Month: February 2022

Ezekiel 41:1 Then the man brought me to the main hall and measured the jambs; the width of the jambs was six cubits on each side.

This entire chapter is devoted to measuring the temple. Commentary says over and over some variation of “This was a substantial building with real, measurable dimensions.” It’s incredibly odd unless I go back to yesterday’s idea of God giving His people hope that He has not abandoned them, that He is working toward their restoration.

Ezekiel 41:2 The entrance was ten cubits wide, and the projecting walls on each side of it were five cubits wide. He also measured the main hall; it was forty cubits long and twenty cubits wide.

The temple was destroyed. The people were exiled. But here in vivid measurements and detail is proof that God has not forsaken them, that He is with them, is for them, is making a way, even now, even through this wilderness.

Ezekiel 41:3 Then he went into the inner sanctuary and measured the jambs of the entrance; each was two cubits wide. The entrance was six cubits wide, and the projecting walls on each side of it were seven cubits wide.

God of all creation, Thank You for Your steadfast love, even in the face of our sometimes wavering affections. Thank You for Your abundant grace, even in the face of our effrontery. Thank You for Your eternal hope, so desperately needed in this world. Draw us closer. Amen.

Ezekiel 41:4 And he measured the length of the inner sanctuary; it was twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits across the end of the main hall. He said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.”

Have a blessed day.

Ezekiel 40:1 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year after the fall of the city—on that very day the hand of the Lord was on me and he took me there.

According to commentary, there is much debate about whether this chapter describes a literal, figurative, spiritual, or some other form of temple. I certainly don’t have the knowledge to weigh in on the matter. One scholar mentions that “To measure property is symbolic of claiming it for yourself.” Perhaps this idea holds a key.

Ezekiel 40:2 In visions of God he took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, on whose south side were some buildings that looked like a city.

I fully believe in the God of hope, love, and compassion. To me, this detailed measuring of a temple, whether real or figurative, is God’s way of providing hope to His people: the temple, which was destroyed, will be rebuilt, strong and solid. This chastisement of His people wasn’t about punishment, it was about restoration.

Ezekiel 40:3 He took me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze; he was standing in the gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand.

Lord, I am no Bible scholar, but I search to know You more every day when I read Your word. Thank You for the insights that You share. Thank You for the hope that You give. Draw me closer always. Amen.

Ezekiel 40:4 The man said to me, “Son of man, look carefully and listen closely and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for that is why you have been brought here. Tell the people of Israel everything you see.”

Have a blessed day.

Ezekiel 38:14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety, will you not take notice of it?’”

Why do bad things happen to good people? Does all suffering go through God’s hands? Does God cause suffering? Does He cause bad things to happen just to show His sovereignty, to “save the day” if you will?

Ezekiel 38:15 “‘You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army.’”

My questions about God and the Bible far outweigh my answers and assurances, but I keep searching, which I think is God’s purpose—for me, for each of us, to seek, to search, to wrestle with incredibly difficult questions as we strive to know Him more, know Him better.

Ezekiel 38:16 “‘You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.’”

Lord, I like answers and certainty and to know the why of a situation. Yet You don’t often work in concrete answers. Thank You for my questions and curiosity, which keep me searching for answers, searching to know You more. Thank You for showing me glimpses and understandings daily of who You are. Help me to keep seeking You always. Amen.

Ezekiel 38:23 ‘And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’

Have a blessed day. I love you.

Ezekiel 37:1 The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.

Commentary pointed out something that I’m sure I knew but that I don’t often think about when reading this passage: “…these bones were not only dead; they were also disgraced.” God not only breathes life into dry bones, He breathes life into the bones of people left to rot and be torn apart by animals, people that others have given up on. God gives them life. He breathes into them, picks up the pieces, stitches them back together with sinews and muscles and skin, and claims them as His own. This is an incredibly powerful image for me.

Ezekiel 37:4-5 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.’”

Haven’t we all felt like dry bones at times? Abandoned, disgraced, forgotten, utterly exhausted, too far gone to be saved? But God sees us. He knows our names. He knows our value and worth. He can breathe life back into our dry bones. Thank You, Jesus.

Ezekiel 37:6 “‘I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

Lord, There is so much to be thankful for in this passage. Thank You that You claim us, even in our exhaustion and disgrace. Thank You that You weave us back together, that You breathe life back into our dry bones. Thank You for claiming us as Your own. We can never be worthy of the title, yet we can live into Your grace and love. Help us, Lord. Amen.

Ezekiel 37:23 They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.

Have a blessed day.

Ezekiel 35:11 “…therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will treat you in accordance with the anger and jealousy you showed in your hatred of them and I will make myself known among them when I judge you.”

My rule of thumb for quite some time has been that if I wouldn’t say something to a person’s face, I should not say it behind that person’s back. I’m sad to say I’ve slipped on that rule of late, and I definitely need to get back to towing that line.

Ezekiel 35:12 “Then you will know that I the Lord have heard all the contemptible things you have said against the mountains of Israel. You said, “They have been laid waste and have been given over to us to devour.”

That rule has more to do with the state of my heart than the fear of God’s judgement. If I say things out loud in anger, that allows those things space in my heart and mind. Those weeds growing unchecked in my soul can do incredible damage to my faith. Besides, I know that we all have more going on than meets the eye. I know that my unkind words are my anger at their behavior, which doesn’t account for whatever they have going on. Much better to give it to God—the entire situation, person and all—than to plant those negative thoughts in my soul.

Ezekiel 35:13-14 You boasted against me and spoke against me without restraint, and I heard it. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: While the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate.

Lord, Thank You for the reminder that I need to do a better job of extending grace and policing my thoughts. Help me to give others the same level of grace and compassion that You lavish so undeservedly on me. Amen.

Ezekiel 35:15 Because you rejoiced when the inheritance of Israel became desolate, that is how I will treat you. You will be desolate, Mount Seir, you and all of Edom. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”

Have a blessed day.