GOD WORKS THROUGH PRAYER

When Solomon finished building the temple, he prayed for God's blessing on the temple and on Israel. Solomon prayed that, if God sent Israel into exile, but they confessed their sin and repented, that God would hear their prayer and forgive them and cause their conquerors to show them mercy. (I Ki. 8:46-51) Israel sinned and went into captivity. (2 Ki. 25) Daniel, in captivity, prayed confessing and repenting on behalf of Israel. (Dan. 9) Cyrus, king of Persia, had mercy on the Israelites, and sent them home, led by Ezra. Cyrus gave back the articles Nebuchadnezzar, and instructed them to re-build the temple. (Ezra 1; 2 Chron. 36:22)

God moves Solomon to pray for something he would not answer for centuries. God answered the prayer completely.

He does not tell us why, but God has chosen in his good pleasure to work in answer to prayer, even to the point of putting the prayer in our hearts. So, not only is prayer a great privilege, but it is the manner in which God works. If God leads you to pray for something, do not refuse or neglect. Even if you have to stop doing something else at the time. God is working.

"The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective". (Jas. 5:16)

FORESHADOWING IN 1 KINGS - TROUBLE AHEAD FOR SOLOMON

When an O.T. writer inserts a paragraph that does not fit the narrative, it is to draw your attention to something. 1 Kings 7:1-12 is one of these. In the midst of the narrative of the construction of the temple, the writer inserts a paragraph about Solomon's house or palace. The "however" in verse one is elegant, pointing out Solomon took more time to build his house than God's house. Then, in describing the expensive materials used, he says "as was the inner courtyard of the temple of the Lord with its portico". (12) The writer is foreshadowing, noting that Solomon is building a great temple to the Lord, but maybe even a greater temple to himself. Trouble is coming.

We can appear devoted to the Lord. But closer examination may show we are more devoted to ourselves. May God help us to have perspective.

A COVENANT OF PEACE - EZEKIEL 34

Looking back to verses 20-24, we saw that God promised to take care of the sheep, his people, through David. David in this case means the Messiah, Jesus, who came from the line of David.
Verse 25 then tells us that when God (Yahweh) appoints the Davidic shepherd, he will make a covenant of peace with Israel. This recalls Ezekiel 16:60 where God said he would make an eternal covenant with them. This eternal covenant of peace means the end of God's wrath upon his people. It is similar to Isaiah 54:7-10, also promising a covenant of peace.
We have seen that God's wrath is terrible in the historical account of the destruction of Jerusalem. We studied God's own horrific descriptions of his wrath here in Ezekiel. He certainly demonstrated it in the flood of Genesis 9. But after each of these horrible events, God renewed his relationship with man. And so it is with the book of Ezekiel. God promised terrible judgment as an expression of his wrath, then promised a new covenant of peace.
Notice that this covenant is unilateral. That means it is one way. God says he will do it. He put no conditions on Israel for this new covenant of peace like he did the old covenant at Sinai. There they had to obey his law in order to experience his blessings. But not here. So, God then goes on to describe the benefits of this covenant of peace. He describes what this peace will look like.
He will banish wild animals from their land so they can live without fear of attack. (25)
He will make the people and the place a blessing to others. (26)
There will be rain and it will rain at the right time. (26)
crops, orchards and vineyards shall increase. (27)
He will break their yoke; deliver them from captivity. (27)
Nations will not devour them. (28)
They will not suffer reproach from other nations. (29)

The end result of all of this is that they will know that Yahweh is their God and they are his people. In other words, they will be in covenant with him. They are his sheep, of his pasture. He is their God. (31) Isaiah 11:1-9 describes a similar situation where Jesus restores creation to the state of Eden, where animals were not killers and all lived together in harmony, man and beast. There is also a close correlation with Hosea 2:20-25. There God said he would make them faithful and he would be their God. This would come about via his mercy. There is even a correlation to the blessings set out in Job 5:23. It is as if famine and attacks from animals are symbolic of all the tragedies that could befall a disobedient nation. It is interesting to me that the City of Detroit, Michigan, has fallen apart so much that there are wild dogs roaming the city and a break down of law enforcement in many parts of the city.
You can also notice that the benefits of this peace reflect the benefits or blessings of the covenant in Lev. 26:4-13. God promised security and prosperity. This is fitting, since God has been outing out the curses of the covenant on his people. Covenant is the way God relates to his people.
Another thing that jumps out at us is that it is the destruction of the old that allows for the new. After God destroyed the earth by water, he was able to proceed anew with Noah, making a covenant with him. In Ezekiel, after destroying Jerusalem, God is able to proceed with this new covenant.
In this new covenant God reverses the curse of the old covenant. Where God made them vulnerable to their enemies before, God now makes them secure. Where God made the land desolate under the curse, he now will make it productive under the new covenant. And these blessings are tied to the coming of the Messiah, the Davidic prince.
The glaring difference, though, is the lack of conditions. God initiates Israel's restoration for his own purposes, just as he did in redeeming Israel from Egypt. There he said "I have brought you to myself".
But over all of these blessings is God’s main intent and purpose: they shall know that he is God. (30) Interestingly, Jesus said eternal life is knowing the Father.
This was a very encouraging word to the Israelite exiles. It meant God had not abandoned them completely. He would bring them back to Israel. He would be there God. But some of this encouraging word would be fulfilled in the Messianic age. There was a promise of a future covenant. There was a reassurance that David’s line would again be on the throne, but his would happen with the Messiah. It meant God himself would be their shepherd, again fulfilled in the Messiah. So, when Jesus came and, in John 10, said he was the good shepherd but the Jewish leaders were thieves and robbers, you can understand why the leaders were upset. They understood that Jesus accused them of being the bad shepherds of Ezekiel who would face his judgment, while Jesus claimed to be the good shepherd who was God himself in their midst. Although some people maintain that the Jewish leaders misunderstood Jesus, I do not think they did. I believe the understood his Old Testament references perfectly and that is why they were mad at him. They rejected his claims and did not want to give up their leadership to him. So, they killed him.
Shepherds have to remember they are under-shepherds. The flock is God’s and he tends it. The under-shepherd just serves to let God shepherd through him. When he sees the flock as his, or believes he has special privileges over the flock, God will often intervene.
The concept of peace with God is important to us. Peace with God is brought to us by Jesus. This passage in Ezekiel looked forward to that. The angels declared it at the birth of Jesus. We once were subject to God’s wrath. Ephesians 2:3 says we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. God’s wrath brings destruction, as we have seen. Romans 9:22 refers to vessels of wrath prepared for destruction.
James Montgomery Boice said “The worldly mind does not take God’s wrath seriously because it does not take sin seriously. Yet if sin is as bad as the Bible declares it to be, nothing is more just or reasonable than that the wrath of a holy God should rise against it. In the Old Testament there are more than twenty words used to express God’s wrath. More than 600 passages deal with it….” As much as I tired, as a young person, of hearing sermons on God’s wrath, I realize now how necessary it is. We have to understand the horror of sin and the fullness of God’s wrath toward it to appreciate the gift of salvation. And we have to convey this knowledge to others as we witness to them. C. S. Lewis said “We have to convince our hearers of the unwelcome diagnosis before we can expect them to welcome the news of the remedy.” Francis Schaeffer said “If I had one hour with every man, I would spend the first 45 minutes talking to them about God’s law, and the last 15 minutes talking about His great salvation.”
Jesus presented the gospel this way to Nicodemus in John 3. He said God sent his son to give eternal life to all who believe in him. (John 3:16) But, he said those who do not believe are “condemned already”. (John 3:17) They are condemned already because they are objects of God’s wrath. What a horrible thing to be.
Now we are at peace with him. Romans 5:9 says “...much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” And back to Romans 9, Paul said that, in contrast to the vessels of wrath, there are vessels of mercy, those who have received salvation through God’s grace. He has made know to us the “riches of his glory”. (Romans 9:23) He has revealed to us his marvelous grace that has delivered us from his wrath.
As we go to worship today, let’s fall at the feet of the one who gave us mercy and marvel at it and at him. Let us thank Jesus who bore God’s wrath and turned it away from us. And then let us go and tell others that we might help deliver them from God’s wrath into his mercy.

THE CENSUS SIN IN 2 SAMUEL 24

I have always found 2 Samuel 24 complicated. Evidently, Israel had fallen into sin after all of David’s victories and the resulting prosperity. God was angry at Israel (24:1). The parallel account in 1 Chronicles 21 says Satan incited David to take a census. I think the Lord allowed Satan to tempt David. Since the act of counting the people is not a sin, the sin had to have been David’s motive. He was proud of his army. He was not trusting the Lord.

Joab tried to talk him out of it, so Joab knew it was sin. He questioned David’s motives by asking why David wanted to do it. (3) This was the promised way of escape God provided. (1 Cor. 10:13)

The census was taken, but the people did not pay the ransom required in Exodus 30:12. The ransom is required to remind the people that they are God’s, not their own and not the king’s. The penalty for failure to pay the ransom is plague.

David realized his sin and confessed. (10) He asked forgiveness. He knew he and God were separated by sin. But, he did not offer any of the sacrifices that were decreed to resolve guilt and separation.

God imposed the consequence of sin. When God imposed the consequence, he imposed the consequence he decreed in Exodus: plague broke out. God was true to his word.

With urging from God’s prophet, David finally made things right. His purchase of Araunah’s property involved payment of many shekels, a sort of restitution for the failure of the people to pay the ransom. He made a burnt offering, the most expensive offering, to show his repentance and to petition God to stop the punishment for sin. David would have laid his had on the bull to symbolize the transfer of sin, then killed the animal to make atonement for his sin. Then he offered a peace offering, symbolic of a communion meal, to be reconciled to the Lord and restored to fellowship. The Lord accepted the offerings and the plague stopped.

God is always angry about sin. Sin offends him. Atonement can be made for sin. In God’s mercy he provided a way. He foreshadowed it in the old covenant sacrifices. He brought it to fruition when he sent his son to die for us on the cross. When we receive the benefit of his sacrifice of atonement, we no longer suffer the ultimate consequence of sin. The wages of sin is death. The gift of God is eternal life. (Rom. 6:23)

Even in this disaster, God acted to further his plan of redemption. David’s purchase secured the site for the future temple, where God’s presence would dwell for many centuries and where sacrifices for sin would be made until they were fulfilled in Christ.

WITNESSES TO THE RESURRECTION

I have had people tell me there is no proof of Jesus' resurrection. But Luke, in his two books, records many proofs.

In Acts 1, Jesus spent 40 days with them giving many proofs he was alive, meaning alive in the body and not just a spirit. Then the 11 saw him ascend into heaven. I never had 11 eyewitnesses at a trial as a prosecutor, but got convictions.

You can proclaim the resurrection. There is no evidence for the other theories, just speculation.

And while they were looking up in wonder as Jesus ascended to heaven, God thoughtfully sent an angel to remind them of the best part: he will return.

INSTRUCTIONS TO THE UNDER SHEPHERD

Jesus, the good shepherd (John 10:11), the God shepherd (Ezekiel 34), gave Peter the under-shepherd only two instructions: (1) follow me (Jn. 21:9) and (2) take care of, or shepherd, my sheep (Jn. 21:16).

Good instructions for every under-shepherd, pastor, teacher, mentor.

GOD THE GOOD SHEPHERD - EZEKIEL 34

After many chapters of judgment, Ezekiel begins to speak about restoration. After much proclamation of despair, he now begins to offer some hope. This has both judgment and salvation.

The Bad Shepherds & A Good Shepherd
34:1-10

The metaphor of sheep and shepherd is a common one in the Bible. God’s people are the sheep. The flock, the gathering of sheep, is Israel in the Old Testament and the church in the New Testament.

The shepherds are the leaders. You may be more familiar with the New Testament. There, shepherds are usually the pastors of the church. But, in the Old Testament, the shepherds are often the kings. For example, the Lord told David “You will shepherd my people Israel and you will become their ruler. (2 Samuel 5:2)

Because the Old Testament people of God had a country and a government, the king, as leader of the government, was responsible for keeping the people on the right path of obedience to God.

God was their original shepherd. And he was the real shepherd. But the people rejected the Lord as their shepherd and demanded a king. (1 Samuel 10:19) Moses prophesied this in Deuteronomy 17. He also gave the requirements for the king. The king was to copy the law in a book and read it all the days of his life. (Dt. 17:18) He was to keep the law. His doing so would be an example for the people.

Unfortunately, Israel had more evil kings than good kings. And, indeed, the evil kings led the people to do evil. So, in Ezekiel 34, God directs Ezekiel to voice his complaints against those kings and leaders. Here is the list of his complaints:
they fed off the sheep rather than feed them;
they did not strengthen the weak;
they did not heal the sick;
the did not care for the injured;
they did not lead them;
they did not seek the lost;
the ruled harshly; and
they caused the sheep to scatter.

All of these show that the leaders of Israel profited from the people rather than lead, protect and guide the people.

The word for “harshly” or brutally in verse 4 is the same word used to describe the way the Egyptians treated their Hebrew slaves. It is also used in Leviticus 25:43 which forbids one Jew from treating another Jew this way. God is saying, Israel’s rulers treated them as badly as the Egyptians and broke God’s law in doing so.

Ironically, some preachers today refer to themselves as God’s anointed, as the Israelite kings were labeled. Remember, David did not kill Saul when he had the chance, citing the rule that you may not strike God’s anointed. The irony is, having claimed this mantle, they also prey on the sheep, living lavishly on their offerings, teaching false doctrine and leading the sheep astray.

So, God said he would put a stop to it. He would “...put a stop to their feeding the sheep”. (10) He would rescue the sheep. And he would require an accounting of the shepherds.

God The Seeking Shepherd
11-16

God said he would be a seeker. He will seek the sheep wherever they are scattered. He will rescue them. He will feed them with good pasture. Look at how this passage is similar to Psalm 23. David declared the Lord to be his shepherd, who would make him lie down in green pastures, protect him, comfort him and feed him.

Included in God’s shepherding is a return to Israel from exile. (34:13) He will gather them and bring them home. We know from later books in the Old Testament that God did bring Israel home. And we know there were no more kings of Israel after that time. Israel remained under the domination of foreign kings.


God Will Judge the Bad Sheep
17-22

Even with God as the shepherd, there will be bad sheep. There will be those who take advantage of others. They want all the blessings and they want to spoil them for others. There are “fat sheep”, who live off of the lean sheep. I was shocked, when I returned to my home church after college, how many people wanted to make money off of me. I received many business cards. One fellow was know to go through the line welcoming new members, hand them a card, and promise to call on them for business. I still get some approaches from sales persons in church.

Church is not a business opportunity. We do not come here to find customers. We come to worship and minister.

So God promised to judge between the sheep and to rescue the weak ones. He will bring justice.

The Coming Prince\Messiah
23-24

This all sounds like God promising to return Israel to its homeland and give it good kings and leaders. But, then, God drops a big bombshell. He will be the shepherd and their God, and he will provide a prince for them. He calls this prince David, although David is long dead. So, we take this to mean the prince will come from David’s line. Yes, this is a promise and prophesy of the Messiah.

One of the things I have realized is that we often miss meanings in the New Testament because we do not know the Old Testament. Jesus often used the metaphor of the sheep, the flock and the shepherd. Growing up, I often heard this was because the people of his day were very familiar with sheep and would understand his meaning. That, however, is only part of the truth. The fact is, Jesus used these metaphors to reflect on these passages in the Old Testament that told of his coming. By using the language of these texts regarding shepherd and sheep, he was saying “I am this shepherd of the Old Testament text”. Or, “I am God the good shepherd”. In addition, in the flesh, I am “David the prince”.

Here are some examples.

John 10 has a long discussion of sheep and shepherds. In doing so, he alluded to Ezekiel 34.

In John 10:9, Jesus said anyone who enters the sheepfold (flock) through him would find pasture. This is a reference to Ezekiel 34:14 where God said he will “feed them with good pasture”. Jesus is saying, I am the one who will do what God promised to do in Ezekiel 34. I am God the Shepherd.

Another example is found in Matthew 25:31-46, where Jesus speaks of the final judgment. He said he would judge between the sheep and the goats, similar to God’s statement in Ezekiel 34 that he would judge between the sheep. Jesus said the good sheep were the ones who fed the hungry, gave water to the thirsty, clothes to the naked, welcomed strangers, visited the sick and those in prison. Those will inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world.

In contrast, the goats did not do these things. They were like the bad sheep of Ezekiel 34 who took for themselves and spoiled the remainder so no one else could have some. They took advantage. God judged them as he promised in Ezekiel 34, and sent them into eternal punishment.

The third example is John 10 again, this time verses 11-18. There Jesus portrayed himself as the good shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep. He distinguished himself from the hired hands that fled when trouble came. Here he is David the Prince. He is from among the sheep as a man, being a Jew. He is of David’s line, entitled to lead as a king or prince, and he does so by laying down is human life in sacrifice for the sheep. He is both God and man, both God the good shepherd and David the prince.

The fourth example is Luke 15:4-6, where Jesus is the shepherd who seeks and finds the one lost sheep and rejoices over it. In Ezekiel 34:11, God said “I myself will search for my sheep”.

In addition to these direct references, not that Jesus rules now through the leaders of the church. They are “undershepherds”. (1 Peter 5:2-4) They serve, but they also have authority. They are not to lord it over the sheep, but to oversee. They protect and care for the sheep.



A Covenant of Peace
34:25-31

Not only will God provide a new shepherd, he will make a new covenant. This appears to mean not the new covenant of Jesus, but a new experience of the old covenant in which the blessings, rather than the curses, are experienced. It will be a covenant of peace. God’s people will be safe, they will receive many blessings, they will not be slaves.

One purpose of the judgments was to show the people that Yahweh is God. That phrase appears repeatedly in Ezekiel. But, when God makes this new covenant of peace, they will know by the blessings that Yahweh is God.

Ultimately, Jesus is the fulfillment of Ezekiel 34. He fulfilled all of the Old Testament covenants. He is the Davidic king. At the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, the crowds rightly shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David”. (Matthew 21:9) He fulfilled the law, obeying it completely. He brings us permanent peace with God. He brings us peace with each other.

We see the partial fulfillment of this today. But, upon Christ’s return, all will be fulfilled. He will gather a flock of believers from all nations. There will be no more suffering for these sheep. He will be the shepherd among his people. Revelation 7:17 says “For the Lam at the center of the throne will be their shepherd”.