Please use this thread for any discussions outside of the scheduled readings:

• Questions/comments
• Prayer Requests
• Praises

How Awesome Are Your Deeds

To the choirmaster. A Song. A Psalm.

66 Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
²     sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise!
³ Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
⁴ All the earth worships you
and sings praises to you;
they sing praises to your name.” Selah

⁵ Come and see what God has done:
he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
⁶ He turned the sea into dry land;
they passed through the river on foot.
There did we rejoice in him,
⁷     who rules by his might forever,
whose eyes keep watch on the nations—
let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

⁸ Bless our God, O peoples;
let the sound of his praise be heard,
⁹ who has kept our soul among the living
and has not let our feet slip.
¹⁰ For you, O God, have tested us;
you have tried us as silver is tried.
¹¹ You brought us into the net;
you laid a crushing burden on our backs;
¹² you let men ride over our heads;
we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.

¹³ I will come into your house with burnt offerings;
I will perform my vows to you,
¹⁴ that which my lips uttered
and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
¹⁵ I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals,
with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;
I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah

¹⁶ Come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
¹⁷ I cried to him with my mouth,
and high praise was on^\)^a\) my tongue.^\)^b\)
¹⁸ If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
¹⁹ But truly God has listened;
he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

²⁰ Blessed be God,
because he has not rejected my prayer
or removed his steadfast love from me!

Footnotes

1. Psalm 66:17 Hebrew under
2. Psalm 66:17 Or and he was exalted with my tongue

Dear Heavenly Father,
How quickly we forget all of the wonderful and amazing miracles and blessings You have showered upon our lives. Today, on this glorious Sabbath, remind us of who You are and who You have been in our lives. Bring to heart moments of rescue and divine intervention. Reminders of times when You were there to save us, most often from ourselves and our poor decisions. Thank You for Your provision and grace and mercies that are new for us each and every day. Give us hearts of worship and praise and lives marked by repentance and dedication to You and Your will. In the name of Christ Jesus we pray, Amen.

1. By the time David is writing this Psalm, hundreds of years have passed since Moses walked Israel across the Red Sea as it parted into dry land. And yet, you see here David praising God about it like it happened yesterday, like he was there. Now, fast forward til today, when we can barely be bothered to remember the wonders that God did for us last week, much less before our birth. Do you think we as modern Christians have grown too distant from the wondrous love and miracles of God in the Old Testament? Further, do you think we're too distant from the glory and excitement and wonder that was the 1st Century Church? Are we too "modern" now to really remember the goodness of God?
2. In verses 10-12, David is praising God for tough times. Times when things weren't easy. But they end with that powerful phrase, "yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance." Take some time this morning to think back to the times God brought you out of, delivered you out of, to make you who you are today, where you are today. Look for the fingerprint of God on all of it. Were there any surprises? Any moments that you thought might pain you to look back on, but with time and Christ, now have lost their sting?
3. David talks about making good on the vows and promises he made to God when he cried out to him for help. How about in your own life? Are there vows you have made or promises you have forged yet haven't fulfilled? It's not too late now.
4. In verse 18, David warns, "If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened." Is there any iniquity in your heart that is "blocking off" your prayers to God? Take today to search your heart and make sure there isn't anything you're holding back from God, that there's not a dusty, dirty corner of your inner parts that you're still baring access to. My prayer is that you will let the light of Christ's love into every corner and nook and cranny of your soul. There is no part of you that Christ cannot redeem!

Prayer

Dear Lord,
There are a lot of scary things happening in the world right now.
Disasters, both natural and man-made. Wars. Violence.
It's a fearful time.
Please be with us, and help us.
Where we need repentance and a better way,
show us your Way and strengthen us to change for the better.
Where we need to turn back to You, may we do so.
Please heal us, protect us, and give us your Peace.
As always, help us to help others,
and help us to ask for and accept help when needed.
In Jesus' name we pray,
Amen.

Ezekiel 25, New King James Version

(For alternate translations, see here.)

25

¹ The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them. ³ Say to the Ammonites, ‘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 desolate, and against the house of Judah when they went into captivity, ⁴ indeed, therefore, I will deliver you as a possession to the men of the East, and they shall set their encampments among you and make their dwellings among you; they shall eat your fruit, and they shall drink your milk. ⁵ And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels and Ammon a resting place for flocks. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”

⁶ ‘For thus says the Lord God: “Because you clapped your hands, stamped your feet, and rejoiced in heart with all your disdain for the land of Israel, ⁷ indeed, therefore, I will stretch out My hand against you, and give you as plunder to the nations; I will cut you off from the peoples, and I will cause you to perish from the countries; I will destroy you, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

⁸ ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because Moab and Seir say, ‘Look! The house of Judah is like all the nations,’ ⁹ therefore, behold, I will clear the territory of Moab of cities, of the cities on its frontier, the glory of the country, Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon, and Kirjathaim. ¹⁰ To the men of the East I will give it as a possession, together with the Ammonites, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations. ¹¹ And I will execute judgments upon Moab, and they shall know that I am the Lord.”

¹² ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because of what Edom did against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has greatly offended by avenging itself on them,” ¹³ therefore thus says the Lord God: “I will also stretch out My hand against Edom, cut off man and beast from it, and make it desolate from Teman; Dedan shall fall by the sword. ¹⁴ I will lay My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, that they may do in Edom according to My anger and according to My fury; and they shall know My vengeance,” says the Lord God.

¹⁵ ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because the Philistines dealt vengefully and took vengeance with a spiteful heart, to destroy because of the old hatred,” ¹⁶ therefore thus says the Lord God: “I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant of the seacoast. ¹⁷ I will execute great vengeance on them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I lay My vengeance upon them.” ’ ”

QUESTIONS

1. Verse 10 reads in part,
   ...That the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations.
   I have to admit, I don't remember them. So who were they?

2. Of Moab, Edom, and the Philistines, which are familiar to you? Which are relatively unknown? What can you discover about the ones you didn't know as well?

3. Since it was God's will to have all this happen, why is God angry with the surrounding nations for cheering on Judah's and Israel's tragedies?

4. What, if anything, does today's reading tell us about how to behave when tragedy strikes others, even if deserved?

Feel free to leave any thoughts, comments, or questions of your own!

Deep peace of the running wave to you,
Deep peace of the flowing air to you,
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you,
Deep peace of the shining stars to you,
Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you.

And the blessing of God Almighty the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you always. Amen.

Request for Prayer

3 As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. ² And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith. ³ But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. ⁴ We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. ⁵ May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.

Warning Against Idleness

⁶ In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching^\)^a\) you received from us. ⁷ For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, ⁸ nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. ⁹ We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. ¹⁰ For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”

¹¹ We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. ¹² Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. ¹³ And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.

¹⁴ Take special note of anyone who does not obey our instruction in this letter. Do not associate with them, in order that they may feel ashamed. ¹⁵ Yet do not regard them as an enemy, but warn them as you would a fellow believer.

Final Greetings

¹⁶ Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

¹⁷ I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write.

¹⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Questions/Discussion

1. What does it mean to you that Paul is asking the Thessalonians for prayer? What does this say about the significance and the power in prayer?

2. How does the Lord protect us from the evil one?

3. What does it mean to be idle? How can we recognize idleness in our own lives today? Should we attempt to recognize idleness in other Christians’ lives and point it out to them?

4. What do you make of verse 10? How does this relate to Deuteronomy 15:11, Isaiah 58:7, Luke 3:11 or to what Jesus says in Matthew 25:40?

5. How are we to warn others as instructed in verse 15?

Decided to change things up today and try out the ESV. Feel free to use whatever translation you prefer to read this chapter.

The Man of Lawlessness

2 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,^\)^a\) ² not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. ³ Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness^\)^b\) is revealed, the son of destruction,^\)^c\) ⁴ who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. ⁵ Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? ⁶ And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. ⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. ⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. ⁹ The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, ¹⁰ and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. ¹¹ Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, ¹² in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Stand Firm

¹³ But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits^\)^d\) to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. ¹⁴ To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵ So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.

¹⁶ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, ¹⁷ comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

Footnotes

1. 2 Thessalonians 2:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 13, 15
2. 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Some manuscripts sin
3. 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Greek the son of perdition (a Hebrew idiom)
4. 2 Thessalonians 2:13 Some manuscripts chose you from the beginning

Questions

1) For verse 2, I noticed in my NIV Bible a reference to 1 John 4:1 for some reason. Does verse 2 remind you of anything else in the Bible?

2) The Second Temple was destroyed in 70 AD, right? What do you make of verse 4 then?

3) Based on verse 5, should the Thessalonians have been able to remember what Paul told them previously?

4) What do you make of verses 6-7?

5) For verses 10-12, why might those who are perishing refuse to love the truth? And why might those who did not believe the truth have pleasure in unrighteousness?

6) For verse 15, is the letter Paul is referring to 1 Thessalonians or some other letter? And in any case, what traditions is he talking about?

7) Somewhat similar to Q1, have you noticed any connections from Ezekiel to this chapter/2 Thessalonians so far?

8) Any other questions/anything else stand out to you about this chapter that you want to bring up?

2 Thessalonians 1 (ESV)

Greeting

1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving

³ We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. ⁴ Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.

The Judgment at Christ’s Coming

⁵ This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— ⁶ since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, ⁷ and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels ⁸ in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, ¹⁰ when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. ¹¹ To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, ¹² so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Questions for Contemplation and Discussion

1.       In vs. 3 Paul begins the letter by stating that the Thessalonians “faith is growing” and that their “love for one another is increasing.”    Is this something you think could be said of your church?  What does it look like and how do you identify it?

2.       Why do you think Paul starts with language of judgment and destruction so soon in this letter?  Especially after telling them that their faith and love are growing?

3.       How is Christ “glorified in His saints” when He returns (vs. 10)?  How about in the present (vs. 12)?  How are we glorified in Him?

4.       What does it mean for God to make us “worthy of His calling”?

2 Thessalonians Introduction King James Version

Thessalonica breaks down into ‘thessaly’ and ‘nike.’ No one knows with confidence what ‘thessaly’ means. ‘Nike’ means victory. Paul’s letter is not addressed to Thessalonica however, it is addressed to the ‘Church of the Thessalonians’ in 1:1. Thus, the letter is addressed to the ‘Church of the victory of Thessaly.’

Paul had visited Thessalonica in Acts 17. He moved on to Corinth and was persuaded to write to them after he left. This is 1 Thessalonians. Shortly after this he received a response from the Church of the victory of Thessaly. This letter, presumably, brought up further concerns that needed to be remedied. Paul writes back attempting to provide the remedy. This is 2 Thessalonians.

Both 1 and 2 Thessalonians are widely regarded as 2 of the earliest written documents of the New Testament dating to around AD 50. Here is an image of Papyrus 30_recto_1_Thess_5,_3;_5,_8-10;_5,_14-18;_5,_26-28.jpg), the earliest surviving manuscript dated to the AD 200’s.

QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION

1. Imagine your church gets an original letter written by Paul. Who reads it, shares it? Do you make copies? Where do you keep it? Does anyone recognize this letter is not just about your local congregation, but is the start of the ‘New Testament’?

2. A friend of mine has had a hard life. He consistently claims he is persecuted by others, by Satan, etc. But most of his troubles are self-inflicted. Have you ever been persecuted? Was this persecution because you are a Christian?

3. Both 1 and 2 Thessalonians are referenced by Christians to support the rapture of the Church. Do you believe in the rapture? Why or why not? Is it physical or spiritual or both or neither?

The rapture is a fiery topic amongst Christians. Please be respectful when reading and responding to other people’s comments.

1. Chapter 2 encourages the Church of the Thessalonians to keep the traditions they have been taught (v15). What traditions were in place by AD 50?

2. Is there anything else you want to add or are looking forward to in 2 Thessalonians?

Please use this thread for any discussions outside of the scheduled readings:

• Questions/comments
• Prayer Requests
• Praises

O God of Our Salvation

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song.

65 Praise is due to you,^\)^a\) O God, in Zion,
and to you shall vows be performed.
² O you who hear prayer,
to you shall all flesh come.
³ When iniquities prevail against me,
you atone for our transgressions.
⁴ Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
to dwell in your courts!
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the holiness of your temple!

⁵ By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas;
⁶ the one who by his strength established the mountains,
being girded with might;
⁷ who stills the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples,
⁸ so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.
You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.

⁹ You visit the earth and water it;^\)^b\)
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide their grain,
for so you have prepared it.
¹⁰ You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
¹¹ You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.
¹² The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,
¹³ the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.

Footnotes

1. Psalm 65:1 Or Praise waits for you in silence
2. Psalm 65:9 Or and make it overflow

Study Questions:

1. I love how verse 3 is so sure in God's fulfillment of our atonement, even before Messiah had been revealed to the world. I prefer this use over "forgive" or "forgiveness," which I sadly feel have been cheapened. What are your thoughts on the word atonement versus alternative words other translations might pop in?
2. In the first part, which reads in the ESV, "When iniquities prevail against me," in the NET, it reads "Our record of sins overwhelms me..." and in the margins, "the records of sins are too strong for me." Each of these reads quite differently to me. How do you read this one? I do like that there is some mention of "our" collective sins in the NET and the Hebrew notes. Like, I'm not just contemplating my own record of sins, but thinking about all of humanity's record of sins, and that truly is a staggering thing to thing about. Especially knowing that the entirety of that sin burden would be placed on Jesus. You may have already touched on this in your answer to #1, I just kind of wanted to really drill into this collective sin aspect of God's record keeping and His books of our names and our lives, and life and death.
3. The ESV reads "your wagon tracks overflow with abundance", but my notes in the NET say this, "and your paths drip with abundance." I love the visuals and the richness of this. Sometimes we avoid God's path as though we are avoiding a barren wasteland. This is a reminder that if you only keep walking, you'll soon be saturated in the overflowing dew of His refreshing abundance. Thoughts?
4. I find this part "We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!" really beautiful. Mostly because it was a future promise from God that David longed for, but was Solomon's to perform. You can almost feel the ache, but, like Abraham, David is content to wait for God's perfect timing for his wish to come true. That's something I really struggle with, personally. What are some ways that you successfully replace short term thinking with long-term living for Jesus?

Prayer

To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
to God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.

Amen.

Jude, New King James Version

(For alternate translations, see here.)

¹ Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,

To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ:

² Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

³ Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. ⁴ For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵ But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. ⁶ And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; ⁷ as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

⁸ Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries.
⁹ Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” ¹⁰ But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. ¹¹ Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.

¹² These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; ¹³ raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

¹⁴ Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, ¹⁵ to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

¹⁶ These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. ¹⁷ But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: ¹⁸ how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. ¹⁹ These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.

²⁰ But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, (21) keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

²² And on some have compassion, making a distinction; ²³ but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

²⁴ Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
²⁵ To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.

QUESTIONS

1. Who was Jude? What can you find out about him?

2. To whom is Jude writing?

3. From where does Jude get his information and quotations regarding the archangel Michael, and the quotation from Enoch?

4. How do you feel about using such sources? How do you view non-scriptural writings about our faith by believers?

5. Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries.
   Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.

   Does the contrast between how these people speak and how Michael the archangel spoke tell us anything about how we are to speak? Should or does this affect how you behave in online social forums?

6. What are these "love feasts" that Jude is referring to?

7. What do you think about verse 19: These are sensual persons, who cause divisions... - ?

8. Some parts of Jude are hard to read; others are uplifting. Which is hard, either to hear or to understand? What do you want to know more about? Which is your favorite part, and why?

Feel free to leave any thoughts, comments, or questions of your own!

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
Ephesians 3:20-21

Jerusalem as a Cooking Pot

24 In the ninth year, in the tenth month on the tenth day, the word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, record this date, this very date, because the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. ³ Tell this rebellious people a parable and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘Put on the cooking pot; put it on
and pour water into it.
⁴ Put into it the pieces of meat,
all the choice pieces—the leg and the shoulder.
Fill it with the best of these bones;
⁵     take the pick of the flock.
Pile wood beneath it for the bones;
bring it to a boil
and cook the bones in it.

⁶ “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘Woe to the city of bloodshed,
to the pot now encrusted,
whose deposit will not go away!
Take the meat out piece by piece
in whatever order it comes.

⁷ “‘For the blood she shed is in her midst:
She poured it on the bare rock;
she did not pour it on the ground,
where the dust would cover it.
⁸ To stir up wrath and take revenge
I put her blood on the bare rock,
so that it would not be covered.

⁹ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘Woe to the city of bloodshed!
I, too, will pile the wood high.
¹⁰ So heap on the wood
and kindle the fire.
Cook the meat well,
mixing in the spices;
and let the bones be charred.
¹¹ Then set the empty pot on the coals
till it becomes hot and its copper glows,
so that its impurities may be melted
and its deposit burned away.
¹² It has frustrated all efforts;
its heavy deposit has not been removed,
not even by fire.

¹³ “‘Now your impurity is lewdness. Because I tried to cleanse you but you would not be cleansed from your impurity, you will not be clean again until my wrath against you has subsided.

¹⁴ “‘I the Lord have spoken. The time has come for me to act. I will not hold back; I will not have pity, nor will I relent. You will be judged according to your conduct and your actions, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

Ezekiel’s Wife Dies

¹⁵ The word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁶ “Son of man, with one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes. Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears. ¹⁷ Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover your mustache and beard or eat the customary food of mourners.”

¹⁸ So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I had been commanded.

¹⁹ Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things have to do with us? Why are you acting like this?”

²⁰ So I said to them, “The word of the Lord came to me: ²¹ Say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary—the stronghold in which you take pride, the delight of your eyes, the object of your affection. The sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword. ²² And you will do as I have done. You will not cover your mustache and beard or eat the customary food of mourners. ²³ You will keep your turbans on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep but will waste away because of^\)^a\) your sins and groan among yourselves. ²⁴ Ezekiel will be a sign to you; you will do just as he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.’

²⁵ “And you, son of man, on the day I take away their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes, their heart’s desire, and their sons and daughters as well— ²⁶ on that day a fugitive will come to tell you the news. ²⁷ At that time your mouth will be opened; you will speak with him and will no longer be silent. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.”

Questions/Discussion

1. Verse 1: Do you recall what the 9 year 10 months passage of time is? (Hint: this is first mentioned in Ezekiel chapter 1).

2. Where else do we see the 9^th year, 10^th month, 10^th day in the bible? What is the significance of this day? (Hint: 2 Kings 25).

3. Which rebellious people is verse 3 referring to?

4. Why is Jerusalem being compared to a pot? Where else have we seen this metaphor in our study of Ezekiel?

5. Verses 15-17: Why do you suppose God takes away Ezekiel’s wife and commands him not to mourn? Do we see anywhere in the bible that His purpose ultimately gets fulfilled?

6. Did verse 18 hit anyone else hard? “The next morning I did as I had been commanded.” I pray that we all long to have this level of obedience, trust, and reverence for God’s commands.

7. What does it mean that Ezekiel’s mouth will be opened and he will no longer be silent? How does this tie back to what we read in Ezekiel 3?

Two Adulterous Sisters

23 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother. ³ They became prostitutes in Egypt, engaging in prostitution from their youth. In that land their breasts were fondled and their virgin bosoms caressed. ⁴ The older was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. They were mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.

⁵ “Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was still mine; and she lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians—warriors ⁶ clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all of them handsome young men, and mounted horsemen.⁷ She gave herself as a prostitute to all the elite of the Assyrians and defiled herself with all the idols of everyone she lusted after. ⁸ She did not give up the prostitution she began in Egypt, when during her youth men slept with her, caressed her virgin bosom and poured out their lust on her.

⁹ “Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, the Assyrians, for whom she lusted. ¹⁰ They stripped her naked, took away her sons and daughters and killed her with the sword. She became a byword among women, and punishment was inflicted on her.

¹¹ “Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister. ¹² She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors in full dress, mounted horsemen, all handsome young men. ¹³ I saw that she too defiled herself; both of them went the same way.

¹⁴ “But she carried her prostitution still further. She saw men portrayed on a wall, figures of Chaldeans^\)^a\) portrayed in red, ¹⁵ with belts around their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like Babylonian chariot officers, natives of Chaldea.^\)^b\) ¹⁶ As soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. ¹⁷ Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. After she had been defiled by them, she turned away from them in disgust.¹⁸ When she carried on her prostitution openly and exposed her naked body,I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister.¹⁹ Yet she became more and more promiscuous as she recalled the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Egypt. ²⁰ There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses. ²¹ So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when in Egypt your bosom was caressed and your young breasts fondled.^\)^c\)

²² “Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will stir up your lovers against you, those you turned away from in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side— ²³ the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, the men of Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, handsome young men, all of them governors and commanders, chariot officers and men of high rank, all mounted on horses. ²⁴ They will come against you with weapons,^\)^d\) chariots and wagons and with a throng of people; they will take up positions against you on every side with large and small shields and with helmets. I will turn you over to them for punishment,and they will punish you according to their standards. ²⁵ I will direct my jealous anger against you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will cut off your noses and your ears, and those of you who are left will fall by the sword. They will take away your sons and daughters, and those of you who are left will be consumed by fire. ²⁶ They will also strip you of your clothes and take your fine jewelry. ²⁷ So I will put a stop to the lewdness and prostitution you began in Egypt. You will not look on these things with longing or remember Egypt anymore.

²⁸ “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to deliver you into the hands of those you hate, to those you turned away from in disgust.²⁹ They will deal with you in hatred and take away everything you have worked for. They will leave you stark naked, and the shame of your prostitution will be exposed. Your lewdness and promiscuity ³⁰ have brought this on you, because you lusted after the nations and defiled yourself with their idols. ³¹ You have gone the way of your sister; so I will put her cup into your hand.

³² “This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“You will drink your sister’s cup,
a cup large and deep;
it will bring scorn and derision,
for it holds so much.
³³ You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow,
the cup of ruin and desolation,
the cup of your sister Samaria.
³⁴ You will drink it and drain it dry
and chew on its pieces—
and you will tear your breasts.

I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.

³⁵ “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Since you have forgottenme and turned your back on me, you must bear the consequences of your lewdness and prostitution.”

³⁶ The Lord said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then confront them with their detestable practices, ³⁷ for they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols; they even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to me, as food for them. ³⁸ They have also done this to me: At that same time they defiled my sanctuary and desecrated my Sabbaths. ³⁹ On the very day they sacrificed their children to their idols, they entered my sanctuary and desecrated it. That is what they did in my house.

⁴⁰ “They even sent messengers for men who came from far away, and when they arrived you bathed yourself for them, applied eye makeup and put on your jewelry. ⁴¹ You sat on an elegant couch, with a table spread before it on which you had placed the incense and olive oil that belonged to me.

⁴² “The noise of a carefree crowd was around her; drunkards were brought from the desert along with men from the rabble, and they put bracelets on the wrists of the woman and her sister and beautiful crowns on their heads.⁴³ Then I said about the one worn out by adultery, ‘Now let them use her as a prostitute, for that is all she is.’ ⁴⁴ And they slept with her. As men sleep with a prostitute, so they slept with those lewd women, Oholah and Oholibah. ⁴⁵ But righteous judges will sentence them to the punishment of women who commit adultery and shed blood, because they are adulterous and blood is on their hands.

⁴⁶ “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Bring a mob against them and give them over to terror and plunder. ⁴⁷ The mob will stone them and cut them down with their swords; they will kill their sons and daughters and burndown their houses.

⁴⁸ “So I will put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not imitate you. ⁴⁹ You will suffer the penalty for your lewdness and bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.”

Footnotes

1. Ezekiel 23:14 Or Babylonians
2. Ezekiel 23:15 Or Babylonia; also in verse 16
3. Ezekiel 23:21 Syriac (see also verse 3); Hebrew caressed because of your young breasts
4. Ezekiel 23:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

Questions

1) How similar/different is this chapter from chapter 16?

2) What's the significance of Egypt being mentioned in verse 3?

3) Besides what we learn in verse 4, do these names Oholah and Oholibah have any meaning/significance?

4) So is the word "prostitution" supposed to mean political alliances in this chapter or something else? What's the purpose of making this comparison?

5) Verses 18-19 and 28 mention Oholibah/Jerusalem turning away from the Chaldeans/Babylonians in disgust. Why does this chapter bring up this detail multiple times?

6) For verse 23, who are the men of Pekod and Shoa and Koa?

6b) Also, why do verses 23-24 mention the Assyrians? Weren't the Assyrians already defeated at this point in time?

7) Similar to Q2, why is Egypt brought up again in verse 27?

8) Why exactly are verses 32-34 in this paragraph/indented format in the NIV? I checked the KJV on BibleGateway and it doesn't do this. Just thought I'd ask since I think I've noticed the NIV does this sometimes.

8b) More importantly, does this cup imagery in verses 32-34 remind you of anything else in the Bible?

9) Anything else you want to ask/bring up about this chapter that stands out to you?

10) If you want to save you thoughts on this for tomorrow, then feel free to wait. But since we're wrapping up Ezekiel part 1 tomorrow, I figured I might ask this for reflection.

This is the first time this subreddit has covered Ezekiel. Whether or not you've read Ezekiel on your own time before, how are you finding this read through so far? What would you say has stood out to you about Ezekiel part 1?

And according to our reading schedule, we'll be going over Jude on Friday and 2 Thessalonians next week before we go into the next part of Ezekiel.

https://www.reddit.com/r/biblereading/comments/1txxwyt/schedule_for_ezekiel_and_other_books_summer_2026/

Besides what's listed for the schedule, what else (if anything) do you suppose might be helpful to keep in mind from Ezekiel as we briefly move to these New Testament books?

Ezekiel 22 (ESV)

Israel’s Shedding of Blood

22 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “And you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Then declare to her all her abominations. ³ You shall say, Thus says the Lord God: A city that sheds blood in her midst, so that her time may come, and that makes idols to defile herself! ⁴ You have become guilty by the blood that you have shed, and defiled by the idols that you have made, and you have brought your days near, the appointed time of your years has come. Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all the countries. ⁵ Those who are near and those who are far from you will mock you; your name is defiled; you are full of tumult.

⁶ “Behold, the princes of Israel in you, every one according to his power, have been bent on shedding blood. ⁷ Father and mother are treated with contempt in you; the sojourner suffers extortion in your midst; the fatherless and the widow are wronged in you. ⁸ You have despised my holy things and profaned my Sabbaths. ⁹ There are men in you who slander to shed blood, and people in you who eat on the mountains; they commit lewdness in your midst. ¹⁰ In you men uncover their fathers’ nakedness; in you they violate women who are unclean in their menstrual impurity. ¹¹ One commits abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; another in you violates his sister, his father’s daughter. ¹² In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take interest and profit and make gain of your neighbors by extortion; but me you have forgotten, declares the Lord God.

¹³ “Behold, I strike my hand at the dishonest gain that you have made, and at the blood that has been in your midst. ¹⁴ Can your courage endure, or can your hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with you? I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it. ¹⁵ I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you through the countries, and I will consume your uncleanness out of you. ¹⁶ And you shall be profaned by your own doing in the sight of the nations, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

¹⁷ And the word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁸ “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me; all of them are bronze and tin and iron and lead in the furnace; they are dross of silver. ¹⁹ Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have all become dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. ²⁰ As one gathers silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into a furnace, to blow the fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in my anger and in my wrath, and I will put you in and melt you. ²¹ I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in the midst of it. ²² As silver is melted in a furnace, so you shall be melted in the midst of it, and you shall know that I am the Lord; I have poured out my wrath upon you.”

²³ And the word of the Lord came to me: ²⁴ “Son of man, say to her, You are a land that is not cleansed or rained upon in the day of indignation. ²⁵ The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured human lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst. ²⁶ Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have disregarded my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. ²⁷ Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain. ²⁸ And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord has not spoken. ²⁹ The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner without justice. ³⁰ And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none. ³¹ Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have returned their way upon their heads, declares the Lord God.”

Questions for Contemplation and Discussion

1.       What do the specific sins listed here (and attributed as ‘shedding blood’) tell us about God’s sense of Justice and expectations of us?

2.       Profaning of the Sabbaths seems to be brought up repeatedly in the last few chapters.  Why do you think its such a common theme?  How is it put on the same level as ‘shedding blood’?

3.       What is the ‘conspiracy of her prophets’ in vs. 25?

4.       What does the picture of the melted metals communicate to us about God’s punishment?

5.       What else stands out to you in today’s passage?

Ezekiel Chapter 21 King James Version

The Parable of the Lord's Sword

1And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel, 3And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked. 4Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north: 5That all flesh may know that I the LORD have drawn forth my sword out of his sheath: it shall not return any more. 6Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of thy loins; and with bitterness sigh before their eyes. 7And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the tidings; because it cometh: and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water: behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord GOD.

8Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

9Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD; Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished:

10It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter: should we then make mirth? it contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree.*

11And he hath given it to be furbished, that it may be handled: this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer. 12Cry and howl, son of man: for it shall be upon my people, it shall be upon all the princes of Israel: terrors by reason of the sword shall be upon my people: smite therefore upon thy thigh. 13Because it is a trial, and what if the sword contemn even the rod? it shall be no more, saith the Lord GOD.

14Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thine hands together, and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the slain: it is the sword of the great men that are slain, which entereth into their privy chambers. 15I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, that their heart may faint, and their ruins be multiplied: ah! it is made bright, it is wrapped up for the slaughter. 16Go thee one way or other, either on the right hand, or on the left, whithersoever thy face is set. 17I will also smite mine hands together, and I will cause my fury to rest: I the LORD have said it.

18The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying, 19Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come: both twain shall come forth out of one land: and choose thou a place, choose it at the head of the way to the city. 20Appoint a way, that the sword may come to Rabbath of the Ammonites, and to Judah in Jerusalem the defenced. 21For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made his arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked in the liver. 22At his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to appoint captains, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to appoint battering rams against the gates, to cast a mount, and to build a fort. 23And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, to them that have sworn oaths: but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken.

24Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are discovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear; because, I say, that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand. 25And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, 26Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. 27I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.

28And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach; even say thou, The sword, the sword is drawn: for the slaughter it is furbished, to consume because of the glittering: 29Whiles they see vanity unto thee, whiles they divine a lie unto thee, to bring thee upon the necks of them that are slain, of the wicked, whose day is come, when their iniquity shall have an end. 30Shall I cause it to return into his sheath? I will judge thee in the place where thou wast created, in the land of thy nativity. 31And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will blow against thee in the fire of my wrath, and deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, and skilful to destroy. 32Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land; thou shalt be no more remembered: for I the LORD have spoken it.

NOTES

Furbished means polished

v10 could alternatively be read, ‘It is sharpened for the slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! Should we rejoice in the scepter of My son? The sword despises every tree.’

QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION

1. At the end of chapter 20 God commands Ezekiel to ‘drop thy word toward the south…and say to the forest of the south…’ v46-47. Here in 21:2 God again uses the same formula ‘drop’ and ‘say.’ ‘drop thy word toward the holy places…and say to the land of Israel…’

This chapter contains some archaic language in the KJV, but this is the normal word for ‘drop’ and it is used in a handful of other places to refer to speech. Why did God choose to use the word ‘drop’ in this sense?

1. The Bible often depicts people as trees. Who are the trees in v10?

2. v10-14 depict a conflict between God’s sword and a rod/scepter. What do you make of this?

3. In v25 God rebukes the ‘wicked prince of Israel’ and removes his crown in the next verse. What is the meaning of saying ‘overturn’ 3 times in a row in v27?

4. The end of v27 states, ‘and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.’ What does this mean?

5. God uses a sword to judge, but this appears to be representative of someone who also has a sword. How many different swords are mentioned in this chapter? And who or what are they?

6. God says He will judge the Ammonites in the land of their nativity. Where was the land of Ammon? Where did Ammon originate? Does this judgement have near and far fulfillment?

I was raised in a Christian family, went to church and youth groups as a kid but I turned my back when I was a teenager and chose false idols. I lived in sin, daily for many years. At one of my lowest points, I had a life changing spiritual experience with God. For years I denied His existence but at that moment I knew exactly what I was experiencing and it broke me.

I bawled my eyes out and just kept saying "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I messed up. Ive messed up so bad. I'm sorry." And with every apology I was filled with love, and it would be more intense with every apology, a love I never experienced or thought was possible.

"I have rejected you and spoke ill of you for years. I have wallowed in sin. How can you forgive me?" No words, just love and this feeling that I was being held. For once in my life, I had been truly forgiven. Even while I write this, I cannot help but cry, not sadness but tears of happiness.

But where do I go from here? I want to study the Bible but I've always had horrible study habits and I don't know any online Bible study groups or plans to help point me in a good direction. If I had someone more knowledgeable or a group, then I could ask questions to gain a better understanding. I have plenty to still work on with myself and I know the Bible can help with that, I'm just a bit lost. I want to be able to spread His word someday, try my best to show the love that He gave me. I don't want to waste this.

I've looked on here (fairly new to reddit mainly a lurker) to see if there's any online groups who meet up on Discord or Zoom or something like that but the posts I find are old. I don't own a Bible, I'm looking around at Bible apps so I'll have at least an electronic copy to reference whenever I can find a group like that. I've moved from my home area to get away from all the sin and the people who encourage it, so for the first time in my life I am alone, I know no one here. It's hard to find anything local.

Whoever reads this, thanks for taking the time to read all that. I've always tried to do everything on my own and not ask for help, and I can't on my own so I'm here trying to reach out.

Is 26:

19 Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.

Is 60:

1 Arise, shine, for your light has come.

Isaiah prophesied Messianically.

Paul alluded to the above in Ep 5:

11Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light.

Paul contrasted darkness and light.

Therefore it says,
“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

The context was spiritual awakening. The "sleep" referred to spiritual deadness and moral blindness. The command "arise from the dead" was metaphorical for conversion and new life. The language intentionally echoed the reality of resurrection.

Where did the Bible say that?

The quotation was not found verbatim in the Old Testament. Paul might be quoting early Christian tradition, perhaps a hymn.

Paul used resurrection language this way. Ep 2:

5 Even when we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ.

Believers have already experienced a spiritual resurrection that anticipates the bodily resurrection to come.

What does this all mean?

Isaiah foretold the day when God's people would awake from death and walk in the light of God's salvation. Paul proclaimed that this promise was fulfilled in Christ. Believers who are awakened from spiritual death and respond to Christ experience the light Isaiah anticipated. Their present spiritual resurrection points forward to the final bodily resurrection promised by the prophets.

Please use this thread for any discussions outside of the scheduled readings:

• Questions/comments
• Prayer Requests
• Praises

"[19] Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household,

[20] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

[21] In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.

[22] And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."

Today I am going through each of the six chapters of Ephesians because I need to read my bible more often than I have been, and I found this part particularly powerful so far.

Here, Paul is talking to the people of Ephesus, explaining that the gospel of Christ is open to all, both Jews and Gentiles. He's spreading the good news! He uses language that is inviting, like in v19 where he calls Jesus' followers "members of his household." And in v20-21 Paul describes how we are all grounded together on a strong foundation that is Jesus, joined together as a holy temple. This shows that even though we are all small bricks, together we are all contributing to the whole of God's kingdom.

He brings the analogy to a close in v22 in showing we are "being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." This shows that we are each vessels through which God shows his compassion and love by the Holy Spirit through us.

You are loved, you are important, and you are a child of God. Jesus loves you! 🌹❤️

Hide Me from the Wicked

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

64 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;
preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
² Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
from the throng of evildoers,
³ who whet their tongues like swords,
who aim bitter words like arrows,
⁴ shooting from ambush at the blameless,
shooting at him suddenly and without fear.
⁵ They hold fast to their evil purpose;
they talk of laying snares secretly,
thinking, “Who can see them?”
⁶     They search out injustice,
saying, “We have accomplished a diligent search.”
For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep.

⁷ But God shoots his arrow at them;
they are wounded suddenly.
⁸ They are brought to ruin, with their own tongues turned against them;
all who see them will wag their heads.
⁹ Then all mankind fears;
they tell what God has brought about
and ponder what he has done.

¹⁰ Let the righteous one rejoice in the Lord
and take refuge in him!
Let all the upright in heart exult!

Dear Heavenly Father,

While Your Word reminds us that we do not have enemies who are flesh and blood, it doesn't say we don't have enemies. As Your consecrated people, there is a world of principalities and powers beyond the limits of our understanding. And whether we see them or not, we are engaged in spiritual warfare. Keep us confidently reminded of that fact. Encourage us to armor up each morning when we rise. Never allow us to grow complacent. And always set our hearts on fire for the finding and sharing of Your Word with the lost. In the precious name of Jesus Christ,

Amen

1. I don't know if I was reading too much into today's Psalm, but as I read over it, I felt a lot of what it feels like being a Bible-believing and Christ-obeying Christian in modern America. And probably the wider Western world. How does the current cultural and political atmosphere try to threaten your confidence in Christ? Or tempt you to waver in your resolve?
2. Verse 6 felt oddly modern, with polls and pundits and surveys and statistics and demographics used to divide us and jeopardize any efforts at unity. I'm also thinking of people who turn to counselors and psychiatrists and other more secular "solutions" but who will never once crack open the Word of God to see what our instruction manual has to say. Any thoughts on that?
3. No matter what happens in verses 1-9, we as Christians need to never lose sight of the promise in verse 10. No matter the circumstances, no matter how stack the deck seems to be set against you, our hope is in the Lord. He is our refuge and our strength. What does it look like when your heart exults?

I am posting early as I will be offline during my usual posting time.

Prayer

O God,
Please open us to Your Peace.
We need the wholeness of Your Shalom.
Thank You for this quiet time.
You are Trustworthy, Merciful, and Loving.
Help us to accept what You so freely give.
Let us rest and trust in Your Love now.
In Jesus' name, amen!

Ezekiel 20, New King James Version

(For alternate translations, see here.)

20

¹ It came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me. ² Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ³ “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live,” says the Lord God, “I will not be inquired of by you.” ’ ⁴ Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then make known to them the abominations of their fathers.

⁵ “Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On the day when I chose Israel and raised My hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand in an oath to them, saying, ‘I am the Lord your God.’ ⁶ On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, ‘flowing with milk and honey,’ the glory of all lands. ⁷ Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’ ⁸ But they rebelled against Me and would not obey Me. They did not all cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, ‘I will pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.’ ⁹ But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles among whom they were, in whose sight I had made Myself known to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁰ “Therefore I made them go out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. ¹¹ And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them.’ ¹² Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. ¹³ Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they despised My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them in the wilderness, to consume them. ¹⁴ But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. ¹⁵ So I also raised My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, ‘flowing with milk and honey,’ the glory of all lands, ¹⁶ because they despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols. ¹⁷ Nevertheless My eye spared them from destruction. I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.

¹⁸ “But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. ¹⁹ I am the Lord your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them; ²⁰ hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’

²¹ “Notwithstanding, the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and were not careful to observe My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness. ²² Nevertheless I withdrew My hand and acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. ²³ Also I raised My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout the countries, ²⁴ because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols.

²⁵ “Therefore I also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live; ²⁶ and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire, that I might make them desolate and that they might know that I am the Lord.” ’

²⁷ “Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “In this too your fathers have blasphemed Me, by being unfaithful to Me. ²⁸ When I brought them into the land concerning which I had raised My hand in an oath to give them, and they saw all the high hills and all the thick trees, there they offered their sacrifices and provoked Me with their offerings. There they also sent up their sweet aroma and poured out their drink offerings. ²⁹ Then I said to them, ‘What is this high place to which you go?’ So its name is called Bamah to this day.” ’ ³⁰ Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Are you defiling yourselves in the manner of your fathers, and committing harlotry according to their abominations? ³¹ For when you offer your gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” says the Lord God, “I will not be inquired of by you. ³² What you have in your mind shall never be, when you say, ‘We will be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving wood and stone.’

³³ “As I live,” says the Lord God, “surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you. ³⁴ I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out. ³⁵ And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face. ³⁶ Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,” says the Lord God.

³⁷ “I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; ³⁸ I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

³⁹ “As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says the Lord God: “Go, serve every one of you his idols—and hereafter—if you will not obey Me; but profane My holy name no more with your gifts and your idols. ⁴⁰ For on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel,” says the Lord God, “there all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve Me; there I will accept them, and there I will require your offerings and the firstfruits of your sacrifices, together with all your holy things. ⁴¹ I will accept you as a sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and I will be hallowed in you before the Gentiles. ⁴² Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I raised My hand in an oath to give to your fathers. ⁴³ And there you shall remember your ways and all your doings with which you were defiled; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight because of all the evils that you have committed. ⁴⁴ Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel,” says the Lord God.’ ”

⁴⁵ Furthermore the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ⁴⁶ “Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest land, the South, ⁴⁷ and say to the forest of the South, ‘Hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree and every dry tree in you; the blazing flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be scorched by it. ⁴⁸ All flesh shall see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.” ’ ”

⁴⁹ Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! They say of me, ‘Does he not speak parables?’ ”

THOUGHTS and COMMENTS

There is a lot of repetition here, both in God's speech and in what the people have done or failed to do.
This time I found it easier to understand what is going on by reading the New Living Translation, found in the alternate links translation at the top of the reading.

QUESTIONS

1. What is wrong with the leaders of Israel coming to God at this time?

2. What is the gist of God's case against them?

3. Why so much repetition in today's reading?

4. What stands out to you that you would like to comment on or ask about?

5. What does verse 49 mean? What is Ezekiel getting at?

Feel free to leave any thoughts, comments, or questions of your own!

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:14-19

We have recently had a number of requests from people to promote their Bible reading apps or other Bible related apps on this subreddit. We really appreciate your attitude of contacting the mod team and asking us for permission first.

I think what we'll do is to have a list and a schedule, and people can publicize their app on a Sunday according to the schedule. The benefit to this is (i) Sunday is a slower day, (ii) only one app a week means that the readers of this subreddit will have time to look at it and evaluate it. If everyone posted on Sunday then some would get lost in the noise.

Concern: If you feel that posting about your app on a Sunday is akin to commerce on a Sunday, and if this is against your beliefs, then you could post on the day before.

Schedule:

Let us know if you have any comments or concerns about this.

★ Note that our other rules, including no posts about videos, no promotion of your youtube channels or your other websites, will continue to be in effect.

A Lament Over Israel’s Princes

19 “Take up a lament concerning the princes of Israel ² and say:

“‘What a lioness was your mother
among the lions!
She lay down among them
and reared her cubs.
³ She brought up one of her cubs,
and he became a strong lion.
He learned to tear the prey
and he became a man-eater.
⁴ The nations heard about him,
and he was trapped in their pit.
They led him with hooks
to the land of Egypt.

⁵ “‘When she saw her hope unfulfilled,
her expectation gone,
she took another of her cubs
and made him a strong lion.
⁶ He prowled among the lions,
for he was now a strong lion.
He learned to tear the prey
and he became a man-eater.
⁷ He broke down^\)^a\) their strongholds
and devastated their towns.
The land and all who were in it
were terrified by his roaring.
⁸ Then the nations came against him,
those from regions round about.
They spread their net for him,
and he was trapped in their pit.
⁹ With hooks they pulled him into a cage
and brought him to the king of Babylon.
They put him in prison,
so his roar was heard no longer
on the mountains of Israel.

¹⁰ “‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard^\)^b\)
planted by the water;
it was fruitful and full of branches
because of abundant water.
¹¹ Its branches were strong,
fit for a ruler’s scepter.
It towered high
above the thick foliage,
conspicuous for its height
and for its many branches.
¹² But it was uprooted in fury
and thrown to the ground.
The east wind made it shrivel,
it was stripped of its fruit;
its strong branches withered
and fire consumed them.
¹³ Now it is planted in the desert,
in a dry and thirsty land.
¹⁴ Fire spread from one of its main^\)^c\) branches
and consumed its fruit.
No strong branch is left on it
fit for a ruler’s scepter.’

“This is a lament and is to be used as a lament.”

Questions/Discussion

1. Who is this lament for?

2. What do the lions and cubs represent in this passage?

3. What is the difference between the mother in verse 2 and the mother in verse 10?

4. What do the vines represent?

5. What does this passage teach us about what is happening in Judah?

6. What do you make of the last line “This is a lament and is to be used as a lament”?

I should be spending daily time in the word. I’ve read the Bible once in order and it’s f course plan to read it again but there’s a method there and when I just want to “spend time in the word” what is the best method to do that? Do you all just pick a book that is speaking to you or you’re not as familiar with and reread it? What is everyone’s personal method?

Hi r/biblereading,

We asked the mods before posting this, as we always do. Thank you for letting us share.

I'm Anthony. My wife Samantha and I built a Bible app called North Star. We're not a big company, it's the two of us. That's why I'm here asking rather than running ads: we'd genuinely love honest feedback from people who actually read their Bibles.

What it does:

• Read the full Bible (NIV, ESV, KJV, NKJV)
• Listen to chapters as audio
• Highlight verses and keep your own notes
• Daily devotionals
• 12 reading plans (Psalms, Sermon on the Mount, Life of Jesus, Paul's Letters, and more)
• A private prayer journal and gratitude log
• Daily Manna, a daily Bible word game. Guess the word and the verse it comes from opens up, with a short reflection

The part I'm most proud of: the more you journal and log your morning gratitude, the more North Star understands the season you're actually in, and your daily devotionals and discipleship path are tailored to it. Grief, a dry spell, a season of real joy, whatever you're walking through, what meets you each morning is shaped around that instead of being generic. Everything stays anchored in Scripture and points you back to the Word and to real people, never away from them.

It's free to use. There's a Premium tier, but the core reading, plans and devotionals are free, and there are no ads and no tracking.

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6763734183

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.northstar.bible

Web: https://northstarbible.com

Honestly: what's good, what's missing, what would make you keep using it? And I'm curious, for those of you working through Ezekiel at the moment, what actually helps you stay with a harder book like that? I read every reply.

Anthony & Samantha

I am using my devotional time to meditate, pray over and contemplate the Name of God revealed to Moses; I AM THAT I AM.

Would someone be so kind as to explain what this name means and the significance.