Ezekiel has some harsh words for Pharaoh and Egypt. He says they will be in hell with Assyria, Elam, Meshech, Tubal, and Edom. Egypt will be destroyed like the other nations for ignoring the Lord and His Word.

God appoints Ezekiel as the watchman over the spiritual condition of the people of Israel. He is to warn them of their sin and to tell them to repent before judgment occurs. The Lord says that although the nation is under judgment, individuals can still be saved if they repent and turn to the Lord. God says, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.”

We find out today that Nebuchadnezzar took a total 4,600 Jews into captivity during the 3 waves of captivity. We read the genealogy of 3 of Jacob’s sons, from Jacob to the exile:

1) Simeon- Simeon and Levi are the brothers who killed all the men in the city when Shechem, son of a Hivite prince, raped their sister Dinah (Gen 34). So when Jacob gave Simeon and Levi their blessing he said, “Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel” (Gen 49:7). Today, Simeon’s genealogy is described by the total defeat of their enemies and acquisition of their land. However they were eventually overtaken by the Assyrians and scattered as well as the rest of Northern Israel.

2) Reuben – Reuben slept with Jacob’s concubine (Gen 35:22). So when Jacob blessed him he said, “Unstable as water, you shall not excel, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it” (Gen 49:4). Today we read, “Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel…because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph…yet Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came a rule.” Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, formed the majority of Northern Israel. However the brother, Judah (Southern Judah Kingdom), prevails bc King David and all the Kings of Southern Judah come from Judah’s lineage. And Jesus is on His way through this bloodline.

3) Gad – When Jacob blessed Gad he said, “a troop shall tramp upon him, but he shall triumph at last” (Gen 49:19). Not much was said on Gad today except that they acquired the land of Bashan as far as Salcah. And they too were part of Northern Israel which was overthrown by the Assyrians.

More on the sons of Jacob tomorrow so keep reading.

(Ezekiel 33:17-33,20, Jeremiah 52:28-30, Psalm 137, 1 Chronicles 4:24-5:17)

#bibleliteracymovement

#chronologicalbibleteaching

Yesterday’s reading ended with the Lord promising to one day restore the land. “So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited’” (Ezekiel 36:35). Today the Lord promises to revive the people spiritually. He illustrates this as dry bones brought to life. God brings those dead, dry bones to life and says, “I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land.” Then God tells Ezekiel to take two sticks, representing Judah and Israel, and bind them together as an illustration that He will one day bind the nations together under a new covenant.

The Lord also gives Ezekiel a vision of the future with a message for Gog and Magog. There are differing views over what this message exactly means. Ezekiel’s description here is similar to what we will read at the end of the Story in the Book of Revelation, when John is describing the Great Tribulation. It will be a time of awful calamity but God has promised that He will have ultimate victory over all of His enemies. Then the earthly Eden that was described at the beginning of this Story will be restored as a heavenly Eden at the end of this Story.

We end the reading with Ezekiel warning Pharaoh, king of Egypt, of their future destruction. More on that tomorrow so keep reading.

(Ezekiel 37:1-39:29, Ezekiel 32:1-16)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching

Today Ezekiel rebukes the shepherds (Israel’s leaders) for not shepherding the flock (the people) well. He says they fed themselves instead of the flock and used their position for their own personal gain and well-being. So the people were scattered bc there was no shepherd searching for them.

Therefore God is sending a Good Shepherd. ”I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel…I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick.”

The Lord says He will separate the sheep and His sheep will be cared for. “I will establish one shepherd over them, and He shall feed them – My Servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd.” The Lord will make a new covenant of peace with His people. “’You are My flock, the flock of My pasture, you are men, and I am your God’, says the Lord God.”

When Jesus, from the bloodline of King David, enters the scene, He will declare Himself to be this Good Shepherd. “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep” (John 10:14-15).

The Lord says that under this new covenant with Christ, He will “give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you…I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.” This is the Holy Spirit. Paul will tell us later, the the Lord saved us “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:5-7).

Keep reading.

(Ezekiel 34:1-36:38)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching

Today Johanan and others ask Jeremiah to inquire of the Lord “that the Lord your God may show us the way in which we should walk and the thing we should do.” The Lord responds, “If you will remain in this land, then I will build you and not pull you down.” “Do not go to Egypt!” God knows they are hypocrites in their hearts when they inquire of the Lord.

So Johanan ignores the Word of God and goes to Egypt, taking Jeremiah with the other captives. On the way there, God has a message for them bc of their disobedience. He says that He is sending Nebuchadnezzar against Egypt and “he shall strike the land of Egypt and deliver to death those appointed for death, and to captivity those appointed for captivity, and to the sword those appointed for the sword.” The Lord is going to destroy the people for trusting in Egypt and their false gods but he always leaves a remnant. “Yet a small number who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah; and all the remnant of Judah…shall know whose words still stand, Mine or theirs.”

Over in Babylon, about 12 years into Ezekiel’s captivity, word got back to him that Jerusalem has fallen. During these 12 years the Lord has withheld Ezekiel from speaking freely; he could speak only what the Lord told him to say. But today the Lord removes the muteness from Ezekiel. The people have been complaining about losing the land to which they believe they are entitled, so the Lord tells them that the land was His and He made it desolate bc of their abominations. He also rebukes the people for coming to hear Ezekiel speak the Word of God “but they do not do them, for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain.”

More from Ezekiel tomorrow so keep reading.

(Jeremiah 42:1-44:30, Ezekiel 33:21-33)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching

In the final Lamentation the people say, “The joy of our heart has ceased…Woe to us, for we have sinned.” “Turn us back to You, O Lord, and we will be restored.” Sin is only pleasurable for a season (Hebrew 11:25) but it ultimately robs your heart of joy. Restoration is found in repentance and turning to the Lord.

Today the prophet Obadiah steps on the scene with a prophecy from the Lord against prideful Edom, descendants of Esau. The Lord rebukes them for their violence against their brother, Jacob. When Judah was being attacked by the Babylonians, Edom would capture the fugitives and either kill them or hand them over to the Babylonians. Edom rejoiced over the downfall of Judah and because of this they are going to experience judgment from the Lord. “For the day of the Lord upon all nations is near; as you have done, it shall be done to you.”

Over in Judah, Ishmael, of the royal family, kills Gedaliah, the governor of Judah recently appointed by Nebuchadnezzar. “Ishmael also struck down all the Jews who were with him, that is, with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there, the men of war.” Ishmael goes on to kill more men and he carries the rest of the people off as captives to the Ammonites. Johanan is the military captain who warned Gedaliah of Ishmael’s plot to kill him but was ignored. Johanan rescues the people and heads toward Egypt for fear of the Chaldeans after Ishmael murdered their men.

Tomorrow the Lord tells the people to stay in the land and trust Him instead of fleeing to Egypt. Will the people trust the Lord? Keep reading to find out.

(Lamentations 5:1-22, Obadiah 1:1-21, 2 Kings 25:22-26, Jeremiah 40:7-41:18)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching

The Westminster Shorter Catechism definition of God is “God is Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.” Because of God’s holiness, God hates sin. Because of God’s justice, God punishes sin. Because of God’s goodness, God shows mercy to those who repent and turn to Him. Because of God’s truthfulness, we can trust that He is sending a Savior to redeem His people as He promised. We see all of these characteristics of God in today’s reading.

The Israelites were living in total sin and rebellion against the Lord so “The Lord has swallowed up and has not pitied all the dwelling places of Jacob. He has thrown down in His wrath the strongholds of the daughter of Judah.” However, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the souls who seek Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

The Lord is working His plan to provide a way for our salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. “For the Lord will not cast off forever. Though He causes grief, yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies.”

Tomorrow someone kills the newly appointed governor of Judah. Keep reading.

(Lamentations 2:1-4:22)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching

Nebuchadnezzar releases Jeremiah, the man of God who has been telling the people to surrender to the Babylonians, from prison and gives him a choice of staying in Judah or going with him to Babylon. Jeremiah chooses to stay back with the few people who are left in the land. So we see God’s protection over Jeremiah who has faith in the Lord and obeys His Word (I bet Zedekiah wished he had done the same).

Remember Edeb-Melech, the Ethiopian who pulled Jeremiah out of the dungeon? Well the Lord tells Jeremiah to tell Edeb-Melech, “you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but your life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in Me”. Again we see that the Lord saves the ones who put their trust in Him!

Nebuchadnezzar makes Gedaliah the governor of Judah. He is the son of Ahikam (who saved Jeremiah’s life in our August 4th reading) and grandson of Shaphan (the scribe who found the book of the law during Josiah’s reign in our July 31 reading). The Babylonians burn the house of the Lord and all the great houses, and break down the walls of Jerusalem. They break into pieces the bronze pillars, the carts, and the bronze Sea that was in the temple and take away the pots, shovels, spoons, bronze utensils; “the things of solid gold and solid silver, the captain of the guard took away.” “And those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.”

So the land will lay desolate for 70 years, counting from the first wave of captivity when Daniel was taken in 605 BC until King Cyrus of Persia will make a decree sending the people of Judah back to rebuild in 537 BC. (From my research, it appears that the 2 year difference is explained through the Israelites calendar system.)

We end today’s reading by beginning the Book of Lamentations with mourning over the destruction of Jerusalem. More from Lamentations tomorrow so keep reading.

(Jeremiah 39:11-18, Jeremiah 40:1-6, 2 Kings 25:8-21, Jeremiah 52:12-27, 2 Chronicles 36:15-21, Lamentations 1:1-22)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching

Yesterday the Lord told Ezekiel that He was going to destroy the Phoenician port city, Tyre. The Lord is destroying Tyre bc they rejoiced over the fall of Jerusalem, thinking that they would profit from Jerusalem’s destruction. Today Ezekiel talks about the riches of Tyre and all the nations that do business with Tyre. Therefore, when Tyre goes down, many nations will mourn bc it will impact them financially. “You satisfied many people; you enriched the kings of the earth with your many luxury goods and your merchandise. But you are broken by the seas in the depths of the waters; your merchandise and the entire company will fall in your midst. All the inhabitants of the isles will be astonished at you.”

See, wealth and power mean nothing without a relationship with the Lord. The people of Tyre are secure in their stuff and believe they are gods. The Lord says, “Because your heart is lifted up because of your riches…I will bring strangers against you..They shall throw you down into the Pit, and you shall die the death of the slain in the midst of the seas.”

In other bad news, Jerusalem falls today. The Chaldeans break through the city wall, “Then they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, put out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with bronze fetters, and took him to Babylon.” 😱 The Babylonians burn the city and take the remnant of people off to Babylon. They leave only the poor who have nothing and give them vineyards and fields.

Meanwhile, Jeremiah is still stuck in prison. Keep reading.

(Ezekiel 26:15-28:26, 2 Kings 25:3-7, Jeremiah 52:6-11, Jeremiah 39:2-10)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching

Babylon is invading Jerusalem and Jeremiah is still in the court prison. In the midst of all that, the Lord instructs Jeremiah to buy a field from his cousin. After Jeremiah signs the deed, the Lord says, “Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in the land.”

Jeremiah is confused bc, for the last 40 years, the Lord has been telling him that judgement will be coming to Judah which will result in Judah’s destruction. So why would Jeremiah want to purchase land? 🤔Jeremiah says to God, “And You have said to me, O Lord God, ’Buy the field for money, and take witness’! – yet the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.” God responds, “Is there anything too hard for me?” The answer to that is NO!! 🙌

The Lord tells Jeremiah that the Babylonians will destroy Jerusalem as He has said, “because the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only evil before Me from their youth.” But the Lord gives them hope for restoration. He says He will bring them back and give them a new heart “and I will make an everlasting covenant with them; that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.” This will be accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Later in the Story, Jesus will call His followers His sheep. And He will say that He “gives eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28).

The Lord speaks about Jesus, the Priest King, who is coming through the bloodline of King David, Judah’s kings. “For thus says the Lord: ‘David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; nor shall the priests, the Levites, lack a man to offer burnt offerings before Me, to kindle grain offerings, and to sacrifice continually.’“ Paul will tell us later in the Story that “Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Romans 8:34); “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

And that’s some good news! Keep reading.

(Jeremiah 32:1-33:26, Ezekiel 26:1-14)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching

From today’s reading in the One Year Chronological Bible dated 8/23:

The Lord tells Ezekiel that his wife, “the desire of your eyes”, is going to die and He tells Ezekiel not to mourn. This is another effort to get the attention of the people in captivity and it is an illustration of the destruction about to come upon the temple, the desire of their eyes. ”Behold, I will profane My sanctuary, your arrogant boast, the desire of your eyes, the delight of your soul; and your sons and daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword. And you shall do as I have done; you shall not cover your lips nor eat man’s bread of sorrow.”

In Jerusalem, the people are still living in rebellion. Jeremiah rebukes them for not releasing their slaves after 7 years as the Lord had commanded them to do back in the wilderness. (Exodus 21:2)

Jeremiah tells King Zedekiah that God is giving Jerusalem into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar but Zedekiah will not die by the sword. ”Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. And you shall not escape from his hand, but shall surely be taken and delivered into his hand; your eyes shall see the eyes of the king of Babylon, he shall speak with you face to face, and you shall go to Babylon…You shall not die by the sword. You shall die in peace; as in the ceremonies of your fathers, the former kings who were before you.” The Lord is going to let Zedekiah, a descendant of David, die in peace. But, his eyes are going to see something more than just Nebuchadnezzar before they are removed from his head. 😳 That is coming.

Like Isaiah and Jeremiah, Ezekiel proclaims future judgment on Ammon, Moab, Edom and Philistia. Then the Lord turns His attention to Egypt and says, like Assyria, they will be destroyed bc of their pride. Egypt “shall be the lowliest of kingdoms; it shall never again exalt itself above the nations, for I will diminish them so that they will not rule over the nations anymore.”

Disaster is quickly approaching Jerusalem but the Lord gives the people a word of hope tomorrow. Keep reading.

(Ezekiel 24:15-25:17, Jeremiah 34:1-22, Jeremiah 21:1-14, Ezekiel 29:1-16, Ezekiel 30:20-31:18)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching