I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
God calls on Ezekiel to be a watchman for the people of Israel. A watchman is tasked with watching for danger. If he sees danger and warns the people, yet they do not act, the watchman is not held accountable for their suffering. On the other hand, if the watchman sees danger and fails to warn the people, the watchman will be held accountable for the losses the people suffer. In the same way, if Ezekiel failed to speak out in an attempt to dissuade the wicked from their wicked ways, God would hold him accountable for their suffering.
I believe that this passage is a calling to us today to warn people around us of the dangers of sin. We are not called to judge people. We are called to tell people that actions have consequences. When those actions are sinful, those consequences will be undesirable. On the other hand, righteous actions will have positive consequences. If someone is sinning, is doing things which are destructive to themselves and to others, if they turn from that sin and start to behave in a righteous manner, they will receive the consequences of those righteous acts. On the other hand if someone has been behaving righteously and begins to sin, their previous righteousness will not spare them from the consequences of their sinful behavior.
The next part of the passage addresses us today as well. The people were going to consult with Ezekiel not in order to hear the word of God and change their lives but rather to be entertained. How many of us today go to Church services expecting to be entertained? How often are our Church services designed to entertain those who come, rather than to deliver the life-changing word of God?
The writer concludes his letter with some basic exhortations. He tells us to empathize with those who are imprisoned and those who are being mistreated. We are to honor marriage and those of us who are married are to remain faithful to our spouse. He reminds us not to love money, but rather to be content with what we have, because God will provide for our needs. If we remain content with what God has given us and rely on his providence, we can face all of life with confidence.
He reminds us that God does not change. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. This means that the Gospel message and God’s instructions are not going to change either. We should not get caught up with novel, new ideas. While this does not mean that we do not change what we believe, it does act as a corrective against ideas that are sold as brand new. I cannot count the number of times that I have heard people argue that some Scripture no longer applies because, “things were different when that was written.” Times do indeed change, but God does not.
There is one final point which the writer touches on that I want to highlight. He writes that under the old covenant, the bodies of the sacrifices were burned outside of the camp. In the same manner, Jesus offered Himself up as a sacrifice outside of the city gates. We are to go outside of the camp to Him, separating ourselves from this world just as He did. This world is not our home, we are still looking forward to that day when we will go to our home in heaven with God. We are not citizens of an earthly kingdom, rather we are citizens of God’s kingdom.
The psalmist reminds us that we are not to do things in order to gain glory for ourselves, nor should we accept glory for our actions. The credit for anything praiseworthy which I may have done goes to God. If not for Him, and what His Spirit has done within me, I would never have done anything worthy of praise. I will praise the Lord and will act so as to bring glory to His name.
Gold and silver are tested for purity by putting them through fire, but we are tested by how we react when others praise us. When people praise us for things we have done, it is all too easy to forget the One who is truly responsible for our successes. A fool will not give up his foolishness no matter how much trouble it brings him.