Category: Ezekiel

Ezekiel 37:11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 

Who among us hasn’t felt completely dried up at times, like they have given everything they have to give with nothing left? I know I have. That pretty much described me at the end of the past semester.

Ezekiel 37:12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 

Verse 14 gives the answer to the question of renewal: “I will put my Spirit in you and you will live,” declares the Lord. Reconnecting with the Lord is the only way these dry bones can live again.

Ezekiel 37:13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 

Lord, Help me to seek You daily so that I don’t reduce myself to dry bones in the day-to-day of life. Reconnect me to You, renew Your Spirit within me. Restore my soul. Amen.

Ezekiel 37:14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’”

Have a blessed day.

Ezekiel 37:7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 

We have the power to speak life to one another. Think about that for a moment. And it doesn’t have to be something complicated. I have taken the time to ask a server who seemed stressed, “You look like you’ve had a hard day. Are you ok?” Her response was brief, but her demeanor seemed lighter after the exchange.

Ezekiel 37:8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

I have a friend who thinks compliments to strangers are frivolous, but I strongly disagree. Complimenting strangers on their attire or hair, their eyes or smile, or simply saying, “Beautiful day, isn’t it? I hope it’s a great one for you,” these little things matter. I know because they matter to me–both hearing them and saying them. It is a little, tiny way to speak life to others. And it’s important.

Ezekiel 37:9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ” 

Lord, Sometimes I make it so weighty a task to be Your hands and feet when all You want is for me to speak life to Your children, to love and encourage others. Help me to speak life to others at every opportunity in every way possible. Amen.

Ezekiel 37:10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

Have a blessed day. I love you.

Ezekiel 37:3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

What an interesting juxtaposition reading today’s scripture on the heels of last week’s readings in Mark 6. This feels to me very much like God is doing with Ezekiel what Jesus was doing with the disciples–teaching them that through Him, in Him, with Him, they have the power to act for Him.

Ezekiel 37:4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 

Already in my mind’s eye, I can hear myself giving the Lord Moses’s excuses for rejecting the call: “Not me, Lord. I’m not strong enough, not powerful enough, not convincing enough for anyone to listen. I can’t do what You are asking.” But Ezekiel listens. He soaks it in. He doesn’t immediately start putting up obstacles and explaining why he can’t. I can learn a lot from him.

Ezekiel 37:5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 

Lord, You call me to be Your hands and feet. Forgive me for the times that I am afraid, for the times that, instead of listening and obeying, I give excuse after excuse. Help me to be brave, to listen, to act in You, with You, through You. Help me to shine Your light. Amen.

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.’ ”

Have a blessed day.

Ezekiel 48:35 “The distance all around will be 18,000 cubits. “And the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE.”

Once again, this chapter is full of measurements and numbers. I’m left wondering about the spiritual lesson or point. And then I came to the last line: “The LORD is there.” That hope, the reminder, that assurance—God is there.

Ezekiel 48:35 “The distance all around will be 18,000 cubits. “And the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE.”

There are days, lots and lots of days, where that reminder—of God’s presence and steadfastness, even on my worst days—is what makes all the difference. In the chaos and confusion, in the pain and despair, in the ordinary, in the beautiful…God is there.

Ezekiel 48:35 “The distance all around will be 18,000 cubits. “And the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE.”

Lord, Thank You for Your presence, for Your love, for Your grace. Thank You for being there, even on the tough days, especially then. Amen.

Ezekiel 48:35 “The distance all around will be 18,000 cubits. “And the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE.”

Have a blessed day. I love you.

Ezekiel 47:15 “This is to be the boundary of the land: “On the north side it will run from the Mediterranean Sea by the Hethlon road past Lebo Hamath to Zedad….

There is some debate in commentary about whether this is a real, physical place or a spiritual promise. I kind of think that question misses the point.

Ezekiel 47:18 “On the east side the boundary will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel, to the Dead Sea and as far as Tamar. This will be the eastern boundary.

The point is that God has a perfect plan, He plans for us a hope and a future. It may not look anything like we had hoped or imagined, but we can trust Him.

Ezekiel 47:19 “On the south side it will run from Tamar as far as the waters of Meribah Kadesh, then along the Wadi of Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea. This will be the southern boundary.

Lord, I get so caught up in plans and details, in worrying about the small stuff. Help me to trust You and Your promises, even through the chaos and upheaval of life. Amen.

Ezekiel 47:20 “On the west side, the Mediterranean Sea will be the boundary to a point opposite Lebo Hamath. This will be the western boundary.

Have a blessed day. I love you.

Ezekiel 45:21 “‘In the first month on the fourteenth day you are to observe the Passover, a festival lasting seven days, during which you shall eat bread made without yeast.

Today is one of those days where nothing seems to stick, nothing seems to make sense. I’ve read the text twice and read the commentary thoroughly and I’m scratching my head wondering what God wants me to get from this. There are lots of sevens in this chapter. Maybe He has a message about perfection and completion.

Ezekiel 45:22 On that day the prince is to provide a bull as a sin offering for himself and for all the people of the land.

Or maybe His message today is much more elemental: Despite my best efforts, sometimes life just doesn’t make sense. It’s messy and awkward and uncomfortable. If that’s the case, what’s the point? If I had to guess, it would be to keep on keeping on, to put my faith and trust in Him, that He has a plan, to keep seeking, keep searching, keep trying, even in the face of futility. To not give up. To keep striving for Him. Jesus, Help me.

Ezekiel 45:23 Every day during the seven days of the festival he is to provide seven bulls and seven rams without defect as a burnt offering to the Lord, and a male goat for a sin offering.

Lord, Help me, on days like today when everything feels a little off, when nothing makes a ton of sense, when the effort just feels too hard, Help me to persevere, to trust You, to seek You, to praise You. Help me to see You, Your miraculous love and grace, with every breath. And help me to share Your love with others. Amen.

Ezekiel 45:25 “‘During the seven days of the festival, which begins in the seventh month on the fifteenth day, he is to make the same provision for sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings and oil.

Have a blessed day.

Ezekiel 44:5 The Lord said to me, “Son of man, look carefully, listen closely and give attention to everything I tell you concerning all the regulations and instructions regarding the temple of the Lord….”

Certain verses jumped out at me as I read today’s scripture, the first of which was the beginning of verse 5: “Son of man, look carefully, listen closely and give attention to everything I tell you….” Isn’t God telling us this daily? Look closely. Listen intently. Pay attention. What might I see, what truth might He reveal, if I took this directive to heart as I went throughout my day?

Ezekiel 44:23 ”They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.”

Verse 23 is the second verse that jumped out at me and reminded me of a song we sing in church: “Holy Now,” which talks about how everything is holy, miraculous, if we only have eyes to see it. And isn’t that what verse 5 is talking about? Looking closely. Listening intently. Paying attention. If we seek God’s presence in everything, we will see God’s presence in everything.

Ezekiel 44:28 “‘I am to be the only inheritance the priests have. You are to give them no possession in Israel; I will be their possession.’”

Lord, Thank You for this reminder to actively seek You, to pay attention to the world around me, expecting that I will see You everywhere. In a terribly jaded world, help me to approach life with the attitude that everything’s a miracle—because it is. Help me to see Your world with the wonder of a child and to teach others to see it that way as well. Amen.

Ezekiel 44:30 “‘The best of all the firstfruits and of all your special gifts will belong to the priests. You are to give them the first portion of your ground meal so that a blessing may rest on your household.’”

Have a blessed day.