Jesus is the only way – Be Still…

Ezekiel 29:1-16 – Egypt Beware!

Read Ezekiel 29:1-16

You may have noticed the time stamp of this reading comes before Ezekiel’s previous message to Tyre. And while after the prophecy about Jerusalem’s fall in the 9^th year of captivity, the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians was not yet complete. This timeline sheds some light on the mindset of the audience hearing these words from Ezekiel in real time.

The siege on Jerusalem would be underway, however there would still be hope among the exiles and those remaining in Judah that rescue would still happen. Historically, the Israelites looked to Egyptian power and protection rather than trusting in God’s plan. This prophecy would send the message that Egypt was not the proper choice. Egypt, too, was a target of the LORD’s judgment and would not be coming to set them free from the Babylonian conquest. Continue reading “Ezekiel 29:1-16 – Egypt Beware!”

Ezekiel 27:1-25 – Is a Good Reputation Enough?

Read Ezekiel 27:1-25

Tyre sounds like quite the bustling port city, seeing wealth and making trades most people in the region would only dream of. From the LORD’s description, Tyre was well respected had quite a lot to boast about. Having a good reputation is key in a lot of areas of life.

Yes, this is the same nation that our last reading plans to destroy. It’s good for us to get a glimpse of life in those days. There was no internet sales or drop shipping. We still see trade by import/export these days, but generally there is some sort of currency involved. I can only imagine a day when you’d trade a loaf of bread for a dozen eggs, depending on what you produced and needed. Continue reading “Ezekiel 27:1-25 – Is a Good Reputation Enough?”

2 Kings 15:1-38 – Slippery Slope of Sin

Read 2 Kings 15:1-38

chasm showing how our choice results in separation from God

We covered a lot of ground in the reading today. It seems like Chapter 15 opens and closes the kingly episodes as quickly as possible. The allegiance of the Kings of Israel shows us how weak Israel has become in terms of its faithfulness. It’s now a slippery slope toward the doom the prophets have been speaking of. I think the Israelites were in denial, not believing the seriousness of their offense to God.

We also hear briefly about a few of Judah’s kings. For this period at least, they are all pleasing God, to a point. None of these kings have done away with the pagan shrines. People were still able to spend time separated from God despite having a king that was pleasing God. Why do you think each king left the pagan shrines alone? Were they trying to “please” the people not realizing how hurtful it was to God?