Day 248, September 5: Bible reading & prayer
Ezekiel 28-31 (chronological); Proverbs 7-8, 1 Corinthians 14:21-40 (OT/NT)
We are reading Ezekiel. Ezekiel the priest actually wrote as an exile in the land of the Chaldeans during the era of the kings of Judah and the kings of Israel. The Lord gave Ezekiel vision of what Jeremiah experienced and spoke about, so Ezekiel fills in a lot of understanding for us. The LORD consistently repeats that even in His wrath and punishment, He will leave a remnant as witness that His word stands, who will then know that He is the LORD.
Reminder that Jehoiachin (Coniah, Jeconiah), king of Judah, grandson of Josiah, actually surrendered to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon after only three months of reign after the death of his rebellious father Jehoiakim. He was taken to Babylon with ten thousand other captives. The LORD appeared to Ezekiel and appointed him to speak His word during the fifth year of Jehoiachin’s exile. Nebuchadnezzar had replaced Jehoiachin with his uncle Mattaniah, renaming him Zedekiah. Zedekiah eventually rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, like his brother Jehoiakim, had done. This led to the siege and fall of Jerusalem, about which Ezekiel prophesied.
In our reading yesterday, the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel in the ninth year of the exile of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, on the tenth day of the tenth month saying that the king of Babylon had laid siege to Jerusalem on that very day. He had Ezekiel speak a parable about Jerusalem being a pot. He was going to boil its contents and then He was going to boil the empty pot to cleanse it, saying she would not be cleansed of her filthiness until He had spent His wrath upon her. Then He warned Ezekiel that his wife was going to die and he was not to mourn. Ezekiel spoke to the people in the morning and in the evening his wife died, and he obeyed. He was to be a sign to Israel that when He profaned His sanctuary, the pride of their power, the desire of their eyes, and the delight of their souls, and when those left in Israel died, they were not to mourn. Ezekiel was going to be mute until this news of Israel came from one who escaped. He would be a sign to those he had spoken to and they would know He was the LORD.
Then the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel regarding the enemies of Israel (Ammon [descendants of Lot], Moab [descendants of Lot], Edom [descendants of Esau], and the Philistines) that He was going to execute judgment on them for their treatment of Israel and Judah, and for their celebrating His judgment on His people.
Finally, the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel in the eleventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, saying that Tyre would also be punished for celebrating His punishment of Israel. Then the LORD had Ezekiel speak a very specific lament about the destruction of Tyre. These prophecies were very specific and we know they have been fulfilled.
An overview of our yearly Bible reading plan, with all summaries so far, can be found here. My appeal for the resolution to read your Bibles is here.
September 5 chronological reading: Ezekiel 28-31
Ezekiel 28
v1-5 “The word of the LORD came again to me, saying, ‘Son of man, say to the leader of Tyre, “Thus says the Lord GOD,
‘Because your heart is lifted up
And you have said, “I am a god,
I sit in the seat of gods
In the heart of the seas”;
Yet you are a man and not God,
Although you make your heart like the heart of God—
Behold, you are wiser than Daniel;
There is no secret that is a match for you.
By your wisdom and understanding
You have acquired riches for yourself
And have acquired gold and silver for your treasuries.
By your great wisdom, by your trade
You have increased your riches
And your heart is lifted up because of your riches—
v6-10 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord GOD,
“Because you have made your heart
Like the heart of God,
Therefore, behold, I will bring strangers upon you,
The most ruthless of the nations.
And they will draw their swords
Against the beauty of your wisdom
And defile your splendor.
They will bring you down to the pit,
And you will die the death of those who are slain
In the heart of the seas.
Will you still say, ‘I am a god,’
In the presence of your slayer,
Though you are a man and not God,
In the hands of those who wound you?
You will die the death of the uncircumcised
By the hand of strangers,
For I have spoken!” declares the Lord GOD!’”’
v11-19 “Again the word of the LORD came to me saying, ‘Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, “Thus says the Lord GOD,
‘You had the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God;
Every precious stone was your covering:
The ruby, the topaz and the diamond;
The beryl, the onyx and the jasper;
The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald;
And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets,
Was in you.
On the day that you were created
They were prepared.
You were the anointed cherub who covers,
And I placed you there.
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked in the midst of the stones of fire.
You were blameless in your ways
From the day you were created
Until unrighteousness was found in you.
By the abundance of your trade
You were internally filled with violence,
And you sinned;
Therefore I have cast you as profane
From the mountain of God.
And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub,
From the midst of the stones of fire.
Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor.
I cast you to the ground;
I put you before kings,
That they may see you.
By the multitude of your iniquities,
In the unrighteousness of your trade
You profaned your sanctuaries.
Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you;
It has consumed you,
And I have turned you to ashes on the earth
In the eyes of all who see you.
All who know you among the peoples
Are appalled at you;
You have become terrified
And you will cease to be forever.’”’
v20-23 “And the word of the LORD came to me saying, ‘Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, prophesy against her and say, “Thus says the Lord GOD,
‘Behold, I am against you, O Sidon,
And I will be glorified in your midst.
Then they will know that I am the LORD when I execute judgments in her,
And I will manifest My holiness in her.
For I will send pestilence to her
And blood to her streets,
And the wounded will fall in her midst
By the sword upon her on every side;
Then they will know that I am the LORD.
v24 ‘And there will be no more for the house of Israel a prickling brier or a painful thorn from any round about them who scorned them; then they will know that I am the Lord GOD.’
v25-26 “Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and will manifest My holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they will live in their land which I gave to My servant Jacob. They will live in it securely; and they will build houses, plant vineyards and live securely when I execute judgments upon all who scorn them round about them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.’”’”
Ezekiel 29
v1-7 “In the tenth year [of the exile of Jehoiachin, king of Judah], in the tenth month, on the twelfth of the month, the word of the LORD came to me saying, ‘Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. Speak and say, “Thus says the Lord GOD,
‘Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt,
The great monster that lies in the midst of his rivers,
That has said, “My Nile is mine, and I myself have made it.”
I will put hooks in your jaws
And make the fish of your rivers cling to your scales.
And I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers,
And all the fish of your rivers will cling to your scales.
I will abandon you to the wilderness, you and all the fish of your rivers;
You will fall on the open field; you will not be brought together or gathered.
I have given you for food to the beasts of the earth and to the birds of the sky.
Then all the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am the LORD,
Because they have been only a staff made of reed to the house of Israel.
When they took hold of you with the hand,
You broke and tore all their hands;
And when they leaned on you,
You broke and made all their loins quake.’
v8-12 “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Behold, I will bring upon you a sword and I will cut off from you man and beast. The land of Egypt will become a desolation and waste. Then they will know that I am the LORD.
Because you said, “The Nile is mine, and I have made it,” therefore, behold, I am against you and against your rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, from Migdol to Syene and even to the border of Ethiopia. A man’s foot will not pass through it, and the foot of a beast will not pass through it, and it will not be inhabited for forty years. So I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of desolated lands. And her cities, in the midst of cities that are laid waste, will be desolate forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands.’
v13-16 “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. I will turn the fortunes of Egypt and make them return to the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin, and there they will be a lowly kingdom. It will be the lowest of the kingdoms, and it will never again lift itself up above the nations. And I will make them so small that they will not rule over the nations. And it will never again be the confidence of the house of Israel, bringing to mind the iniquity of their having turned to Egypt. Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD.’”’
v17-20 “Now in the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the word of the LORD came to me saying, ‘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. But he and his army had no wages from Tyre for the labor that he had performed against it.’ Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Behold, I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. And he will carry off her wealth and capture her spoil and seize her plunder; and it will be wages for his army. I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor which he performed, because they acted for Me,’ declares the Lord GOD.
v21 ‘On that day I will make a horn sprout for the house of Israel, and I will open your mouth in their midst. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’”
Ezekiel 30
v1-4 “The word of the LORD came again to me saying, ‘Son of man, prophesy and say, “Thus says the Lord GOD,
‘Wail, “Alas for the day!”
For the day is near,
Even the day of the LORD is near;
It will be a day of clouds,
A time of doom for the nations.
A sword will come upon Egypt,
And anguish will be in Ethiopia;
When the slain fall in Egypt,
They take away her wealth,
And her foundations are torn down.
v5 ‘Ethiopia, Put, Lud, all Arabia, Libya and the people of the land that is in league will fall with them by the sword.’
v6-8 “Thus says the LORD,
‘Indeed, those who support Egypt will fall
And the pride of her power will come down;
From Migdol to Syene
They will fall within her by the sword,’
Declares the Lord GOD.
‘They will be desolate
In the midst of the desolated lands;
And her cities will be
In the midst of the devastated cities.
And they will know that I am the LORD,
When I set a fire in Egypt
And all her helpers are broken.
v9 ‘On that day messengers will go forth from Me in ships to frighten secure Ethiopia; and anguish will be on them as on the day of Egypt; for behold, it comes!’
v10-12 “Thus says the Lord GOD,
‘I will also make the hordes of Egypt cease
By the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
He and his people with him,
The most ruthless of the nations,
Will be brought in to destroy the land;
And they will draw their swords against Egypt
And fill the land with the slain.
Moreover, I will make the Nile canals dry
And sell the land into the hands of evil men.
And I will make the land desolate
And all that is in it,
By the hand of strangers; I the LORD have spoken.’
v13-19 “Thus says the Lord GOD,
‘I will also destroy the idols
And make the images cease from Memphis.
And there will no longer be a prince in the land of Egypt;
And I will put fear in the land of Egypt.
I will make Pathros desolate,
Set a fire in Zoan
And execute judgments on Thebes.
I will pour out My wrath on Sin,
The stronghold of Egypt;
I will also cut off the hordes of Thebes.
I will set a fire in Egypt;
Sin will writhe in anguish,
Thebes will be breached
And Memphis will have distresses daily.
The young men of On and of Pi-beseth
Will fall by the sword,
And the women will go into captivity.
In Tehaphnehes the day will be dark
When I break there the yoke bars of Egypt.
Then the pride of her power will cease in her;
A cloud will cover her,
And her daughters will go into captivity.
Thus I will execute judgments on Egypt,
And they will know that I am the LORD.’”’
v20-26 “In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh of the month, the word of the LORD came to me saying, ‘Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, behold, it has not been bound up for healing or wrapped with a bandage, that it may be strong to hold the sword. Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt and will break his arms, both the strong and the broken; and I will make the sword fall from his hand. I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands. For I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put My sword in his hand; and I will break the arms of Pharaoh, so that he will groan before him with the groanings of a wounded man. Thus I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will fall. Then they will 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. When I scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands, then they will know that I am the LORD.”’”
Ezekiel 31
v1-9 “In the eleventh year [of the exile of Jehoiachin, king of Judah], in the third month, on the first of the month, the word of the LORD came to me saying, ‘Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes,
“Whom are you like in your greatness?
Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon
With beautiful branches and forest shade,
And very high,
And its top was among the clouds.
The waters made it grow, the deep made it high.
With its rivers it continually extended all around its planting place,
And sent out its channels to all the trees of the field.
Therefore its height was loftier than all the trees of the field
And its boughs became many and its branches long
Because of many waters as it spread them out.
All the birds of the heavens nested in its boughs,
And under its branches all the beasts of the field gave birth,
And all great nations lived under its shade.
So it was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches;
For its roots extended to many waters.
The cedars in God’s garden could not match it;
The cypresses could not compare with its boughs,
And the plane trees could not match its branches.
No tree in God’s garden could compare with it in its beauty.
I made it beautiful with the multitude of its branches,
And all the trees of Eden, which were in the garden of God, were jealous of it.’
v10-14 “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Because it is high in stature and has set its top among the clouds, and its heart is haughty in its loftiness, therefore I will give it into the hand of a despot of the nations; he will thoroughly deal with it. According to its wickedness I have driven it away. Alien tyrants of the nations have cut it down and left it; on the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen and its boughs have been broken in all the ravines of the land. And all the peoples of the earth have gone down from its shade and left it. On its ruin all the birds of the heavens will dwell, and all the beasts of the field will be on its fallen branches so that all the trees by the waters may not be exalted in their stature, nor set their top among the clouds, nor their well-watered mighty ones stand erect in their height. For they have all been given over to death, to the earth beneath, among the sons of men, with those who go down to the pit.’
v15-17 “Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘On the day when it went down to Sheol I caused lamentations; I closed the deep over it and held back its rivers. And its many waters were stopped up, and I made Lebanon mourn for it, and all the trees of the field wilted away on account of it. I made the nations quake at the sound of its fall when I made it go down to Sheol with those who go down to the pit; and all the well-watered trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, were comforted in the earth beneath. They also went down with it to Sheol to those who were slain by the sword; and those who were its strength lived under its shade among the nations.
v18 ‘To which among the trees of Eden are you thus equal in glory and greatness? Yet you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth beneath; you will lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with those who were slain by the sword. So is Pharaoh and all his hordes!’” declares the Lord GOD.’”
September 5 OT/NT readings: Proverbs 7-8, 1 Corinthians 14:21-40
We are reading Proverbs in the Old Testament reading plan. We first read Proverbs 7 & 8 in the chronological reading plan on Day 156.
We’re reading Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians in the New Testament reading plan. Paul went to Corinth during his second missionary journey (see timeline of the book of Acts). It was the first place he remained for any length of time (18 months) until a disturbance was formed against him and he moved on. He had met Romans Priscilla and Aquila in Corinth, and he took them with him to Ephesus and left them there while he returned to Antioch. He returned to Ephesus at the beginning of his third missionary journey, staying over 2 years. He wrote what we know as the first letter to the Corinthians from Ephesus. 1 Corinthians 5:9 refers to a previous letter that Paul wrote to the Corinthians and 1 Corinthians 7:1 refers to their writing a letter in return, containing questions he addresses in this letter.
Paul wrote the church in Corinth because he knew there was both division and immorality in the church. He addressed that in the first six chapters. In the seventh chapter, he turned to answering questions that they had written to him, first addressing marriage and then idol worship. He then went on to answer criticisms about himself. He made clear that he, like others, had freedom in Christ. He also explained he had the right, for instance, to be paid for his service as a minister of the gospel. He never exercised this right, however, because he was under compulsion to preach the gospel. He was willing to be all things to all men so that he might save some. He was willing to discipline himself for the sake of the gospel. Paul gave an example of the need for discipline by reminding the Corinthians of the Israelites who were led by Moses and saw amazing miracles and still sinned, warning “let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall” and reminding that the Lord has provided a way of escape from all temptation. We flee idolatry in order not to provoke God to jealousy, to protect ourselves, and not to hurt the conscience of others. We seek the good of others, not pleasing ourselves, so that many may be saved. He turned from this discussion to a criticism of how the Corinthians came together to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Just as we need to understand our place in the hierarchy and authority of God’s creation, we need to judge ourselves rightly that we are sinners in need of a Savior. That is the proper way to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. He then turned to the consideration of spiritual gifts, reminding us that there are different gifts, ministries, and effects of the Holy Spirit in different individuals, given for the common good, as we are all different and necessary members of one body. Our spiritual gifts are worthless, however, if we do not have love.
In chapter 14, yesterday, Paul taught that we should desire edification of the church in our spiritual gifts: “one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation…greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying.”
1 Corinthians 14
v21-25 “In the Law it is written, ‘BY MEN OF STRANGE TONGUES AND BY THE LIPS OF STRANGERS I WILL SPEAK TO THIS PEOPLE, AND EVEN SO THEY WILL NOT LISTEN TO ME,’ says the Lord. So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign, not to unbelievers but to those who believe. Therefore if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues, and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you.
v26-33 “What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must interpret; but if there is no interpreter, he must keep silent in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment. But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted; and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
v34-36 “The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church. Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only?
v37-38 “If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment. But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.
v39-40 “Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues. But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.”
Dear Lord,
“Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor.
I cast you to the ground”
May we ever be humble before You, recognizing all we have and all we are is from You.
let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment.
Thank You for the apostle Paul’s clarity in this declaration. Help us not to resist following Your commands, even when they are difficult and even when we don’t like them.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
"May we ever be humble before You, recognizing all we have and all we are is from You." Amen. Thank you Dr. Milhoan. Peace.