Wisdom

Godly wisdom has great value. Proverbs 3:13-15 says "Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies, nothing you desire can compare with her." James 1:5 tells us God will give us wisdom if we ask.

The study of God's word and prayer lead to spiritual and practical wisdom. It takes time. Don't wait to get started.

Ezekiel 1 - The Glory of God

Ezekiel 1:1-3
Introduction

This book contains the visions and messages God gave to Ezekiel. They began in his 30th year. Ezekiel was a priest. Priests started their service when they were 30.

Ezekiel was “among the exiles”. Remember that the Babylonian army attacked Jerusalem in 598 B.C. King Jehoiakim died. Jehoiachin, at 18 years of age, became the new king The Babylonian army began their attack on Jerusalem in 598 B.C. King Jehoiakim died. His son, Jehoiachin, became the new king. He was only 18 years old. He was evil as his father had been.

Nebuchadnezzar forced his surrender three months after his reign began. He, his mother, his wives, his officials and the leading men of Judah were exiled (taken to Babylon) in 597 B.C. They were settled in an area near the Chebar canal.

There would be no priestly service for Ezekiel, for the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. But, God used his as a prophet, as he did with Jeremiah. In the fifth month of his 30th year, God sent a vision to Ezekiel. Verse 3 also says the Lord’s hand was upon him. God’s hand was on him in that he used him as his prophet. This vision is often called the inaugural vision, because it begins Ezekiel’s ministry.

Similarly, God gave Ezekiel a vision of himself to call him into his prophetic ministry. This is described in Isaiah 6. God did not give a vision to Jeremiah, but did speak with him and call him to speak for him. Paul saw the risen Lord Jesus and was called into apostolic ministry. Those who speak for God and endure suffering triumphantly have a good picture of how glorious God is. No one risks their life for a small god.

1:4 - 3:15
The Vision
The description of this vision is quite long. But we will look at it in parts.

1:4
The Storm
As the vision began, Ezekiel saw a storm coming out of the north, with a high wind and a great cloud. The cloud was likely dark, but there was a brightness around it and fire flashing continually. There was gleaming metal in the middle of the fire.

God’s presence is often connected with storm, thunder and lighting. It is a symbol of his power and greatness, literally causing the earth to tremble when he appears in his glory. Isaiah’s vision occurred inside the temple, but the building shook and smoke filled the room. When God gave the covenant to Israel, in Exodus 19, there was thunder and lightening and a thick cloud, smoke around the mountain, and the Lord descended in fire. When the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle, there was a cloud over it. When they were to move on the cloud was taken up. By night there was a pillar of fire. (Exodus 40:34-38) John’s vision of the throne in Revelation 4 is accompanied by “flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder”.

1:5-14
The Four Living Creatures
As this furious storm approached, Ezekiel saw four living creatures in the middle of the storm. In 10:20, he tells us they were cherubim. Cherubim guard the presence of God from anything unholy. A cherubim was placed at the Garden of Eden to prevent man from entering it. (Genesis 3:24) Golden cherubim were installed on the cover of the ark of the covenant, with their wings spread to cover the view of it, where God’s presence dwelled. And, in fact, verse 11 says their wings were spread out and touched each other, shielding the view of what is inside, at least partially. The Old Testament of refers to God as “enthroned among the cherubim”. Solomon also put them in the temple. John saw them in his vision of heaven, where they stood around the throne. (Revelation 4:6) So, when Ezekiel sees them, we expect that this vision will ultimately be of the glory of God himself.

You’ll notice the word “likeness” is used frequently in the description. It seems that Ezekiel struggled to describe these things the best way he could. But the descriptions might not be exact.

Why are the faces of the creatures different? There have been several theories, but the text does not explain it, so they are all speculations. The Catholic church taught for some time that they represented the four gospel writers. There are stained glass windows in old churches portraying this. Another is that the likenesses of the creatures represent all of creation. The lion is the greatest of the wild animals, the eagle the greatest bird, the ox the greatest domesticated animal, and man who is to rule them all. In effect, all creation is there to attend to God the creator.

1:15-21
The Wheels
The wheels suggest that we have a magnificent chariot. Note that David called the ark of the covenant “the golden chariot of the cherubim” in the plans for Solomon’s temple. (1 Chronicles 2:18) A king would come into battle in a great chariot. There are four wheels. They are made of a gleaming material, suggesting God’s glory. They are “tall and awesome” according to verse 18. They go in any direction without turning. They went wherever the spirit directed them. And the spirit of the living creatures was somehow in the wheels. Verse 19 also says the rims were full of eyes all around. This likely demonstrates God’s omniscience. He sees everything.

1:22-25
The Loud Noise of the Cherubim
The creatures made a very loud noise as the moved. it was like the sound of many waters or an army. Verse 24 said it was the sound of the Almighty. The noise again signifies the power of the Lord. It is similar to Jesus speaking to John in Revelation with a loud voice like the roar of many waters. (Revelation 1:15)

1:26-28
The Expanse

Verse 24 says there was the likeness of an expanse over the heads of the creatures. This expanse shone like crystal, clear and bright. The word expanse is used in Genesis 1 to describe the sky and space. Above the expanse was the likeness of a throne. An area above space would likely refer to heaven. And in this area there was a beautiful shining throne. Upon the throne sat one with the likeness of a human. (26) But this person had an upper body that appeared to gleam like metal with fire enclosed all around. It was bright all around him. This would be the glory of God.

Above the throne is a rainbow. (28) The rainbow indicates God’s covenant with man not to destroy the earth by water again. John also saw a rainbow around the throne in Revelation 4:3. The descriptions of God’s throne in heaven are very similar in Ezekiel and Revelation.

Ezekiel realized he beheld the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And, as all do in that situation, he fell flat on his face on the ground. John, upon seeing Jesus in heaven, “fell at his feet as though dead”. (Revelation 1:17)

Why all this? As a Jewish priest, Ezekiel would think that God dwelt in the Temple in Jerusalem, the the holiest place, on the mercy seat. To be exiled from Jerusalem, and the temple destroyed, would to him mean he and all Israel are cut off from God. But now he sees that God is also in Babylon with the exiles. Indeed he sees everything everywhere.

And, this great and majestic God, present even in the land of the powerful, conquering enemy of Israel, has a message for him to preach.

God's Sovereignty in Genesis 20-22

This section of scripture displays God's sovereignty. In chapter 20, God kept Abimelech from sinning with Sarah after Abraham passed her off as his sister. In chapter 21, God visited Sarah and caused her to conceive Isaac. In Chapter 22, God provided the sacrifice in place of Isaac.

God directs the affairs of men to accomplish his will. Daniel 4:35 says "he does according to his will among the host of heaven and amount the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his hand or say to him "what have you done".

Not For Show

Jesus tells us not to practice religion for show. (Matthew 6) If so, you will have no reward in Heaven for your good works. (6:1) That is because you received the attention you sought on earth and that was your reward. Giving to the needy need not be announced, praying is not to show how good you are. Motives are important to God. He wants your heart, not your demonstration. Prayer is to talk directly to God. Therefore, the first thing in prayer, according to Jesus, is praise: "hallowed be your name".

Wilderness

In Genesis, God drove man out of the garden and into the wilderness because of their sin. In Matthew, God sent John the Baptist into the wilderness to herald the coming of the one who would save them from their sin.

LIVING OUT THE GOSPEL - HEBREWS 13

The closing chapter of this book admonishes the readers to live out their faith in specific ways. They apply to us also.
Love
The writer says to “let brotherly love continue”. (13:1) The body of Christ is to be marked by love for each other. We have seen this in many texts. We are to love our brothers and sisters who follow Christ with us. Even though we are different sizes, shapes, colors, nationalities and vary in looks, intelligence and abilities, we are to love each other. Jesus said to love each other as he loves us. In fact, we are to love to such a degree that people will know we are his disciples when they see it. (John 13:34-35) In the life of a congregation, love matters more than anything else.
How do we love our brothers and sisters? Paul gives us a pretty good list in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. We love our brothers and sisters by being patient, kind, not envying or boasting, not being arrogant, not being rude, not insisting on its own way, not being irritable, not rejoicing at wrong doing, rejoicing with truth, bearing all things, believing all things, hoping all things and enduring all things.
This writer tells us we also express love in hospitality and empathy for the persecuted.

Hospitality
Verse 2 says “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares”. In Old Testament times, If a Jewish family traveled and had to stop for the night, another family was to take them in. They might come to the center of town and wait until someone passed by. That person would bring them home, feed them and let them sleep in their house even though they did not know them. There is an example of this in Judges 17, where a Levite is taken in by a man named Micah. By the time this book was written, inns were expensive and often centers of immoral activity.
We show this kind of hospitality sometimes by taking in a youth group or a visiting choir. We once put up several Brazilian women from a seminary choir. None spoke a word of English. But we ate together and sang hymns together and had a great time.
The reference to entertaining angels is to Abraham and Lot. Abraham fed 3 strangers who appeared at his tent. It turned out it was the Lord and 2 angels on the way to Sodom. Because Abraham offered his hospitality, he was able to intercede for Lot and his family. (Genesis 18) Lot took in two men who came to the gate of Sodom and protected them from a crowd. These men were likely the same 2 angels seen by Abraham. These angels delivered Lot from the destruction of Sodom. (Genesis 19)
You do not, however, have to limit your hospitality to traveling Christians. Right in your church and even in your Bible study class are people you do not know, or know well. Invite them over for Sunday lunch or week day dinner. Be hospitable. Get to know them and build the bond of love in your church.
Empathy with the Persecuted
Verse 3 tells us to remember those in prison and those being mistreated as if we were suffering along with them. You may not live where Christians are persecuted. But many Christians suffer around the world. One of the current examples that is practically unmentioned is the killing of Christians in Syria by the opponents of the government. We should remember them, pray for them and support them as we can there and everywhere else Christians are persecuted.

Marriage
Marriage is to be held in honor. Our culture in American certainly denigrates marriage. Television shows and movies are usually based on bad marriages. Divorce is rampant. There are now more single people in America than married people. Many married people do not honor their marriages. They neglect or mistreat their spouses. They have sex with other people. They view pornography. In the midst of this decadence, Christians need to work even harder to honor marriage and honor Christ with our marriages.
The marriage bed is to be undefiled. The only sex God approves of and promotes is among spouses in a marriage. Verse 4 tells us God will judge the sexually immoral and the adulterous. No sex outside of marriage is in God’s will.

Money
Verse 5 tells us to free ourselves from the love of money. This is difficult in an affluent society. There are so many wonderful things to buy. There is always an updated version of the thing you already own. It is tempting to buy more than we need. But this verse tells us to be content with what we have.
Some people do not buy a lot of things, but love their money and hoard it. It gives them great pleasure to have it. But this verse tells us to keep our lives free from the love of money.
Why is this important? It is because we are to trust in God and be satisfied with him, not with money or possessions. Tis verse reminds us that God has said he will never leave us nor forsake us. We trust him to give us what we need and we are satisfied with it, because we are satisfied with Christ and know he is sufficient for us.

Have role models
Verse 7 tells us to remember our leaders and teachers and imitate their faith. Certainly, we see leaders fall. But we have many Godly leaders to imitate today and from the past. I am fond of the Puritans for this reason. They sought to bring every aspect of life under the rule of Scripture and the worship of God.

Stick to the truth
Verse 8 reminds us that Jesus never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. God does not change and his truth does not change. Theologians call this the doctrine of immutability. So, beware of new secrets and never before discovered truths. Do not be led away from the truth of the Bible. For example, scores of Bible study groups in Germany were led astray when taken over by the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Had they stuck with the truth, they would not have fallen into apostasy.
Colossians 2:8 says “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human traditions, according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ.” Any teaching that leads you away from Christ and into something else, is an empty deceit and will harm you.
Hebrews 13:9 goes on to give an example. The writer says it is good for your heart to be strengthened by grace and not by foods. This might be a reference to the Jewish tradition of eating some foods and not others, as commanded in the Old Testament. Some Jews tried to force the rules upon the Gentiles. But the writer says foods are not going to make or break your spiritual life. Instead, live by grace and find your heart strengthened and encouraged. Again, the writer points us to Christ as our satisfaction.
In fact, verse 10 tells us we have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. The Old Testament Levitical priests served the tent. The “tent” means the Tabernacle. The priests sacrificed animals on the altar and were allowed to eat some of the meat from the sacrifices. New Testament believers, however, live through the sacrifice of Christ. The cross is our only altar. The Old Testament priest has no right to participate in that as long as he is living only for the law.
To live by grace is not a license to sin. It is to live for God and with God: loving him, believing him and trusting him.

Identif

Trust In The Lord

Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV) says: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

These two verses give us advice on how to live our lives in God’s will. It tells us to do something and then tells us the result of doing it.

What is the thing we are to do? We are to place ourselves completely in God’s hands, submitted to his direction. Solomon says it three ways. First, trust in the Lord with all your heart. We place our trust in God. In other words, we place our faith in him to take care us. We have no reservations. We hold nothing back. Our whole heart is given over to him. We submit ourselves to him and his will, committed to go where he sends, do what he commands and even suffer what he ordains.

We can do this because we believe that God will do what is best for us. We believe what Romans 8:28 says, that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. We trust him. We trust him to give us eternal life, so surely we can trust him to do the best for us in this life. Romans 8:32 says “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” In other words, if he was willing to sacrifice his son for us, he will surely give us all the things we need.

Second, we do not lean on our own understanding. Sometimes, God tells us to do something we think is counter intuitive, or against human logic. We read a command in the Bible, for example, and think “I cannot do that. If I do that, I will go broke, or lose all my friends, or make people think I am a fanatic.” But this verse tells us to do what God says, trusting him to make it right.

I am not saying here that we are never to think. God gave us minds to think and gives us wisdom to discern the right thing to do. But, too often our thinking is selfish and not Biblical. It is worldly rather than spiritual. That is why Romans 12:2 tells us not to conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Your mind is renewed by the Holy Spirit, especially through the study of God’s word.

A few years ago, I began trying to read the Scripture without filters. It is hard to do. But it is necessary. I tried not to read the Bible as an American, a Republican, a Texan, an affluent Westerner or any of those things. I wanted to know what the Scripture said and what God meant. It was disturbing to see that many times I had thought and even been taught a spin on the Word, usually explaining why we did not need to do it as God said to do it. Don’t spin. Give in.

Third, “in all your ways acknowledge him”. In this context, it particularly means to acknowledge that God keeps us and directs us in his will. We do not steal his glory or presume upon his grace. Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar tried to steal God’s glory. He took credit for his accomplishments, claiming power, glory and majesty for himself. (Daniel 4:28-30). The Lord struck him with madness until he acknowledged God. He said “Then I praised the Most High; I honored him who lives forever.” (Daniel 4:34) Only then did God restore him.

James warns us not to presume upon God’s grace. He wrote “Now listen, you who say ‘today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow…instead, you out to say ‘if it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.” (James 4:13-16) We prosper only as he allows in his grace. Acknowledge that. You really can say “God graciously allowed us to succeed and we are grateful” instead of “look at what I have done, I’m so great”.

If we do what God says to do, trust him with our lives, what will he do? He will make our paths straight. When you had to walk everywhere, having a straight path was a big deal. If I can walk to the next town “as the crow flies” and it is 5 miles, I am grateful I did not have to walk the long way around and walk 10 miles.

When we visited our daughter in West Virginia once, I found myself frustrated that we could not go directly where we wanted to go because the roads all went around the hills. I could see the place I wanted to go, but had to go a long way around to get there.

So, when God says he will make our paths straight, he means he will watch over us, direct us in the way we should go and make sure we get there. This is all conditioned on our placing our trust completely in him and not in ourselves.

Are you worried about where you are going to go, how you will get there or if you will get there “in one piece”? Place your trust in God, ask him to direct your paths. Then relax and walk with him in peace.

Godspeed.