merciful God – Be Still…

Ezekiel 39:25-29 – What Mercy Looks Like

Read Ezekiel 39:25-29

We’ve heard about the doom and devastation, and now we see how God displays his mercy. The time of exile will most certainly end. God’s people will return to their homeland where God will watch over them. What a peace provoking prophecy this is as it summarizes God’s merciful plans with no more mention of Gog!

Deuteronomy 7:9 says this about God’s mercy. “Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands.” God’s mercy is extended to those who stay faithful. Many in Ezekiel’s audience had forgotten what it meant to stay faithful. Continue reading “Ezekiel 39:25-29 – What Mercy Looks Like”

Nehemiah 9:4-37 – Prayer of Confession

Read Nehemiah 9:4-37

What a prayer! One of the elements we often forget in our prayer time is to give adoration to God. We do this when we tell him how great he is. The Levite leaders are showing us a fine example of this as their prayer begins! Brilliantly, they recount God’s hand at work in the lives of their ancestors.

At times, I felt like I was reading a sermon and not a prayer of confession. God knows history better than anyone, but it was a good reminder for the people to hear who were praying this prayer with the Levite leaders. They need to hear how their ancestors messed up, mistreated God, and how that all turned around. You never know who in the crowd may not have heard all of the stories passed down from generations or been exposed to God’s words before. We are wise when we can learn from the mistakes of others, namely our ancestors.

Hebrews 8:1-13 – Jesus Ushers in the New Covenant

Read Hebrews 8:1-13

The Preacher is making a big deal out of the fact Jesus is our High Priest. It truly is an honor to have Jesus ministering to us from his heavenly home. Jesus’ purposes on earth were many, but this is his destiny. We can be thankful Jesus “is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.”

A covenant is a special kind of promise. In the covenant made between God and Israel at Sinai, the people vowed they would be obedient to God’s laws. God knew this old covenant was flawed and needed to be updated. The people had abused God’s promise by turning from him and relying on other gods. Sin is chronic, and the people were stuck in a pattern of disobedience. Yet God remained faithful.