2 Statues, 1 Dream and a Fiery Furnace (Daniel 2b-3)

 Last time we left off, Nebuchadnezzar issued a death warrant to all the wise men under him because no one could tell him what his dream was and what it meant. When the commander of the king's army showed up to bring in Daniel for execution, Daniel asked for a little more time, so he would be able to give the king what he wanted. The king agreed and Daniel went home and prayed with his 3 closest friends that God would reveal the king's dream to Daniel, and enlighten him about what it meant.

 That night Daniel had a vision. God revealed to Daniel what Nebuchadnezzar's dream was and what it meant. Daniel prayed again, praising God and thanking Him! The next morning Daniel went straight to the commander of the king's army, Arioch, and told him that he had the information that the king was looking for. So Arioch paused his mass execution of all the wise men and brought Daniel before the king. He wanted to score some points with the king, so instead of telling him the truth (that Daniel came to him), he told the king that he found one of the captives from Judah who could tell him and interpret his dream.

"Is this true?" Nebuchadnezzar asked Daniel. "Can you tell me my dream and what it means?"                     "It is not I, but the one true God that wants you to know what your dream means," Daniel answered. “In your vision, Your Majesty, you saw standing before you a huge, shining statue of a man. It was made of many different materials. A rock came flying out of a nearby mountain and hit the feet of the statue. Then the whole statue was crushed into small pieces of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold and the wind blew them away without a trace. But the rock that knocked the statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth. God has made you a mighty king, in charge of a vast kingdom, but your kingdom will fall and be replaced several times over. Finally, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain, though not by human hands, that crushed to pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God was showing the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is certain.”

God speaks to us in many ways, through the Bible, through other people, when we sit quietly and listen, and even in our dreams. We need to not only keep our eyes and our ears open to what God might be telling us, but also our hearts. Ask God if that dream you had last night was from Him and what it meant.

Nebuchadnezzar was amazed that Daniel knew his dream and what it meant! He said, “Truly, your God is the greatest of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this secret.”  Then the king appointed Daniel to a high position and gave him many valuable gifts. He made Daniel ruler over the whole province of Babylon, as well as chief over all his wise men.  At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be in charge of all the affairs of the province of Babylon, while Daniel remained in the king’s court.

Daniel continued to give God the glory, but he was also blessed. Whatever we do, we should do it for the glory of God. 1Corinthians 10:31 Anytime anyone compliments you, say thank you and pass that compliment along to God. After all, He gave you the ability to do whatever you did to get that compliment.

The idea of a statue must have remained in Nebuchadnezzar's brain, because soon afterward, he built a ninety-foot gold statue and commanded that, when the musical instruments rang out, all the people would fall on their faces and worship the statue. Anyone who didn't comply would be thrown into a fiery furnace. So, every time the music sounded the people fell to their knees and worshipped the statue. However, some of the king's wise men noticed that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not worship the statue when the instruments were played and they went straight to the king and told him. (You would think that they would have been so happy that Daniel was able to tell the king his dream and save their lives, that they would have kept their mouths shut) Nebuchadnezzar was furious! He demanded that the three men be brought to him and tossed in the furnace. Remember when we first met Nebuchadnezzar, we said that he was very impulsive. He showed it again when blew up and demanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be executed. But by the time they were rounded up and brought before the king, he had calmed down a bit and gave them one last chance to worship the statue when the musical instruments played. But the three men told the king that they had no intention of worshipping anyone or anything but the One True God. And even more, they told the king that their God was able to rescue them from the fiery furnace, but even if he didn't, they would still never worship the gold statue. Nebuchadnezzar flew into even more of a rage than he had before. He demanded that the furnace be heated to 7 times hotter than usual and that the three men be tossed in. So some guards tied up the men, while other guards fired up the furnace. The furnace was so hot, that when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were tossed in, the guards that did the tossing were killed instantly.

Sometimes it is hard to be a follower of Jesus. The Bible says that yes, we will have troubles, but God says that He will be with us in those troubles. Jesus said that we will also be persecuted. Which means people will not be nice to us just because we love Jesus. But Jesus said to stay strong because He is stronger than anything this world can throw at us.

As Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell into the furnace, the ropes that bound them burned off. Nebuchadnezzar got as close as he could to the furnace without getting burned and he peered into it. Next time we will see what happened to them.

The Book of Daniel (Chapters 1-2a)

 We are now in the book of Daniel. There is a lot more to the Daniel story than"the lion's den". The timeframe is pretty much the same as the book of Ezekiel which we just finished. Daniel was one of the young men who was taken from Jerusalem when the Babylonians first attacked the city and plundered it. Three of his friends were also captured with him. We know them by their Babylonian names, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, was a very prideful, and eccentric man. He would shower someone with praises and honor one minute, then have them and their families executed the next. It is important for us to know that he was feared not only by his enemies, but also by his friends and all the people in Babylon.

Chapter 1 begins: Nebuchadnezzar ordered his chief of staff to bring some of the young men who had been captured in Jerusalem to him. He wanted only the strongest, healthiest, good-looking, smartest, and wisest young men to be brought to the palace. "Train the young men in the language and the literature of Babylonia for three years. Give them the same food to eat that is served by the royal kitchen. Then I will select a handful of these men to serve as my royal advisors." Nebuchadnezzar ordered.

Daniel and his three friends were some of the young men selected for the king's program. Their names were changed to Babylonian names and they were stripped of their Jewish identity. When mealtime came around, all the other young men were more than happy to indulge in the amazing spread of food and wine that was laid out before them. But Daniel and his buddies knew that this kind of food was not acceptable to eat by Jewish law (which God stated way back in the book of Deuteronomy).

So rather than defile themselves, Daniel called over the chief of staff and asked for permission NOT to eat the unacceptable food. The chief of staff had gained respect for Daniel, but he responded in fear of the king. "The king has ordered that you eat this food. If you become pale and weak, he will have me beheaded!" Daniel was wise and responded with grace. "Test me and my three friends for ten days by giving us only vegetables and water. Then you can observe our condition and make your decision." So the chief of staff agreed.

It would have been so easy for Daniel and his three friends to indulge in the king's food. After all it was just food. But Daniel knew that honoring God begins with little things. He knew all too well about the story of Adam and Eve and the forbidden "food" in the garden. Doesn't the devil test us in "little things" all the time?  He knows that once we start bending away from God just a little bit, eventually we will fall completely away. We are tempted all the time. But just like Daniel, we have to already have "purposed in our hearts" not to stray. In other words, plan ahead of time not to give in, and not when temptation strikes.

After ten days, the chief of staff looked over all the young men. He was particularly interested in Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abed-Nego. They were healthier and looked better nourished than all the other young men who had been dining on the king's food. Their minds were also sharper! So for the three-year training period, Daniel and his friends ate vegetables and drank water. They didn't have to defile themselves by eating the king's food and then they were brought before Nebuchadnezzar. Out of all the young captives that were trained, none impressed the king as much as Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. So they became advisors to the king. And they did a fantastic job.

One night Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling dream. He didn't know what it meant, so he brought in his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers and demanded that they tell him what his dream was, and what it meant. "Tell us what the dream was, and we will tell you what it means." One of the enchanters spoke up nervously. But Nebuchadnezzar got angry and said that anyone could make up a story to fit his dream, but telling him what he dreamt, now that would take special knowledge.

The king got so fed up with all their stalling techniques, that he ordered all his magicians, enchanters, astrologers, sorcerers and, advisors to be killed at once. As advisors to the king, Daniel and his three friends were on the execution list. When the commander of the king's army showed up at Daniel's door to kill him, Daniel politely and respectfully asked him why. The commander explained, and Daniel asked for a meeting with the king to tell the king what his dream meant. Daniel asked the king for time to seek God. He immediately went to the home of his friends and asked them to pray that God would reveal the king's dream to him and the secret of what it meant.

Daniel knew that only God alone could reveal this to him. He also knew that God worked in the king's heart to give him some time. After all, the king was ready to kill his magicians and enchanters on the spot. Are there times when you need wisdom? or knowledge? In James 1:5 it says "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking". If you are facing a situation remember these two things, 1. God is working in hearts and behind the scenes. 2. God will give you the wisdom you need to make a Godly decision.

 Next time we will find out Nebuchadnezzar's dream and what it meant.

God Tells of His future plans for Israel, Surrounding Lands, and Us. (Ezekiel 33- 48)

 So Ezekiel spent years in captivity by the Babylonians. He spent all that time warning the remaining Israelites of God's coming judgment and the fall of Jerusalem. Then one day, a Jewish survivor came to Ezekiel from Israel. He told Ezekiel of all the horrible things that were happening there, and that the city of Jerusalem had fallen just as God said it would. We saw in the previous chapters that God had warned Israel time and time again through Ezekiel's words and, sometimes through his strange actions.

God warns us through His word. He wants us to obey Him, not because He is a cosmic killjoy, but because He cares about us. He wants the best for us, and He has a plan for us. In 2 Timothy 2:21 The Bible tells us that If we keep ourselves pure (be obedient to His word), God can use us for His purposes. Don't you want to be used by God? Don't you want to be a blessing to other people? I certainly do! What a blessing it would be to us! That the God of all creation would allow us to be a part of His magnificent plan is amazing!

Well, we have now witnessed God's wrath on surrounding nations, and upon Israel. The Bible says that God is patient and slow to anger. But He is a good God. He is faithful to His word. When He warns of His impending discipline, He cannot go back on His word. But He is also the God of hope. The rest of the book of Ezekiel reveals God's grace and mercy to Israel, the other nations, and ultimately to us. Chapters 34-37 tell of hope for Israel. God promises In Chapter 34 a new David: A new King: A Messianic King! God is letting Israel know that His son, Jesus Christ, is coming. In Chapter 36, He talks about The new King and a new Israel with a new heart for God. These are reminders of what God has promised Israel in Ezekiel chapter 11 and what God said through Moses way back in the book of Deuteronomy. God never changes and His Word is consistent throughout the entire Bible.

In Chapter 37 Ezekiel sees another strange vision. He is standing in a valley filled with dry human bones. God explains to Ezekiel that this is a metaphor for Israel's spiritual state. In other words. It is a symbol of how the Israelites have turned from the true God, and are now like dry bones. But wait! Suddenly a brisk wind blows. The bones begin to assemble themselves into skeletons, and the skeletons are filled with

breath and muscles begin to form around the skeletons. Then skin begins to wrap itself over the muscles. Before too long, Ezekiel is standing among a crowd of living breathing people! Doesn't this kind of remind you of Genesis chapter 2 when God breathed into Adam and gave him life? God will breathe new life, His Spirit, into the people of Israel, and eventually all people.

Chapters 38 and 39 talk about hope for the nations. God promises that evil will be wiped out among all the nations. Ezekiel calls this evil Gog from Magog. Gog is a symbol of all the evil kings and kingdoms. And here in these chapters, Gog will be defeated. Gog is also a symbol of the evil around us every day. Anything that is not of God, is evil. We were evil until we accepted His gift of His son Jesus to live in us. The Bible says that we were actually enemies of God, because we loved the things of this world more than we loved Him. Jesus said, "But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world" John 16:33 Ezekiel uses imagery of earthquakes and fires to show the ultimate defeat of Gog (evil).

In the final 8 chapters of Ezekiel (40-48) God expresses that there is hope for all creation. Ezekiel tells of how, one day, God's presence will one day return to His people and to His temple. Ezekiel has another vision. An angel escorts him to the "new" Jerusalem and gives him a tour of it. It is more amazing, more majestic, and more beautiful than the original temple that Solomon had built with all his riches.

Now, remember that strange vision of the 4 creatures that were unlike anything he had ever seen before? These creatures each had large wings and 4 faces. The wings all touched. Each creature hovered above its own wheel. The wings of these strange creatures supported a platform. On that platform was a throne, and on that throne was a glowing being surrounded by an ember-colored ring. Ezekiel realized at that time that it was the Presence of God. Well it appears again and heads right into the "new" temple.  Then Ezekiel sees a tiny stream pouring out of the doorway of the temple and it cascaded down the front steps. It quickly turns into a raging river, and then flows through the Dead Sea Desert. As it continues to flow through the desert, trees begin to sprout. Animals appear and the river is overflowing with life. The description of this river is the same description of the Garden Of Eden during creation in Genesis chapters 1 and 2. What an amazing vision! God's plan has always been to restore creation and humanity back to the way it was before Adam and Eve sinned. This vision takes us to the future when all will be restored and then back to God's original creation. 

God is the god of restoration and redemption. He has restored us and redeemed us through the blood of His son, Jesus. God is the god of everything. The world will be restored. He is also the god of individuals. He loves each of us on a one to one basis. We can commune with Him, walk with Him, and talk with Him. We can trust Him. God is faithful and trustworthy. He never changes and He never gives up on us.

Ezekiel Warns of God's Judgement (Chapters12-32)

 We ended chapter 11 with Ezekiel seeing a vision of Jerusalem. It wasn't a vision of the future, but it was a glimpse into what was happening there. Ezekiel was still in Babylon, but God showed him that even though the Babylonians came in to Jerusalem and took many of its citizens captive, the people were still hard-hearted and turned to other gods. This is important to remember, because God is going to have Ezekiel act out a few more scenarios; not for the Jews that had been captured and brought back to Babylon, but for the Jews that were still left in Jerusalem.

Chapter 12: God told Ezekiel to start packing some of his belongings. He wasn't to pack like he was going on vacation, or moving to a new place, but pack a few things like he was in a hurry to get away. He was to place these things out in his front yard for everyone to see. God knew that people passing by would start to wonder what was going on, and they did. Then God told Ezekiel to wait till evening came and bring your belongings in from the front yard. Then dig a hole through the front wall of your house and crawl through it carrying your belongings on your back. (these houses were made of clay and straw) So Ezekiel did just as the Lord had commanded, and the people came to see and try to figure out what Ezekiel was doing.

 God said to Ezekiel, "When the people ask you what this means, tell them this is a sign that the remaining Jews in Jerusalem will be carried away in captivity, and the king will sneak out in the middle of the night by having a hole dug in in the wall and crawling through with his belongings. He will have guards and many of his men with him, but I will let the king be captured, and I will scatter his men. Many of them will die, but a few will survive so that they can come and bring to you the message that I have done exactly what I said I would do because I am the Lord."

In the next for chapters, God reminds the Jews, through Ezekiel, how they have turned their backs on Him. He mentions that they are following false prophets. These are the prophets that only tell them what they want to hear and not the truth about the coming judgement. God reminds them about how their leaders turned to false idols and led all in Judah to worship these idols as well. He reminded them of their unfaithful ness to Him and how, time and time again, they broke their promise to Him. God says that He has no choice, but to execute justice upon the Jews, and it will be soon.

Chapter 17: God told Ezekiel a riddle. It was the riddle of the 2 Eagles:  A large eagle with strong wings and beautiful feathers broke the top branch off a cedar tree, then carried it to a nearby country and left it in one of their cities. The eagle also took a seed from Israel and planted it in a fertile field with plenty of water, like a willow tree beside a stream. The seed sprouted and grew into a grapevine that spread over the ground. It had lots of leaves and strong, deep roots, and its branches grew upward toward the eagle. There was another eagle with strong wings and thick feathers. The roots and branches of the grapevine soon turned toward this eagle, hoping it would bring water for the soil. But the vine was already growing in fertile soil, where there was plenty of water to produce healthy leaves and large grapes. Now tell me, Ezekiel, do you think this grapevine will live? As Ezekiel pondered the riddle, God told him to tell the people the answer. No! The grapevine will not live. Here is what the riddle symbolized. The king of Judah was captured by the Babylonians. So the Babylonians place a new king in charge of the rest of the people that were left in Judah. This was Zedekiah. They could have put one of their own in charge, but they elected to give them a Jewish king as long as he signed a treaty, or a promise, that Judah would remain loyal to Babylonia. Well after king Zedekiah signed the treaty, he went back on his word and sent ambassadors to Egypt and asked for horses and men. He broke his promise. 

God is really big on keeping promises. Not only to Him, but to each other. Did you know that when you willfully break a promise that you made to someone, it is a sin. You either lied at the time of the promise, or you lied with your actions when you broke your promise. God says in Ecclesiastes 5:5-6  that it is better not to promise anything, than to promise and not do it. Don't let your words cause you to sin.

 In Chapter 24 God has Ezekiel perform another sign. He tells Ezekiel to fill up a pot with water and the best meat he can find. Then empty the pot and scorch the pot over an open flame. This is another sign of Judgement on Jerusalem (the pot) and the captivity of the Jews (meat) that will be removed from "the pot" which will them be destroyed. 

The next 8 chapters are God's judgement on the nations surrounding Israel. The nations mentioned by name are Edom, Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Egypt and Tyre. Right in the middle of these nations being judged, God throws in 2 verses that don't seem to fit. 

Chapter 28 verses 25-26 The Lord God said: Someday I will gather the people of Israel from the nations where they are now scattered, and every nation will see that I am holy. The Israelites will once again live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob. They will be safe and will build houses and plant vineyards. They will no longer be in danger, because I will punish their hateful neighbors. Israel will know that I am the Lord their God. (Cev version) In Chapter 33 we will see God's plan for restoring Israel, and the effect it will have on the rest of the world, including us.

Ezekiel :1-11 Strange behavior Pt 2

 In part 1 of these chapters, we saw Ezekiel confronted by a strange being that he now realizes was God. He was given instructions on a scroll. Then he ate the scroll. He went to Israel and tied himself up in his house. God closed his mouth so Ezekiel could not speak until God allowed him to say "Those with ears, let them hear." Ezekiel built a small replica of Jerusalem and attacked it like a child playing war with their toys. Then we saw Ezekiel cut of all his hair and put it in three piles. He burned one pile, struck another with a sword and toss the last pile into the wind. All these things that were done by Ezekiel were direct orders from God. They were signs of judgement on Israel. But God was not through with these strange requests. We will look at the rest of these 11 chapters and what else God had in store for Israel through Ezekiel's actions.

God had Ezekiel lay on his left side while he was tied up for 390 days! Then on his right side for another 40 days! Each day of the 390 was to represent one year that Israel had turned it's back on God. Similarly, each of the 40 days was to represent the years that Judah turned from God. Although he was tied up, Ezekiels right arm was free and outstretched as a symbol of God's mighty arm of judgement. God gave Ezekiel a bread recipe that he would eat during this time. It would amount to almost exactly 8 ounces of bread per day. The water measurement 

would be equal to about a pint, barely enough to keep a man alive! As a symbolic sign of what was to come for the Jews.
Food would be so scarce. men could barely survive. Finally God had Ezekiel bake this bread, using animal poop as fuel for the fire. Ezekiel was not happy about it, but it symbolized the misery that would accompany Israel during the siege. God explained to Ezekiel each point of this strange request so that Ezekiel could relay the warning to the people. Ezekiel was a good and faithful servant. He did as God requested, knowing full well, because God told him so, that the Israelites would not listen. 

  That is a great lesson for us. God desires faithfulness from us. When He wants us to do something, we are not to weigh the pros and cons. We should't do it with a great expectation of amazing results. God knows what He is doing. If He asks us to do something..... just do it and leave the results up to Him. Example: God wants me to tell that kid over there that He loves him and Jesus died for him. I think to myself, "That kid is bigger than me. I don't want to. He probably won't listen anyway. He is kind of a bully, so I'm not sure if God really wants me to say that to him." Don't call a committee meeting in your head to determine "if you should" Just know that God is good, and do what He wants. It frees us from all the internal debate. And if you don't get a positive response.... it's OK God has got this!

In Chapter 8, God brings Ezekiel to Jerusalem in a vision. He is virtually escorted to God's temple there in the holy city, however it is not good. Ezekiel sees a large statue, an idol sitting just outside the temple doors. And he see the elders of the church worshipping this idol outside the temple and inside the temple! Remember when Moses came down with the Ten Commandments and the people were worshipping a golden calf? Well here they are again. Not only that, but the women of Israel are worshipping another idol near the temple wall. God doesn't like it and, with a sad heart, He shows Ezekiel. Finally the vision ends with the cloud of God's glorious throne chariot drifting out of the temple and going east.... toward Babylon! Remember last time Ezekiel wondered why God's glory was there with him in Babylon and not in His temple? Well now we know. God answered Ezekiel's question with this vision.

So why did God have Ezekiel do all this? God new the Israelites wouldn't listen, but maybe, just maybe, He knew that we would be reading about this. We would see how the prophesies revealed to and through Ezekiel would come to pass. And that through this story, our faith would be strengthened as we get to know God and His infinite power, wisdom, mercy and grace just a little bit better.

Ezekiel: 1-11: The message and his bizarre behavior Part 1

 The book of Ezekiel is a book, pretty much like other prophetic books of the Bible. God is warning His people about His judgement. However, Some of the very unusual things that Ezekiel sees and does, makes this book stand out among some of the others. Remember when we talked in Lamentations about how Babylon came in, gutted Jerusalem, and took many of the Jews into captivity? Well, Ezekiel was one of those taken.

Five years later, on his birthday, Ezekiel goes and sits down by a river and begins to ponder all that had happened. Suddenly, one large storm cloud rolls in. He is watching this cloud and 4 creatures begin to appear. They were unlike anything he had ever seen before!These creatures each had large wings and 4 faces. The wings all touched. Each creature hovered above its own wheel. The wings of these strange creatures supported a platform. On that platform was a throne, and on that throne was a glowing being surrounded by an ember colored ring! It took a few minutes, but suddenly Ezekiel realizes that he is in the presence of God! And he fell on his face in reverence. Ezekiel was a bit perplexed however. He knew that the glory of God was always above the Ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem. What was He/God doing in Babylon. Ezekiel learned that God cannot be put in our mind-conceived boxes. He is God, and not limited to our human notions. 

                                                                                                                                                                        We do this all the time. Have you ever thought something was too small for God to care about, or too big for Him to do? How about our prayers? Does God hear so many prayers that He cannot possibly answer them all? Am I too bad that God can't save me? These are all ways that we put God in a box. Nothing is too bog or too small for God. He is all powerful, and He loves each and every single person so much that, no matter how bad we are, He sent his son Jesus to die for us.  

                                                                                                                                                                 Ezekiel was told by God to stand up and listen to what He was going to say. Ezekiel had trouble standing and the Holy Spirit placed Ezekiel on his feet. "I want you to go back and speak to the Israelites. Many of them will not listen to my message to them. They are a rebellious and stubborn people. They will insult you and maybe even try to harm you. But don't worry about that." God said to Ezekiel. Then He continued. "Whether they listen or not, continue with the message that I am giving you."  

                                                                                                                                                                      God wants us to share the good news with others. He knows that some will ignore us or even worse, but we are called to be faithful and not be concerned about the results. Ultimately it is the Holy Spirit that changes hearts, not us. Just like Ezekiel, we are called to share God's message.  

                                                                                                                                                                     Now begins some of Ezekiel's strange behavior. God gives Ezekiel a scroll with His message to the Israelites, and He tell Ezekiel to eat it! So he ate it. He said it was delicious! It was very sweet like honey! 

  That is how we should be with the Bible. No not literally eat it! LOL! But God's word is nourishment. We should savor it, and put it in us. The Bible tells us to keep God's word in our hearts. And one day, when we really need a certain scripture, the Holy Spirit will bring it to our minds for comfort or direction.  

  Ezekiel is now headed to Israel to confront the people left there, and those that have been scattered by the invasion of Babylon. He is going to tell them that because of their rebellion and the worshipping of other gods, there will be another invasion, and this time, Jerusalem will be completely destroyed and the temple will be in complete ruins, and the wall surrounding the city will be left in shambles. Ezekiel tell the people everything that God had asked him to, but then God asks His prophet, Ezekiel, to do some more bizarre things. First, Ezekiel was to go into his house and tie himself up.

God said that He would make it so that Ezekiel could not speak as a symbol of doom and helplessness that would fall upon the city. Then finally God allowed Ezekiel to speak these words. "He who has ears, let him hear." (the same words that Jesus used when talking in parables) Next, God wants Ezekiel to build a small replica of the city, then stage an attack on them, just like a child playing war with his or her toys. This was like a visual parable to the people of what was coming. Next God had Ezekiel cut off all his hair with a sword and shave his beard. Then divide all the hair into 3 piles. I'm sure this strange behavior drew quite a crowd as Ezekiel was out in the street in front of his house. Then Ezekiel burned one pile, struck another pile with a sword and finally the last pile, he threw up into the air and a brisk wind carried it off. God told Ezekiel that the few remaining hairs that fell to the ground, he was to tie them to his robe, then pull them off and toss them into the fire as well. This was a picture of how the people would be scattered after one third were killed by soldiers and another third would die of plagues and famine. And the few that survived would suffer.

 God is so merciful! he warned the people over and over again what would happen if they refused to turn back to Him. We should continually thank God for His mercy, grace and patience with us.

Faithfulness: God's desire from us (Jeremiah 38:7 -52)

 When we left Jeremiah last time, he was sitting at the bottom of a muddy well, left for dead. But God........still had more for Jeremiah to do. God touched the heart of one of the king's servants, an Ethiopian named Ebed-Melech. The servant took his own life in his hands by telling the king that allowing Jeremiah to be thrown into the well to die was wrong. Instead of killing Ebed-Melech, the king had a change of heart and told the young Ethiopian to gather some men and pull Jeremiah out of the well.

Sometimes saying the right thing, or telling the hard truth is not easy. God says to do the right thing, not the easy thing. Just as Ebed-Melech risked his life, sometimes we have to risk being made fun of or losing friends. But know this. We always have God on our side when we do right.

So Jeremiah was saved..... well sort of. The king had Jeremiah brought before him. "Tell me what you know!" He ordered. Jeremiah was concerned that if he told him the truth, the king would have him killed anyway. But the king promised that he would not have Jeremiah killed if he told him the truth. So Jeremiah told the king that Babylon would soon attack Jerusalem, but that he should surrender peacefully to them or some bad stuff would happen to the king's family as well as to the king himself. The king was not happy with what Jeremiah said, but he had promised not to kill him, so he had Jeremiah tossed into dungeon.... again.

While Jeremiah was imprisoned, Jerusalem was taken over by the Babylonians, (just as God said) and the king of Judah didn't listen to what God said through Jeremiah. And remember what God told Jeremiah to tell the king... Some bad stuff would happen? Well the king tried to flee the city during the take over. He was caught and his eyes were gouged out! Also his wife and kids were killed in the palace when it was set on fire.

Even though Jeremiah was taken to Babylon during the siege, God protected him. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon set Jeremiah free to live in Babylon. Jeremiah was even given food and some gifts to help him settle in. Since Jeremiah was a prisoner of Judah, and the king of Judah was an enemy of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar showed kindness to Jeremiah. So I guess getting thrown into prison again turned out pretty well for Jeremiah.

Sometimes things don't work out like we planned. I'm sure Jeremiah didn't want to be pulled from a well, just to get tossed into a dungeon. God sees all things. We need to trust Him. Have you ever had something go the wrong way, only to find out later that it was absolutely for the best? I have.

When Jerusalem was taken over by the Babylonians, a lot of the Jews were taken captive, however, the poorest Jews were left behind and a small governmental system was put in place. Many of the Jews saw that the fighting was over and returned to Judah. The Jews that fled to Egypt however, found life very comfortable there and decided not to return. 

Jeremiah returned to Judah with a word for the people. He said that the people in Egypt should return as well. That Egypt would soon fall to Babylon just like Judah did. He said that the Jews that have remained in Egypt are now worshipping false gods. God said that He would pass judgement upon them and anyone else who is worshipping idols. Some of the new leaders did not like Jeremiah and what he was saying. So they captured Jeremiah and took him to Egypt.

While in Egypt, Jeremiah faithfully continued to speak the words that God had put in his mouth. The final 5 chapters of the Book of Jeremiah tell of God's judgement on Egypt, Moab, Philistine and neighboring countries. Jeremiah is not mentioned again in these final chapters. Some say he was killed, others say he escaped Egypt. No one really knows for sure.

So even though Jeremiah spent his whole life trying to get his people to turn from their sin and to turn toward God, the people never listened. The outcome was not in Jeremiah's hands. He simply did what the Lord asked him to do. That is called faithfulness. God delights in our faithfulness. We don't have to "save the world". That is God's job. All we have to do is obey Him, and leave the consequences to Him. If you tell someone about Jesus and they accept Him as their savior, God did that, not you. To Him be the glory! And on the same note, if the person you shared Christ with rejects the message, it's not on you. You did what God asked. Leave the rest to Him.

The People and the King Refuse to Listen to God (Jeremiah 1-38:6)

 Today we begin a new book of the Bible. It is the 24th book and it is called the Book of Jeremiah.

 Jeremiah was born in Judah. His father was a priest named Hilkiah. So Jeremiah was taught many religious things as a boy. His father had hoped that Jeremiah would become a priest like him. But God... had different plans.

 A lot of times we make plans or our parents make plans ...  (But God). So we should hold on to our plans loosely as God may have other plans. His plans are always better. Sometimes they are harder, as we will see in the story of Jeremiah, but they are always better. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

When Jeremiah was a boy, there was a good king of Judah named Josiah. He had all the idols destroyed and led the nation in the ways of God. But as soon as Josiah died in a battle, the people of Judah went right back to idol worshipping and sinning. The people were following their king and not following God. 

When we go to church, we should be putting our hearts in the hands of God and not our trust in a minister or pastor. They are human beings just like we are. If they mess up or even die, our faith should not be shaken or crumble, because our faith is in God.

When Jeremiah was a young man, about 20 years old, God spoke to him. He said that He knew Jeremiah before he was even born... and He had a plan for him to speak for Him as a prophet. But Jeremiah was scared. He told God that he was way too young to speak for Him.

Remember last time in Isaiah we learned that God has a plan for us before we are even born? Well here it is again as God spoke to Jeremiah. God had a plan for Isaiah, and for Jesus, for Jeremiah and He has a plan for you and me!

Jeremiah took his new job as God's prophet very seriously. He knew that telling the people that they must repent of their wickedness would not go over too well. It would be difficult, and sometimes dangerous, but Jeremiah was up to the task and began to tell the people what God was saying about their evil ways. Jeremiah loved God and he loved his country. He preached for over 40 years, but the people turned their back and refused to listen. This made Jeremiah sad and he became known as the "weeping prophet".

How was Jeremiah able to do such a hard thing? God told him to do it, and God gave him the wisdom, courage and strength to carry it out. When God touches our hearts and wants us to do something for Him, don't be fearful, because God will give you all the tools you need, and He'll be right there with you. (Isaiah 41:10)

Jeremiah told the people that they were doing wrong. And he told them that God loved them and that they needed to repent or God would punish them by sending an army from the north to take them over just like He did 100 years earlier. The people laughed. Then Jeremiah went to the king and told him the same thing.

Has anyone ever laughed at you? It doesn't feel good. Especially if it is for doing the right thing. Don't let that stop you. God says that If He is for us, who can be against us. (Romans 8:31) He also says that we should do things that please him, instead of doing things that people want us to do. (Galatians 1:10) God is always on our side when we do what is right. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

God told Jeremiah to go to the temple and tell the people that they have turned away from the one true God. The High priest were infuriated that Jeremiah would come to their temple and preach such words. They called the temple guards and had Jeremiah brought before the judges. The judges had Jeremiah exiled (kicked out of the country). Even in exile Jeremiah sent messages through Baruch, his scribe ( a person who writes down on a scroll what a prophet dictates) to the palace and had a priest read the scroll to the king. After hearing what Jeremiah had written on the scroll, the king cut up the scroll in tiny pieces and burned it. Then the king then had Baruch arrested.

One of the most well-known verses in Jeremiah is Jeremiah 29:11. It says: "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." God was warning Israel against false prophets, but that is a promise that we can hold onto for ourselves.

Some time later,  Jeremiah heard a message from God to go to the palace wearing a yoke. (a collar that oxen wear to pull a plow) He wasn't supposed to enter the palace, but God wanted to send a message to the king that his kingdom would be  taken over by Nebuchadnezzar, and unless he surrendered to his yoke (his will) the king's kingdom would be destroyed. Hananiah, one of the king's false prophets pulled the yoke off Jeremiah's shoulders and broke it.  The high priests and false prophets were getting tired of Jeremiah and his hard words and so was the king. So the king told the priests to do whatever they wanted with the prophet. So guess what they did? They called the kings guards who threw him in a muddy well with no food and left him to die!

Hezekiah gets 15 More years (Isaiah 38-40)

 While all this was going on, (Judah being threatened, and God responding), Hezekiah became very ill.

The Word of the Lord came to Isaiah with a message for Hezekiah.... and it was not a very pleasant message. "King Hezekiah," Isaiah said as Hezekiah lay feverishly in his bed. "God said that you should get all your affairs in order, because you are going to die very soon."

Hezekiah was devastated! As soon as Isaiah left, Hezekiah rolled over and faced the wall. Through his tears, he began to pray. He asked God to let him live. He reminded God about all that he had done for Him. 

Meanwhile, God told Isaiah to turn around and go back to Hezekiah with a new message. Hezekiah was surprised to see Isaiah again so soon. Isaiah said, "The Lord has heard your prayer. He has decided to give you an additional 15 years to live as well as keep you and this city protected from the king of Assyria.

Once again we see that God hears our prayers. It doesn't matter if you say them out load, whisper them of even think them. God DOES hear our prayers. Many times as we are praying, we think to ourselves, is God even listening? Yes He Is. Also, God answers prayers. Hezekiah was a living example of this.

Then Isaiah continued, "God also said that he will send you a sign so that you will know that He will do this thing He has promised. God will cause the Sundial of Ahaz to move backward 10 units. Then you will know that God has done what He said He would.

One of Hezekiah's men was looking out the window. He called the king over to witness an amazing thing. The Sundial of Ahaz was moving backward! Hezekiah was overjoyed! He wrote a poem of praise about all he had been through and how God answered his prayers. It is found in verses 10-20.

The king of Babylon's son, Merodach-baladan, heard that King Hezekiah was very sick, and that he had recovered. He sent a special group of messengers with a gift and his personal best wishes. Hezekiah was very surprised that the son of such a powerful king would even acknowledge his illness and recovery. He was so thrilled when they arrived, that the king brought the envoy around the palace and showed them all the treasures that he had. He was trying to impress the special messengers with all the gold and treasures, but the men were more interested than impressed.

Isaiah showed up just as the special messengers were leaving. "What did those men want?" He asked. "They brought me a gift from Babylon. So I showed them all the treasures I had, every last piece of gold! They were very impressed." Hezekiah answered.

Isaiah could not believe his ears. He knew that Hezekiah let his pride lead him into major trouble. Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Listen to this message from God, 'The time is coming when everything in your palace, all the treasures that you and your ancestors have stored up, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left. Even some of your very own grandsons will be carried off into exile." 

Sometimes we try to impress people with what we have. It not only doesn't impress them, it leads to problems for us. Not only may we lose what we have, but our pride and ego are fed by the compliments of others. God warns us in Proverbs 16:18, "Prides comes before a fall."

Hezekiah's response was surprising and selfish. He said, "Well I don't have to worry about that in my lifetime. God promised peace and security while I am still around." Instead of honoring God and doing what was right with his extra 15 years, Hezekiah became selfish. 

God blesses us in many ways, with a loving family, a nice home, friends, food, health etc... we can choose to be selfish, or we can honor God with what he gave us. When we honor God with what we have, that is called stewardship, and God will ask us what kind of steward were we when we stand before Him one day.

Chapter 40 begins a 26 chapter section on the comfort that God will give His people after the Babylonians carry off all the treasures and take the people of Judah away with them. The people of Israel will be very disheartened with God after the exile, but God gives them hope in the next 26 chapters. Much of it is filled with prophesies about Jesus. we will look at those next time. But for now, Chapter 40 focusses on who God is, and how powerful He is. He says that "The grass will wither, but His word (the Bible) will never die. He states that He has no equal. Who can be compared to God. No one! He continues by pointing out that He, and He alone created the stars, the sun, the earth and all things on it. God says that 'He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even the young will become weak and tired and will collapse from exhaustion....' Vs. (28-30) Then comes one of the most famous verses in the book of Isaiah....

Isaiah 13-34 Judgements, the New Kingdom and Trusting God

Chapters 13- 17 are prophesies about God's judgement of different lands. A prophesy is basically a God given prediction. But we think of a prediction as something that probably will happen, like a predicted thunderstorm. But God's predictions (prophesies) are for sure. But God in His loving grace and mercy is always giving the people of these lands one more chance. And that's why he sent the prophets.

Chapter 13 is God's judgment upon Babylon. Isaiah says the Babylon will never be inhabited, Nor will it be settled from generation to generation. But wild beasts of the desert will lie there, And their houses will be full of owls; Ostriches will dwell there, And wild goats will dance there. The hyenas will howl there. Chapter 14: Judgment to come on Assyria and the Philistines. Chapters 15 and 16: Judgement upon Moab. Chapter 17: Judgement against Syria and Israel.

Isaiah shifts gears a little in chapter 18. He warns the people of Judah not to accept any help from the Ethiopians. God knows that they will make an offer to Judah, but God tells the people of Judah that He is enough. Judah is fearful that Assyria will attack (and they will) so they are looking elsewhere for help. 

Don't we do the same thing? God is our security, but don't we put more trust in things like money, popularity and material things than we do in God? God wants us to remember all the times that He was there for us. He is unchanging. If He did it before, He will be there for us again. Try this: sit very quietly and try to remember some of the hard stuff you went through. Then think about how it all worked out even though you thought it might not. God was there!

Isaiah continues with the prophesies of God's judgements. In Chapters 19, 21, 22, and 23, the judgements are prophesied against Egypt, Babylon, Edom, Arabia, Jerusalem and Tyre.

In chapter 20 The LORD gives Isaiah a sign to act out.  God told Isaiah to remove his outer garments and his sandals (basically strip down to his underwear) for three years as a sign to all of what will happen to Egypt and Ethiopia after the Assyrian invasion. Then the LORD said, “Just as My servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot three years as a sign and a wonder against Egypt and Ethiopia, so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians as prisoners and the Ethiopians as captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, to the shame of Egypt.”

In Chapters 24 through 34 Isaiah's prophesies jump from the present to the future great tribulation In chapter 24, 25, 26 and 27 his words point to the end times when Jesus will rule over all the world. Then for the next few chapters he reminds Judah that they talk and act like they trust God, but their actions speak louder than words.They will also be judged. But again in His mercy and grace, God will spare Judah much tribulation during that time, and The Assyrian army will be defeated (by God) as it invades Jerusalem.

When we trust in God (Jesus as our Lord and savior) we become His children. Just as a father disciplines his child, God will disciple us when we misbehave (sin). Yes it is true that Jesus died for our sins, but that doesn't mean we can go on sinning and not reap the consequences. We are slowly become more and more like Jesus every day. If we "get away" with our sins, we won't change. Just like a car won't turn if the steering wheel doesn't move. So God nudges us, or pushes us in the right directions through His loving discipline.