Daily Notes & Observations is a 365-part series that follows a chronological daily Bible reading schedule and contains a short article based on something found in the text for each day. This material is also available in paperback.

September 11, 2012

"Enough, You Princes of Israel" (9/11)

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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September 10, 2012

“Let Them Put Away Their Harlotry and the Corpses of Their Kings” (9/10)

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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September 9, 2012

Declare All That You See (9/9)

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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September 8, 2012

"It Is Coming and It Shall Be Done" (9/8)

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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September 7, 2012

"For My Holy Name" (9/7)

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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September 6, 2012

"A Watchman for the House of Israel" (9/6)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Ezekiel 32-34.

“Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth and give them warning from Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hand. But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life” (Ezekiel 33:7-9).

A watchman’s job was simple: warn the people when danger threatened in order to give them time to prepare for the threat. Ezekiel’s job as “a watchman for the house of Israel” was similar. He was to warn them of divine punishment that was coming because of their sins. The hope was that the warning would lead them to prepare for the “threat” by putting away their sins and turning back to the Lord.

There are at least two lessons we can take from this:
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September 5, 2012

"You Are a Man and Not God" (9/5)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Ezekiel 28-31.

In the following passage, Ezekiel prophesied against the arrogance of the king of Tyre:

“Son of man, say to the leader of Tyre, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Because your heart is lifted up and you have said, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the seas’; yet you are a man and not God, although you make your heart like the heart of God” (Ezekiel 28:2).

The verses that follow describe the great wisdom and riches that the king of Tyre had obtained for himself (Ezekiel 28:3-5). What often happens when one obtains such wealth and wisdom is that he becomes arrogant and rebels against God. This is what happened with the king of Tyre. His “heart [was] lifted up” (Ezekiel 28:5); and he tried to make himself out to be equal with God (Ezekiel 28:2, 6). God described His attitude toward those who seek to portray themselves as being gods in the minds of the people.
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