September 23, 2012

The Moral Influence of Those in Power (9/23)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Esther 1-5.

The morals (or lack thereof) of those in positions of power can have a great influence on society as a whole. When sinful conduct is seen as normal by those in the public eye, it will eventually be seen as normal by a host of others.

The advisors of King Ahasuerus understood this. When Queen Vashti disobeyed her husband (the King), this was the advice they gave:

“Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king but also all the princes and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. For the queen’s conduct will become known to all the women causing them to look with contempt on their husbands by saying, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought into his presence, but she did not come.’ This day the ladies of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen’s conduct will speak in the same way to all the king’s princes, and there will be plenty of contempt and anger.
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September 21, 2012

"Return to Me, That I May Return to You" (9/21)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Zechariah 1-7.

The book of Zechariah opened with a call to repentance.

“Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Return to Me,” declares the Lord of hosts, “that I may return to you,” says the Lord of hosts’” (Zechariah 1:3).

The call to repentance was made in order to restore fellowship with God. If they returned to the Lord (repented), then the Lord would return to them (restore fellowship). God’s acceptance of them was conditioned upon an appropriate response to their sins.
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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 4, 2012

Judgment Against the Nations (9/4)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Ezekiel 24-27.

After prophesying about judgment against God’s people for their sins, Ezekiel reveals the coming divine judgment against the surrounding nations. In Ezekiel 25, the prophet mentions four nations: Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia. In each instance, he explains why judgment was coming.

“And say to the sons of Ammon, ‘Hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God, “Because you said, ‘Aha!’ against My sanctuary when it was profaned, and against the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and against the house of Judah when they went into exile, therefore, behold, I am going to give you to the sons of the east for a possession…”‘” (Ezekiel 25:3-4).
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September 2, 2012

"I Acted for the Sake of My Name" (9/2)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Ezekiel 20-21.

In Ezekiel 20, the Lord presents a summary of the history between Him and the people of Israel.

“And say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “On the day when I chose Israel and swore to the descendants of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I swore to them, saying, I am the Lord your God, on that day I swore to them, to bring them out from the land of Egypt into a land that I had selected for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all the lands. I said to them, ‘Cast away, each of you, the detestable things of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt, I am the Lord your God,’ But they rebelled against Me and were not willing to listen to Me; they did not cast away the detestable things of their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I resolved to pour out My wrath on them, to accomplish My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made Myself known to them by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. So I took them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness“‘” (Ezekiel 20:5-10).

This pattern is repeated throughout the history of God’s people. It shows how God extends His grace to man.
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September 1, 2012

Learn From the Sins of Others (9/1)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Ezekiel 18-19.

People often want to blame others for their shortcomings. It is common for one to blame their parents or the way they were raised as the reason why they engage in sinful behavior as an adult. While circumstances in one’s past surely have an influence on one’s present and future, those past circumstances do not dictate one’s actions. Each one of us has a choice to either do right or wrong.

This point is illustrated with an analogy God described to Ezekiel of three generations – a righteous man, his wicked son, and his righteous grandson. Notice what the text says of the righteous grandson (the wicked man’s son).

“Now behold, he has a son who has observed all his father’s sins which he committed, and observing does not do likewise” (Ezekiel 18:14).

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August 31, 2012

"You Did Not Remember the Days of Your Youth" (8/31)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Ezekiel 16-17.

“But you trusted in your beauty and played the harlot because of your fame, and you poured out your harlotries on every passer-by who might be willing. You took some of your clothes, made for yourself high places of various colors and played the harlot on them, which should never come about nor happen. You also took your beautiful jewels made of My gold and of My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself male images that you might play the harlot with them. […] Moreover, you took your sons and daughters whom you had borne to Me and sacrificed them to idols to be devoured. Were your harlotries so small a matter? You slaughtered My children and offered them up to idols by causing them to pass through the fire” (Ezekiel 16:15-21).

The people of Jerusalem had become completely entangled in idolatry to the point in which they were even sacrificing their own children. How could they get to such a point? They forgot their past.
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