate prayer of praise, confession, and help. According to the ESV Gospel Transformation Study Bible, this is the longest recorded prayer in the Bible, and with that knowledge in mind, it’s particularly interesting to…

Nehemiah 8 by Pastor Lawrence Bowlin This is clearly a time of revival in the history of Israel.  After rebuilding the temple and the walls of the city, the people are now in a good and safe place to devote themselves more fully to the Lord.  Having lived in exile for so many years, they had been deprived of the blessings of the ordinary means of grace in the context of the Church, but now…