Ezekiel Ch 20 v30–32
Having continued in scripture from the previous books, I am really appreciating the benefits of systematic bible reading, something I have never really gravitated too, fearing lest it become dead letter. But without systematic bible reading, parts are missing from the wonder of the tapestry of Gods Word.
This chapter starts with the elders of Israel coming to the prophet Ezekiel to enquire of the Lord. It is placed by the commentaries at least two years into the start of the prophets ministry, but a number of years before the destruction of Jerusalem.
Some of the commentaries suggest that the elders where asking almost in a sense in view of Gods promises unto Israel, and in that respect we hear echoes of Acts Ch 1 v6. And that they were elders and came to enquire of the prophet must entail this dimension as this defined them as elders of Israel and also the role, office and function of the one they came to enquire of the Lord through.
This is a wonderful predicament! Despite being in captivity and despite the captivity having come through their abandonment of the living God, they could not escape their identity & heritage – Praise God.
Yes, Praise God, Praise God that he chose a people group through whom he would bless every nation and family.
And so the prophet speaks the Lords word unto them.
God speaks into are humanity. God became flesh and blood, he is relational.
God also deals with reality, hence why he chose to become flesh and blood and dwell amongst men.
As God deals in reality, and as they had come to enquire of the Lord, the Lord gives them a history lesson, a history lesson concerning his divine intervention and his covenant promises.
Bringing the people of Israel out by an almighty hand.
God had given them his Sabbath, a commandment to keep it holy, a weekly sign between God and man which obeyed would bring the personal knowledge of the nature of their Lord and God. A day of great rest to understand the permeant work accomplished by God since before the foundations of this world. His peace shared with his people.
Little surprise that Jesus did not mind his disciples plucking the ears of corn, or that he was intentional in healing folk on the Sabbath. These occasions gave him opportunity to impart the knowledge of his Lordship as he had always intended. Jesus obeyed the principles given in the Word of God concerning the Sabbath – whom the Son sets free is free indeed.
But they had not kept the Sabbath but rather they had profaned it, as they had Gods other instructions unto them.
As he is relational and deals with reality how does he speak unto the elders who come to inquire of the prophet of the Lord.
God is so pure, that he speaks truth to them. He affirms that you can’t rebel against Gods ordained blessing for your life, and then enquire concerning what you can do to facilitate bringing that blessing about.
Here we see a root of legalism, rebellion to the true knowledge of God – He alone finished the work at Calvary. Today, if you will hear his voice, rebel not but enter the promises of God: It is finished.
Here we see that the root issue regarding their rebellion was unbelief. They did not consider the promises of God worth stacking their lives upon its truth. That the promises far surpassed all the vain imaginations of men’s minds. They sought to be as other nations, who ignorantly worshipped the work of their own hands, an embracing of the powers of darkness, as deception is always sown in polar opposition to the truth of Gods light.
Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve – the word of God procuring our liberty.
God deals with reality, so he informs them that their forefathers who they were akin to, did not enter into rest, but where rather scattered and dispersed among the nations.
God added further rules unto his people, as Paul draws out so that sin by the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.
God intentionally added further laws to get to the root issue, rebellion to the covenant promises of God cant be circumnavigated, you cant enter the land of promise if you disbelief that God is fulfilling his word of promise – the waters stopped at Adam and the priests carried the covenant into the land.
Further laws where added to expose the initial sin of unbelief and rebellion to the finished work of God.
This is marvelous to see, that Gods purity is consistent. His design for are liberty has always been relational, the just shall live by believing the Word of God.
Abraham, did not know that the waters from Adam had been cut off when he entered into Egypt. He considered them to be continuously flowing. Hence, he assumed that should Egypt know the truth that Sarah was his wife, that they would kill him so that they could take what was pleasant to the eyes. Abraham, lived in the knowledge of the fruit of sin and death, that had brought a separation from the tree of life.
But had not the Lord said to Abraham ‘I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all families of the earth shall be blessed’.
This was a direct promise from God unto him personally, it held wait eternally neither mind simply in Egypt. Abraham compromised the word of God due to his lack of understanding concerning its universal application. Abraham was weak in his faith, but God matured him.
Perhaps going down to Egypt was his own solution to the famine, perhaps famine being in the land that God had promised to bless, perhaps this had caused his faith to stumble.
All that Abraham gained from Egypt was to be a snare unto him. When he listened to his own wife concerning Hagar, it birthed a austere religion that was devoid of the relationship between Father and Son.
Here we have the same root issue, God sets us free only through the reality of his being, being relational – whom the Son sets free.
Abrahams lack of faith in the covenant birthed a religion of works.
But the promise has always been of Sonship.
In Gen Ch 15, Abraham states ‘how am I to know that I shall possess it’?
I am the same as all the other men around me. I am weak and the waters from Adam flow through my veins. How is it possible that you could make my descendants distinct with a capacity to flow outwards in blessings unto others.
A great darkness comes upon the subsequent sacrifice, as the Lord affirms that he is not a man that he would ever lie, and herein is the knowledge of God, he is light and in him is no darkness.
Abrahams faith has reached a full maturity in Gen Ch 22, as he according to the command of the Lord takes his promised Son up the mountain to be offered their as a sacrifice.
God affirms to Abraham, that he has now entered into the rest of God, the finished work of Calvary.
Abraham speaks prophetically unto his Son when he says, ‘God shall provide for himself the sacrifice’.
Abraham was intent on sacrificing his promised Son upon the very alter that he had been commanded in obedience. The very root of the issue was this root of covenant promise.
How could his descendants inherit the land and be a blessing to all other nations and families if his only Son was sacrificed upon this alter.
Abraham was in alignment with the very heart of God.
Abraham now believed the truth of Gods word and rested his own Sons life upon it.
Abraham was mirroring a true knowledge of God – Now I know.
Abraham, believed that God would raise his beloved Son Isaac from the dead to fulfill his covenant promises. Abraham, did not have all the answers to famines etc but now he would not forsake the covenant promises as he had been lead to know that God would provide the sacrifice.
Abraham was a true friend of God, he allowed God to reveal his true nature.
Abraham was the essence of obedience to the light of Gods Word. And God was shining through the radiance of his Son to come of a covenant secured and sealed by the very Word of God: It is Finished.
Abraham knew that he had no strength or power to raise his Son from the dead.
Abraham through his obedience was giving testimony to the root issue, his own works where never going to be able to raise his Son from the dead. This act of faith was devoid of legalism as it absolute dependent trust that God would fulfill his own word.
Abrahams obedience necessitated the ‘I WILL’ of GOD. I will make you a blessing.
But because he believed the Word of God, and was willing to obey him, God was enabled to reveal the very heart of the covenant promises: Not by might, nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord, God shall provide himself a sacrifice.
Abraham was able to obey the word of God because he believed that God would fulfill his own word. Sovereignly & divinely. God had shared with him the knowledge of his reality and his sharing relational nature.
The original deception having been that God had withheld a thing to make one wise.
Now I know that you fear God, as you have invested everything to ensure your obedience. To make one wise, Abraham had touched the mystery concealed since before the world ever began, that God has shared all of himself with his creation, having made all things through his beloved Son Jesus Christ.
Whom the Son sets free is free indeed – its a finished work ‘freedom’ slaves cry.
Ezekiel Ch 20 v30: Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Will you defile yourselves after the manner of your fathers and go whoring after their detestable things?
When you present your gifts and offer up your children in fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, declares the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.
What is in your mind shall never happen – the thought, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the tribes of the countries, and worship wood and stone’.
Let us make man in our image.
Then a lie and deception comes flooding in.
‘Let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth’
O how ignorant the workings of any man are without the retention of Gods Covenant Word of Promise.
Had not God saved humanity in and through the Ark. How could these people think such a daft thing having the near knowledge that God has chosen to save Noah. And had he not given unto Noah a covenant promise & had he not given him the original mandate to have dominion. Why exchange such liberty with the loneliness of a mass concrete block, and all the strivings and straining to keep it rigid. Not to mention the energy and works needed when another city would spring up and seek domination over it. And where is the tallest building in the World currently?
Maybe they thought to build a tower, to survive such a flood. They had not understood access to the highest throne above.
Let us make a name for ourselves – dear Abraham the friend of God showing that God is well able to speak into mans desire to be established.
Man fears being dispersed – but the true blessing from God knows no fear, only of God, who is well able to level every mountain and fill every valley. Which if done would leave the earth covered again by 15 cubits – thus we only need Jesus to lift him up that all the world might see the source of all blessing and are confidence though strangers and pilgrims passing through, Jerusalem, Samaria or the furthest most dispersed islands of lands end.
Nothing they now propose to do will be impossible for them
This speaks into the future, of bionic knees, of Galactic and Blue Haven heights.
So the Lord dispersed them. The Lord did for all nations the opposite to that which they had come together in unity to do.
Mans will is not greater than Gods will.
O thank God, that he chose a people to reveal his own will through: Be it unto me according to thy will. Is not the impossibility without God that man would be a blessing one unto another.
There is only one City Abraham sought, it had sure foundation laid before this worlds. And only One City descended from the Heavens above.
God has no problem with unity. God is ONE and he has called us to unity. But God will not endorse deception and it cannot bear good fruit that blesses the whole family. LBQT does not equate to a blessed family nuclei.
Did the Tower of Babel have child sacrificed at the alters of its foundation? Such practices still go on today in some cultures of the world, the 21st Century, so perhaps it did.
Around three years ago, my workplace had a dress down day for Charity. I was to my knowledge the only person who attended with my normal work attire, as I could not donate to a charity that violated my religious convictions. It was noted, some individuals coming from other floors who did not frequent where I worked normally.
A young person has to make a choice, if I go with God, I may not be accepted by the tide.
Thoughts can arise the thought ‘Let me be like the nations around me’, I do not want to standout, distinct.
Are we Armenian or are with Calvinistic.
Well these verses are full of theology and God says your will will not prevail but my Will shall de done.
O Thanks be unto God, from whom all blessings flow.
God promises that he will be King over you.
But within is a universe, a world of desire, of petty wants and wills, of good intentions to. How can God say such things? How can liberty be the truth that sets free, if Gods authority is forced upon me.
King David, had failed, and he was a man after Gods own heart. But he was only anointed to speak prophetically of a man to be born a King, who would fulfill all his Fathers Will.
Wisdom followed a star from the East. What made these men wise? They believed in a God of creation, how could life come out of nothing, impossible.
And so as they would not embrace deception, they were teachable.
God lead these wisemen to one born King of the Jews.
At Calvary darkness covered the whole earth, as the Son of man and God cried out: Father forgive them & It is Finished.
Pilot who had feared a bad report coming to Caesar from the Jews, appeased them. And had not they not cried ‘We have no king but Caesar!
Extraordinary, the deception of power when within the fear of your fellow man.
His accusation at his trail: He has made himself the Son of God.
Isaiah Ch 11 v1-9
In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples, of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.
What a deception the legalistic are shown to have embraced, the very promises of God unto them that had made them distinct they are throwing away to think like all the other nations around them: We have no King but Caesar.
God poured out his wrath upon his Son at Calvary.
Pilot was a compromised man, yet he had the integrity to let Jesus go.
What I have written I have written. The soul that sins, Ezekiel tells us must die. But Pilot had testified ‘I find no fault in him’, that is truth.
They had a law, that a blasphemer must die -but he was Gods pure & provided sacrifice.
What I have written I have written: King of the Jews, King of the separated ones, King of the promises distinctly made unto Abraham.
How does God impose his sovereign will? Such a King as this, ‘Today, may I be with you in paradise’. Redeemed from deception, no carved image of stone and wood could ever produce such a cry: FATHER forgive them.
All he asks is that you reciprocate his cry: I thirst.
Are you satisfied with Babylon, the barley and the bees.
Mans greatest need is that his sins are blotted out, and to hear the Father sing, sons coming home from distant lands.
The new covenant is Gods greatest gift to mankind, it is a finished work, his full authority to bear, condemnation far from his thoughts, but many songs of liberty.
N.B. Below is a picture from the room I arrived in yesterday for conference.
The visits to this site yesterday where certainly inspired. Combined together they ministered in a very detailed manner into all that God was carrying me through.
It was specific into circumstances but so God breathed into many many thoughts affirmed to be of God. A very detailed ministry of the Spirit unto me.
Thank You.
We had the breaking of bread in are evening service at conference yesterday. Stephen who understood the breaking of the bread.
During the worship in the morning, my mind kept going to the parable of the breaking of bread. So it was a great blessing during afternoon walk, to jump onto YouTube that’s to Jabra buds, and come in right at that juncture. It’s been a real release to me.
eternalrays 