November 1
November 1
One Year Bible Readings:
Ezekiel 1:1-3:15
Hebrews 3:1-19
Psalm 104:1-23
Proverbs 26:24-26
Supplemental Reading for The One Year Bible.
The following are excerpts from Mike’s One Year Bible Blog.
Ezekiel:
Today we begin the book of the prophet Ezekiel! Ezekiel is a prophet whose name means "God strengthens" - which is clearly a good thing for those in the prophet business. We've recently wrapped up the book of Jeremiah and are well aware of the challenges facing a prophet. The interesting thing to note is that Jeremiah was prophesying in Judah, whereas Ezekiel was prophesying in Babylon to the exiles from Judah. These two were doing their work at about the same time, but in different geographies. Ezekiel gets his call to be a prophet in probably his 30th year of life - the age when most of the priestly line were called to be priests. Instead, Ezekiel was called to be a prophet - which, is probably a good thing because he is living in exile in Babylon - so wouldn't have been able to perform the priestly duties at the Temple in Jerusalem. Ezekiel's call comes in 593 B.C., which is 7 years prior to the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. Ezekiel's ministry goes until 571 B.C., at the age of 52.
~ Ezekiel ~
Author: Ezekiel
Date: Sixth century B.C.
Content: Ezekiel, who grew up as a priest, was carried off to Babylon with the Jewish exiles deported in 597 B.C., and there he became a prophet of God. His message was one of coming judgment for those remaining in Jerusalem, but his preaching was not well received by the Jews who were with him in captivity. When his dire predictions came true in 586 B.C. with the destruction of Jerusalem, the people listened then on with great earnestness. His message changed at this point from being one of unbending judgment to one of comfort and hope for the future. The worst had come; it was now time to make plans for beginning again. Ezekiel saw himself as a shepherd and watchman over Israel. As a shepherd, he was to protect the people, but as a watchman, he was to warn of danger ahead.
Theme: The message of Ezekiel is based upon the unchangeable holiness of God. This is both a promise and a warning. It is a warning because God has promised to remain faithful to his people and this will not change. The book of Ezekiel shows God’s unbreakable promise fulfilled in both respects: the city fell according to promise because of Judah’s sin, and the city would be restored according to promise because of God’s faithfulness. The lives of God’s people determined how God would treat them.
(Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” p. 14)
In today's readings, chapter 1 is an incredible vision and call that Ezekiel receives! Obviously the flying creatures with 4 faces and wings are a highlight of this vision. What is up with these you ask? Good question. They are called "cherubim" later in the book of Ezekiel (chapter 10) and are also thought to be the creatures in Isaiah called seraphs - and they show up again in the book of Revelation. If you get a vision, and you see these creatures, you know something big is going on... :) The interesting thing about these creatures is that their four faces representing a human, lion, ox and an eagle have many interpretations, which all basically relate to the nature of God. An interesting interpretation I read was that these 4 represent the 4 Gospels - Matthew being the lion, Mark being the ox, Luke being the human and John being the eagle. You'll have to pick up a commentary to read more on why these analogies have been made.... Ezekiel Chapter 2 is God's Call and Commission of Ezekiel.
Q: Don't we all wish that God could be this clear with us about the purpose of our lives sometimes? :) Ezekiel Chapter 3 has the great narrative of Ezekiel eating the scroll of God. And it tasting like honey - even though it had words of doom upon it. In Ezekiel 3:3 we read: “Then he said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it." So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.”
Q: Can we eat of the Word of God? Does the Word nourish us? How does the Word nourish us? Is the Word nourishing you today? Is it as sweet as honey? Is the Word literally spiritual food? Will you eat of God’s Holy Word, the Bible, today – and every day of your life? Then, in Ezekiel 3 verse 15 ends with a very appropriate line I believe- "I sat there among them for seven days, overwhelmed." Think you'd be overwhelmed if you experienced chapters 1 & 2?? Whew. I am looking forward to us starting the book of Ezekiel! Thanks for joining me on this journey!
Hebrews:
Hebrews chapter 3 today is a great look at the lives of Moses and Jesus. The text today doesn't really dive into this point, but something I heard recently that is worth remembering - Moses introduced to Israel the Old Covenant (testament) via the Ten Commandments and laws. Whereas, Jesus ushers in the New Covenant to Israel and all of the world. So, this chapter goes into why Jesus is greater than Moses. Probably this Old Cov v. New Cov point alone would prove this to be true - but, obviously Jesus is also God in the flesh. Moses was simply a man. (albeit a great man in many ways!) Today in Hebrews 3:13 we read: “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.”
Q: When was the last time you encouraged someone in their walk of faith? Will you encourage someone today? How does encouragement help us avoid sin’s deceitfulness? Do you realize that sin is indeed deceitful? (sin sells you nothing but lies) Do you realize that sin can harden your heart? Do you realize that one of the best ways to be free of the bondage of sin and a hardened heart is through encouragement of others in your church community? Sin is too strong for us to battle on our own. We need Jesus. We need each other. We need to be actively involved in a church community each week. Don’t attempt to make a go of this life alone. . . it’s far too risky.
Verse 15 is repeated twice in today's readings, so it probably is something important for us to remember - "But never forget the warning: "Today you must listen to his voice. Don't harden your hearts against him as Israel did when they rebelled.""
Q: Are you listening to God's voice? How is the soil of your heart toward God? Will you let him plant new life within you? Will you let him pull the weeds that need to be pulled?
Psalm:
Psalm 104 is a beautiful hymn to the Creator! I like all of the verses - verse 19 stands out to me because I can find some great images related to this verse on the web! :) "You made the moon to mark the seasons and the sun that knows when to set."
Q: How has God's creation ever spoken to you or evangelized you? How do you connect with God in his creation?
Proverbs:
Proverbs 26:24-26 is another good reminder to look beyond simply the "kind words" that we may hear... get to know the underlying motives... "People with hate in their hearts may sound pleasant enough, but don't believe them. Though they pretend to be kind, their hearts are full of all kinds of evil. While their hatred may be concealed by trickery, it will finally come to light for all to see." Someone could end up being two-faced if we're not careful. Let us also make sure that we ourselves are never two-faced toward others!
Q: How do you deal with people who are two-faced? Have you yourself ever struggled with being two-faced? How do you overcome this?
Copyright © 2004-2012 One Year Bible Blog
One Year Bible Readings:
Ezekiel 1:1-3:15
Hebrews 3:1-19
Psalm 104:1-23
Proverbs 26:24-26
Supplemental Reading for The One Year Bible.
The following are excerpts from Mike’s One Year Bible Blog.
Ezekiel:
Today we begin the book of the prophet Ezekiel! Ezekiel is a prophet whose name means "God strengthens" - which is clearly a good thing for those in the prophet business. We've recently wrapped up the book of Jeremiah and are well aware of the challenges facing a prophet. The interesting thing to note is that Jeremiah was prophesying in Judah, whereas Ezekiel was prophesying in Babylon to the exiles from Judah. These two were doing their work at about the same time, but in different geographies. Ezekiel gets his call to be a prophet in probably his 30th year of life - the age when most of the priestly line were called to be priests. Instead, Ezekiel was called to be a prophet - which, is probably a good thing because he is living in exile in Babylon - so wouldn't have been able to perform the priestly duties at the Temple in Jerusalem. Ezekiel's call comes in 593 B.C., which is 7 years prior to the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. Ezekiel's ministry goes until 571 B.C., at the age of 52.
~ Ezekiel ~
Author: Ezekiel
Date: Sixth century B.C.
Content: Ezekiel, who grew up as a priest, was carried off to Babylon with the Jewish exiles deported in 597 B.C., and there he became a prophet of God. His message was one of coming judgment for those remaining in Jerusalem, but his preaching was not well received by the Jews who were with him in captivity. When his dire predictions came true in 586 B.C. with the destruction of Jerusalem, the people listened then on with great earnestness. His message changed at this point from being one of unbending judgment to one of comfort and hope for the future. The worst had come; it was now time to make plans for beginning again. Ezekiel saw himself as a shepherd and watchman over Israel. As a shepherd, he was to protect the people, but as a watchman, he was to warn of danger ahead.
Theme: The message of Ezekiel is based upon the unchangeable holiness of God. This is both a promise and a warning. It is a warning because God has promised to remain faithful to his people and this will not change. The book of Ezekiel shows God’s unbreakable promise fulfilled in both respects: the city fell according to promise because of Judah’s sin, and the city would be restored according to promise because of God’s faithfulness. The lives of God’s people determined how God would treat them.
(Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” p. 14)
In today's readings, chapter 1 is an incredible vision and call that Ezekiel receives! Obviously the flying creatures with 4 faces and wings are a highlight of this vision. What is up with these you ask? Good question. They are called "cherubim" later in the book of Ezekiel (chapter 10) and are also thought to be the creatures in Isaiah called seraphs - and they show up again in the book of Revelation. If you get a vision, and you see these creatures, you know something big is going on... :) The interesting thing about these creatures is that their four faces representing a human, lion, ox and an eagle have many interpretations, which all basically relate to the nature of God. An interesting interpretation I read was that these 4 represent the 4 Gospels - Matthew being the lion, Mark being the ox, Luke being the human and John being the eagle. You'll have to pick up a commentary to read more on why these analogies have been made.... Ezekiel Chapter 2 is God's Call and Commission of Ezekiel.
Q: Don't we all wish that God could be this clear with us about the purpose of our lives sometimes? :) Ezekiel Chapter 3 has the great narrative of Ezekiel eating the scroll of God. And it tasting like honey - even though it had words of doom upon it. In Ezekiel 3:3 we read: “Then he said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it." So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.”
Q: Can we eat of the Word of God? Does the Word nourish us? How does the Word nourish us? Is the Word nourishing you today? Is it as sweet as honey? Is the Word literally spiritual food? Will you eat of God’s Holy Word, the Bible, today – and every day of your life? Then, in Ezekiel 3 verse 15 ends with a very appropriate line I believe- "I sat there among them for seven days, overwhelmed." Think you'd be overwhelmed if you experienced chapters 1 & 2?? Whew. I am looking forward to us starting the book of Ezekiel! Thanks for joining me on this journey!
Hebrews:
Hebrews chapter 3 today is a great look at the lives of Moses and Jesus. The text today doesn't really dive into this point, but something I heard recently that is worth remembering - Moses introduced to Israel the Old Covenant (testament) via the Ten Commandments and laws. Whereas, Jesus ushers in the New Covenant to Israel and all of the world. So, this chapter goes into why Jesus is greater than Moses. Probably this Old Cov v. New Cov point alone would prove this to be true - but, obviously Jesus is also God in the flesh. Moses was simply a man. (albeit a great man in many ways!) Today in Hebrews 3:13 we read: “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.”
Q: When was the last time you encouraged someone in their walk of faith? Will you encourage someone today? How does encouragement help us avoid sin’s deceitfulness? Do you realize that sin is indeed deceitful? (sin sells you nothing but lies) Do you realize that sin can harden your heart? Do you realize that one of the best ways to be free of the bondage of sin and a hardened heart is through encouragement of others in your church community? Sin is too strong for us to battle on our own. We need Jesus. We need each other. We need to be actively involved in a church community each week. Don’t attempt to make a go of this life alone. . . it’s far too risky.
Verse 15 is repeated twice in today's readings, so it probably is something important for us to remember - "But never forget the warning: "Today you must listen to his voice. Don't harden your hearts against him as Israel did when they rebelled.""
Q: Are you listening to God's voice? How is the soil of your heart toward God? Will you let him plant new life within you? Will you let him pull the weeds that need to be pulled?
Psalm:
Psalm 104 is a beautiful hymn to the Creator! I like all of the verses - verse 19 stands out to me because I can find some great images related to this verse on the web! :) "You made the moon to mark the seasons and the sun that knows when to set."
Q: How has God's creation ever spoken to you or evangelized you? How do you connect with God in his creation?
Proverbs:
Proverbs 26:24-26 is another good reminder to look beyond simply the "kind words" that we may hear... get to know the underlying motives... "People with hate in their hearts may sound pleasant enough, but don't believe them. Though they pretend to be kind, their hearts are full of all kinds of evil. While their hatred may be concealed by trickery, it will finally come to light for all to see." Someone could end up being two-faced if we're not careful. Let us also make sure that we ourselves are never two-faced toward others!
Q: How do you deal with people who are two-faced? Have you yourself ever struggled with being two-faced? How do you overcome this?
Copyright © 2004-2012 One Year Bible Blog
Recent
Archive
2024
January
One Year Bible CompanionJanuary 2January 3January 4January 5January 6January 7January 8January 9January 10January 11January 12January 13January 14January 15January 16January 17January 18January 19January 20January 21January 22January 23January 24January 25January 26January 27January 28January 29January 30January 31
February
February 1February 2February 3February 4February 5February 6February 7February 8February 9February 10February 11February 12February 13February 14February 15February 16February 17February 18February 19February 20February 21February 22February 23February 24February 25February 26February 27February 28February 29
March
Categories
no categories
No Comments