GOD'S RIVER

“Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple and there was water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the temple faced east. The water was coming down from under the south side [of the threshold] of the temple, south of the altar. Next he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate that faced east; there the water was trickling from the south side. As the man went out east with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a third of a mile and led me through the water. It came up to [my] ankles. Then he measured off a third [of a mile] and led me through the water. It came up to [my] knees. He measured off another third [of a mile] and led me through [the water]. It came up to [my] waist. Again he measured off a third [of a mile], and it was a river that I could not cross [on foot]. For the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed [on foot].” (Ezekiel 47:1-5 HCSB)

Water is life. You can live for weeks without food, but only days without water. No wonder, then, that Scripture often uses water as an analogy for spiritual life. Specifically, it is one of the emblems of the Holy Spirit.

“On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone is thirsty, he should come to Me and drink! The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.’

He said this about the Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit, for the Spirit had not yet been received because Jesus had not yet been glorified.” (John 7:37-39)

This promise has now become a reality. The river of God—His mighty Spirit—flows from within the believer. Using this metaphor, I want us to look at an illustration of an ever-deepening spiritual experience we may enjoy as the people of God.

We expect a literal fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy. One day when Christ returns, He will reign for 1,000 years—Earth’s Golden Age—and from a rebuilt temple, there will flow a refreshing river. As God watered Eden in that old creation before sin came, the planet will be redeemed and He will make it bloom again, well-watered in the new creation! So, don’t forget this fact!

With that in mind, we will also see in this text the implications of what it means to have the River of God flowing from the depths of our soul, as our Lord said would happen in this present age. We will examine it under three headings: the source, the course and the force of God’s River.

The outline did not originate with me. I have heard three remarkable preachers use it in sermons: two now departed to glory—Alan Redpath and Stephen Olford, and the third, Jack Taylor. All these men have been a blessing, and as they shared this message, the truths touched me such that the outline is firmly fixed in my mind. I can’t read this text without recalling those lessons. I can’t improve on the outline, but I will give credit where credit is due. Except for the fact, that since all three of them used it, they may have also heard it somewhere before! Would it have been Graham Scroggie or G. Campbell Morgan? I don’t know. What I do know is that if the message impacts you as it has me, then we will give God the glory!

Let’s dive in! Consider first, THE SOURCE OF THE RIVER.

“Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple and there was water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the temple faced east. The water was coming down from under the south side [of the threshold] of the temple, south of the altar.” (Ezek.47:1)

There are two elements in this: the temple and the altar.

The Temple Ezekiel knew, in Jerusalem, was destroyed in the prophet’s lifetime. God promised him that one day Messiah’s reign on Earth would mean a reconstructed Temple. But, in the meantime, the New Testament declares that the Christian’s body houses the Holy Spirit—and is God’s Temple. From that Temple, Jesus promised this life-giving River.

That brings us to the matter of the altar. The water begins with a trickle and widens and deepens into a river—and notice the mention of the altar. The altar is the place of sacrifice. It is the place of commitment.

The well of water comes within when a sinner surrenders in repentance to the Lord Jesus Christ. That is where eternal life begins to flow. As we look at John 4, we see Christ offered this to a thirsty woman in Samaria, as they met at Jacob’s Well. Her life was changed in that momentous meeting. Jesus extended this promise to all who would follow Him in the obedience of faith.

Yet, our Lord fully intends for us not to stop with that initial surrender, but to live in a daily—moment by moment—yielding to His Lordship. The altar of sacrifice—my body given to His holy calling—is how my experience deepens, and the means by which I am filled with the Spirit. We see that what begins with a trickle becomes a torrent, what bubbles up, broadens and bursts out in bounty and blessing!

This brings us to the next point: THE COURSE OF THE RIVER.

“Next he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate that faced east; there the water was trickling from the south side. As the man went out east with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a third of a mile and led me through the water. It came up to [my] ankles. Then he measured off a third [of a mile] and led me through the water. It came up to [my] knees. He measured off another third [of a mile] and led me through [the water]. It came up to [my] waist. Again he measured off a third [of a mile], and it was a river that I could not cross [on foot]. For the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed [on foot].” (Ezek.47:2-5)

An angel of God leads Ezekiel along. He obediently follows. The key phrases used are, “he brought me” and “he led me.” It is in this continuing walk of faith that we come to know the fullness of the Holy Spirit—as He who resides within us, comes to preside over us. You can’t be full of your self and be full of the Spirit. Walking in surrender to the will of God is the key to walking in the Spirit.

What does it mean when we are commanded in Ephesians 5:18 to reject being filled with alcoholic spirits, but be filled with God’s Spirit? It is not accidental that God chooses to connect these truths. On the Day of Pentecost, when the church was first immersed in the Holy Spirit and He came to indwell them fully, they were accused of being drunk. They weren’t—and they were! While Peter denies they are drunk with wine, he doesn’t deny they are under the Spirit’s control—intoxicated with God! As alcohol will control us—and affects everything about us when we surrender to it: our thinking, our vision, our hearing, our speech, our conduct, our temperament, our walk—so when we are instead filled with the Spirit, all that we are is transformed by Him who takes over the reins of a life yielded to the Lordship of Christ.

We begin, “ankle deep,” so to speak. At first, we surrender all we know to all Christ is, insofar as we understand. We are saved, but our experience is shallow. That’s fine to start there—we have to—but it isn’t proper to stay there! “He brought me out” and “led me through” emphasizes an on-going surrender that brings a deeper life. Sadly, many Christians stop here. They are content to splash ankle deep when God wants them to swim in the deep water!

See how the River of God next becomes “knee deep.” This is a big moment in our spiritual development—when God gets us to our knees. No Christian matures in faith until they get on their knees and cry out to God. The Spirit came in power at Pentecost to a people who prayed persistently. Time alone with God is indispensable, if we want a deeper experience of Him. You have not because you ask not.

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" (Luke 11:13)

Next, Ezekiel is taken to water that is, “waist deep.” It would flow over his “loins” as the old King James Version renders it. That is the place of fruitfulness. The River within us enables us to produce the Fruit of the Spirit. It is a matter of whether I choose to follow the flesh or surrender to the Spirit:

“I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don't do what you want.

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I tell you about these things in advance—as I told you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit.” (Gal.5:16-25)

A life dominated by the flesh and absent any spiritual fruit is a person who cannot claim to be regenerate. But, we must also acknowledge an on-going struggle between our flesh and our new nature even for those who are God’s children. The way to abandoning the old lifestyle is to abandon ourselves to the will of God—to be filled with the Spirit and thus fruitful in Him and for God’s glory. We will say more about that in the final point.

For now, we see this surrendered man becoming a swimming man! He finds that the River of God has become so wide and deep that he can plunge in and be swept away by the current! This is how God desires for us to live. Spiritual maturity is found in complete submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Have you taken the plunge?

What would keep a person from jumping in? Fear—we think we will be in over our heads! We will! But, faith trusts that wherever the current bears us, God has cut the channel for us. Faith leads us to get in over our heads that the Lord might take us on His course for us, and that brings us to our final consideration.

Ezekiel shows THE FORCE OF THE RIVER.

“He asked me, ‘Do you see [this], son of man?’ Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I had returned, I saw a very large number of trees along both sides of the riverbank. He said to me, ‘This water flows out to the eastern region and goes down to the Arabah. When it enters the sea, the sea of foul water, the water [of the sea] becomes fresh. Every [kind of] living creature that swarms will live wherever the river flows, and there will be a huge number of fish because this water goes there. Since the water will become fresh, there will be life everywhere the river goes. Fishermen will stand beside it from En-gedi to En-eglaim. These will become places where nets are spread out to dry. Their fish will consist of many different kinds, like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea. Yet its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be left for salt.

All [kinds of] trees providing food will grow along both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. Each month they will bear fresh fruit because the water [comes] from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be used for food and their leaves for medicine.’" (Ezek.47:6-12)

There is a life-giving force which resides in those waters. It pushes into the Dead Sea and the Dead Sea comes to life! All along the banks of God’s River are trees laden with fruit—and the fruit sustains life and the leaves of the trees have healing power. The River is teeming with fish and where there are fish, you will find fishermen—their nets are filled.

Jesus promised that we would become fishermen—fishers of men! The one who provides the force to accomplish this task is the Holy Spirit. Just read the book of Acts. See what happened to those disciples when the Spirit came upon them. They caught an abundance of fish—men and women and children who came to faith in Christ, by the thousands. The Spirit bears witness to Jesus and He draws people in by the Gospel net.

There will be abundant fruitfulness when there is this flowing River. In this place of death, due to the curse of sin, we will bring a life-giving force to push back, and reverse the curse. Of course, the ultimate fulfillment awaits the literal return of Christ and this River. Eden will be restored. But, in the meantime, we can carve out a chunk of paradise from the world’s jungle—in our hearts, our homes, our churches—and extend the influence in our community, culture—indeed globally—through Spirit-energized lives!

Don’t let disobedience dam up the flow.

Don’t be content with a trickle.

Get to your knees.

Then get up and move on—take the plunge, get in over your head, abandoned to the will of God.

Your life will become a channel of blessing!

“Is your life a channel of blessing?
Is the love of God flowing through you?
Are you telling the lost of the Savior?
Are you ready His service to do?

Is your life a channel of blessing?
Are you burdened for those that are lost?
Have you urged upon those who are straying,
The Savior who died on the cross?

We cannot be channels of blessing
If our lives are not free from all sin;
We will barriers be and a hindrance
To those we are trying to win.
Make me a channel of blessing today,
Make me a channel of blessing, I pray;
My life possessing, my service blessing,
Make me a channel of blessing today.” (James George Deck)

GOD'S TEMPLE

“Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.” (Ezekiel 43:5 HCSB)

Does God have a house?

Yes—and no.

How could God have a house, when He is without flesh and blood—an eternal Spirit who fills every corner of the universe and transcends it? When David wanted to build a temple, God told him that He appreciated the thought, but He didn’t need it.

Yet, God does have a house—He condescended to man’s association with time and space—we are not infinite beings—in permitting humans to build a house that would become the focal point of their worship of an omnipresent God. His glory would reside there and His worship would transpire there. The house of God would not be in response to a need God has, for He has none, but for a need we have, to meet with One who can meet every need we have—and the greatest of all needs is for a relationship with our Creator.

So, God instructed Moses to construct a tabernacle—a portable house of God. They would be on the march through the wilderness, so the house of God would journey with them and the tent would be pitched in the middle of the camp, for everything revolved around the worship of God. His glory cloud rose above the tabernacle and spread over them, giving them shade from the sun by day and light for the camp by night. This tabernacle would symbolize the incarnation of Christ who came to dwell among men in His first advent—and during just over three decades revealed the glory of God to man.

“The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory,
the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

But, Jesus also likened His body to being the Temple—destroyed and rebuilt in three days. This analogy foretold His resurrection glory and reminds us that although He has ascended to heaven, He is returning personally, visibly, bodily soon to dwell among us.
The Temple then points to His second advent, where He will permanently abide with us.

In the meantime, there is a spiritual temple being built. The Bible teaches that the believer in Christ has the Holy Spirit indwelling them. Corporately, we are the church and that church is the place where God dwells and “brick by brick” those who come to follow Him, are part of this temple God is fashioning. When that final block is set in place—and God knows who and when and where—then Christ will come in His glory to be among His people forever. This is the typology of the house of God—what it symbolized.

From that typology, we ought to next summarize the chronology:

• The Tabernacle of Moses. This was the tent that was used from the Exodus until it was replaced by Solomon’s Temple. This was roughly 1445 B.C. until the 900’s B.C.
• The Temple of Solomon. It took over seven years to build, and so would have been finished in the mid 900’s B.C. and stood until destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.
• The Second Temple. It was rebuilt on a smaller scale when the exiles returned seventy years later and would continue to be expanded until it was destroyed in A.D. 70 by the Romans as Jesus predicted.
• The Tribulation Temple. At some point, likely in the near future, a third Temple will be built. This will likely be part of the “deal” the Antichrist will make to secure a peace treaty with Israel—one he will violate when he enters the Temple and demands to be worshipped as a god. I believe that this Temple, thus desecrated, will be destroyed at the return of Christ, with a great earthquake that occurs as Christ sets foot on the Mount of Olives.
• The Millennial Temple. This is what Ezekiel describes in chapters 40-48 and will be the focus of today’s lesson.

We see ITS DESIGN in chapters 40-41.

“The side rooms surrounding [the temple] widened at each successive story, for the structure surrounding the temple [went up] by stages. This was the reason for the temple's broadness as it rose. And so, one would go up from the lowest story to the highest by means of the middle one.” (Ezek.41:7)

The precise measurements and specific details of the blueprint indicate that this is a literal structure. Although there are certainly spiritual lessons here—as in all of Scripture—these verses ought not be “spiritualized” and made to be merely symbolic. There will be a material Temple in Jerusalem in an actual 1,000 year reign of Christ on Earth.

We see ITS DIMENSIONS in chapters 41-42.

“Then the man measured the temple; it was 175 feet long. In addition, the temple yard and the building, including its walls, were 175 feet long. The width of the front of the temple along with the temple yard to the east was 175 feet.

Next he measured the length of the building facing the temple yard to the west, with its galleries on each side; it was 175 feet.” (Ezek.41:13-15a)

Its size is befitting the splendor of Christ’s reign. After Solomon’s temple was destroyed, when the exiles rebuilt the Temple, the old Jews who recalled the former one, wept because the new one wasn’t of the proportions as formerly. But, when Christ returns a greater than Solomon will be here and so will that millennial temple surpass all the others in its building, brilliance and beauty.

We see ITS DELIGHT in chapter 43.

“Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.” (Ezekiel 43:5 HCSB)

Ezekiel had seen the glory of God depart from the Temple before it was destroyed. But, God permitted him to see that glory return, as he looked prophetically into the future. God will dwell among His people—His glory will shine from Mount Zion and all nations shall bask in it! This is our great delight!

We see ITS DUTY in chapter 44.

"But the Levitical priests descended from Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from Me, will approach Me to serve Me. They will stand before Me to offer Me fat and blood." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God. 16 "They are the ones who may enter My sanctuary and draw near to My table to serve Me. They will keep My mandate.” (Ezek.44:15-16)

The Levitical system will be restored. God knows the DNA of this line and will set them apart for temple duty in that day. The sacrifices will not be to atone for sin—they never were and never could. The Old Testament sacrifices pointed to Christ in anticipation of His work on Calvary and Millennial sacrifices will point back to Christ in celebration of what He has done. They will also be for ceremonial cleansing. In the same way that the Lord’s Supper reminds Christians of what Christ has done for us, these sacrifices will remind the Jews of their atonement by Messiah’s cleansing blood.

There is great stress placed on the need for holiness—that God’s house is sacred because the Holy One abides there. This emphasis is underscored in the New Testament for believers and the church.

“Don't you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.” (1 Cor.6:19-20)

May the light of God’s holiness shine from us today—from His church—and lead those who see us to glorify God!

WANTED: A GREAT AWAKENING

[I have been asked to share this sermon I preached in print. God moved through this message and at the end of it, as I extended the invitation, a number of people were moved to get on their knees and cry out to God for spiritual awakening. To God be the glory! My prayer is that the Spirit will breathe on each of us today through His Word and make us fully alive in Christ—a mighty army to shake the nations!~D.T.]

“The hand of the Lord was on me, and He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them. There were a great many of them on the surface of the valley, and they were very dry.

Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’

I replied, ‘Lord God, [only] You know.’

He said to me, ‘Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord God says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live.’” (Ezekiel 37:1-5 HCSB)

In the 1700’s, a mighty revival swept across America. It came to be known as the Great Awakening. The results were dramatic with many conversions, the strengthening of the churches, elevating the moral standard, and founding of benevolent institutions. In fact, the revival became the spiritual womb for the birth of this nation!

When I think of it, my heart cries, “Lord, do it again!”

We need a rebirth of our nation in a return to God. I am more convinced than ever that this is our only hope. Our problems are spiritual in their origin and beyond human correction.

In Ezekiel 37, we see an illustration of how spiritual awakening happens to the people of God. I say, “illustration” because the interpretation is that this passage is a prophecy of the future restoration of the nation of Israel at the end of the age. That will happen. However, there are timeless principles applicable to every generation. This is what can happen.

Consider THE REASONS FOR SEEKING A GREAT AWAKENING as seen in verses 1-3. God took His prophet to a valley of dry bones which symbolized the nation of Israel under the judgment of God. It is also a graphic picture of the current state of most of Christianity.

So many churches are DRY.

“The hand of the Lord was on me, and He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them. There were a great many of them on the surface of the valley, and they were very dry.” (v.1-2)

This is illustrative of the dryness of spiritual experience in multitudes of modern church goers. Consider Dr. Snodgrass of the First Church of Snootyville. On the church sign, at the end of his name, his Doctor of Divinity degree was appended by the abbreviation D.D. Someone asked what the letters stood for, and one of his members answered, “Dry and dusty!” I am fearful that could be said of many in the pulpit on Sunday mornings—and of multitudes in the pew as well!

It seems a lot of churches are dry—and even DEAD.

“Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’

I replied, ‘Lord God, [only] You know.’" (v.3)

Israel was in a state of spiritual deadness. That would be true of multitudes of professing Christians in our time. There is no life, no vitality. It is the state of the church that Paul warned about which would come in the last days of those “holding to the form of godliness but denying its power.” (2 Tim.3:5a)

Yes, it is possible for a group to gather and have the structure of being a church, to go through the formalities of piety and still be spiritually dead. Consider these words of Jesus to a church of the first century, and still applicable today:

“’Write to the angel of the church in Sardis:

“The One who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says: I know your works; you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead. Be alert and strengthen what remains, which is about to die, for I have not found your works complete before My God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; keep it, and repent. But if you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you have no idea at what hour I will come against you. But you have a few people in Sardis who have not defiled their clothes, and they will walk with Me in white, because they are worthy.

In the same way, the victor will be dressed in white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before My Father and before His angels.

Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.”’” (Rev.3:1-6, emphasis added)

So, the issue is not whether there are churches and church members that are dry and dead. The question is, “Can these bones live?”

Ezekiel is asked that question and he is not altogether sure. The prospects don’t look too promising.

Yet, we believe in a God that can raise the dead!

How does He bring a spiritual awakening to a dead church?

To answer that, we turn from THE REASONS FOR SEEKING A GREAT AWAKENING to THE REQUIREMENTS FOR SEEING A GREAT AWAKENING as observed in verses 4-9. We see that two things are required: the Word and Wind of God.

Note the broadcasting of THE WORD OF GOD.

“He said to me, ‘Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord God says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live.

I will put tendons on you, make flesh grow on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’

So I prophesied as I had been commanded. While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. As I looked, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.” (v.4-8)

Ezekiel was to preach and God would give life to the bones. That speaks of the authority of God’s Word.

Remember how God spoke and the universe and all it contains came into existence—and the earth became teeming with life? Jesus spoke the name, “Lazarus,” and commanded, “Come forth,” and the man dead for four days was raised by the authority of the Word.

Every revival in history has been rooted in Biblical preaching: whether it be the preaching of Luther and Calvin in the Reformation, or Whitefield and the Wesleys in the Great Awakening.

But, we must be mindful that although the Word of God is essential, of itself it is not enough. “As I looked, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.” (v.8) The skeletons now connected by sinews and covered with skin, were not animate. As old Vance Havner said, “You can be as straight as a gun barrel theologically and as empty as one spiritually.” When we share the Scriptures there is potential for life, but only when the Spirit stirs us through that preaching is there power for life.

The broadcasting of the Word of God must be united with the blowing of THE WIND OF GOD.

“He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man. Say to it: This is what the Lord God says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live!" (v.9)

This is the same rushing, mighty wind that came upon the first Christians on the Day of Pentecost—the very breath of heaven that filled their lungs as they inhaled divine life. When they left that upper room, and exhaled the message, the Spirit brought conviction of sin and conversion to salvation—3,000 were swept into the Kingdom of God in minutes!

That wind needs to blow again! He gives life! You can’t live without breath! If someone were to stop breathing in our worship service, we have a medical team in place to rush to their assistance. If needed, they are trained in how to resuscitate the one who has stopped breathing. There are a lot of churches that need God to breathe into them!

Maybe you have heard of the church that was so dead that when someone died during the service, they had to have an autopsy to determine which one! God have mercy—that may be the case for many who gather in the name of the Living God. What a contradiction!

We have witnessed in Ezekiel 37, THE REASONS FOR SEEKING A GREAT AWAKENING and THE REQUIREMENTS FOR SEEING A GREAT AWAKENING. Then what? There will be THE RESULTS IN SECURING A GREAT AWAKENING as described in verses 10-14.

When spiritual awakening comes, there will be VITALITY.

“Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Look how they say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished; we are cut off.” Therefore, prophesy and say to them: This is what the Lord God says: I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them, My people, and lead you into the land of Israel. You will know that I am the Lord, My people, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.

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 am the Lord. I have spoken, and I will do [it].’ [This is] the declaration of the Lord.” (v.11-14)

The corpses came to life. One of the chief characteristics of life is the ability to reproduce.

In the first two chapters of Genesis, we see the stress on species reproducing after their kind. God intends for fruitfulness.

This is why revival is always associated with evangelism. In fact, this has led some churches to schedule an evangelistic meeting and call it, “Revival.”

Revival and evangelism are not synonymous. Revival is the waking of saints and evangelism is the winning of souls. Although not synonymous, they will be simultaneous. It is what happens to a church that is alive, as clearly seen in Acts 2 and following throughout that book of church history. A dry baptistery is evidence of a dry church! Living churches generate live births.

Spiritual awakening in the church results in vitality, but also in VICTORY.

“So I prophesied as He commanded me; the breath entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army.” (v.10)

It was an army that arose. God intends for His people to be the church militant and triumphant! Under the banner of the cross, we march to victory over our foes. Those foes are not of flesh and blood, but are spiritual forces.

Don’t forget that our war is not with sinners, but with Satan. They are pawns at his direction, but he is the prince who moves them.

“For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.” (Eph.6:12)

If the theater of war is in Europe and I go to Asia to fight the battle, I am not going to experience victory. Too often, we show up to battle in the culture war using ballots for bullets, militant toward the media, prosecuting the war on the abortionist, the gay activist, and the pornographer. These are evils to resist and battles to fight—make no mistake—but the real battle is spiritual in nature.

Our supreme weapon is prayer. When we dress in the whole armor of God, the field of battle is in the prayer chamber, fought out on our knees—just read Ephesians 6:10-20. You cannot stand strong against evil and speak powerfully against it, unless you kneel humbly and pray fervently.

Although elections are important, and we face grave problems economically, plus the specter of war looms on the horizon, the real need is spiritual and the solution is supernatural! We need another Great Awakening!

Let us be desperate for it! Pray that through the faithful sharing of the Word, there will be a fresh stirring of the Spirit. A church that comes alive can impact the culture. Spiritual awakening can elevate the moral standing of an entire nation! It has happened before. It can happen again. IT MUST HAPPEN AGAIN!

PRODIGAL PEOPLE

“For I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries, and will bring you into your own land. I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place My Spirit within you and cause you to follow My statutes and carefully observe My ordinances. Then you will live in the land that I gave your fathers; you will be My people, and I will be your God.” (Ezekiel 36:24-28 HCSB)

Israel is a prodigal people. In so many ways, the Jewish nation parallels the parable of the prodigal son Jesus told in Luke 15.

Theirs is a story of REBELLION.

“The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, while the house of Israel lived in their land, they defiled it with their conduct and actions. Their behavior before Me was like menstrual impurity. So I poured out My wrath on them because of the blood they had shed on the land, and because they had defiled it with their idols. I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered among the countries. I judged them according to their conduct and actions. When they came to the nations where they went, they profaned My holy name, because it was said about them, “These are the people of Yahweh, yet they had to leave His land [in exile].”’” (Ezekiel 36:16-20)

In the story Jesus shared, we see a son who sought his freedom from serving his father. He wanted his own way, and the father lets him go. It was a road to ruin. Sometimes the judgment of God is to allow us to have what we want. Israel desired to be like the nations—to worship the gods of the heathen and engage in the abominable actions of the pagans—so God allowed them to experience it to the full as they were removed to Babylon.

But, the story’s central character isn’t the wandering son, but the faithful father. It is about his REKNOWN.

“Then I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they went. ‘Therefore, say to the house of Israel: This is what the Lord God says: It is not for your sake that I will act, house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations where you went.

I will honor the holiness of My great name, which has been profaned among the nations-the name you have profaned among them. The nations will know that I am Yahweh’—the declaration of the Lord God—‘when I demonstrate My holiness through you in their sight.’” (Ezekiel 36:21-23)

I would submit that although there are two sons in the story—the prodigal and his elder brother—that their roles are part of the supporting cast. In this divine drama, it is the father who receives top-billing. His love, forgiveness and grace are preeminent.

My last name is Thurman. I am Homer’s boy. My conduct is a reflection on him. If I am caught up in some scandal, then it is connected to my family and reproach comes to our name. The actions of a prodigal bring shame to the Father. In the case of the Jews, it caused the nations around them to profane the name of God.

That name is too sacred to permit such a thing. God would move to restore them for His glorious name’s sake. He would choose to love them though they had chosen to be unfaithful.

I have often pictured the father in the parable of the prodigal son, looking out the window every day for signs of his son’s return. He saw him one day and ran to meet him. He was looking for him and longing for him. That dad never stopped loving him.
The lad carried his name and would ever be his son.

As with the prodigal son, so the prodigal nation is a story about RETURN.

“For I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries, and will bring you into your own land.” (Ezekiel 36:24)

The difficulties that young vagabond experienced away from the father’s house became the goads that would drive the prodigal back to the father’s arms. He would come to his senses and come back home. There he would find the warm embrace of his father to greet him.

So, God allowed the Jews to know the loss of everything in their subjugation to the Babylonians. For seventy years they would be enslaved in a foreign land. All this would do is foster a desire to go back home—and one day that pent-up passion would be released when Cyrus, the king of Persia, would set them free. What a homecoming it would be!

The story of the prodigal is really a story of REGENERATION.

“I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place My Spirit within you and cause you to follow My statutes and carefully observe My ordinances. Then you will live in the land that I gave your fathers; you will be My people, and I will be your God.” (Ezekiel 36:25-28)

The father testified of his son that he was lost and now found, dead and now alive. He left in rebellion and returned in submission. He was in a sense reborn—the same and yet a vastly different person.
This is God’s promise to Israel. It has yet to be known in its fullness. While there was a return to Israel by some, many remained scattered through the nations, which is true to this day. Yes, there is now a country called Israel reconstituted, but not all the prodigal people have returned. Most significantly, the Jews are still spiritual prodigals—save for a small remnant that have placed their faith in Christ.

But, the rebirth of the nation is coming, when Christ returns. They will acknowledge their Messiah and He will cleanse them and birth them into the family of God. His Spirit will indwell them as He does the church today. Those who had broken the Old Covenant will enter into the New Covenant and the obedience of faith.

This regeneration is evidenced by REPENTANCE.

“I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will summon the grain and make it plentiful, and will not bring famine on you.

I will also make the fruit of the trees and the produce of the field plentiful, so that you will no longer experience reproach among the nations on account of famine.

Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and detestable practices.” (Ezekiel 36:29-31)

The prodigal left home in rebellion and returned with remorse. One who yearned for freedom from his father’s will, was now surrendered to his father’s work. He was a changed man. That is repentance.

So, when Israel comes back to God, the prodigal people will be broken-hearted for their sin. They will be moved by the mercy of God—so grateful for His grace. Not just by their words, but from the depths of their soul, they will be a changed people.

The saga of the prodigal—both the son and the nation—is one of RESTORATION.

“’It is not for your sake that I will act’—the declaration of the Lord God—‘let this be known to you. Be ashamed and humiliated because of your ways, house of Israel! This is what the Lord God says: On the day I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the ruins will be rebuilt. The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of everyone who passes by. Then they will say, “This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden. The cities that were once ruined, desolate, and destroyed are [now] fortified and inhabited.”’” (Ezekiel 36:32-36)

Remember the reaction of the elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son. He couldn’t believe how his father was willing to forgive that scoundrel! The boy was restored to his status as a son, despite behaving in such a scandalous manner.

It is amazing isn’t it? That is amazing grace. What Adam forfeited in his rebellion against God, is restored to Adam’s race because “the Son of God became the Son of Man, that the sons of men might become the sons of God!” I heard Bible teacher, John Phillips, say that once and I’ve never forgotten it. How remarkable is that restoration!

God does that in Christ for sinners like me today, and will some day do that for the prodigal people Israel. They have walked a trail of tears in their refusal to honor God and His Son. Their continued rejection of the witness of the Holy Spirit means the Jews are going to have even worse suffering. But, it is then that God will intervene, save them—not only physically, but most importantly, He will save their souls from sin. Israel will be restored and become all that God intended for them to be.

The result will be REPRODUCTION.

“This is what the Lord God says: I will respond to the house of Israel and do this for them: I will multiply them in number like a flock. So the ruined cities will be filled with a flock of people, just as the flock of sheep for sacrifice is filled in Jerusalem during its appointed festivals. Then they will know that I am the Lord." (Ezekiel 36:37-38)

Did the father of the prodigal ever become a grandfather? We don’t know—but, the potential was there! A son who was dead, and now alive, would be a son capable of having a son himself.

What we do know is that when the prodigal people, Israel, are restored they will reproduce. The land will be bountiful in its fruitfulness and the people will be blessed in their fruitfulness, also. Life begets life.

It is cause to celebrate. The father pitched a party for the prodigal upon his return. Here, in Ezekiel, is mentioned the, “appointed festivals.” Feasting, dancing, laughter, singing—what a party that is going to be when Christ reigns over His people and resides among them. Jerusalem was demolished. Jerusalem was rebuilt in a fashion, yet has been under the Gentile shadow for millennia, a pale shade of what she once was. Now, the city is again encircled by foes. Scripture tells us a fiery trial will engulf Zion again—and that seems to be coming soon. But, when Christ comes again and redeems His people, sorrow will be supplanted with singing, grief will give way to gladness and horror like hell will yield to happiness like heaven on earth. He will spread His banquet table and load it with every delight.

Let the party begin!

EGYPT'S END

“Egypt will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself over the nations. I will make them so small they cannot rule over the nations.” (Ezekiel 29:15 HCSB)

There were seven wonders of the ancient world. The Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Of all these, the Great Pyramid is the only one that remains today. It was the oldest of those architectural marvels, built around 2500 B.C., and an enduring testament to the Egyptian empire that once was.

It is the tomb of the pharaoh Khufu—often called by the Greek name Cheops. How fitting such a monument! It is after all a massive grave. The dreams of an ongoing dynasty are dashed, dead in the desert sands. The power of the Pharaohs has been reduced to ancient ruins—the mummified remains of a greatness that was, but is no more—nor ever will be again. This is a confirmation of God’s Word. It is the evidence of God’s wrath.

In this section of his prophecy, Ezekiel speaks to the end of Egypt. While his message focused on his own people, the Jews, the fall of Jerusalem and the exile and enslavement of its inhabitants at the hand of the Babylonians, these visions touch on the surrounding nations, as well.

The prophet speaks of A TRUST THAT WAS SHATTERED.

“When Israel grasped you by the hand, you splintered, tearing all their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you shattered and made all their hips unsteady. Therefore this is what the Lord God says: I am going to bring a sword against you and wipe out man and animal from you. The land of Egypt will be a desolate ruin. Then they will know that I am the Lord. Because you said, 'The Nile is my own; I made [it],' therefore, I am against you and your Nile. I will turn the land of Egypt into ruins, a desolate waste from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Cush.” (Ezekiel 29:7-10)

God would judge Israel for their folly of trusting in an alliance with Egypt to save them rather than trusting in the Lord. He would bring down Egypt that they might learn to trust in Him and not in a pagan people. But, in so doing, God would also show His glory to the Egyptians who exalted themselves. Israel rejected the deliverance that could only be found in God and the Egyptians wanted the glory that only belonged to God. The Lord put an end to both.

As a consequence, the ambitions of the Egyptians came to an end. Their empire would crumble as they would be conquered. Never again would Egypt rise to a place of world prominence. The land would be desolate—and it still is today—its greatness and glory departed forever. Today it is a bit player on the world’s stage, just as Scripture predicted.

The man of God reinforces the message with A TERROR THAT WAS SHARED.

“The word of the Lord came to me:

‘Son of man, prophesy and say: This is what the Lord God says:

Wail: Woe for the day! For a day is near; a day belonging to the Lord is near. It will be a day of clouds, a time [of doom] for the nations. A sword will come against Egypt, and there will be anguish in Cush when the slain fall in Egypt, and its wealth is taken away, and its foundations are torn down. Cush, Put, and Lud, and all the various foreign troops, plus Libya and the men of the covenant land will fall by the sword along with them. This is what the Lord says: Those who support Egypt will fall, and its proud strength will collapse. From Migdol to Syene they will fall within it by the sword. [This is] the declaration of the Lord God. They will be desolate among desolate lands, and their cities will lie among ruined cities.

They will know that I am the Lord when I set fire to Egypt and all its allies are shattered.

On that day, messengers will go out from Me in ships to terrify confident Cush. Anguish will come over them on the day of Egypt's [doom]. For indeed it is coming." (Ezekiel 30:1-9)

The terror of the invader would slaughter the soldiers of Egypt. That anguish would be shared among her allies. The kingdoms of North Africa—Cush, Put, Lud and Libya would be swept away in battle, along with the Egyptians. Their longing for greatness would be supplanted by a lamentation of glory gone forever. Though these people endure today, and we still recognize the names of nations like Libya and Egypt, they are wastelands. Were it not for the oil fields of Libya and the strategic location of Egypt, there would be fewer headlines than they even garner in today’s news. Despots rose—men like Muammar Gaddafi of Libya and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt—and they sought prominence and secured possessions as they seized power. Where are they now? These tyrants are deposed, dead and their bodies decomposing in the desert.

The region has been a place of terror—a staging ground for terrorism. Through the ages those lands and peoples have been subjugated by the Greek and Roman empires, overrun by the Muslim Arabs, under the sway of Germany and Italy for a time, and now beneath the sphere of influence of the West—and perhaps soon will again be bent to do the will of the Russians as in they did in the Cold War era. In the meantime, there is a strife and bloodshed. There has been civil war. Economies are in a shambles. The military is puny. Egypt is a shadow of what it once was—deteriorating along with the Sphinx, and other relics of antiquity.

Next the prophet portrays Egypt as A TREE THAT WAS SHEARED.

“In the eleventh year, in the third [month], on the first [day] of the month, the word of the Lord came to me:

‘Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes:

Who are you like in your greatness? Think of Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches and shady foliage and of lofty height. Its top was among the clouds. The waters caused it to grow; the underground springs made it tall, directing their rivers all around the place where the tree was planted and sending their channels to all the trees of the field. Therefore the cedar became greater in height than all the trees of the field. Its branches multiplied, and its boughs grew long as it spread [them] out because of the plentiful water. All the birds of the sky nested in its branches, and all the animals of the field gave birth beneath its boughs; all the great nations lived in its shade. It was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its limbs, for its roots extended to abundant water. The cedars in God's garden could not rival it; the pine trees couldn't compare with its branches, nor could the plane trees match its boughs. No tree in the garden of God could compare with it in beauty.

I made it beautiful with its many limbs, and all the trees of Eden, which were in God's garden, envied it.

‘Therefore this is what the Lord God says: Since it became great in height and set its top among the clouds, and it grew proud on account of its height, I determined to hand it over to a ruler of nations; he would surely deal with it. I banished it because of its wickedness. Foreigners, ruthless men from the nations, cut it down and left it lying. Its limbs fell on the mountains and in every valley; its boughs lay broken in all the earth's ravines. All the peoples of the earth left its shade and abandoned it. All the birds of the sky nested on its fallen trunk, and all the animals of the field were among its boughs.

[This happened] so that no trees [planted] beside water would become great in height and set their tops among the clouds, and so that no [other] well-watered trees would reach them in height. For they have all been consigned to death, to the underworld, among the people who descend to the Pit.

‘This is what the Lord God says: I caused grieving on the day the cedar went down to Sheol. I closed off the underground deep because of it: I held back the rivers of the deep, and [its] abundant waters were restrained. I made Lebanon mourn on account of it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it. I made the nations quake at the sound of its downfall, when I threw it down to Sheol [to be] with those who descend to the Pit. Then all the trees of Eden, all the well-watered trees, the choice and best of Lebanon, were comforted in the underworld.

They too descended with it to Sheol, to those slain by the sword. As its allies they had lived in its shade among the nations.

‘Who then are you like in glory and greatness among Eden's trees? You also will be brought down to the underworld [to be] with the trees of Eden. You will lie among the uncircumcised with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his hordes’--the declaration of the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 31:1-18)

The prophet paints a metaphorical picture of Egypt as a mighty tree that God will cut down. He speaks of Assyria, which had recently become a world empire, but that was, nevertheless, chopped to the ground. Their vaunted military might could not deliver them. Neither would Egypt be spared. They would be severed to the roots.

I am led to reflect on the warning of Scripture, “So, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall.” (1 Cor.10:12) That prideful spirit which marked Egypt can be found in nations, in churches and in individuals—what about in your life? Does the hand of God hold the ax, ready to strike today?

Concerning Egypt, Ezekiel next offers a dirge and A TEAR THAT WAS SHED.

“When I make the land of Egypt a desolation, so that it is emptied of everything in it, when I strike down all who live there, then they will know that I am the Lord.

‘This is a lament that will be chanted; the women of the nations will chant it. They will chant it over Egypt and all its hordes.’ [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 32:15-16)

Pity is expressed for Pharaoh. Empathy is extended to the Egyptians. They are facing the judgment of God. For those who encounter it, there will be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.

“Son of man, wail over the hordes of Egypt and bring Egypt and the daughters of mighty nations down to the underworld, [to be] with those who descend to the Pit…” the Lord tells his messenger (32:18).

The death of a nation is a sad thing. Nations are comprised of men, women and children—and the carnage of being conquered is grievous.

Did you notice the plural in verse eighteen, “nations”? It would not just be Egypt and her allies, not only Assyria, not even the Babylonians, but all the nations that reject God are cast into the Pit. Which one will be next? Might it be America?

May God have mercy upon us! We can shed tears in repentance and be delivered or we can shed tears of regret amid being destroyed—which will it be?

THE SINKING OF THE SHIP OF STATE

“Ships of Tarshish were the carriers for your goods. So you became full and heavily loaded in the heart of the sea. Your rowers have brought you onto the high seas, but the east wind has shattered you in the heart of the sea.

Your wealth, merchandise, and goods, your sailors and captains, those who repair your leaks, those who barter for your goods, and all the warriors within you, with all the other people on board, sink into the heart of the sea on the day of your downfall.” (Ezekiel 27:25-27 HCSB)

The Titanic is a name which will ever be associated with pride and its peril. Its name signified the size of the ship—a behemoth in the deep. The boast, made by a deck hand at the launch of the Titanic, was, “Not even God himself could sink this ship.” Yet, the sinking of the Titanic with tragic loss of life on her maiden voyage is a stark warning for those who display such hubris. One iceberg is all it took and Titanic gurgled into her watery grave, dragging down over 1500 souls with her.

The ancient city of Tyre was guilty of the same sin. God inspired the prophet Ezekiel to picture her as this great ship of state, sailing along with much lavish cargo, yet sinking in a storm of God’s judgment. How fitting for a city and people who were synonymous with unparalleled skill and success from the shipping industry they plied. At the helm sat her king—self-assured—guiding her course, much as Edward Smith, the captain of the Titanic would, millennia later. But, the spirit behind such pride is older than humanity, and originated in Satan himself. That is the undercurrent of the story.

We observe that Tyre—and her sister city Sidon (Ezek.28:20-26)—in Phoenicia (modern day Lebanon) were GEOGRAPHICALLY PRIVILEGED.

“The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Now, son of man, lament for Tyre.

Say to Tyre, who is located at the entrance of the sea, merchant of the peoples to many coasts and islands: This is what the Lord God says:

Tyre, you declared, 'I am perfect in beauty.' Your realm was in the heart of the sea; your builders perfected your beauty. They constructed all your planking with pine trees from Senir. They took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you. They made your oars of oaks from Bashan. They made your deck of cypress wood from the coasts of Cyprus,
[inlaid] with ivory. Your sail was [made of] fine embroidered linen from Egypt, and served as your banner. Your awning was of blue and purple fabric from the coasts of Elishah. The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers. Your wise men were within you, Tyre; they were your captains.

The elders of Gebal and its wise men were within you, repairing your leaks.

All the ships of the sea and their sailors came to you to barter for your goods.” (Ezekiel 27:1-9)

As the state was situated on the Mediterranean Sea, these people took full advantage of their environs and employed themselves with a great maritime industry. Tyre itself was built on two islands just off the coastline. The water which encircled her functioned as a moat guarding a medieval castle, affording an immense barrier of protection, so much so, that they thought themselves impervious to attack. Furthermore, the access to the sea, gave the city opportunity to do what they did best—develop their shipping empire.

So has America been blessed of God. Bounded by oceans, that have helped guard us from the wars that have ravaged Europe, our mainland has been secure—until 9/11 demonstrated that our enemy could bring the fight to us. It was a humbling experience.

Now, we have rebuilt, moved on—and failed to learn our lessons. What comes next?

Like Tyre, the abundance of harbors and waterways has been a natural resource also, which has helped generate an economic powerhouse. Yet, a grave concern is that one of those shipping containers might, some day soon, house a weapon of mass destruction—nuclear, biological or chemical. Pride goes before destruction!

There is no refuge to be found if we abandon God as our refuge. When a major political party will excise the name of God from its platform, what does that say for the future of our country? Lest, self-righteousness cause the other party to boast of their references to God, then we may also ask what God they mean in view of a nominee who is a member of a cult.

I recognize that we are electing a President of a nation and not of a seminary, but as Lincoln aptly stated, “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.”

The ship of state can sink despite being MILITARILY POWERFUL.

“[Men of] Persia, Lud, and Put were in your army, [serving] as your warriors. They hung shields and helmets in you; they gave you splendor.

Men of Arvad and Helech were [stationed] on your walls all around, and Gammadites were in your towers. They hung their shields all around your walls; they perfected your beauty.” (Ezekiel 27:10-11)

They had the best army money could buy. Yet, Tyre would be conquered.

What heroic men and women have fought to guard America’s freedoms in our nation’s past! Things have looked grim at times during our wars, but God preserved the Union. In this hour, we have soldiers and sailors, those in the air and on the ground, fighting and falling on foreign soil to save our liberty. Thank God for them!

We owe them a great debt, and one of the chief ways we can repay them is through our prayers. Furthermore, we can make sure they do not die in vain, but that we cherish those freedoms enough to use them—such as the freedom to practice our Christian faith. What we take for granted can suddenly be lost.

That is the sin of presumption and it is rooted in the sin of pride. The inhabitants of Tyre saw the warriors on the walls and thought they were safe from attack. Their assumptions were faulty. Should we think that superior armament and superlative technology will carry the day, we are just as foolish. God places a shield around the society He chooses to bless, and none can deliver when He chooses to blast. Look at the would be world-conquerors of the past—Alexander, Napoleon, Hitler—what happened to their vaunted military might? They basked in glory for a season, but fell to their own mortality in the end. They brought down many kings in the field of battle, but were slain by the King of Terrors—Death.

Tyre would sink to the bottom though they were ECONOMICALLY PROSPEROUS.

"Tarshish was your trading partner because of [your] great wealth of every kind. They exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your merchandise. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your merchants. They exchanged slaves and bronze utensils for your goods. Those from Beth-togarmah exchanged horses, war horses, and mules for your merchandise. Men of Dedan were also your merchants; many coasts and islands were your regular markets. They brought back ivory tusks and ebony as your payment. Aram was your trading partner because of your numerous products. They exchanged turquoise, purple and embroidered cloth, fine linen, coral, and rubies for your merchandise. Judah and the land of Israel were your merchants. They exchanged wheat from Minnith, meal, honey, oil, and balm, for your goods. Damascus was also your trading partner because of your numerous products and your great wealth of every kind, [trading] in wine from Helbon and white wool. Vedan and Javan from Uzal dealt in your merchandise; wrought iron, cassia, and aromatic cane were [exchanged] for your goods. Dedan was your merchant in saddlecloths for riding. Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your business partners, trading with you in lambs, rams, and goats. The merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded with you. They exchanged gold, the best of all spices, and all kinds of precious stones for your merchandise. Haran, Canneh, Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad traded with you. They were your merchants in choice garments, cloaks of blue and embroidered materials, and multicolored carpets, which were bound and secured with cords in your marketplace.” (Ezekiel 27:12-24)

This is a picture of economic extravagance. Here are people enjoying luxury. But, it would not last—the boom would one day go bust.

Are we not sitting on a debt bubble in the United States—indeed, global in scope—that if and when it bursts will bring a depression beyond the Great Depression, but will be the Greatest Depression? It is not hard to conceive, when as I write these words, our national debt has exceeded 16 trillion dollars!

What folly, that a nation so economically powerful, where the dollar was the standard in currency, has come to such a precarious moment. Have politicians applied foolish policies? Have corporations succumbed to greed? Have many citizens become sloths instead of productive workers? All this is true, but it goes far beyond that. Even if those things suddenly changed, without a change of heart in repentance, we are in trouble. There were a lot of wealthy people on the Titanic—and their money did not save them. It will not save us. If we trust in Mammon and not God, our idolatry will be our indictment and end in infamy.

The iceberg that sinks the ship is when a people become SINFULLY PROUD.

“Ships of Tarshish were the carriers for your goods.

So you became full and heavily loaded in the heart of the sea.” (Ezekiel 27:25)

Their very prosperity became their undoing. The weight of their cargo caused them to be swamped in a storm. This is, of course, symbolic language, yet so apropos for that sea-faring society. They were confident they could sail through any storm. They were dead wrong. God can sink an unsinkable ship!

Consider THE HUMAN PURVIEW.

The scope of their sin from earth’s viewpoint is given in Ezekiel 28:1-10.

“The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre: This is what the Lord God says:

Your heart is proud, and you have said, “I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea.” Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have regarded your heart as that of a god. Yes, you are wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you! By your wisdom and understanding you have acquired wealth for yourself. You have acquired gold and silver for your treasuries.

By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, but your heart has become proud because of your wealth.’

Therefore this is what the Lord God says:

Because you regard your heart as that of a god, I am about to bring strangers against you, ruthless men from the nations. They will draw their swords against your magnificent wisdom and will defile your splendor. They will bring you down to the Pit,
and you will die a violent death in the heart of the sea. Will you still say, “I am a god,” in the presence of those who kill you? Yet you will be [only] a man, not a god, in the hands of those who kill you.

You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of strangers. For I have spoken. [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.’”

Many rulers through the ages have claimed deity. That never turns out well. It didn’t for Tyre’s king.

But, we need to dig deeper.

Weigh the HEAVENLY PERSPECTIVE.

The source of their sin from eternity’s vision is seen in Ezekiel 28:11-19.

“The word of the Lord came to me:

‘Son of man, lament for the king of Tyre and say to him: This is what the Lord God says:

You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every kind of precious stone covered you: carnelian, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and emerald. Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold; they were prepared on the day you were created. You were an anointed guardian cherub, for I had appointed you. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked among the fiery stones. From the day you were created
you were blameless in your ways until wickedness was found in you. Through the abundance of your trade, you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I expelled you in disgrace from the mountain of God, and banished you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud because of your beauty; For the sake of your splendor you corrupted your wisdom. So I threw you down to the earth; I made you a spectacle before kings. You profaned your sanctuaries by the magnitude of your iniquities in your dishonest trade. So I made fire come from within you, and it consumed you. I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of everyone watching you.

All those who know you among the nations are appalled at you. You have become an object of horror and will never exist again."

Some of this applies to the fleshly king of Tyre. But, it cannot be limited to him. We realize there are spiritual powers at work behind the human kingdoms. Satan is the Prince of the Power of the Air—the Ruler of this world and god of this age. Paul put it this way,

“For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.” (Eph.6:11)

That is what we see here. Lucifer was first to succumb to pride and his downfall has permeated this planet with the same foul spirit. This beautiful being in Eden has become the diabolical Devil of hell.

With Satan as the captain, directing the human hand at the helm, the King of Tyre was heading the ship of state toward disaster. Such a nation is DIVINELY PUNISHED.

“Your rowers have brought you onto the high seas, but the east wind has shattered you
in the heart of the sea.

Your wealth, merchandise, and goods, your sailors and captains, those who repair your leaks, those who barter for your goods, and all the warriors within you, with all the other people on board, sink into the heart of the sea on the day of your downfall.

The countryside shakes at the sound of your sailors' cries. All those who handle an oar
disembark from their ships. The sailors and all the captains of the sea stand on the shore. They raise their voices over you and cry out bitterly. They throw dust on their heads; they roll in ashes.

They shave their heads because of you and wrap themselves in sackcloth. They weep over you with deep anguish and bitter mourning.

In their wailing they lament for you, mourning over you: Who was like Tyre, silenced in the middle of the sea? When your merchandise was unloaded from the seas, you satisfied many peoples. You enriched the kings of the earth with your abundant wealth and goods. Now you are shattered by the sea in the depths of the waters; your goods and the people within you have gone down. All the inhabitants of the coasts and islands
are appalled at you. Their kings shudder with fear; [their] faces are contorted.

Those who trade among the peoples mock you; you have become an object of horror
and will never exist again." (Ezekiel 27:26-36)

God is no respecter of persons—or nations! If He judged Tyre for her demonic pride, can we expect preferential treatment?

Here is a life-boat for those who do not want to sink:

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time…” (1 Peter 5:6).

A FEW GOOD MEN

“’I searched for a man among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land so that I might not destroy it, but I found no one. So I have poured out My indignation on them and consumed them with the fire of My fury. I have brought their actions down on their own heads.’ [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 22:30-31 HCSB)

I can still remember the Marine recruiting slogan, “We’re just looking for a few good men.” It was designed to grab a young man’s attention by saying, “The Marines are exceptional. To be a Marine is special. Not everyone can do it—only the elite. Are you one of those who stands out from the crowd? Then we want you!” Of course, this appeal to ego was hard to resist. An eighteen year old male wanted to think of himself in those terms.

It was a similar plea that was made to the citizens of Jerusalem just before the city would fall to the Babylonians. God didn’t make an appeal to ego, or even to patriotism, as good as that might be in and of itself, but rather He was looking for the spiritual standout—the one who would live holy in an ungodly time. I would suggest that we are in such an hour today.

God is conducting an INVESTIGATION.

“I searched for a man among them.”

God was looking for a few good men in Ezekiel’s day. He is doing so today.

Could He not have intervened Himself? Of course, He could, but when He did it would not be good. A holy God would act with justice, and if the Jews received their due, it would mean destruction because of their sin.

Might God not have sent an angel? He might have done so, but He would not for it wasn’t heavenly beings who had the problem, it was human beings, and so it required human action.

God uses people to make a difference in people.

When an Ethiopian eunuch was riding in a chariot, reading Scripture, full of questions but finding no answers, God sent a man named Philip to share the Gospel with him. Cornelius was a God-fearing man with a God-given desire to be righteous, but he didn’t know the only means possible to effect that—a relationship with Christ.

God directed an angel to Cornelius to dispatch messengers to a man named Peter to come and preach the Gospel to him. God gave Peter a vision that would move him to go to a Gentile. There was supernatural activity to be sure, but God didn’t use an angel to share the Gospel, nor even a vision to convey the Gospel to Cornelius. God did all this to send a man!

He uses saved sinners to share with seeking sinners. This is how God works.

It is a truth which was driven home to me in a small book that made a big impact in my life. “Power Through Prayer” was a little paperback I read in the early days of my ministry. It was written by E.M. Bounds, who served as a chaplain during the Civil War. Some of the opening words are engraved on my heart and I find myself returning to them over and over. Bounds accurately stated:

“WE are constantly on a stretch, if not on a strain, to devise new methods, new plans, new organizations to advance the Church and secure enlargement and efficiency for the gospel. This trend of the day has a tendency to lose sight of the man or sink the man in the plan or organization. God's plan is to make much of the man, far more of him than of anything else. Men are God's method. The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men. ‘There was a man sent from God whose name was John.’ The dispensation that heralded and prepared the way for Christ was bound up in that man John. ‘Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.’ The world's salvation comes out of that cradled Son. When Paul appeals to the personal character of the men who rooted the gospel in the world, he solves the mystery of their success. The glory and efficiency of the gospel is staked on the men who proclaim it. When God declares that ‘the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him,’ he declares the necessity of men and his dependence on them as a channel through which to exert his power upon the world. This vital, urgent truth is one that this age of machinery is apt to forget. The forgetting of it is as baneful on the work of God as would be the striking of the sun from his sphere. Darkness, confusion, and death would ensue.

What the Church needs to-day is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use -- men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men -- men of prayer.”

God is conducting His investigation—His eyes ranging far and wide—intense scrutiny focused on finding a few good men. Will you be such a man?

God is calling for INTERCESSION.

“who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land so that I might not destroy it, but I found no one.”

The walls of an ancient city were strategic for the defense of the citizens. If an enemy could find a breach in the wall, the invading army would pour into that gap and the city would fall.

There was a gap between what the Jews were supposed to be and the way they actually behaved that was wide enough to drive a truck through! The enemy was on the way to exploit that gap with deadly efficiency.

God was looking for an intercessor—someone who would rise up and fill the gap. It would require a man of character. He could not have the same glaring flaws in his spiritual experience if he would fill the gap in the city’s spiritual defenses. We have to be different to make a difference. The intercessor must have integrity or else he is a contradiction to the very word he proclaims. Failing to model the message we give undermines our credibility. That is a sobering truth to me—and for us all. Actions speak louder than words.

Again, I return to Bound’s incisive words:

“The character as well as the fortunes of the gospel is committed to the preacher. He makes or mars the message from God to man. The preacher is the golden pipe through which the divine oil flows. The pipe must not only be golden, but open and flawless, that the oil may have a full, unhindered, unwasted flow.

The man makes the preacher. God must make the man. The messenger is, if possible, more than the message. The preacher is more than the sermon. The preacher makes the sermon. As the life-giving milk from the mother's bosom is but the mother's life, so all the preacher says is tinctured, impregnated by what the preacher is. The treasure is in earthen vessels, and the taste of the vessel impregnates and may discolor. The man, the whole man, lies behind the sermon. Preaching is not the performance of an hour. It is the outflow of a life. It takes twenty years to make a sermon, because it takes twenty years to make the man. The true sermon is a thing of life. The sermon grows because the man grows. The sermon is forceful because the man is forceful. The sermon is holy because the man is holy. The sermon is full of the divine unction because the man is full of the divine unction.”

This is the kind of man God is looking for—a good man. I love how the Bible describes Barnabas: “for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.” (Acts 11:24a). That is the challenge to me. But, it is also the challenge for you and all of God’s witnesses. Every professing child of God is a witness—either a good one or a bad one—but each of us represents our Lord. On the job, in the school, about the neighborhood—wherever we are, we are His ambassadors. Our Bibles need to be “bound in shoe leather.” That is, we need to demonstrate the truth we declare—and we must declare it. This is how we can repair the walls.

God is restraining His INDIGNATION.

“’So I have poured out My indignation on them and consumed them with the fire of My fury. I have brought their actions down on their own heads.’ [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.”

If you could imagine the wrath of God rising up like flood waters. As sin on top of sin, brings drop after drop into a swollen stream—a torrent of transgressions now filling a river of retribution, pressing against a spiritual levee. Finally, the levee will break if someone doesn’t place sandbags there to shore it up and secure it. Spiritually speaking, this is what would happen to Jerusalem. God’s indignation against their iniquity would burst upon them.

How close are we to that tipping point? I grew up sitting in little church buildings, hearing preachers warn about the coming judgment of God. It was a fearful thing to consider as a child and they sounded like it could happen any day. But, it didn’t. Later, when I came to Christ and God would call me to preach, I took up the same message and still, thirty six years later finds me faithfully declaring it. Yet, that day of reckoning has not come.

But it will—some day, one day—maybe any day now. It could be today. Yet, it might also be that God would grant a reprieve from judgment, if we would return to Him. Otherwise, only His righteous indignation will fall.

God is looking for a few good men.

What about a few good women? Could they not make a difference? Of course—and they are. That’s the thing. When you look around the church, there are significantly more women than men attending. When there is work to do, we find a number of godly ladies who will jump into the labor while men tend to loiter. Thank God some men do serve faithfully and fervently! But, we long for more men to rise up and roll up their sleeves and do what God has called us to do. We don’t want women to do less, but we need men to do more!

Will you be that man? God wants you!

My precious sister, will you pray and ask God to stir the hearts of men? They won’t respond to nagging, but you can speak passionately to the heart of God in prayer and the Lord can use circumstances to corner those fellows and His Spirit can convict them and His Word challenge them. As this message is read by some man today, it could be that a dear woman’s tearful cry to God will make this appeal strike like an arrow the bull’s eye of some guy’s heart.

I am praying that God would use me to stand in the gap. I make myself available to repair the wall. Men, will you come and join me? Your family needs you. The church needs you. Your community, your nation, and the world await you. God is calling you!

God still needs a few good men!

THE RIDDLER

“Son of man, pose a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel.” (Ezekiel 17:2 HCSB)

The comics, television shows, and now the movie series have made Batman a worldwide icon. Yesterday, for my little grandson, Josh’s birthday party, he had a Batman cake, plates and some Batman toys received as gifts. That is but one example of this phenomenon.

Of course, every event associated with Batman has not been such a happy one, as we recall the slaughterhouse a movie theater became when James Holmes invaded during a showing of a Batman movie with guns blazing. The carnage was horrible.

Famous or infamous, however, the Batman brand lives on.

One of the archenemies of Batman is the Riddler. He was always speaking in riddles, leaving little hints of where and what his next crime would be. The Riddler liked living on the edge—and was mentally over the edge—insanely brilliant and diabolically psychopathic.

Many in Ezekiel’s day would have branded him in a similar way. Sin had so warped their thinking that they thought these prophets were bad because they spoke of bad things. They had been given a message of judgment and the people did not want to hear it. They prophesied and performed in a manner that caused people to think they were lunatics. Indeed, sometimes God did speak through them in riddles. Ezekiel was the original “Riddler” and we hear the mockery of the people who heard him. Well, they accused Jesus and Paul of being out of their minds also.

“Then I said, ‘Oh, Lord God, they are saying of me, “Isn't he [just] posing riddles?”’” (Ezekiel 20:49)

Indeed, preachers can be somewhat, “eccentric.” I had a young child that used to call me, “The creature” instead of “the preacher.” Children are so honest!

There are four riddles given in today’s reading that not so cryptically conveyed the message of God’s wrath. That they were interspersed with pointed preaching made them illustrations that should have been clear as to their meaning had it not been for the willful blindness of the people.

The riddle of the SOARING EAGLES is found in chapter seventeen.

“The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, pose a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel.

You are to say: This is what the Lord God says:

A great eagle with great wings, long pinions, and full plumage of many colors came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar. He plucked off its topmost shoot, brought it to the land of merchants, and set it in a city of traders. Then he took some of the land's seed and put it in a fertile field; he set it [like] a willow, a plant by abundant waters.

It sprouted and became a spreading vine, low in height with its branches turned toward him, yet its roots stayed under it. So it became a vine, produced branches, and sent out shoots.
But there was another great eagle with great wings and thick plumage. And this vine bent its roots toward him! It stretched out its branches to him from its planting bed, so that he might water it.

It had been planted in a good field by abundant waters in order to produce branches,
bear fruit, and become a splendid vine.

You are to say: This is what the Lord God says:

Will it flourish? Will he not tear out its roots and strip off its fruit so that it shrivels? All its fresh leaves will wither! Great strength and many people will not be needed to pull it from its roots.

Even though it is planted, will it flourish? Won't it completely wither when the east wind strikes it? It will wither on the bed where it sprouted." (v.1-10)

The great eagle is the king of Babylon. He plucked off the “topmost shoot.” That was King Jehoaichin who was taken to Babylon. The seed that remained were the Jews who had been subjugated, and were left in Jerusalem to care for Nebuchadnezzar’s newly acquired territory. So long as they were rooted in submission to him, they prospered under the Babylonian vassal Zedekiah.

But, there was another eagle—the Pharaoh of Egypt—and Zedekiah saw in him an ally to aid his rebellion against Babylon. That did not turn out well! Babylon swept back in like a sirocco and withered the vine. Zedekiah was captured when Jerusalem fell, blinded, after he watched his sons put to death, and taken into exile. Read 2 Chronicles 36 for an overview of these events.

Yet, even in this message of judgment, there is a word of hope.

“This is what the Lord God says:

I will take [a sprig] from the lofty top of the cedar and plant [it]. I will pluck a tender sprig
from its topmost shoots, and I will plant [it] on a high towering mountain. I will plant it on Israel's high mountain so that it may bear branches, produce fruit, and become a majestic cedar. Birds of every kind will nest under it, taking shelter in the shade of its branches.

Then all the trees of the field will know that I am the Lord. I bring down the tall tree, and make the low tree tall. I cause the green tree to wither and make the withered tree thrive. I, Yahweh, have spoken and I will do [it].” (v.22-24)

This tender sprig is a prophecy of Messiah, born of the royal line of Judah who grows into the majestic cedar who will eventually rule over all the nations and restore Israel.

The riddle of THE SOUR GRAPES is found in chapter eighteen.

"What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel: The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? As I live’--[this is] the declaration of the Lord God-‘you will no longer use this proverb in Israel.

Look, every life belongs to Me. The life of the father is like the life of the son--both belong to Me. The person who sins is the one who will die.” (v.2-4)

This riddle which Ezekiel repeats is not meant to confirm it, but to contradict it. The prophet was, in this case, correcting their faulty theology. The Jews blamed their suffering on their forefathers and were not willing to accept responsibility themselves. This “blame game” is as old as man—Adam and Eve, when confronted over their sin led Adam to point to Eve and Eve to point to the Serpent and the Serpent could not point—he had no fingers! It is almost as ludicrous as a President four years into his term blaming the former President for his failed policies—of course, we realize that would never happen. Or, perhaps it might.

The fact is, that is human nature. But, we never find forgiveness until we admit our own failings. This opens the way to repentance and that is what is desperately needed. Forgiveness is what God desires—mercy and not judgment is what He is pleased to bring—if we will only humbly admit we are sinners and turn to Him from our wicked ways. Listen to this precious plea from a God of pity:

“’Therefore, house of Israel, I will judge each one of you according to his ways.’ [This is] the declaration of the Lord God. ‘Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so they will not be a stumbling block that causes your punishment. Throw off all the transgressions you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, house of Israel?

For I take no pleasure in anyone's death.’ [This is] the declaration of the Lord God. ‘So repent and live!’” (v.30-32)

The riddle of the SNARED LIONS is found in chapter nineteen, verses one through nine.

"’Now, lament for the princes of Israel and say:

What was your mother? A lioness! She lay down among the lions; she reared her cubs among the young lions. She brought up one of her cubs, and he became a young lion.
After he learned to tear prey, he devoured people.

When the nations heard about him, he was caught in their pit. Then they led him away with hooks to the land of Egypt.

When she saw that she waited [in vain], that her hope was lost, she took another of her cubs and made him a young lion. He prowled among the lions, and he became a young lion. After he learned to tear prey, he devoured people. He devastated their strongholds and destroyed their cities. The land and everything in it shuddered at the sound of his roaring. Then the nations from the surrounding provinces set out against him. They spread their net over him; he was caught in their pit.

They put a wooden yoke on him with hooks and led him away to the king of Babylon.
They brought him into the fortresses so his roar could no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel.” (v.1-9)

Judah is the lioness from whom the kings of the Davidic dynasty were sired. They were as lions, the king of the jungle. Specifically, this riddle spoke of Jehoahaz who was carried captive into Egypt by Pharaoh Necho and Jehoiachin who was captured and brought to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. See 2 Kings 23-24 if you need a refresher on the details.

We are again reminded that the rise and fall of nations—the ebb and flow of leaders—is all under the sovereign direction of the King of kings, the Lord of all. The ruler who roars in power today, may be put in a cage, helpless as a kitten tomorrow. God is still God—and we are not! The narcissist who struts in arrogance through the halls of power is treading on rotten flooring that can suddenly collapse.

The riddle of the SCORCHING FLAMES is found in chapter nineteen, beginning with verse ten, through chapter twenty.

“Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of plentiful waters. It had strong branches, [fit] for the scepters of rulers; its height towered among the clouds. So it was conspicuous for its height as well as its many branches. But it was uprooted in fury, thrown to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong branches were torn off and dried up; fire consumed them. Now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.

Fire has gone out from its main branch and has devoured its fruit, so that it no longer has a strong branch, a scepter for ruling. This is a lament and should be used as a lament.” (19:10-14)

“The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, face the south and preach against it. Prophesy against the forest land in the Negev, and say to the forest there: Hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord God says: I am about to ignite a fire in you, and it will devour every green tree and every dry tree in you. The blazing flame will not be extinguished, and every face from the south to the north will be scorched by it.

Then all people will see that I, Yahweh, have kindled it. It will not be extinguished." (20:45-48)

God would bring the fire of His fury on the nation. Despite all He had done for them, they had defied the Lord and deified themselves—living according to their own lustful desires and denying God’s designs for them.

The riddle wasn’t difficult to solve. There should have been no puzzle about it. In fact, Ezekiel delivers a powerful exposition of this truth in 20:1-43. But, the Jews were in fact in such a state of spiritual stupor that they didn’t grasp it. Instead, they scorned the “Riddler” and rejected his preaching. Just the ranting of a madman—that was their foolish conclusion.

Yet, once again, the compassionate God honors His covenant in promising that out of the fire, though sinners are consumed, His nation would be refined. Israel would be reborn. The fire would make them into a sweet-smelling sacrifice in the nostrils of the Lord.

"’When you say, “Let us be like the nations, like the peoples of [other] countries, worshiping wood and stone,” what you have in mind will never happen. As I live’-the declaration of the Lord God-‘I will rule over you with a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and outpoured wrath. I will bring you from the peoples and gather you from the countries where you were scattered, with a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and outpoured wrath. I will lead you into the wilderness of the peoples and enter into judgment with you there face to face. Just as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you.’ [This is] the declaration of the Lord God. ‘I will make you pass under the rod and will bring you into the bond of the covenant.

And I will also purge you of those who rebel and transgress against Me. I will bring them out of the land where they live as foreign residents, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

‘As for you, house of Israel, this is what the Lord God says: Go and serve your idols, each of you. But afterward you will surely listen to Me, and you will no longer defile My holy name with your gifts and idols. For on My holy mountain, Israel's high mountain’-the declaration of the Lord God-‘there the entire house of Israel, all of them, will serve Me in the land. There I will accept them and will require your contributions and choicest gifts, all your holy offerings. When I bring you from the peoples and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, I will accept you as a pleasing aroma. And I will demonstrate My holiness through you in the sight of the nations. When I lead you into the land of Israel, the land I swore to give your fathers, you will know that I am the Lord. There you will remember your ways and all your deeds that you have defiled yourselves with, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evil things you have done.

You will know that I am the Lord, house of Israel, when I have dealt with you because of My name rather than according to your evil ways and corrupt acts.’ [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.” (20:32-44)

How patient is our God! Now, that is puzzling—when we merit judgment—every one of us. The Holy One who is utterly just, will yet justify sinners who repent! How can He do both? No riddle—it is through His Son, Jesus Christ. When His people are unfaithful, he abides faithful still. This is our hope and joy! God is good, even if we are not! He has chosen to love the unlovely. That is the great mystery—the wonder of His love!

GOOD FOR NOTHING

“Then the word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, how does the wood of the vine, that branch among the trees of the forest, compare to any other wood? Can wood be taken from it to make something useful? Or can anyone make a peg from it to hang things on? In fact, it is put into the fire as fuel. The fire devours both of its ends, and the middle is charred. Can it be useful for anything?’” (Ezekiel 15:1-4 HCSB)

The Pet Rock—did you ever have one? It was a fad of the 1970’s. It was promoted as the perfect pet—it wouldn’t bark, bite, or scratch. You wouldn’t have to bathe it, walk it or take it to the vet. It was such a good pet! Good for nothing! It was also not going to jump in your lap, wag its tail when you came in the door, or any of the things that endear us to a pet. So, after about six months the fad faded.

The Jews convinced themselves that they were good. They had been given the Word of God. They had built the House of God. They were, after all, the Chosen People! They were good—but they had become good for nothing.

There are four examples of being good for nothing which Ezekiel describes in today’s Scripture reading.

In chapter thirteen, the prophet writes about FOOLISH WORDS.

“’Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: Hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord God says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing. Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins. You did not go up to the gaps or restore the wall around the house of Israel so that it might stand in battle on the day of the Lord. They see false visions and speak lying divinations. They claim, “[This is] the Lord's declaration,” when the Lord did not send them, yet they wait for the fulfillment of [their] message.’” (13:2-6)

What good are preachers who tell you what you want to hear, but not what you need to hear? These false prophets proclaimed empty promises of peace and prosperity. Modern day, health and wealth preachers are their heirs. Such build up false hopes, that will only be dashed, and leave those already suffering having it compounded with disillusionment. Someone listens to them and asks, “Have you heard so-and-so? He’s a good preacher!”

Good for nothing.

What good are lies told in the name of truth? What value to listen to a preacher who comes in the name of God but has not been called by God? That describes the false prophet. Nice folks. They have sparkling smiles. Crowds throng to hear their feel-good religion. They take the placebo and leave Dr. Lovejoy’s office thinking they are well. It gives them butterflies just to listen. They are given a shot of morphine, when they needed surgery.

But, it is an illusion, and will one day dissipate as rapidly as fresh whitewash on a wall buffeted by a furious hailstorm (see 13:10-16). When the whitewash was applied it looked good, but it couldn’t stand the storm. So, it is with the modern day approach of whitewashing sin. A storm of God’s judgment is coming and people who have proclaimed lies and those who have bought into these foolish words will be like those of Ezekiel’s time—unprepared.

In chapter fourteen, Ezekiel speaks about FALSE WORSHIP.

“Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me. Then the word of the Lord came to me:

‘Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and have put sinful stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I be consulted by them at all?

‘Therefore, speak to them and tell them: This is what the Lord God says: When anyone from the house of Israel sets up idols in his heart, puts a sinful stumbling block before his face, and then comes to the prophet, I, the Lord, will answer him appropriately. [I will answer him] according to his many idols, so that I may take hold of the house of Israel by their hearts. They are all estranged from Me because of their idols.’” (14:1-5)

What good are lifeless gods with no power to hear you or help you? In their folly, the Jews worshipped these idols. They took the good life God had given them and devoted it to false worship. The crops and the cattle God blessed them with were offered to inanimate images, instead of given in gratitude to the Creator who bestowed them.

This sin had become so woven into the fabric of their daily lives, and for so long, it could not be unraveled. Judgment was fixed. Even if such godly men as Noah, Daniel and Job interceded for the nation, only they would have been spared—Judah’s doom was determined (14:12-23). They were past the point of no return. It is a chilling truth to consider that you can wait too long and go too far and there is no turning back.

Here are a few lines from J.A. Alexander’s poem, “There Is A Time.”

“There is a time we know not when,
A place we know not where;
Which marks the destiny of men,
To glory or despair.

There is a line, by us unseen,
Which crosses every path;
Which marks the boundary between
God's mercy and His wrath.”
That is why the Scripture exhorts with urgency that now is the accepted time, today is the day of salvation! Do not harden your heart!

In chapter fifteen, Ezekiel paints a picture of FRUITLESS WORK.

“Then the word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, how does the wood of the vine, that branch among the trees of the forest, compare to any other wood? Can wood be taken from it to make something useful? Or can anyone make a peg from it to hang things on? In fact, it is put into the fire as fuel. The fire devours both of its ends, and the middle is charred. Can it be useful for anything?’” (Ezekiel 15:1-4 HCSB)

What good is a vine that doesn’t produce fruit? You can’t make lumber from it and build a house. It isn’t sturdy enough to make pegs on which you can hang something. You might as well burn it—and then it is particularly useless—just brittle, charred remains.

Jesus used similar terminology. He spoke of those who professed faith in Him, but produced no fruit for Him. That is worthless faith and wasted words. It is good for nothing.

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper. Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes, and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.

I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.

My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be My disciples.”

In chapter sixteen, the man of God portrays in a parable a FAITHLESS WIFE.

“Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord God says: Because your lust was poured out and your nakedness exposed by your acts of prostitution with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols and the blood of your children that you gave to them, I am therefore going to gather all the lovers you pleased-all those you loved as well as all those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and expose your nakedness to them so they see you completely naked. I will judge you the way adulteresses and those who shed blood are judged. Then I will bring about your bloodshed in wrath and jealousy.” (16:35-38)

What good is a spouse who continually commits adultery? Their vows of fidelity are a sham. They continue to eat at your table and sleep in someone else’s bed! They have no love for you, but lust for another. That was Judah.

God had been so good to them, but they were good for nothing. They were nothing when He found them, but in grace He saved them, cleaned them up, clothed them and blessed them bountifully. God made them something! They were all too happy to gorge themselves on His goodness, but returned no goodness of their own. So, God’s anger would burn against them—and we can understand it.

I heard of a little girl who was asked to explain the difference between the clergy and the laity. She answered, “The clergy are paid to be good, but the laity are good for nothing!”

I fear that both those who stand in the pulpit and those who sit in the pew may far too often be good for nothing! What about you? What about me?

From the moment Christ came into my life, I have never been the same. I wish I could say I have never wavered at all, but I have never wandered away long. After all He has done for me, how could I? Some might think I do what I do because it is my vocation, done in obligation for remuneration. Not so!

Since I received Jesus, I have studied His Word as a love letter to me. I have prayed to spend time with the One I adore. I have shared with saints and sinners testimony of my devotion to the Savior who loves me. I have given at least a tithe and sometimes more to the great Giver of all things. I have served Him by serving the church. I have sought to be faithful, to have integrity and be holy for He is holy. I had been exposed to good for nothing church members growing up, and I did not want to be numbered among them! My boast however is not in my goodness, but in the goodness of God within me!

It is easy to slip into the good for nothing mode. It is easy for it is the path of least resistance. It is a broad way, a smooth street, and the crowd is travelling there, so it is the path of popularity. It is easy for it is downhill—all downhill. It seems to be a good road! It is. It is good for nothing for it ends in everlasting sorrow. Were it not for grace that is where I would be. That grace not only set me on the upward way, but it sustains me when I am tempted to turn aside and secures me for glory. God is good—and not for nothing! He is my all—my everything! His Words are true. He is the living God! He will make you fruitful as you abide in His life. He is faithful to His covenant. Let us not be good for nothings!