Thought from today’s Bible reading from Joel 1-3.
In prophesying of the “great and awesome day of the Lord” (Joel 2:31), the prophet Joel indicated who it was that would be delivered:
“And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered…” (Joel 2:32).
Paul reminded the saints in Rome of this promise as well, as it had a direct impact upon their salvation.
“Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).
Thought from today’s Bible reading from Ezekiel 46-48.
Though rulers are able to exercise authority over the people, the following verses provide a reminder that God has placed a limit upon the authority to tax in order to preserve the property rights of individuals.
“Thus says the Lord God, ‘If the prince gives a gift out of his inheritance to any of his sons, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance’” (Ezekiel 46:16).
It was perfectly legitimate for a prince to give what belonged to him to his sons. Every father enjoyed this same right. But what if a prince wanted to give more to his sons than what he possessed? What if he simply wanted more for himself? Was he at liberty, as a ruler over the people, to take whatever he wanted? The following verse answers this:
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from Ezekiel 44-45.
The following passage discusses the land that was to be allotted to the princes and why such an allotment was to be made.
“‘The prince shall have land on either side of the holy allotment and the property of the city, adjacent to the holy allotment and the property of the city, on the west side toward the west and on the east side toward the east, and in length comparable to one of the portions, from the west border to the east border. This shall be his land for a possession in Israel; so My princes shall no longer oppress My people, but they shall give the rest of the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes.’ Thus says the Lord God, ‘Enough, you princes of Israel; put away violence and destruction, and practice justice and righteousness. Stop expropriations from My people,’ declares the Lord God” (Ezekiel 45:7-9).
The Ten Commandments contained a specific prohibition against stealing (Exodus 20:15). The implication is that in a God-ordered society, personal property rights must be respected. It was not lawful for one man to take from another man.
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from Ezekiel 42-43.
God punished the people of Israel because of their sin. But God was willing to forgive them and restore them to their place if they met His conditions of pardon.
“Now let them put away their harlotry and the corpses of their kings far from Me; and I will dwell among them forever” (Ezekiel 43:9).
Before God would forgive them, the people had to do two things:
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from Ezekiel 40-41.
“In the visions of God He brought me into the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, and on it to the south there was a structure like a city. So He brought me there; and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze, with a line of flax and a measuring rod in his hand; and he was standing in the gateway. The man said to me, ‘Son of man, see with your eyes, hear with your ears, and give attention to all that I am going to show you; for you have been brought here in order to show it to you. Declare to the house of Israel all that you see’” (Ezekiel 40:2-4).
After being introduced to this man with a measuring rod in a vision, Ezekiel sees him measure the temple area, is given the specific measurements, and is expected to “declare to the house of Israel all that [he] sees.” There are some lessons in here for preachers of today:
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from Ezekiel 38-39.
In revealing His message to Ezekiel about Gog, the Lord made a statement about the certainty of those things He said He would do.
“‘Behold, it is coming and it shall be done,’ declares the Lord God. ‘That is the day of which I have spoken’” (Ezekiel 39:8).
Gog was going to be defeated by the will of God and according to the revelation of God. “You will fall on the open field; for it is I who have spoken‘ declares the Lord God” (Ezekiel 39:5).
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from Ezekiel 35-37.
After punishing the people for their sins, God revealed to Ezekiel that He was going to restore them to their land. But it is important to notice why God was going to restore them.
“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord,” declares the Lord God, “when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land”‘” (Ezekiel 36:22-24).
God wanted the people of Israel to clearly understand the reason why He was restoring them to their land. It was not because of them and what great works they had accomplished. Rather, it was because of God and His desire that His name not be profaned among the nations.
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What does “propitiation” mean? How is “justification” connected to salvation? What does “sanctification” look like in our day-to-day lives? The Bible uses some powerful words to describe God’s plan to save mankind. However, these words are not always easy to understand, especially when they are not part of our everyday vocabulary. This book explores key Bible terms that unlock the message of the gospel.
Big Words in the Bible examines five important words – Propitiation, Reconciliation, Sanctification, Justification, and Resurrection – using plain language to see how the Scriptures describe these concepts and how the apostle Paul employs them in his letter to the Romans. This book also contains an appendix with eleven additional articles to explore these topics further.
Whether you are new to the Bible and want to grow in your understanding or want a simple way to explain these core gospel doctrines to others, this book will be helpful. With a focus on the Scriptures, Big Words in the Bible helps break down these fundamental topics to shed light on the life-changing message of the gospel and the salvation found in it.
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