November 12- No Tears

November 12, 2011

Scripture Reading:
Ezekiel 24:1-26:21; Hebrews 11:1-16;
Psalm 110:1-7; Proverbs 27:14

Tearless grief bleeds inwardly.
 ~Christian Nevell Bovee

Ezekiel 24:1-26

Have you ever thought about the fact that crying feels good?  When I was a little girl my family teased me about being a cry baby because tears flowed so easily in my life.  I cried about everything!  Then I went through a period in my adolescence where crying was not easy for me.  As a matter of fact, I almost never cried about anything.  Looking back, I think I prefer crying easily to not crying at all. Today, Ezekiel is called to be an illustration to the Israelites of not crying when something precious is taken from you by the Lord.

Ezekiel is warned by God that his precious treasure, his wife, is going to die suddenly.  God instructs Ezekiel not to cry for her when she dies and not to wail loudly at her burial.  Shortly, she does die and Ezekiel obeys God.  This is a shocking and strange incident that peaks the curiosity of the people.  Ezekiel takes the opportunity to warn the people of Jerusalem that God is going to desecrate their precious treasure, the Temple of Solomon.  When God does this in judgment upon them, they are not to cry.  They are to follow Ezekiel's example.

This story reminds us that God's personality is complex.  Jeremiah was the weeping prophet, who represented the sorrowful heart of God as God's people were taken into captivity.  Ezekiel is the hard-boiled prophet who reflects God's steadfast and steely side that judges sin in holiness. Both men reflect God's heart.  Jesus reflected both of these qualities as he wept over sin, death, and Jerusalem, but also harshly condemned the Pharisees and hypocrites, promising judgment for unbelief and sin.  God is a God of mercy and holiness.  Both of these qualities are intertwined and undeniable. Ezekiel is used by God to show us deeper dimensions of God's essence.

Ezekiel is also given messages to declare that the nations surrounding Israel will not escape judgment.  Ammon and Moab, both of whom descend from Lot's incestuous relationships with his daughters, are going to be judged and defeated by Babylon.  Both nations are no longer part of our group of modern nations. Ezekiel's prophesies came true.  In addition, Edom (the descendants of Esau) will also be destroyed.  Philistia and Tyre round out the group of nations that God will destroy.  Further details on the destruction and symbolism that Tyre represents will be part of our reading tomorrow.

God is sovereign over the nations.  Do you accept God's judgments as just?

Hebrews 11:1-16

Here is a timeless question...What is faith?  For you and me this is a fundamental question because faith is the key to eternity.  Many people believe that faith is believing in things that don't really exist, but the Scriptures tell us that faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance of what we cannot see. Having confidence and assurance in God is what pleases our Creator.  God cannot be seen with the human eye.  Heaven is what we confidently hope for.

The author of Hebrews recounts for us people throughout the Bible whose lives have reflected faith in God. This is called the Hall of Faith by many people.  These people's lives prove to us that faith is not some fluffy philosophical condition that is irrelevant. Faith is a practical tool in a person's life.  Faith makes a difference in God's economy and in a human being's life.

Faith assures us that this universe was created by God's command and was made from things that cannot be seen.  This is a broad concept that does not worry about the scientific details.  It is not the how. It is the who.

We learn that Eve's son Abel brought his animal sacrifice offering to God, as seen in the book of Genesis, with faith, while Cain did not.  Abel's life speaks to us of faith.  Faith resulted in action.

Enoch, the man who never died, was taken up to heaven and suddenly disappeared because his faith was so pleasing to God .

Noah believed God that something that had never happened before would occur when God said it would.  He took action to build the ark based on faith.  His faith resulted in action that saved the human race from extinction. His faith also condemned the wicked on earth at that time.

Abraham had faith and it led him to leave his homeland and go to another land that God would give him as an inheritance. Being a foreigner and living in a tent in a foreign land was an act of faith in God and His promises. Abraham did this because his faith was truly in an future city built on eternal foundations.  He was looking forward to a city built by God.

Faith in God's promises led Sarah to have a child, even though she was old and barren. Abraham believed that God would keep His promise and that a nation would come from him and Sarah. Faith led to action, which led to the nation of Israel and the Christ.

It is noted that each of these people died without seeing what they hoped for (the Messiah) on earth. The author notes that they saw it from a distance.  This is the essence of faith.  Seeing something from a distance.  Faith results in action.  These people had faith in a heavenly city built by their God.  Therefore, God is pleased to call them His own.

Do you look forward to a future existence with God?  Do you believe that it really will happen?  Does this cause you to behave differently?

Psalm 110:1-7

This is a promise from God the Father to God the Son.

Proverbs 27:14

Don't disturb your neighbor early in the morning.  Good advice! 

What are you realizing as you read?

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal
Kathy Fullerton