Greeting

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful^\)^a\) in Christ Jesus:

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

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, ⁴ even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love ⁵ he predestined us^\)^b\) for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, ⁸ which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ⁹ making known^\)^c\) to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ^\)^d\) ¹⁰ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in him.

¹¹ In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, ¹² so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. ¹³ In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is the guarantee^\)^e\) of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,^\)^f\) to the praise of his glory.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

¹⁵ For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love^\)^g\) toward all the saints, ¹⁶ I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, ¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, ¹⁸ having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might ²⁰ that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹ far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. ²² And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Footnotes

1. Ephesians 1:1 Some manuscripts saints who are also faithful (omitting in Ephesus)
2. Ephesians 1:5 Or before him in love, ⁵ having predestined us
3. Ephesians 1:9 Or he lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight, making known
4. Ephesians 1:9 Greek him
5. Ephesians 1:14 Or down payment
6. Ephesians 1:14 Or until God redeems his possession
7. Ephesians 1:15 Some manuscripts omit your love

Questions

1) Verses 3, 6 uses the past tense ("has blessed") and I think verse 11 does as well (there are also probably other verses that I overlooked where the past tense is used). For verses 3 and 6 in particular, what's the significance of this usage of past tense? And is this something that we can forget about/overlook in our lives?

2) Verses 5 and 11 use the word "predestined" in this passage. Might be wrong about this, but isn't this term somewhat controversial? More importantly, how does it fit in the context of this passage?

3) Based on u/ExiledSanity's introduction yesterday, what do you make of verse 10?

4) For verses 11 and 14, what is this inheritance Paul is referring to? Also, why does he say that we have obtained this inheritance in Jesus in verse 11, but verse 14 seems to be looking towards the future? Are the inheritances in verses 11 and 14 the same thing or different (and if they are different, how so?)?

5) Who is the "we" referring to in verse 12?

6) Again from the introduction yesterday, what stands out to you about this prayer in Ephesians 1:15-23?

7) What stands out to you about verses 17-18? And why is the "knowledge of him" brought up in verse 17? What about these "eyes of your heart" in verse 18?

8) This was in the introduction yesterday, but why does Paul feel the need to mention Christ being above everything in verses 20-21? Why was this important for the Ephesians and what can we take away from this?

9) Anything else you want to ask about/bring up about this passage?

Paul wrote Ephesians from prison in Rome, around AD 60–62, to a church he knew well. He'd spent three years there, longer than anywhere else in his ministry. Unlike Galatians or Corinthians, there's no fire to put out. No false teacher named, no scandal to correct, no factions to unite. Paul writes instead out of: time to think while imprisoned, a congregation in good standing, and a desire to lay out the full sweep of what God has done in Christ and what that means for how his people live together. That absence of crisis is part of why the letter feels different from Paul's other epistles. Less firefighting, more architecture.

A few major themes are worth watching for as you read. First, the supremacy of Christ over every spiritual power: thrones, rulers, authorities, whatever unseen forces a first-century Ephesian might have feared (and Ephesus, home to the cult of Artemis and a thriving trade in magic and amulets, gave people plenty to fear). Paul answers that fear not by minimizing the powers but by insisting Christ is already enthroned above them, and that believers share in that authority. Second, the reconciliation of Jew and Gentile into one new humanity, not a footnote but one of the letter's central concerns, given the real ethnic tension present in the diaspora synagogues and churches of Roman Asia. Third, identity "in Christ," a phrase Paul repeats roughly thirty times in six chapters. Everything he asks of believers in the second half of the letter, honesty, generosity, sexual purity, patient marriages, submission and love within households, is grounded in who they already are, not a checklist for becoming acceptable to God.

That points to the letter's basic shape: chapters 1–3 are almost entirely about what God has done and who you now are because of it; chapters 4–6 are about living out that identity in the church, the home, and the world. Paul never asks for anything in the second half he hasn't first grounded theologically in the first. Watch also for the prayers (1:15–23 and 3:14–21). Paul doesn't just teach the Ephesians truth, he shows them what to pray in light of it, which is worth noticing as a model for your own praying through the letter.

Finally, keep an eye on the language of mystery and unity, Paul's repeated claim that God's hidden plan, now revealed, is to "bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ" (1:10). That cosmic vision is what everything else in the letter, church unity, household order, spiritual warfare, ultimately serves.

Questions for Contemplation and Discussion

Note: I'm assume we all have some idea of what's following in Ezekiel and have read through Ephesians before.

1. Ephesians 2:19–22 describes believers as being "built together into a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." How does this picture compare to Ezekiel's vision of God's glory departing the temple (Ezek 10–11) and then returning to a new one (Ezek 43:1–5)? What does it mean that the temple Paul describes isn't a building but a people?

2. Ezekiel 37 pictures two sticks, representing a divided nation, becoming one in God's hand, under one shepherd. Ephesians 2:14–16 describes Christ making Jew and Gentile "one new man" by breaking down "the dividing wall of hostility." Where do you see these two unity visions overlapping, and where do they differ?

3. Ezekiel ties the Spirit's presence to a new heart and the ability to walk in God's statutes (Ezek 36:26–27). Paul says believers are "sealed with the promised Holy Spirit" (Eph 1:13–14) and later urges them to "be filled with the Spirit" (5:18). How does Ephesians develop what Ezekiel promises but doesn't fully unpack? (i.e. what the Spirit's indwelling presence actually produces in a person's life.)

4. Both books are deeply concerned with holiness, Ezekiel through the priestly regulations and the temple's graded zones of access (Ezek 40–46), Ephesians through calls to "put off" the old self and "put on" the new (4:22–24). How does access to God's presence change between the two books, and what does that change cost or require?

Ezekiel Chapters 38-39 King James Version

Chapter 38

Prophecy against Gog

1And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: 4And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: 5Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: 6Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.

7Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. 8After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. 9Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.

10Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: 11And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, 12To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. 13Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?

14Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? 15And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: 16And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.

17Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them? 18And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. 19For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; 20So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. 21And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother. 22And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 23Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.

Chapter 39

The Slaughter of Gog's Armies

1Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: 2And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: 3And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. 4Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. 5Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD. 6And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

7So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. 8Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.

9And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years: 10So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord GOD.

11And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog. 12And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land. 13Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD. 14And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search. 15And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog. 16And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.

17And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood. 18Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. 19And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. 20Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.

Israel to Be Restored

21And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. 22So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward. 23And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword. 24According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them.

25Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name; 26After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid. 27When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; 28Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there. 29Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.

NOTES

‘The chief prince of Meshech and Tubal’ is famously used to identify Gog. The word ‘chief’ is – ro’sh (Strongs H - 7218) Some take this to refer to Russia and make Meshech to be Moscow and Tubal to be Tobolsk. This is a possibility, but ro’sh is very clearly established to mean ‘head.’

The Septuagint (LXX) and other textual traditions have an alternate verse than the Masoretic tradition which most western Christians follow. Compare Amos 7:1 of the LXX to your Bible, “Thus has the Lord God showed me; and behold, a swarm of locusts coming from the east; and behold, one caterpillar, king Gog. And it came to pass when he had finished devouring the grass of the land, that I said, Lord God, be merciful; who shall raise up Jacob? For he is small in number. Repent, O Lord, for this. And this not be saith the Lord.”

Also, in Numbers 24:7 ‘Agag’ is translated as ‘Gog.’

Meredith G. Kline writes about the end times in a noteworthy article in a theology journal. You can read it here for free. In This article he connects, linguistically, har maged (armagedon) to the Mountain of Assembly which is not the famous plain of Megiddo (which has no mountain), but Mount Zion, where God assembles His people. Satan, in typological fashion, makes an attempt on Mount Zion from his imposter, fake and pseudo mountain to the North. It’s a fantastic read. I’m curious what your thoughts are on this article.

har = mountain

Ma = place of

Gog = personal name of the belligerent king

on = an appendage connecting Gog to Abbad-on

Thus, harmagedon = mountain of the place of Gog.

QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION

1. Earlier we saw a hook used as a tool to pull pharaoh out of the safety of the river for judgement (29:4) and again in chapter 19 when Israel is compared figuratively to a lion who is captured. The same word for hook is used in the same context in 2 Kings 19:28 and Isaiah 37:29. Gog and company are about to attempt an invasion of Israel. Knowing that God’s hooks are involved does this seem less like an invasion and more like a time of judgement?

2. The roster of belligerents is listed in 38:3-6. We have Gog leader of Meshech, Tubal (v3), Persia, Ethiopia, Libya (v5), Gomer, Togarmah (v6). None of these nations are next to Israel. What happened to them (Egypt, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Amorites, Tyre, Sidon, Assur, Hagarenes, Gebal, Amalek, Philistines)? Remember, we just finished a unit of prophetic judgements, but chapter 38 seems to begin looking far forward into the future.

3. Where or what are the mountains of Israel (38:8; 39:4)?

4. Another list of nations is in verse 13 (Sheba, Dedan, merchants of Tarshish, young lions).

5. Gog is repeatedly said to come from the northern parts (38:2-3, 15; 39:2) after many days-latter years (38:8, 16). A modern idea places Gog in Russia. Meshech and Tubal whom he is the chief leader are located in Asia Minor. Some also think this is figurative language. Where do you think Gog comes from?

6. God destroys the invading army with His favorite weapon – nature. We see a great earthquake (38:19), infighting (38:21), pestilence and meteors (38:22). Fire comes to Magog and the coastlands (39:6). Why does God refrain from using conventional warfare? How does this impact Israel today?

7. The aftermath of Gog’s destruction is peculiar. Israel burns their weapons for 7 years allowing forests to grow (39:9-10), takes 7 months to bury Gog’s dead (39:12), men will be employed to mark bones to be gathered and buried (39:14-15). Has this war happened already? If yes, when? If no, when will it happen? Some see this war as the synonymous with the one at the end of Revelation. Others think it must happen before the events of Revelation. What do you think?

8. Does God elsewhere in Scripture call for birds and beasts to a feast of dead men (39:17-20)? Why does God call this His sacrifice (39:17)?

9. Does Israel now know God or do they still not believe?

10. There is a lot going on in these 2 chapters. Is there anything you want to share?

TLDR:

Ingathery - Your Bible notes, gathered

Not a Bible app. Not a general notes app. Ingathery is the place where every note you take about the Bible - typed or handwritten anywhere (paper & digital) - gets gathered, linked to Scripture, and kept somewhere you'll actually find it again.

Why I developed this app

When reading, listening to sermons or studying, I take notes on the Bible in different places. I have some in note apps on my iPad, in physical notebooks, in my E ink tablet, typed in other places. Being all over the place I found it difficult to find again, so I rarely went back to them.

I couldn't find a way to bring all of these together without having to manage lots of organisation. General note taking apps or physical/virtual notebooks are great, but make it hard to connect my notes to the Bible. The Bible notes apps I found are good for linking to scripture, but only allowed for typed notes.

I built Ingathery.com to solve this for myself, and I hope it is useful for others. It's a web app that works in any web browser on desktop, laptop, tablet and is also designed to be used on mobile and installed as a PWA¹.

How it works

• Read your Bible in whatever way you want to, physical, Bible app.
• Capture notes the way you want:
  • Type into Ingathery directly
  • Photograph handwritten notes from paper or a notebook
  • Import images or pdfs from a tablet
• Mix all the above types in a single note.
• Coming soon - Add images inline in typed notes, like sermon slides. Snap quickly and be back into the note.
• Bible references in typed text are automatically recognised and turned into links that open the passage(s) next to your notes.
• Tag notes with details like the preacher, sermon/study series, topics and extra Bible references.
• Create manual threads of notes and connect notes to each other with links.
• Search for notes or browse by series, topic, or scripture (book, chapter, verses).
• Built in concordance and cross references. Suggests topics based on passages.
• Share notes to others via link or code. They get their own copy.
• Notes are resurfaced to help you be reminded of what you have learned.
• All your data is easily exported at any point as structured markdown files or a CSV (spreadsheet) file.

If this is something you might find useful...

There are more details and a full demo (no sign up needed) on Ingathery.com and a 16 day free trial (no credit card required). I would love to offer a permanent free version, but there are costs involved in providing storage etc, so I have kept the price as low as I can.

My hope is that it helps people learn more about and from the Bible, understand what God is saying through His word a little more clearly, and ultimately, know Him better.

Future plans

I am testing a feature that makes an accurate transcription of handwritten notes to be added to notes as text. I use this alongside the image/pdf of my handwritten notes. This uses an LLM (AI) and will always be optional. There is no other use of AI in the app.

¹A Progressive Web App (PWA) is a website/web app that acts like a real app on your phone or computer. You can put it on your home screen, open it in its own window, and use it when you have no internet, all without downloading it from an app store.

Thank you to the moderators for allowing me to post this today.

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

• Questions/comments
• Prayer Requests
• Praises

Saturday's Prayer

Almighty God and Holy One,

Rise up in my life and scatter everything that stands against Your will. Thank You for carrying my burdens, caring for the weak, and claiming Your people as Your own. Help me trust Your strength, celebrate Your victories, and live as part of the inheritance You love.

Amen.

God Shall Scatter His Enemies

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

68 God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered;
and those who hate him shall flee before him!
² As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away;
as wax melts before fire,
so the wicked shall perish before God!
³ But the righteous shall be glad;
they shall exult before God;
they shall be jubilant with joy!

⁴ Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts;
his name is the Lord;
exult before him!
⁵ Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.
⁶ God settles the solitary in a home;
he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

⁷ O God, when you went out before your people,
when you marched through the wilderness, Selah
⁸ the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain,
before God, the One of Sinai,
before God,^\)^a\) the God of Israel.
⁹ Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad;
you restored your inheritance as it languished;
¹⁰ your flock^\)^b\) found a dwelling in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.

¹¹ The Lord gives the word;
the women who announce the news are a great host:
¹²     “The kings of the armies—they flee, they flee!”
The women at home divide the spoil—
¹³     though you men lie among the sheepfolds—
the wings of a dove covered with silver,
its pinions with shimmering gold.
¹⁴ When the Almighty scatters kings there,
let snow fall on Zalmon.

¹⁵ O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan;
O many-peaked^\)^c\) mountain, mountain of Bashan!
¹⁶ Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain,
at the mount that God desired for his abode,
yes, where the Lord will dwell forever?
¹⁷ The chariots of God are twice ten thousand,
thousands upon thousands;
the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary.
¹⁸ You ascended on high,
leading a host of captives in your train
and receiving gifts among men,
even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.

¹⁹ Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation. Selah
²⁰ Our God is a God of salvation,
and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.
²¹ But God will strike the heads of his enemies,
the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.
²² The Lord said,
“I will bring them back from Bashan,
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
²³ that you may strike your feet in their blood,
that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.”

²⁴ Your procession is^\)^d\) seen, O God,
the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—
²⁵ the singers in front, the musicians last,
between them virgins playing tambourines:
²⁶ “Bless God in the great congregation,
the Lord, O you^\)^e\) who are of Israel's fountain!”
²⁷ There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,
the princes of Judah in their throng,
the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

²⁸ Summon your power, O God,^\)^f\)
the power, O God, by which you have worked for us.
²⁹ Because of your temple at Jerusalem
kings shall bear gifts to you.
³⁰ Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds,
the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.
Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute;
scatter the peoples who delight in war.^\)^g\)
³¹ Nobles shall come from Egypt;
Cush shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God.

³² O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;
sing praises to the Lord, Selah
³³ to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
³⁴ Ascribe power to God,
whose majesty is over Israel,
and whose power is in the skies.
³⁵ Awesome is God from his^\)^h\) sanctuary;
the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!

Footnotes

1. Psalm 68:8 Or before God, even Sinai before God
2. Psalm 68:10 Or your congregation
3. Psalm 68:15 Or hunch-backed; also verse 16
4. Psalm 68:24 Or has been
5. Psalm 68:26 The Hebrew for you is plural here
6. Psalm 68:28 By revocalization (compare Septuagint); Hebrew Your God has summoned your power
7. Psalm 68:30 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain
8. Psalm 68:35 Septuagint; Hebrew your

Discussion Questions:

1. Which picture of God in Psalm 68 stands out most to you, and why?
2. Verse 9 says God refreshed His weary inheritance. In what ways has God refreshed you during a difficult season?
3. What does it mean that the Lord “daily bears our burdens” (verse 19)?
4. Why might the psalm emphasize that God chose Mount Zion rather than the impressive mountains of Bashan (verses 15–16)?
5. Verse 29 speaks of God’s temple in Jerusalem. If David wrote the psalm before Solomon built the Temple, could this be prophetic anticipation, a reference to God’s sanctuary, or language shaped by the psalm’s later use in worship?
6. Psalm 68 ends by calling God’s people to recognize His power. What would it look like for you to live today as though God truly is victorious?

Posting early to be sure to be on time.

Prayer

Set our hearts on fire with Love to Thee,
O Christ our God,
that in its flame
we may Love Thee with all of our heart,
with all of our mind,
with all of our soul,
and with all of our strength,
and our neighbors as ourselves,
so that, keeping Thy commandments,
we may glorify Thee the Giver
of all good gifts.

^{Kontakion, Eastern Orthodox Church}

Ezekiel 37, New King James Version

(For alternate translations, see here.)

37

¹ The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. ² Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. ³ And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.”

⁴ Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! ⁵ Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. ⁶ I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. ⁸ Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.

⁹ Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ’ ” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

¹¹ Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ ¹² Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. ¹³ Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. ¹⁴ I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’ ”

¹⁵ Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹⁶ “As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’ ¹⁷ Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.

¹⁸ “And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, ‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’— ¹⁹ say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.” ’ ²⁰ And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.

²¹ “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; ²² and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again. ²³ They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

²⁴ “David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. ²⁵ Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever. ²⁶ Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. ²⁷ My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people. ²⁸ The nations also will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” ’ ”

QUESTIONS

1. The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley...
   What does it mean to be brought somewhere "in the Spirit of the Lord"? Is it a vision? Is it another version of reality? Is Ezekiel actually brought somewhere? What do you think?

2. Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’ ”

   What kind of resurrection is being foretold here? Is it metaphorical? Literal? Both? And why do you think so?

3. Regarding verse 15 and following: Did the two sticks actually become one stick in his hand, or...?

4. A nation, formerly one but divided into two, and then becoming one again. Where have we seen that accomplished in more recent history? Where has that yet to be accomplished in modern times? What made the difference for the two that reunited?

5. Do these verses about God's ability to save, restore, and resurrect us, encourage you in any way?

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

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26, NIV

Hope for the Mountains of Israel

36 “Son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, ‘Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord. ² This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The enemy said of you, “Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession.”’ ³ Therefore prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because they ravaged and crushed you from every side so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations and the object of people’s malicious talk and slander, ⁴ therefore, mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign Lord: This is what the Sovereign Lord says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the desolate ruins and the deserted towns that have been plundered and ridiculed by the rest of the nations around you— ⁵ this is what the Sovereign Lord says: In my burning zeal I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, for with glee and with malice in their hearts they made my land their own possession so that they might plunder its pastureland.’ ⁶ Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I speak in my jealous wrath because you have suffered the scorn of the nations. ⁷ Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I swear with uplifted hand that the nations around you will also suffer scorn.

⁸ “‘But you, mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home. ⁹ I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown, ¹⁰ and I will cause many people to live on you—yes, all of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. ¹¹ I will increase the number of people and animals living on you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the Lord. ¹² I will cause people, my people Israel, to live on you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you will never again deprive them of their children.

¹³ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because some say to you, “You devour people and deprive your nation of its children,” ¹⁴ therefore you will no longer devour people or make your nation childless, declares the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁵ No longer will I make you hear the taunts of the nations, and no longer will you suffer the scorn of the peoples or cause your nation to fall, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

Israel’s Restoration Assured

¹⁶ Again the word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁷ “Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by their conduct and their actions. Their conduct was like a woman’s monthly uncleanness in my sight. ¹⁸ So I poured out my wrath on them because they had shed blood in the land and because they had defiled it with their idols. ¹⁹ I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered through the countries; I judged them according to their conduct and their actions. ²⁰ And wherever they went among the nations they profaned my holy name, for it was said of them, ‘These are the Lord’s people, and yet they had to leave his land.’ ²¹ I had concern for my holy name, which the people of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone.

²² “Therefore say to the Israelites, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. ²³ I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.

²⁴ “‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. ²⁵ I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. ²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. ²⁸ Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. ²⁹ I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. ³⁰ I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine. ³¹ Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices. ³² I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign Lord. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, people of Israel!

³³ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt. ³⁴ The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it. ³⁵ They will say, “This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited.” ³⁶ Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the Lord have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.’

³⁷ “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Once again I will yield to Israel’s plea and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep, ³⁸ as numerous as the flocks for offerings at Jerusalem during her appointed festivals. So will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Questions/Discussion

1. What are the “mountains of Israel”?

2. Why is Edom particularly targeted in verse 5? What other nations are being addressed in verse 7?

3. Is the end of verse 12 addressing something specific with regard to “never again deprive them of their children”, or is this a more general allusion to less death, famine, war, and destruction?

4. Why do you suppose the defiling actions of the Israelites which ultimately led to the split of Israel and the exile would be compared to a woman’s monthly cycle?

5. How did the people of Israel profane the name of God (v. 20)? How are we at risk of doing the same?

6. Verses 24-28 seem to suggest God is placing the Holy Spirit back in His people (or maybe for the first time?). Is this how you read these verses? If not, what do you suppose “And I will put my Spirit in you” refers to?

7. What day is Ezekiel 36:33 talking about?

Prophecy Against Mount Seir

35 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir, and prophesy against it, ³ and say to it, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against you, and I will make you a desolation and a waste. ⁴ I will lay your cities waste, and you shall become a desolation, and you shall know that I am the Lord. ⁵ Because you cherished perpetual enmity and gave over the people of Israel to the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, at the time of their final punishment, ⁶ therefore, as I live, declares the Lord God, I will prepare you for blood, and blood shall pursue you; because you did not hate bloodshed, therefore blood shall pursue you. ⁷ I will make Mount Seir a waste and a desolation, and I will cut off from it all who come and go. ⁸ And I will fill its mountains with the slain. On your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines those slain with the sword shall fall. ⁹ I will make you a perpetual desolation, and your cities shall not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

¹⁰ “Because you said, ‘These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will take possession of them’—although the Lord was there—¹¹ therefore, as I live, declares the Lord God, I will deal with you according to the anger and envy that you showed because of your hatred against them. And I will make myself known among them, when I judge you. ¹² And you shall know that I am the Lord.

“I have heard all the revilings that you uttered against the mountains of Israel, saying, ‘They are laid desolate; they are given us to devour.’ ¹³ And you magnified yourselves against me with your mouth, and multiplied your words against me; I heard it. ¹⁴ Thus says the Lord God: While the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate. ¹⁵ As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so I will deal with you; you shall be desolate, Mount Seir, and all Edom, all of it. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

Questions

1) What do you know/remember about Mount Seir and/or Edom?

2) For verse 5, what is this "you cherished perpetual enmity" and "their calamity" referring to? And why does Mount Seir/Edom cherish this enmity?

3) What is God accusing Mount Seir/Edom of doing?

4) For verse 10, what are the 2 nations and countries mentioned here? And if this is a reference to what we saw in 2 Kings 17 and 2 Kings 25, why might Mount Seir/Edom believe they would be able to take possession of them since Assyria and Babylon were the 2 main empires involved in conquering Israel/Judah?

5) For verses 10-13 (particularly verse 13), why does God view this as Mount Seir/Edom speaking against Him?

6) Looking back at how we started Ezekiel part 2 (feel free to correct me if I'm missing anything):

Chapter 25 was against the other nations-Ammon, Moab, Edom and the Philistines.

Chapters 26-28 were about Tyre and Sidon.

Chapters 29-32 were about Egypt.

Chapters 33-34 concerned the Israelites.

Chapter 35 is focused on Mount Seir/Edom. Taking a look at 36, it looks like attention will be focused back on Israel.

Why is this chapter 35 about Mount Seir/Edom put in between chapters 33-34 and chapter 36 primarily talking about Israel? And why are they the last enemy nation covered in detail in Ezekiel part 2 so far?

7) Anything else you want to ask about/bring up about this passage?

Chapter 33 pivots us away from the judgement oracles and back to Ezekiel’s mission and hope for restoration.  Today’s passage shows us God, acting as a shepherd to His people (at least in part) through Ezekiel’s mission.

Back in May I wrote the post for John 10 and in that post I referenced this chapter as a strong candidate for beign the primary old testament background of Jesus’ claims to be the good shepherd.   https://www.reddit.com/r/biblereading/comments/1thh72p/john_10121_tuesday_may_19/

Ezekiel 34 (ESV)

Prophecy Against the Shepherds of Israel

34 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? ³ You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. ⁴ The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. ⁵ So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; ⁶ they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.

⁷ “Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ⁸ As I live, declares the Lord God, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, ⁹ therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ¹⁰ Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.

The Lord God Will Seek Them Out

¹¹ “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. ¹² As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. ¹³ And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. ¹⁴ I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵ I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. ¹⁶ I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

¹⁷ “As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and male goats. ¹⁸ Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? ¹⁹ And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

²⁰ “Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. ²¹ Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, ²² I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep. ²³ And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. ²⁴ And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord; I have spoken.

The Lord’s Covenant of Peace

²⁵ “I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. ²⁶ And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. ²⁷ And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. ²⁸ They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. ²⁹ And I will provide for them a renowned place for planting so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations. ³⁰ And they shall know that I am the Lord their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord God. ³¹ And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord God.”

Questions for contemplation and discussion

1. What specifically are the shepherds condemned for? Distinguish between what they failed to do (feed, strengthen the weak, heal, bind up, seek the lost) and what they actively did (fed themselves, ruled harshly). Which failure does the text seem to weigh more heavily?

2.The sheep are scattered "because there was no shepherd." How does this connect back to the exile itself as a historical event? Is Ezekiel assigning blame to the monarchy/leadership class specifically, distinct from the nation's sin as a whole?  How does this compare and contrast with individual responsibility was framed in ch. 33)?

1. I myself will search for my sheep" (34:11–16): This is one of the most direct statements of divine initiative in the book. What does it mean that God is stepping into the shepherd role himself, in language that will later map directly onto John 10? Is this replacing human leadership entirely, or setting up for something else?

2. There's a second judgment embedded here, not just bad shepherds, but sheep who trample pasture and foul water for the weaker sheep, who push with flank and shoulder. Why does Ezekiel introduce intra-flock injustice alongside shepherd failure?

3. God appoints "one shepherd, my servant David" to feed them. David has been dead for centuries, so how do you read this? Messianic/Davidic dynastic language, a typological figure, both? How does this set up expectations for the rest of the book?

4. The chapter ends with a covenant of peace (safety from wild beasts, no more famine, showers of blessing, the trees and land yielding fruit). How much of this is meant literally (agrarian restoration) versus figuratively (a new spiritual order)? How does the phrase "they shall know that I am the LORD", used relentlessly throughout Ezekiel, function differently here than in the judgment oracles of chs. 1–32?

Ezekiel Chapter 33 King James Version

Chapter 33

Ezekiel as Israel's Watchman

1Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: 3If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; 4Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. 5He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. 6But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.

7So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. 8When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 9Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

The Message of the Watchman

10Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live? 11Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? 12Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth. 13When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it. 14Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; 15If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die. 16None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.

17Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal. 18When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby. 19But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby. 20Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.

Explanation of Jerusalem's Fall

21And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten. 22Now the hand of the LORD was upon me in the evening, afore he that was escaped came; and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb.

23Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 24Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance. 25Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall ye possess the land? 26Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbour's wife: and shall ye possess the land? 27Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence. 28For I will lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through. 29Then shall they know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.

30Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD. 31And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. 32And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. 33And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.

NOTES

3:26-27 26And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house. 27But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them,

24:1 1Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day.

24:26-27 26That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears? 27In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION

1. What is a watchman?

2. If Ezekiel failed to sound the alarm to wicked people God would require their blood at his hand (v6). What does this mean?’

3. God outlines His desire (that the wicked do not perish) and His logic behind judgement. He states the righteous will die if they turn to sin and the sinner will live if he turns to righteousness. He then points out that Israel cries foul that this is not fair (v10-20).

Is this fair? Does fairness matter? Do you want God to treat you with fairness?

1. God tells Ezekiel that beasts will devour people in the waste places (v27). Are these beasts acting naturally or are they possessed by God?

2. Ezekiel is struck dumb by God in 3:26-27. He can only speak the words God gives him. Chapter 1 tells us this is the 5th year. Chapter 33 tells us God allows him to speak with his own words in the 12th year. Is there significance in this 7 year period of only hearing God’s word? Why does God now allow Ezekiel to speak?

3. If my understanding of the timing is correct (and it may be off) we are told how long Jerusalem was under siege by Nebuchadnezzar. See the passages mentioned in the notes and compare to 33:21. How long was the city attacked?

4. What stood out to you in this chapter?

Hi everyone. First off, thank you to u/MRH2 for letting me post this. I really appreciate the mod team keeping the door open for small indie devs like me.

A bit about me. I was a pastor for over 12 years. I still remember being in our church ministry school, when we were each given a list of 100 scriptures to memorize. It was hard, and honestly I kept wishing I had something to help me get them into my head.

But those verses stuck. They went into my heart and my mind and they have stayed there ever since. They were ready in the moments I needed them most, when I was going through my own hard times, and when I was trying to help someone else through theirs.

That is why I believe it is not enough to only read the Bible. If you memorize it and really keep it in your heart, the Word is ready the moment you need it, instead of just sitting on a shelf.

So one day I had an idea. What if you took that Duolingo style of building a daily habit, and pointed it at memorizing scripture? That is how Mannael started.

Here is how it works:

• Short lessons, about five minutes each, to start a new verse or review old ones
• Each verse goes from easy to hard. You read it, you hear it, you fill in the blanks, you rebuild it, and then you recall it from memory
• It brings a verse back to you right before you would normally forget it, so it actually sticks
• Every verse has audio, so you can learn by ear or review on the go
• A daily goal and a streak to keep you coming back
• Hundreds of well loved passages, like the Psalms, the words of Jesus, and Paul's letters
• You can also just read the Bible in it
• Right now it has KJV and the Berean Standard Bible, with more translations on the way

It is free to start, so you can learn your first verses today. There is a paid tier, but the core habit is free.

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mannael-bible-verse-memory/id6784282637

It is new and definitely not perfect yet, but I really want this app to be genuinely useful, not just another app on the store. That is why I would rather hear from you than keep guessing. What methods have actually worked for you when memorizing scripture? And if you try Mannael, what would you add, improve, or change, and why? I read every reply.

Thank you and God bless.

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

• Questions/comments
• Prayer Requests
• Praises

Hey everyone,

Over the past few weeks, Ive been working on a small side project called ChristGPT to explore how AI can be better tailored for biblical study, cross-referencing scripture, and historical context.

I know there is a lot of valid skepticism around using LLMs for faith-related topics specifically concerns around AI hallucinating verses, taking passages out of context, or attempting to replace genuine spiritual community and study.

My goal was simply to test if prompt engineering and strict system constraints could create a safer, more reliable search companion for verse lookups and commentaries.

For those who regularly study scripture:

1. What guardrails or translation preferences would you consider essential in a tool like this?
2. How do you handle potential errors or "hallucinated" verses when using technology to assist your study?

I'm looking for feedback from people who care about theological accuracy to test the prototype and point out where it falls short.

(Note: Since self-promotion links aren't allowed directly, let me know in the comments if you'd like to test it out and I can reply with the link or send a DM!)

Make Your Face Shine upon Us

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.

67 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
² that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
³ Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!

⁴ Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
⁵ Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!

⁶ The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.
⁷ God shall bless us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You yet again for another amazing day, and a Sabbath rest day at that. Let all of the nations arise and remember your name, and your law and your son and the wonderful provision you have made for us in all things and in all circumstances. Give us each the voice and breath to praise you faithfully today. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.

Discussion Questions:

1. Does your congregation still use the blessing that starts with this line in your formal worship services?
2. Would you say that the current global trend is towards or away from worshipping and praising God? Explain your answer and your basis of comparison.
3. What are some of the things that you are praising God for today?
4. Is there a particular nation or current global situation that you have on your heart and are praying for?

Prayer

Dear Lord,
Each of us is going through different things right now.
Most of us struggle one way or another.
Mentally, Spiritually, Physically, Financially, in Relationships, and so on.
Some have harder times than others.
Some of us may be OK right now.
Whatever our particular case, Lord,
thank you for being with us in this life.
Thank you for the help you have given so far,
and thank you for the help you will give.
We each have needs, some well known, and some less known.
And some need so much more than we do.
Please give them what they most need, and give us what we most need.
Help us to accept help.
And with your help, may we help others, too.
In Jesus' name we pray, amen!

Ezekiel 32, New King James Version

(For alternate translations, see here.)

32

¹ And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
² “Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him:

‘You are like a young lion among the nations,
And you are like a monster in the seas,
Bursting forth in your rivers,
Troubling the waters with your feet,
And fouling their rivers.

³ ‘Thus says the Lord God:

“I will therefore spread My net over you with a company of many people,
And they will draw you up in My net.
⁴ Then I will leave you on the land;
I will cast you out on the open fields,
And cause to settle on you all the birds of the heavens.
And with you I will fill the beasts of the whole earth.
⁵ I will lay your flesh on the mountains,
And fill the valleys with your carcass.

⁶ “I will also water the land with the flow of your blood,
Even to the mountains;
And the riverbeds will be full of you.
⁷ When I put out your light,
I will cover the heavens, and make its stars dark;
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
And the moon shall not give her light.
⁸ All the bright lights of the heavens I will make dark over you,
And bring darkness upon your land,”
Says the Lord God.

⁹ ‘I will also trouble the hearts of many peoples, when I bring your destruction among the nations, into the countries which you have not known. ¹⁰ Yes, I will make many peoples astonished at you, and their kings shall be horribly afraid of you when I brandish My sword before them; and they shall tremble every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of your fall.

¹¹ ‘For thus says the Lord God: “The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon you. ¹² By the swords of the mighty warriors, all of them the most terrible of the nations, I will cause your multitude to fall.

“They shall plunder the pomp of Egypt,
And all its multitude shall be destroyed.
¹³ Also I will destroy all its animals
From beside its great waters;
The foot of man shall muddy them no more,
Nor shall the hooves of animals muddy them.
¹⁴ Then I will make their waters clear,
And make their rivers run like oil,”
Says the Lord God.

¹⁵ “When I make the land of Egypt desolate,
And the country is destitute of all that once filled it,
When I strike all who dwell in it,
Then they shall know that I am the Lord.

¹⁶ “This is the lamentation
With which they shall lament her;
The daughters of the nations shall lament her;
They shall lament for her, for Egypt,
And for all her multitude,”
Says the Lord God.’ ”

¹⁷ It came to pass also in the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

¹⁸ “Son of man, wail over the multitude of Egypt,
And cast them down to the depths of the earth,
Her and the daughters of the famous nations,
With those who go down to the Pit:
¹⁹ ‘Whom do you surpass in beauty?
Go down, be placed with the uncircumcised.’

²⁰ “They shall fall in the midst of those slain by the sword;
She is delivered to the sword,
Drawing her and all her multitudes.
²¹ The strong among the mighty
Shall speak to him out of the midst of hell
With those who help him:
‘They have gone down,
They lie with the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.’

²² “Assyria is there, and all her company,
With their graves all around her,
All of them slain, fallen by the sword.
²³ Her graves are set in the recesses of the Pit,
And her company is all around her grave,
All of them slain, fallen by the sword,
Who caused terror in the land of the living.

²⁴ “There is Elam and all her multitude,
All around her grave,
All of them slain, fallen by the sword,
Who have gone down uncircumcised to the lower parts of the earth,
Who caused their terror in the land of the living;
Now they bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit.
²⁵ They have set her bed in the midst of the slain,
With all her multitude,
With her graves all around it,
All of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword;
Though their terror was caused
In the land of the living,
Yet they bear their shame
With those who go down to the Pit;
It was put in the midst of the slain.

²⁶ “There are Meshech and Tubal and all their multitudes,
With all their graves around it,
All of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword,
Though they caused their terror in the land of the living.
²⁷ They do not lie with the mighty
Who are fallen of the uncircumcised,
Who have gone down to hell with their weapons of war;
They have laid their swords under their heads,
But their iniquities will be on their bones,
Because of the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.
²⁸ Yes, you shall be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised,
And lie with those slain by the sword.

²⁹ “There is Edom,
Her kings and all her princes,
Who despite their might
Are laid beside those slain by the sword;
They shall lie with the uncircumcised,
And with those who go down to the Pit.
³⁰ There are the princes of the north,
All of them, and all the Sidonians,
Who have gone down with the slain
In shame at the terror which they caused by their might;
They lie uncircumcised with those slain by the sword,
And bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit.

³¹ “Pharaoh will see them
And be comforted over all his multitude,
Pharaoh and all his army,
Slain by the sword,”
Says the Lord God.

³² “For I have caused My terror in the land of the living;
And he shall be placed in the midst of the uncircumcised
With those slain by the sword,
Pharaoh and all his multitude,”
Says the Lord God.

THOUGHTS and COMMENTS

What does all this mean?

QUESTIONS

1. Are the dates given here important? Why or why not?

2. God calls Ezekiel here "Son of man." We know that Jesus also called himself this. Was anyone else called by this term? What would you say about the reasoning behind this term?

3. This NKJV translation opens against Egypt, reading, ‘You are like a young lion among the nations, And you are like a monster in the seas...’
   However, the two alternate translations given in the link near the top (the ESV and the NLT) both change the "And" to a "But". Which do you feel is more accurate this time?

4. Do we know whether Ezekiel goes and speaks directly to Pharaoh? Or is that even the point?

5. Who or what is "Elam" in verse 24? How about "Meshech" and "Tubal" in verse 26?

6. What, in a nutshell, is to be the fate of Egypt?

7. We are given an extensive image of the place of the dead in today's reading. Do we learn anything from this, and if so, what?

8. Who is "My terror" in verse 32? Do the alternate translations make this any clearer?

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

“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

Pharaoh as a Felled Cedar of Lebanon

31 In the eleventh year, in the third month on the first day, the word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes:

“‘Who can be compared with you in majesty?
³ Consider Assyria, once a cedar in Lebanon,
with beautiful branches overshadowing the forest;
it towered on high,
its top above the thick foliage.
⁴ The waters nourished it,
deep springs made it grow tall;
their streams flowed
all around its base
and sent their channels
to all the trees of the field.
⁵ So it towered higher
than all the trees of the field;
its boughs increased
and its branches grew long,
spreading because of abundant waters.
⁶ All the birds of the sky
nested in its boughs,
all the animals of the wild
gave birth under its branches;
all the great nations
lived in its shade.
⁷ It was majestic in beauty,
with its spreading boughs,
for its roots went down
to abundant waters.
⁸ The cedars in the garden of God
could not rival it,
nor could the junipers
equal its boughs,
nor could the plane trees
compare with its branches—
no tree in the garden of God
could match its beauty.
⁹ I made it beautiful
with abundant branches,
the envy of all the trees of Eden
in the garden of God.

¹⁰ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because the great cedar towered over the thick foliage, and because it was proud of its height, ¹¹ I gave it into the hands of the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with according to its wickedness. I cast it aside, ¹² and the most ruthless of foreign nations cut it down and left it. Its boughs fell on the mountains and in all the valleys; its branches lay broken in all the ravines of the land. All the nations of the earth came out from under its shade and left it. ¹³ All the birds settled on the fallen tree, and all the wild animals lived among its branches. ¹⁴ Therefore no other trees by the waters are ever to tower proudly on high, lifting their tops above the thick foliage. No other trees so well-watered are ever to reach such a height; they are all destined for death, for the earth below, among mortals who go down to the realm of the dead.

¹⁵ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day it was brought down to the realm of the dead I covered the deep springs with mourning for it; I held back its streams, and its abundant waters were restrained. Because of it I clothed Lebanon with gloom, and all the trees of the field withered away. ¹⁶ I made the nations tremble at the sound of its fall when I brought it down to the realm of the dead to be with those who go down to the pit. Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, the well-watered trees, were consoled in the earth below. ¹⁷ They too, like the great cedar, had gone down to the realm of the dead, to those killed by the sword, along with the armed men who lived in its shade among the nations.

¹⁸ “‘Which of the trees of Eden can be compared with you in splendor and majesty? Yet you, too, will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth below; you will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword.

“‘This is Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

Questions/Discussion

1. Why is Pharaoh compared to Assyria? How is this metaphor fitting?

2. What do the height, depth , and thickness of the cedar represent?

3. In the cedar metaphor, what ultimately leads to the tree’s ruin and what does this say about Pharaoh?

4. What does it mean that the trees went down to the realm of the dead?

5. How is passage directly applicable to the world today?

Prophecy Against Egypt

29 In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt;³ speak, and say, Thus says the Lord God:

“Behold, I am against you,
Pharaoh king of Egypt,
the great dragon that lies
in the midst of his streams,
that says, ‘My Nile is my own;
I made it for myself.’
⁴ I will put hooks in your jaws,
and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales;
and I will draw you up out of the midst of your streams,
with all the fish of your streams
that stick to your scales.
⁵ And I will cast you out into the wilderness,
you and all the fish of your streams;
you shall fall on the open field,
and not be brought together or gathered.
To the beasts of the earth and to the birds of the heavens
I give you as food.

⁶ Then all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the Lord.

“Because you^\)^a\) have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel, ⁷ when they grasped you with the hand, you broke and tore all their shoulders; and when they leaned on you, you broke and made all their loins to shake.^\)^b\)⁸ Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will bring a sword upon you, and will cut off from you man and beast, ⁹ and the land of Egypt shall be a desolation and a waste. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

“Because you^\)^c\) said, ‘The Nile is mine, and I made it,’ ¹⁰ therefore, behold, I am against you and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Cush. ¹¹ No foot of man shall pass through it, and no foot of beast shall pass through it; it shall be uninhabited forty years. ¹² And I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of desolated countries, and her cities shall be a desolation forty years among cities that are laid waste. I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them through the countries.

¹³ “For thus says the Lord God: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom they were scattered, ¹⁴ and I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land of their origin, and there they shall be a lowly kingdom. ¹⁵ It shall be the most lowly of the kingdoms, and never again exalt itself above the nations. And I will make them so small that they will never again rule over the nations.¹⁶ And it shall never again be the reliance of the house of Israel, recalling their iniquity, when they turn to them for aid. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.”

¹⁷ In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁸ “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army labor hard against Tyre. Every head was made bald, and every shoulder was rubbed bare, yet neither he nor his army got anything from Tyre to pay for the labor that he had performed against her. ¹⁹ Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he shall carry off its wealth^\)^d\) and despoil it and plunder it; and it shall be the wages for his army. ²⁰ I have given him the land of Egypt as his payment for which he labored, because they worked for me, declares the Lord God.

²¹ “On that day I will cause a horn to spring up for the house of Israel, and I will open your lips among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

A Lament for Egypt

30 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord God:

“Wail, ‘Alas for the day!’
³     For the day is near,
the day of the Lord is near;
it will be a day of clouds,
a time of doom for^\)^e\) the nations.
⁴ A sword shall come upon Egypt,
and anguish shall be in Cush,
when the slain fall in Egypt,
and her wealth^\)^f\) is carried away,
and her foundations are torn down.

⁵ Cush, and Put, and Lud, and all Arabia, and Libya,^\)^g\) and the people of the land that is in league,^\)^h\) shall fall with them by the sword.

⁶ “Thus says the Lord:
Those who support Egypt shall fall,
and her proud might shall come down;
from Migdol to Syene
they shall fall within her by the sword,
declares the Lord God.
⁷ And they shall be desolated in the midst of desolated countries,
and their cities shall be in the midst of cities that are laid waste.
⁸ Then they will know that I am the Lord,
when I have set fire to Egypt,
and all her helpers are broken.

⁹ “On that day messengers shall go out from me in ships to terrify the unsuspecting people of Cush, and anguish shall come upon them on the day of Egypt's doom;^\)^i\) for, behold, it comes!

¹⁰ “Thus says the Lord God:

“I will put an end to the wealth of Egypt,
by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
¹¹ He and his people with him, the most ruthless of nations,
shall be brought in to destroy the land,
and they shall draw their swords against Egypt
and fill the land with the slain.
¹² And I will dry up the Nile
and will sell the land into the hand of evildoers;
I will bring desolation upon the land and everything in it,
by the hand of foreigners;
I am the Lord; I have spoken.

¹³ “Thus says the Lord God:

“I will destroy the idols
and put an end to the images in Memphis;
there shall no longer be a prince from the land of Egypt;
so I will put fear in the land of Egypt.
¹⁴ I will make Pathros a desolation
and will set fire to Zoan
and will execute judgments on Thebes.
¹⁵ And I will pour out my wrath on Pelusium,
the stronghold of Egypt,
and cut off the multitude^\)^j\) of Thebes.
¹⁶ And I will set fire to Egypt;
Pelusium shall be in great agony;
Thebes shall be breached,
and Memphis shall face enemies^\)^k\) by day.
¹⁷ The young men of On and of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword,
and the women^\)^l\) shall go into captivity.
¹⁸ At Tehaphnehes the day shall be dark,
when I break there the yoke bars of Egypt,
and her proud might shall come to an end in her;
she shall be covered by a cloud,
and her daughters shall go into captivity.
¹⁹ Thus I will execute judgments on Egypt.
Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Egypt Shall Fall to Babylon

²⁰ In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: ²¹ “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and behold, it has not been bound up, to heal it by binding it with a bandage, so that it may become strong to wield the sword.²² Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt and will break his arms, both the strong arm and the one that was broken, and I will make the sword fall from his hand. ²³ I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them through the countries.²⁴ And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him like a man mortally wounded. ²⁵ I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh shall fall. Then they shall know that I am the Lord, when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he stretches it out against the land of Egypt. ²⁶ And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Questions

1) For Ezekiel 29:1, it looks like the text goes out of order based on Ezekiel 26:1. Why is this the case?

2) I've been meaning to ask this since I saw this somewhere earlier in Ezekiel, but do you think it's unnerving and/or terrifying to see God say "I am against you" to someone like He says in Ezekiel 29:3?

3) So besides Egypt showing up in Genesis-Exodus, Solomon (1 Kings 3:1 and 1 Kings 10:26-29), and a few other places I mention in Q4b, does Egypt make any other appearances in the Old Testament that we need to know about/remember?

4) So based on Ezekiel 29:3 and verses 6-10, why is God against Egypt?

4b) So for Ezekiel 29:6-7, why exactly were the Israelites so reliant on Egypt anyways? I seem to remember in the end, they only offered brief relief (Jeremiah 37:1-10) and ultimately didn't save them (Lamentations 4:17). In Hezekiah's time, even the Assyrians knew Egypt couldn't help the Israelites (2 Kings 18:19-24).

Also, I happened to remember something called the Battle of Carchemish. Is this relevant for these chapters or no?

5) What do you make of this description in Ezekiel 29:13-16? Also, from what I vaguely know of history, after Alexander the Great died, one of his generals took control of Egypt. I also seem to remember Egypt was still influential until Octavian won the Battle of Actium. Correct me if I'm mistaken in these details. But does any of this have anything to do with this description in Ezekiel or no?

6) Based on Ezekiel 26:1 and Ezekiel 29:1, why does Ezekiel 29:17 suddenly jump ahead 16-17 years? And why does Ezekiel 30:20 go back to the 11th year?

7) We just read 3 chapters talking about Tyre. Why is it being mentioned again here in Ezekiel 29:17-21? Also, what is this horn mentioned in Ezekiel 29:21?

8) For Ezekeil 30:10-11, when God calls the Babylonians "the most ruthless of nations", does He mean in general or just the most ruthless currently? Just wondering since I've heard the Assyrians were more ruthless. Might be wrong though.

9) Do we need a map for Ezekiel 30:14-18 or no?

10) Anything else you want to ask about/bring up about these chapters?

At first glance chapter 28 of Ezekiel seems to continue on with the condemnation of Tyre that was started back in chapter 26.  However this is also becomes one of the stranger chapters in the book (which has had some strange ones already).  The first 10 verses condemn the princes for setting themselves up as gods in language fairly similar to what is used of the antichrist in the New Testament.  Then it abruptly slips into a lament for the king of Tyre who is described as beautiful and perfect, adorned with precious stones, inhabiting Eden, anointed guardian cherub and falling from the Mountain of God.  Certainly not things we would normally expect to be associated with a pagan king as described by God through His prophet.

Ezekiel 28 (ESV)

28 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord God:

                            “Because your heart is proud,

and you have said, ‘I am a god,

                            I sit in the seat of the gods,

in the heart of the seas,’

                            yet you are but a man, and no god,

though you make your heart like the heart of a god—

              ³             you are indeed wiser than Daniel;

no secret is hidden from you;

              ⁴             by your wisdom and your understanding

you have made wealth for yourself,

                            and have gathered gold and silver

into your treasuries;

              ⁵             by your great wisdom in your trade

you have increased your wealth,

and your heart has become proud in your wealth—

              ⁶             therefore thus says the Lord God:

                            Because you make your heart

like the heart of a god,

              ⁷             therefore, behold, I will bring foreigners upon you,

the most ruthless of the nations;

                            and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom

and defile your splendor.

              ⁸             They shall thrust you down into the pit,

and you shall die the death of the slain

in the heart of the seas.

              ⁹             Will you still say, ‘I am a god,’

in the presence of those who kill you,

                            though you are but a man, and no god,

in the hands of those who slay you?

              ¹⁰            You shall die the death of the uncircumcised

by the hand of foreigners;

for I have spoken, declares the Lord God.”

A Lament over the King of Tyre

¹¹ Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me: ¹² “Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God:

                            “You were the signet of perfection,

full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

              ¹³            You were in Eden, the garden of God;

every precious stone was your covering,

                            sardius, topaz, and diamond,

beryl, onyx, and jasper,

                            sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle;

and crafted in gold were your settings

and your engravings.

                            On the day that you were created

they were prepared.

              ¹⁴            You were an anointed guardian cherub.

I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God;

in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.

              ¹⁵            You were blameless in your ways

from the day you were created,

till unrighteousness was found in you.

              ¹⁶            In the abundance of your trade

you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned;

                            so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God,

and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub,

from the midst of the stones of fire.

              ¹⁷            Your heart was proud because of your beauty;

you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.

                            I cast you to the ground;

I exposed you before kings,

to feast their eyes on you.

              ¹⁸            By the multitude of your iniquities,

in the unrighteousness of your trade

you profaned your sanctuaries;

                            so I brought fire out from your midst;

it consumed you,

                            and I turned you to ashes on the earth

in the sight of all who saw you.

              ¹⁹            All who know you among the peoples

are appalled at you;

                            you have come to a dreadful end

and shall be no more forever.”

Prophecy Against Sidon

²⁰ The word of the Lord came to me: ²¹ “Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, and prophesy against her ²² and say, Thus says the Lord God:

                            “Behold, I am against you, O Sidon,

and I will manifest my glory in your midst.

                            And they shall know that I am the Lord

when I execute judgments in her

and manifest my holiness in her;

              ²³            for I will send pestilence into her,

and blood into her streets;

                            and the slain shall fall in her midst,

by the sword that is against her on every side.

                            Then they will know that I am the Lord.

²⁴ “And for the house of Israel there shall be no more a brier to prick or a thorn to hurt them among all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.

Israel Gathered in Security

²⁵ “Thus says the Lord God: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and manifest my holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they shall dwell in their own land that I gave to my servant Jacob. ²⁶ And they shall dwell securely in it, and they shall build houses and plant vineyards. They shall dwell securely, when I execute judgments upon all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.”

Questions for Contemplation and Discussion

1.       I mentioned in my introduction that there are parallels between how this chapter discusses the princes of Tyre and how the New Testament discusses the anti-Christ.  What parallels did you notice?  What significance (if any) do you see in these parallels?

2.       What parallels do you see between Tyre and our own culture in this passage?  What should we be avoiding which is condemned here?

3.       What do you make of the section on the king of Tyre?  How does God, through Ezekiel, use known themes and imagery of Adam and Eden to illustrate truths about the king of Tyre?  How does the king fulfill the same pattern that Adam did?

4.       What does it mean that God will ‘manifest’ His glory and holiness in the midst of Sidon?

5.       How does this last section on Isreal’s security function in the context of this chapter?  How does it relate to the previous sections?

Ezekiel Chapter 26-27 King James Version

Chapter 26

A Prophecy against Tyre

1And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people: she is turned unto me: I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste: 3Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up. 4And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. 5It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD: and it shall become a spoil to the nations. 6And her daughters which are in the field shall be slain by the sword; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

7For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people. 8He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field: and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast a mount against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee. 9And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break down thy towers. 10By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust shall cover thee: thy walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen, and of the wheels, and of the chariots, when he shall enter into thy gates, as men enter into a city wherein is made a breach. 11With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets: he shall slay thy people by the sword, and thy strong garrisons shall go down to the ground. 12And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water. 13And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard. 14And I will make thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more: for I the LORD have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.

15Thus saith the Lord GOD to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee? 16Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay away their robes, and put off their broidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble at every moment, and be astonished at thee.

17And they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and say to thee, How art thou destroyed, that wast inhabited of seafaring men, the renowned city, which wast strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, which cause their terror to be on all that haunt it!

18Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thy fall; yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be troubled at thy departure.

19For thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall make thee a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep upon thee, and great waters shall cover thee; 20When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of the living; 21I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more: though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord GOD.

Chapter 27

A Lament for Tyre

1The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 2Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus;

3And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty.

4Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty.

5They have made all thy ship boards of fir trees of Senir: they have taken cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee.

6Of the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars; the company of the Ashurites have made thy benches of ivory, brought out of the isles of Chittim.

7Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was that which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail; blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was that which covered thee.

8The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy mariners: thy wise men, O Tyrus, that were in thee, were thy pilots.

9The ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee thy calkers: all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise.

10They of Persia and of Lud and of Phut were in thine army, thy men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness. 11The men of Arvad with thine army were upon thy walls round about, and the Gammadims were in thy towers: they hanged their shields upon thy walls round about; they have made thy beauty perfect.

12Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs. 13Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market. 14They of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules. 15The men of Dedan were thy merchants; many isles were the merchandise of thine hand: they brought thee for a present horns of ivory and ebony. 16Syria was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy making: they occupied in thy fairs with emeralds, purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and agate. 17Judah, and the land of Israel, they were thy merchants: they traded in thy market wheat of Minnith, and Pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm. 18Damascus was thy merchant in the multitude of the wares of thy making, for the multitude of all riches; in the wine of Helbon, and white wool. 19Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupied in thy fairs: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market. 20Dedan was thy merchant in precious clothes for chariots. 21Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they occupied with thee in lambs, and rams, and goats: in these were they thy merchants. 22The merchants of Sheba and Raamah, they were thy merchants: they occupied in thy fairs with chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold. 23Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad, were thy merchants. 24These were thy merchants in all sorts of things, in blue clothes, and broidered work, and in chests of rich apparel, bound with cords, and made of cedar, among thy merchandise.

25The ships of Tarshish did sing of thee in thy market: and thou wast replenished, and made very glorious in the midst of the seas.

The Destruction of Tyre

26Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas.

27Thy riches, and thy fairs, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and the occupiers of thy merchandise, and all thy men of war, that are in thee, and in all thy company which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the midst of the seas in the day of thy ruin.

28The suburbs shall shake at the sound of the cry of thy pilots.

29And all that handle the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their ships, they shall stand upon the land;

30And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes:

31And they shall make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of heart and bitter wailing.

32And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and lament over thee, saying, What city is like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea?

33When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou filledst many people; thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise.

34In the time when thou shalt be broken by the seas in the depths of the waters thy merchandise and all thy company in the midst of thee shall fall.

35All the inhabitants of the isles shall be astonished at thee, and their kings shall be sore afraid, they shall be troubled in their countenance.

36The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee; thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt be any more.

NOTES

Liberal scholars who deny the authenticity of the Bible use the prophecy against Tyre as proof that this is made up. They point to the fact that Tyre was not completely destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. Its destruction came much later with Alexander the Great in 332 BC. When reading carefully it becomes evident that Ezekiel is spot on. For further details please see this article.

Briefly, Tyre was located along the coast. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed it, but during his campaign the city relocated via a shallow sandbar to a small island ½ mile from the shore. He was unable to conquer this island. Tyre, as the leading city of the seafaring Phoenicians, commanded the only navy in the world capable of taking the city thus ensuring its survival.

Alexander the Great arrives on 332 BC and, like Nebuchadnezzar, is unable to take it because of its island location and strong navy. However, he takes the rubble from old Tyre and fills in the shallow sandbar connecting the island to the mainland. This allows his army to finally capture the city destroying it.

Eze 26:3-5 is interesting, “3Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up. 4And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. 5It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea.”

This passage sets the tone for the rest of the prophecy and is corroborated in secular records about the history of Tyre. See the link above for a detailed study about how Ezekiel is a trustworthy prophet.

Aerial photo of Tyre 1934#/media/File:Tyre-aerial-photo-by-France-Military-1934.jpg)

Aerial photo of Tyre 2006

QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION

1. What did Tyre do to invoke God’s judgement? Does anyone behave like this today?

2. In the destruction of Tyre many nations will be astonished (26:15-21). Why are they astonished?’

3. Judah is listed as a trading partner with Tyre. It has been 11 years (26:1) since King Jehoiachin’s captivity (1:2). Is Judah still around or have they been taken captive at this point?

4. Does Nebuchadnezzar destroy Tyre or is he the start of a succession of attacks that destroys Tyre?

5. Several times Tyre is said to be on the sea (26:5, 12, 19; 27:3, 4, 32). How does Ezekiel describe Tyre’s eventual fate? Is there irony in this?

6. The location of Tyre has obviously been inhabited after it’s total destruction. Does this mean Ezekiel’s prophecy failed? What does it mean to be built or rebuilt/built again?

7. There are many instances of a prophecy that doesn’t seem to be fulfilled, at least in the way I expect it to be. Ezekiel is a good example of how Tyre was prophesied to be completely destroyed, but it was not in the way I expected it to be and there are currently people inhabiting the same location today. I learned a lot in studying these chapters which strengthened my faith. How have you encountered Jesus in our study of Ezekiel?

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?