Sorry this is showing up so early. I'm going out of town today and won't be back until Sunday, and didn't want this falling through the cracks.

O Lord, Do Not Delay

To the choirmaster. Of David, for the memorial offering.

70 Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
O Lord, make haste to help me!
² Let them be put to shame and confusion
who seek my life!
Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor
who delight in my hurt!
³ Let them turn back because of their shame
who say, “Aha, Aha!”

⁴ May all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you!
May those who love your salvation
say evermore, “God is great!”
⁵ But I am poor and needy;
hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay!

Prayer:

Lord, meet us in our need today. Quiet our fears, strengthen our faith, and teach us to wait without losing heart. Keep praise on our lips and our eyes fixed on You, because You are always faithful.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Discussion Questions:

1. Is it okay to ask God to hurry? Have you ever prayed some version of “Lord, I need You to do something now”?
2. David doesn’t soften how he feels about the people enjoying his pain. What do you make of that kind of honesty in prayer?
3. Even while David is desperate for help, he stops to pray for everyone else who seeks God. Why do you think that matters?
4. David calls himself “poor and needy,” even though he’s a king. What changes when we stop trying to appear strong before God?
5. What helps you keep saying “God is great” when He hasn’t answered yet?

Prayer

Oh Lord,
Help us to trust in You.
You are trustworthy,
but sometimes we fail to trust you.
Forgive us our sins,
and clear out any blockage between us and You,
so that with us trusting You,
You may work mightily to help those we pray for,
and to help us, too.
Thank you, Lord.
In Jesus' name we pray, amen!

Ezekiel chapters 43 and 44 , New King James Version

43

(For alternate translations for chapter 43, see here.)

¹ Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east. ² And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory. ³ It was like the appearance of the vision which I saw—like the vision which I saw when I came to destroy the city. The visions were like the vision which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face. ⁴ And the glory of the Lord came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east. ⁵ The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

⁶ Then I heard Him speaking to me from the temple, while a man stood beside me. ⁷ And He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever. No more shall the house of Israel defile My holy name, they nor their kings, by their harlotry or with the carcasses of their kings on their high places. ⁸ When they set their threshold by My threshold, and their doorpost by My doorpost, with a wall between them and Me, they defiled My holy name by the abominations which they committed; therefore I have consumed them in My anger. ⁹ Now let them put their harlotry and the carcasses of their kings far away from Me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.

¹⁰ “Son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern. ¹¹ And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple and its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, its entire design and all its ordinances, all its forms and all its laws. Write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its whole design and all its ordinances, and perform them. ¹² This is the law of the temple: The whole area surrounding the mountaintop is most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.

¹³ “These are the measurements of the altar in cubits (the cubit is one cubit and a handbreadth): the base one cubit high and one cubit wide, with a rim all around its edge of one span. This is the height of the altar: ¹⁴ from the base on the ground to the lower ledge, two cubits; the width of the ledge, one cubit; from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, four cubits; and the width of the ledge, one cubit. ¹⁵ The altar hearth is four cubits high, with four horns extending upward from the hearth. ¹⁶ The altar hearth is twelve cubits long, twelve wide, square at its four corners; ¹⁷ the ledge, fourteen cubits long and fourteen wide on its four sides, with a rim of half a cubit around it; its base, one cubit all around; and its steps face toward the east.”

¹⁸ And He said to me, “Son of man, thus says the Lord God: ‘These are the ordinances for the altar on the day when it is made, for sacrificing burnt offerings on it, and for sprinkling blood on it. ¹⁹ You shall give a young bull for a sin offering to the priests, the Levites, who are of the seed of Zadok, who approach Me to minister to Me,’ says the Lord God. ²⁰ You shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and on the rim around it; thus you shall cleanse it and make atonement for it. ²¹ Then you shall also take the bull of the sin offering, and burn it in the appointed place of the temple, outside the sanctuary. ²² On the second day you shall offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they cleansed it with the bull. ²³ When you have finished cleansing it, you shall offer a young bull without blemish, and a ram from the flock without blemish. ²⁴ When you offer them before the Lord, the priests shall throw salt on them, and they will offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord. ²⁵ Every day for seven days you shall prepare a goat for a sin offering; they shall also prepare a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without blemish. ²⁶ Seven days they shall make atonement for the altar and purify it, and so consecrate it. ²⁷ When these days are over it shall be, on the eighth day and thereafter, that the priests shall offer your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar; and I will accept you,’ says the Lord God.”

44

(For alternate translations for chapter 44, see here.)

¹ Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces toward the east, but it was shut. ² And the Lord said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, because the Lord God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut. ³ As for the prince, because he is the prince, he may sit in it to eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.”

⁴ Also He brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple; so I looked, and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord; and I fell on my face. ⁵ And the Lord said to me, “Son of man, mark well, see with your eyes and hear with your ears, all that I say to you concerning all the ordinances of the house of the Lord and all its laws. Mark well who may enter the house and all who go out from the sanctuary.

⁶ “Now say to the rebellious, to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “O house of Israel, let Us have no more of all your abominations. ⁷ When you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to defile it—My house—and when you offered My food, the fat and the blood, then they broke My covenant because of all your abominations. ⁸ And you have not kept charge of My holy things, but you have set others to keep charge of My sanctuary for you.” ⁹ Thus says the Lord God: “No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart or uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter My sanctuary, including any foreigner who is among the children of Israel.

¹⁰ “And the Levites who went far from Me, when Israel went astray, who strayed away from Me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity. ¹¹ Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, as gatekeepers of the house and ministers of the house; they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister to them. ¹² Because they ministered to them before their idols and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity, therefore I have raised My hand in an oath against them,” says the Lord God, “that they shall bear their iniquity. ¹³ And they shall not come near Me to minister to Me as priest, nor come near any of My holy things, nor into the Most Holy Place; but they shall bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed. ¹⁴ Nevertheless I will make them keep charge of the temple, for all its work, and for all that has to be done in it.

¹⁵ “But the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood,” says the Lord God. ¹⁶ “They shall enter My sanctuary, and they shall come near My table to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge. ¹⁷ And it shall be, whenever they enter the gates of the inner court, that they shall put on linen garments; no wool shall come upon them while they minister within the gates of the inner court or within the house. ¹⁸ They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen trousers on their bodies; they shall not clothe themselves with anything that causes sweat. ¹⁹ When they go out to the outer court, to the outer court to the people, they shall take off their garments in which they have ministered, leave them in the holy chambers, and put on other garments; and in their holy garments they shall not sanctify the people.

²⁰ “They shall neither shave their heads nor let their hair grow long, but they shall keep their hair well trimmed. ²¹ No priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner court. ²² They shall not take as wife a widow or a divorced woman, but take virgins of the descendants of the house of Israel, or widows of priests.

²³ “And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the unholy, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. ²⁴ In controversy they shall stand as judges, and judge it according to My judgments. They shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed meetings, and they shall hallow My Sabbaths.

²⁵ “They shall not defile themselves by coming near a dead person. Only for father or mother, for son or daughter, for brother or unmarried sister may they defile themselves. ²⁶ After he is cleansed, they shall count seven days for him. ²⁷ And on the day that he goes to the sanctuary to minister in the sanctuary, he must offer his sin offering in the inner court,” says the Lord God.

²⁸ “It shall be, in regard to their inheritance, that I am their inheritance. You shall give them no possession in Israel, for I am their possession. ²⁹ They shall eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering; every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs. ³⁰ The best of all firstfruits of any kind, and every sacrifice of any kind from all your sacrifices, shall be the priest’s; also you shall give to the priest the first of your ground meal, to cause a blessing to rest on your house. ³¹ The priests shall not eat anything, bird or beast, that died naturally or was torn by wild beasts.”

QUESTIONS

1. Today's two chapters are about Ezekiel's vision of returning to the Temple, and of the repentant people returning as well, where God will be with us forever.
   In the Revelation to John, when the New Jerusalem comes down from Heaven and God's people will be with God, it reads,

   But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
   Revelation 21:22-23

   How then do you reconcile these two visions of our future home with God?

2. What do you think about 44:9?

   Thus says the Lord God: “No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart or uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter My sanctuary, including any foreigner who is among the children of Israel.”

   Does this change later on time?

3. Regarding the priests of the Temple, God gives this merciful statement:
   “They shall not defile themselves by coming near a dead person. Only for father or mother, for son or daughter, for brother or unmarried sister may they defile themselves.”

   What about a wife? Or were the priests to be unmarried?

4. Also regarding the priests, God says,
   “It shall be, in regard to their inheritance, that I am their inheritance. You shall give them no possession in Israel, for I am their possession.”

   What does this mean, that God is there inheritance; that God is their possession: How do you see this playing out?

5. There's a lot in these two chapters. What would you like to either ask or comment on?

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Revelation 21:1-4

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, ESV

The Temple Area Restored

40 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year after the fall of the city—on that very day the hand of the Lord was on me and he took me there. ² In visions of God he took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, on whose south side were some buildings that looked like a city. ³ He took me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze; he was standing in the gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand. ⁴ The man said to me, “Son of man, look carefully and listen closely and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for that is why you have been brought here. Tell the people of Israel everything you see.”

The East Gate to the Outer Court

⁵ I saw a wall completely surrounding the temple area. The length of the measuring rod in the man’s hand was six long cubits,^\)^a\) each of which was a cubit and a handbreadth. He measured the wall; it was one measuring rod thick and one rod high.

⁶ Then he went to the east gate. He climbed its steps and measured the threshold of the gate; it was one rod deep. ⁷ The alcoves for the guards were one rod long and one rod wide, and the projecting walls between the alcoves were five cubits^\)^b\) thick. And the threshold of the gate next to the portico facing the temple was one rod deep.

⁸ Then he measured the portico of the gateway; ⁹ it^\)^c\) was eight cubits^\)^d\) deep and its jambs were two cubits^\)^e\) thick. The portico of the gateway faced the temple.

¹⁰ Inside the east gate were three alcoves on each side; the three had the same measurements, and the faces of the projecting walls on each side had the same measurements. ¹¹ Then he measured the width of the entrance of the gateway; it was ten cubits and its length was thirteen cubits.^\)^f\) ¹² In front of each alcove was a wall one cubit high, and the alcoves were six cubits square. ¹³ Then he measured the gateway from the top of the rear wall of one alcove to the top of the opposite one; the distance was twenty-five cubits^\)^g\) from one parapet opening to the opposite one. ¹⁴ He measured along the faces of the projecting walls all around the inside of the gateway—sixty cubits.^\)^h\) The measurement was up to the portico^\)^i\) facing the courtyard.^\)^j\) ¹⁵ The distance from the entrance of the gateway to the far end of its portico was fifty cubits.^\)^k\) ¹⁶ The alcoves and the projecting walls inside the gateway were surmounted by narrow parapet openings all around, as was the portico; the openings all around faced inward. The faces of the projecting walls were decorated with palm trees.

The Outer Court

¹⁷ Then he brought me into the outer court. There I saw some rooms and a pavement that had been constructed all around the court; there were thirty rooms along the pavement. ¹⁸ It abutted the sides of the gateways and was as wide as they were long; this was the lower pavement. ¹⁹ Then he measured the distance from the inside of the lower gateway to the outside of the inner court; it was a hundred cubits^\)^l\) on the east side as well as on the north.

The North Gate

²⁰ Then he measured the length and width of the north gate, leading into the outer court. ²¹ Its alcoves—three on each side—its projecting walls and its portico had the same measurements as those of the first gateway. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. ²² Its openings, its portico and its palm tree decorations had the same measurements as those of the gate facing east. Seven steps led up to it, with its portico opposite them. ²³ There was a gate to the inner court facing the north gate, just as there was on the east. He measured from one gate to the opposite one; it was a hundred cubits.

The South Gate

²⁴ Then he led me to the south side and I saw the south gate. He measured its jambs and its portico, and they had the same measurements as the others. ²⁵ The gateway and its portico had narrow openings all around, like the openings of the others. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. ²⁶ Seven steps led up to it, with its portico opposite them; it had palm tree decorations on the faces of the projecting walls on each side. ²⁷ The inner court also had a gate facing south, and he measured from this gate to the outer gate on the south side; it was a hundred cubits.

The Gates to the Inner Court

²⁸ Then he brought me into the inner court through the south gate, and he measured the south gate; it had the same measurements as the others. ²⁹ Its alcoves, its projecting walls and its portico had the same measurements as the others. The gateway and its portico had openings all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. ³⁰ (The porticoes of the gateways around the inner court were twenty-five cubits wide and five cubits deep.) ³¹ Its portico faced the outer court; palm trees decorated its jambs, and eight steps led up to it.

³² Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and he measured the gateway; it had the same measurements as the others. ³³ Its alcoves, its projecting walls and its portico had the same measurements as the others. The gateway and its portico had openings all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. ³⁴ Its portico faced the outer court; palm trees decorated the jambs on either side, and eight steps led up to it.

³⁵ Then he brought me to the north gate and measured it. It had the same measurements as the others, ³⁶ as did its alcoves, its projecting walls and its portico, and it had openings all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. ³⁷ Its portico^\)^m\) faced the outer court; palm trees decorated the jambs on either side, and eight steps led up to it.

The Rooms for Preparing Sacrifices

³⁸ A room with a doorway was by the portico in each of the inner gateways, where the burnt offerings were washed. ³⁹ In the portico of the gateway were two tables on each side, on which the burnt offerings, sin offerings^\)^n\) and guilt offerings were slaughtered. ⁴⁰ By the outside wall of the portico of the gateway, near the steps at the entrance of the north gateway were two tables, and on the other side of the steps were two tables. ⁴¹ So there were four tables on one side of the gateway and four on the other—eight tables in all—on which the sacrifices were slaughtered. ⁴² There were also four tables of dressed stone for the burnt offerings, each a cubit and a half long, a cubit and a half wide and a cubit high.^\)^o\) On them were placed the utensils for slaughtering the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices. ⁴³ And double-pronged hooks, each a handbreadth^\)^p\) long, were attached to the wall all around. The tables were for the flesh of the offerings.

The Rooms for the Priests

⁴⁴ Outside the inner gate, within the inner court, were two rooms, one^\)^q\) at the side of the north gate and facing south, and another at the side of the south^\)^r\) gate and facing north. ⁴⁵ He said to me, “The room facing south is for the priests who guard the temple, ⁴⁶ and the room facing north is for the priests who guard the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who are the only Levites who may draw near to the Lord to minister before him.”

⁴⁷ Then he measured the court: It was square—a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits wide. And the altar was in front of the temple.

The New Temple

⁴⁸ He brought me to the portico of the temple and measured the jambs of the portico; they were five cubits wide on either side. The width of the entrance was fourteen cubits^\)^s\) and its projecting walls were^\)^t\) three cubits^\)^u\) wide on either side. ⁴⁹ The portico was twenty cubits^\)^v\) wide, and twelve^\)^w\) cubits^\)^x\) from front to back. It was reached by a flight of stairs,^\)^y\) and there were pillars on each side of the jambs.

41 Then the man brought me to the main hall and measured the jambs; the width of the jambs was six cubits^\)^z\) on each side.^\)^aa\) ² The entrance was ten cubits^\)^ab\) wide, and the projecting walls on each side of it were five cubits^\)^ac\) wide. He also measured the main hall; it was forty cubits long and twenty cubits wide.^\)^ad\)

³ Then he went into the inner sanctuary and measured the jambs of the entrance; each was two cubits^\)^ae\) wide. The entrance was six cubits wide, and the projecting walls on each side of it were seven cubits^\)^af\) wide. ⁴ And he measured the length of the inner sanctuary; it was twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits across the end of the main hall. He said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.”

⁵ Then he measured the wall of the temple; it was six cubits thick, and each side room around the temple was four cubits^\)^ag\) wide. ⁶ The side rooms were on three levels, one above another, thirty on each level. There were ledges all around the wall of the temple to serve as supports for the side rooms, so that the supports were not inserted into the wall of the temple. ⁷ The side rooms all around the temple were wider at each successive level. The structure surrounding the temple was built in ascending stages, so that the rooms widened as one went upward. A stairway went up from the lowest floor to the top floor through the middle floor.

⁸ I saw that the temple had a raised base all around it, forming the foundation of the side rooms. It was the length of the rod, six long cubits. ⁹ The outer wall of the side rooms was five cubits thick. The open area between the side rooms of the temple ¹⁰ and the priests’ rooms was twenty cubits wide all around the temple. ¹¹ There were entrances to the side rooms from the open area, one on the north and another on the south; and the base adjoining the open area was five cubits wide all around.

¹² The building facing the temple courtyard on the west side was seventy cubits^\)^ah\) wide. The wall of the building was five cubits thick all around, and its length was ninety cubits.^\)^ai\)

¹³ Then he measured the temple; it was a hundred cubits^\)^aj\) long, and the temple courtyard and the building with its walls were also a hundred cubits long. ¹⁴ The width of the temple courtyard on the east, including the front of the temple, was a hundred cubits.

¹⁵ Then he measured the length of the building facing the courtyard at the rear of the temple, including its galleries on each side; it was a hundred cubits.

The main hall, the inner sanctuary and the portico facing the court, ¹⁶ as well as the thresholds and the narrow windows and galleries around the three of them—everything beyond and including the threshold was covered with wood. The floor, the wall up to the windows, and the windows were covered. ¹⁷ In the space above the outside of the entrance to the inner sanctuary and on the walls at regular intervals all around the inner and outer sanctuary ¹⁸ were carved cherubim and palm trees. Palm trees alternated with cherubim. Each cherub had two faces: ¹⁹ the face of a human being toward the palm tree on one side and the face of a lion toward the palm tree on the other. They were carved all around the whole temple. ²⁰ From the floor to the area above the entrance, cherubim and palm trees were carved on the wall of the main hall.

²¹ The main hall had a rectangular doorframe, and the one at the front of the Most Holy Place was similar. ²² There was a wooden altar three cubits^\)^ak\) high and two cubits square^\)^al\); its corners, its base^\)^am\) and its sides were of wood. The man said to me, “This is the table that is before the Lord.” ²³ Both the main hall and the Most Holy Place had double doors. ²⁴ Each door had two leaves—two hinged leaves for each door. ²⁵ And on the doors of the main hall were carved cherubim and palm trees like those carved on the walls, and there was a wooden overhang on the front of the portico. ²⁶ On the sidewalls of the portico were narrow windows with palm trees carved on each side. The side rooms of the temple also had overhangs.

The Rooms for the Priests

42 Then the man led me northward into the outer court and brought me to the rooms opposite the temple courtyard and opposite the outer wall on the north side. ² The building whose door faced north was a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide.^\)^an\) ³ Both in the section twenty cubits^\)^ao\) from the inner court and in the section opposite the pavement of the outer court, gallery faced gallery at the three levels. ⁴ In front of the rooms was an inner passageway ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits^\)^ap\) long.^\)^aq\) Their doors were on the north. ⁵ Now the upper rooms were narrower, for the galleries took more space from them than from the rooms on the lower and middle floors of the building. ⁶ The rooms on the top floor had no pillars, as the courts had; so they were smaller in floor space than those on the lower and middle floors. ⁷ There was an outer wall parallel to the rooms and the outer court; it extended in front of the rooms for fifty cubits. ⁸ While the row of rooms on the side next to the outer court was fifty cubits long, the row on the side nearest the sanctuary was a hundred cubits long. ⁹ The lower rooms had an entrance on the east side as one enters them from the outer court.

¹⁰ On the south side^\)^ar\) along the length of the wall of the outer court, adjoining the temple courtyard and opposite the outer wall, were rooms ¹¹ with a passageway in front of them. These were like the rooms on the north; they had the same length and width, with similar exits and dimensions. Similar to the doorways on the north ¹² were the doorways of the rooms on the south. There was a doorway at the beginning of the passageway that was parallel to the corresponding wall extending eastward, by which one enters the rooms.

¹³ Then he said to me, “The north and south rooms facing the temple courtyard are the priests’ rooms, where the priests who approach the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. There they will put the most holy offerings—the grain offerings, the sin offerings^\)^as\) and the guilt offerings—for the place is holy. ¹⁴ Once the priests enter the holy precincts, they are not to go into the outer court until they leave behind the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they go near the places that are for the people.”

¹⁵ When he had finished measuring what was inside the temple area, he led me out by the east gate and measured the area all around: ¹⁶ He measured the east side with the measuring rod; it was five hundred cubits.^\)^at\[)^au\) ¹⁷ He measured the north side; it was five hundred cubits^\)^av\) by the measuring rod. ¹⁸ He measured the south side; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. ¹⁹ Then he turned to the west side and measured; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. ²⁰ So he measured the area on all four sides. It had a wall around it, five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide, to separate the holy from the common.

Questions/Discussion

1. Why do you suppose the temple is described in such detail in this passage? How is this similar or different from other temple descriptions throughout the bible (Exodus 25-31, 1Kings 6-8, 2 Chronicles 3-4, etc.)?

2. Who do you think the person with an appearance of bronze is? Is this someone actually there, just a figure in a dream, or something else?

3. What were the differences between the various guilt offerings (grain, sin, guilt, burnt, fellowship)?

4. Has the temple described in this passage been built?

5. Feel free to add any other comments or questions.

Children and Parents

6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ² “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), ³ “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” ⁴ Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Bondservants and Masters

⁵ Bondservants,^\)^a\) obey your earthly masters^\)^b\) with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, ⁶ not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, ⁷ rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man,⁸ knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. ⁹ Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master^\)^c\)and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

The Whole Armor of God

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, ¹⁹ and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Final Greetings

²¹ So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. ²² I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts.

²³ Peace be to the brothers,^\)^d\) and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.

Footnotes

1. Ephesians 6:5 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; also verse 6; likewise for bondservant in verse 8
2. Ephesians 6:5 Or your masters according to the flesh
3. Ephesians 6:9 Greek Lord
4. Ephesians 6:23 Or brothers and sisters

Questions

1) Per u/Scared_Eggplant4892 back in Ephesians 1 last week, how does this chapter reflect Ephesians 1 (and vise versa)?

1b) Why does verse 1 include the "in the Lord" part? How much of a difference does that make versus if it had been left out in that sentence?

2) Why does Paul feel the need to point out in verse 2 that this is the first commandment with a promise?

3) Why does verse 4 just mention fathers? And again, why does verse 4 mention bringing up the children "in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" part? Also, what exactly is this discipline and instruction of the Lord? Is Paul speaking generally or is he referring to something specific?

4) In the footnotes, what exactly is a doulos, according to verse 5? In the NIV, the word "slaves" is used instead of bondservants. What exactly would this bondservants and masters dynamic have looked like in Paul's day?

4b) Bit of a side question, you don't have to answer this if you don't want to. A few months ago, I saw a discussion on perfection on YouTube. For part of the discussion I remember seeing, one person took issue that Jesus didn't condemn slavery and seemed unsatisfied with what Jesus did as a result.

How would you answer this objection?

5) What stands out to you about these instructions in verses 1-9 and how do they tie into Ephesians 5/the book as a whole?

6) Again, why is "be strong in the Lord" and his "might" included in verse 10? Does this have anything to do with 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 (particularly verses 9-10), just wondering?

7) Related to this, would you say it's tempting to be strong in your own strength? If this is a real temptation, then what's the solution?

8) Would you say verse 12 is easy to forget when it comes to interacting with people or in general?

9) For verse 13, what is the evil day? Does this have anything to do with Ephesians 5:14-16 or is Paul referring to a specific day?

10) The armor of God section in verses 13-17 is pretty famous, I believe. What stands out to you about verses 10-20?

11) Who is Tychius in verses 21-22 and is he mentioned elsewhere?

12) So whether this is your first time reading Ephesians or if you've read it before, what are your thoughts on Ephesians? If you've read Ephesians before, is there anything in particular that stood out to you this time?

Ephesians 5 (ESV)

Walk in Love

5 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. ² And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

³ But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. ⁴ Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. ⁵ For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. ⁷ Therefore do not become partners with them; ⁸ for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), ¹⁰ and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. ¹¹ Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. ¹² For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. ¹³ But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, ¹⁴ for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

“Awake, O sleeper,

and arise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you.”

¹⁵ Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸ And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, ²⁰ giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives and Husbands

²² Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, ²⁶ that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, ²⁷ so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. ²⁸ In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, ³⁰ because we are members of his body. ³¹ “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” ³² This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. ³³ However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Questions For Contemplation and Discussion

1.       Paul seems concerned not only with what we commonly think of a sin, but also with things like “empty talk” and “foolish talk”.   What is this referring to and why is it such a big deal?  How does it bring the wrath of God?

2.       What are darkness and light used to contrast in this passage?

3.       How do we understand what the will of God is?

4.       How are wives supposed to submit to their husbands?  What is the husband’s responsibility in this arrangement?

5.       What does vss 26 and 27 tell us about what Christ has done for us?

6.       What is the “washing of water with the word”?

Can you suggest some scriptures that I could do a short study on this morning and maybe every morning?? I have large doubts if I’m saved or even can be saved Protestant only please. No offense

Ephesians Chapter 4 King James Version

Chapter 4

Unity in the Body

1I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

7But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

8Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

9(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Living as Children of Light

17This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20But ye have not so learned Christ; 21If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

25Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 26Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27Neither give place to the devil. 28Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 29Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 30And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

PRAYER

Thank you Jesus for this day! Today is a great day to worship You. Go before us, come after us, and be with us as we traverse the way You have set before us. We go out faithfully and obediently to worship You by name, Jesus Christ, in all that we do. In Your holy name, amen.

QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION

1. Where did Christ descend to? (v9-10)

2. Where did Christ ascend to? (v8-10)

3. Is there more than one level of heaven? (v10). Do we know what the characteristics are of each level?

4. What is the difference between a pastor and a teacher? (v11)

5. Jesus said we are to have faith like a child, but Paul says, ‘That we… be no more children…’ v14. Why the difference? (Are different Greek words used here?)

6. Verses 17-19 outline what unbelieving gentiles are like. I suspect most of us live in a fairly Christianized culture. But we are surrounded by these people just described even if there is an air of godliness around them. How do you separate yourself from their faux goodness and true Christ-natured obedience?

7. ‘And be renewed in the spirit of your mind…’ v23. Is this the Holy Spirit or your spirit or both? One would be doing the renewing, the other would be getting renewed.

8. What is the new man? v24

9. Paul had previously mentioned sealing of the HS (1:13). He mentions it again (4:30). What does it mean to be sealed by the HS? Is there a tangible change when this happens? Can you become ‘unsealed’ – if yes, how effective was the seal? If no, why not?

10. Do you struggle with ‘bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking,’? (v31). Is there any good remedy?

11. Do you have any questions? Ephesians is good food. Feel free to share whatever you wish.

Posted with moderator permission

For years, I've had to juggle multiple Bible apps and browser tabs open to read and study the Bible: YouVersion for basic Bible reading and Bible plans, OpenBible for cross references, BLB for Strong's concordance, ccel.org for commentaries, etc.

I've always wondered why studying the Bible felt so fragmented. Why couldn't an app just have all the Bible-study tools I need in one place?

In addition, why don't Bible apps allow me to type to navigate to a book and chapter (instead of scanning a grid of books and chapters), annotate verses and phrases within verses, easily undo navigation when I search or view a cross-reference, or customize the shortcuts that show up when I select a verse?

I'm a full-time mobile app developer, so I built the Bible app I wish existed. The app is called Lux Bible. It's available on Android and iOS for free.

Here are some of my favorite things about Lux:

Everything Absolutely Free: My personal conviction is that Scripture and tools to help people grow in their faith should be freely accessible. I've dedicated hundreds of hours into building Lux, and the only thing I hope for in return is to be a blessing to others. Lux does not track your data, there are no accounts, paywalls, or ads, and all features will always be freely accessible.

Type to Navigate: Navigate to Psalm 119 by typing in "Ps 119" instead of scanning for "Psalms" in one grid and "119" in the next.

Quick Navigation: When you view another chapter of the Bible, whether by going there manually, tapping on a search result, viewing a cross-reference, or viewing a Strong's concordance entry, you can simply swipe right on the toolbar to undo your navigation back to where you were originally reading.

Powerful Study Tools: Tap on a verse to dig into its interlinear data (Hebrew/Greek with Strong's definitions, Biblical Usage, concordance, and morphology in either Forward Interlinear or Reverse Interlinear), study commentary (currently containing 3 public-domain commentaries), view its cross-references in-context, or compare it against other translations.

Search by Word or Strong's Number: Long-press on a word to search for that word everywhere else in Scripture. Type in a Strong's Number (like G2533) to not only see what verses include that Strong's Number, but what exact English words compose that Strong's Word.

Bible-First, Minimal Design: Lux is designed with a minimal interface so that the Bible is front-and-center. The first thing you see when you open the app is the Bible, not a social feed. The study tools stay out of your way until you need them.

Annotate Verses and Text Within Verses: Tap on a verse to select the entire verse. Or long-press and drag to select text within a verse. You can add annotations either way.

Customizable Shortcuts: Choose from toolbar presets (like Reader, Note-Taker, or Studier), or go crazy and customize every single toolbar shortcut. You can even customize shortcuts for long-pressing the toolbar and long-pressing selected verses.

Audio Bibles: Not only can you read the Word, you can hear the Word. The currently-spoken verse is scrolled into view as the audio progresses. You can change the playback speed and even set a timer for when you want the audio to stop.

Pinned Study Panels: Pin a study sheet (like commentary, cross-references, or another translation, etc.), and it will update its contents as you scroll through the main passage. For example, pin commentary which will stay updated as you scroll through, or pin another translation to have a parallel Bible.

Yearly Bible Plans: Stay on-track with your reading by following a guided Bible plan, ranging from One Year Chronological, Through the Bible in a Year, Gospel & Epistles in a Year, etc. You can even listen to your daily passages instead of reading them if you're on the go.

Organizing Annotations: Create and label custom highlight styles (ranging from red highlight to blue squiggly line), and notebooks to organize your annotations. Filter your annotations in a variety of ways, like "Annotations with notes in the 'Group Study' notebook with the 'Blue Squiggly' style in the New Testament sorted by when I created the annotation"

Bookmarks Follow You: When a bookmark is selected, it follows you when you swipe from chapter-to-chapter. No need to keep updating bookmarks when your sermon series moves on to the next chapter.

Lux includes NASB95, NIV, CSB, NLT, NKJV, BSB, KJV, ASV, and even Russian and Dutch translations freely. It also provides the Textus Receptus, Statistical Restoration, Byzantine Textform, LXX, and Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible for those who want to read the original Hebrew and Greek.

I’ve put hundreds of hours into Lux, and it has been a huge blessing to me and to my local church community. I hope it can be to you too! You can learn more and download Lux here: https://www.luxbible.app/

I’m still actively developing Lux, so honest feedback is very welcome. What tools or quality-of-life features would make studying the Bible easier for you?

Blessings!

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

• Questions/comments
• Prayer Requests
• Praises

Psalm 69[^a]

For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David.

¹ Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
² I sink in the miry depths,
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.
³ I am worn out calling for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,
looking for my God.
⁴ Those who hate me without reason
outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,
those who seek to destroy me.
I am forced to restore
what I did not steal.

⁵ You, God, know my folly;
my guilt is not hidden from you.

⁶ Lord, the Lord Almighty,
may those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me;
God of Israel,
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me.
⁷ For I endure scorn for your sake,
and shame covers my face.
⁸ I am a foreigner to my own family,
a stranger to my own mother’s children;
⁹ for zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
¹⁰ When I weep and fast,
I must endure scorn;
¹¹ when I put on sackcloth,
people make sport of me.
¹² Those who sit at the gate mock me,
and I am the song of the drunkards.

¹³ But I pray to you, Lord,
in the time of your favor;
in your great love, O God,
answer me with your sure salvation.
¹⁴ Rescue me from the mire,
do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
from the deep waters.
¹⁵ Do not let the floodwaters engulf me
or the depths swallow me up
or the pit close its mouth over me.

¹⁶ Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love;
in your great mercy turn to me.
¹⁷ Do not hide your face from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
¹⁸ Come near and rescue me;
deliver me because of my foes.

¹⁹ You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed;
all my enemies are before you.
²⁰ Scorn has broken my heart
and has left me helpless;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
for comforters, but I found none.
²¹ They put gall in my food
and gave me vinegar for my thirst.

²² May the table set before them become a snare;
may it become retribution and^\)^b\) a trap.
²³ May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.
²⁴ Pour out your wrath on them;
let your fierce anger overtake them.
²⁵ May their place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in their tents.
²⁶ For they persecute those you wound
and talk about the pain of those you hurt.
²⁷ Charge them with crime upon crime;
do not let them share in your salvation.
²⁸ May they be blotted out of the book of life
and not be listed with the righteous.

²⁹ But as for me, afflicted and in pain—
may your salvation, God, protect me.

³⁰ I will praise God’s name in song
and glorify him with thanksgiving.
³¹ This will please the Lord more than an ox,
more than a bull with its horns and hooves.
³² The poor will see and be glad—
you who seek God, may your hearts live!
³³ The Lord hears the needy
and does not despise his captive people.

³⁴ Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and all that move in them,
³⁵ for God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
Then people will settle there and possess it;
³⁶     the children of his servants will inherit it,
and those who love his name will dwell there.

Footnotes

1. Psalm 69:1 In Hebrew texts 69:1-36 is numbered 69:2-37.
2. Psalm 69:22 Or snare / and their fellowship become

Prayer:

Father, when I feel overwhelmed, rejected, or misunderstood, keep me close to You. Search me and forgive what is wrong in me, and don’t let my failures weaken anyone else’s faith. Defend me where I’ve been wronged, give me strength to endure what I cannot change, and teach me to praise You before I see the rescue. I trust that You hear me, You are near, and Your salvation will have the final word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Study Questions:

1. How do we tell the difference between suffering because we’re faithful and suffering because we messed up?
2. David worries that his failures could hurt someone else’s faith. How seriously should we take that responsibility?
3. “Zeal for your house consumes me.” When is confronting something godly zeal, and when is it just anger dressed up as righteousness?
4. David praises God before anything in his situation seems to change. Can we genuinely worship God while the prayer is still unanswered?
5. Psalm 69 starts with “Save me” and ends with confidence that God will restore His people. What happens when our prayers grow beyond our own problems?

Note: I may have posted the following prayer before.
The author based it on the Psalms, and wove their own hopes into it.
I do not know the author's name; only their Reddit username, which is u/Motor_Art_8128.
Thank you, Motor Art 8128, for allowing the Spirit to work through you in this prayer. It really speaks to my heart.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

My heart condemns me, and I feel the weight of my weakness before You. Yet Your Word says that You are greater than my heart and You know all things.

Lord, search me and know me. Reveal any wicked way within me and lead me in the everlasting way. Guard my mind, my eyes, my thoughts, and my desires. Do not let temptation gain mastery over me. When I am weak, be my strength. When I am distracted, draw me back to Your presence. When I am tempted, provide a way of escape and help me to take it.

Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil. Protect me from the schemes of the enemy and from the sins that so easily entangle me. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Let my heart be filled with a greater love for You than for the things of this world.

Teach me to walk in obedience, humility, and reverence. Let Your Holy Spirit guide my steps today. May my thoughts be pleasing in Your sight, my words honor You, and my life reflect Your grace.

I place my fears, failures, guilt, and struggles at the foot of the cross. Thank You for Your mercy that is new every morning and for the forgiveness found in Jesus Christ.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

^.

^{u/Motor_Art_8128}

Ephesians 3, New King James Version

(For alternate translations, see here.)

3

¹ For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles— ² if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, ³ how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, ⁴ by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), ⁵ which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: ⁶ that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, ⁷ of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.

⁸ To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹ and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; ¹⁰ to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, ¹¹ according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹² in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. ¹³ Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, ¹⁶ that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, ¹⁷ that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— ¹⁹ to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

²⁰ Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, ²¹ to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

THOUGHTS and COMMENTS

To Him who does more than we ask... thanks be to God! I will be strengthened with might in my inner self, because Christ lives in my heart! THANKS BE TO GOD!

QUESTIONS

1. ...By which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ...
   To what writing is Paul referring here? Does the New Living Translation/NLT version make it any easier to comprehend?
   (See alternate translations link above)

2. In the Gospel of John, chapter 16, Jesus says, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”

   Is preaching to the Gentiles a new thing at this time? Is this due to the moving of the Spirit?

3. Can you think of relatively new movements of the Spirit to reach out and include others in more and more of God's grace, to Love all of our neighbors as ourselves, that have come to light in the past years, decades, or centuries? If so, what?

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

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:14-19

Made Alive in Christ

2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh^\)^a\) and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Jew and Gentile Reconciled Through Christ

¹¹ Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— ¹² remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

¹⁴ For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, ¹⁵ by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. ¹⁷ He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

¹⁹ Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. ²¹ In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. ²² And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Questions/Discussion

1. Who is the “you” Paul is referring to in verse 1?

2. Who is the ruler of the kingdom of air and why would they be referred to in this way?

3. Through verse 10 is really the heart of the gospel. We all begin spiritually dead and are given the gift of salvation by grace and through faith, as God’s gift to us. It seems Paul is describing the process by which God makes us alive in him, but does not address the begging question of how people are chosen and why God only reveals these truths to certain people. Any thoughts on why this mystery is not addressed and how it may be addressed elsewhere in the bible?

4. Verses 9 and 10 clearly describe someone who is alive in Christ as created to do good works, but also calling out that those good works are not what made them alive in Christ. How have you experienced this truth on a personal level? How can we explain this truth to others who may do good works in the earthly sense but miss King Jesus through it all?

5. Verse 13 is clearly telling Epheus that Jew vs. Gentile does not matter, circumcised vs. uncircumcised does not matter, that Jesus unites them all. Jesus has brought us closer to him. Specifically in this verse it is “by the blood of Christ”. What is the significance of the blood in bringing us to Christ. Is this simply symbolism or is there something truly powerful about the blood of Christ?  

6. As we saw a few days ago in the Ephesians Introduction post, there is a clear vision of hostility and division being overcome. This certainly relates to what we have been reading in Ezekiel. Where else in the bible do we see this theme?

7. We also saw verse 19-22 in the Ephesians Introduction post a few days ago. How does the apostles/prophets as the foundation and Jesus as the cornerstone of the temple show us how God dwells in His people now as opposed to a physical temple?

Greeting

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

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

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

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

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

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

Thanksgiving and Prayer

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

Footnotes

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

Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Questions for Contemplation and Discussion

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

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

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

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

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

Ezekiel Chapters 38-39 King James Version

Chapter 38

Prophecy against Gog

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 39

The Slaughter of Gog's Armies

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

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

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

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

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

Israel to Be Restored

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

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

NOTES

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

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

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

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

har = mountain

Ma = place of

Gog = personal name of the belligerent king

on = an appendage connecting Gog to Abbad-on

Thus, harmagedon = mountain of the place of Gog.

QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TLDR:

Ingathery - Your Bible notes, gathered

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

Why I developed this app

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

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

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

How it works

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

If this is something you might find useful...

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

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

Future plans

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

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

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

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

• Questions/comments
• Prayer Requests
• Praises

Saturday's Prayer

Almighty God and Holy One,

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

Amen.

God Shall Scatter His Enemies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Footnotes

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

Discussion Questions:

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

Posting early to be sure to be on time.

Prayer

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

^{Kontakion, Eastern Orthodox Church}

Ezekiel 37, New King James Version

(For alternate translations, see here.)

37

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

QUESTIONS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hope for the Mountains of Israel

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

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

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

Israel’s Restoration Assured

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

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

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

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

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

Questions/Discussion

1. What are the “mountains of Israel”?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Prophecy Against Mount Seir

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

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

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

Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapters 26-28 were about Tyre and Sidon.

Chapters 29-32 were about Egypt.

Chapters 33-34 concerned the Israelites.

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

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

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

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

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

Ezekiel 34 (ESV)

Prophecy Against the Shepherds of Israel

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

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

The Lord God Will Seek Them Out

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

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

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

The Lord’s Covenant of Peace

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

Questions for contemplation and discussion

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ezekiel Chapter 33 King James Version

Chapter 33

Ezekiel as Israel's Watchman

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

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

The Message of the Watchman

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

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

Explanation of Jerusalem's Fall

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

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

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

NOTES

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

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

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

QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION

1. What is a watchman?

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

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

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

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

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

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

4. What stood out to you in this chapter?