Ezekiel 14:12-16:41
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I am fascinated by God’s words in Ezekiel chapter 14 verses 13 & 14 today:  “Son of man, suppose the people of a country were to sin against me, and I lifted my fist to crush them, cutting off their food supply and sending a famine to destroy both people and animals. Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were there, their righteousness would save no one but themselves, says the Sovereign Lord.”  The first thing these verses tell us is that God’s judgment upon Jerusalem at this time was certain.  Even the righteousness of Noah, Daniel, and Job couldn’t change that – only these 3 men would have been saved.  However, this got me thinking.  Is it possible that sometimes today we try to build up our own righteousness to ensure our own salvation and basically do nothing to try to build up others righteousness and help them toward their salvation?  Meaning, do we sometimes retreat into a “Christian bubble” and ignore the rest of “the world.”  Leave them to their own devices.  It just made me think when reading about Noah, Daniel, and Job that my hunch is that these 3 would not just chill out and relax in the glory and certitude of their own righteousness.  My hunch is that they would get out there on the streets and try to save others.  So, what about you and me?  Are we just cocooning in our own righteousness and salvation, or are we taking salvation to the streets?  Are we retreating from the battle for others’ salvation or are we engaged in it?  What say you?

Ezekiel chapter 14 verse 23 tells us today:  “When you meet them and see their behavior, you will agree that these things are not being done to Israel without cause, says the Sovereign LORD.”  I think sometimes we can read some select verses in the Old Testament out of context and think God is being harsh.  God here reminds us that he is not being harsh without cause.  And we’ll see more of the cause in chapter 16 today…  Below is an image of Ezekiel prophesying to the elders who visited him in chapter 14 verse 1:

Ezekiel chapter 15 is an interesting one for me today, where God basically calls Jerusalem a useless grape vine.  In reading this I am also reminded that Jesus in John 15 uses the grape vine analogy again saying “I am the vine and you are the branches.”  This tells me that Jesus redeems even useless grape vines!  🙂  However, using this Ezekiel analogy, are we growing in our lives like trees or like vines?  How thick are your roots?  How solid is your core?

Ezekiel chapter 16 is a fascinating and sad look at the city of Jerusalem.  This is the first time I have really spent a little bit of time with this chapter.  The question I find for myself in reading this chapter is this: has God blessed us similarly in some ways that he blessed Jerusalem?  Have we, perhaps, in some ways used the blessings that God has given us in improper ways?   Verse 6 in this chapter stood out to me: “But I came by and saw you there, helplessly kicking about in your own blood. As you lay there, I said, `Live!’”  Bible commentaries suggest that this one word – Live! – is God’s basic desire for all humans.  How powerful is that realization?  How very beautiful…  Live!  Let us Live!

Worship Video:  Ezekiel 16:6’s call to “Live!” reminded me of Casting Crowns wonderful worship tune called “Lifesong.”  Let this be our prayer today – “Let my lifesong sing to you!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEwB0pkes7U

Is your lifesong singing to God?  Click here and start singing!

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you from today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

Grace, love, peace, and joy!
Mike

p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

Ezekiel 12:1-14:11
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Ezekiel chapter 12 today reminds me that sometimes in my own life I believe God sends some signs and warnings and I, like the Israelites in exile in Babylon, can be a rebel.  I ignore the signs and warnings or think – oh, that won’t come to pass for a long time…    Do you suppose this is wise?   Is there a sign or a warning God may be sending your way in your life currently?  Will you listen and obey?  Will you pay attention to God’s warning signs in your life?

I love the story of Ezekiel packing up his pack in broad daylight and leaving through a hole in his house during the evening in chapter 12 today!  In verse 7 we read – “So I did as I was told. In broad daylight I brought my pack outside, filled with the things I might carry into exile. Then in the evening while the people looked on, I dug through the wall with my hands and went out into the darkness with my pack on my shoulder.”

It is interesting that in chapter 12 God says three times: “Then you/they will know that I am the LORD!”  Why do you think he repeats this three times in this chapter?  Should this be a statement we should consider in our own lives?   Who is the Lord of your life – yourself or God?   Do you know that God is the Lord?   Is God consistently in the very center of your life?

Ezekiel chapter 13 verse 2 stood out to me today: “Son of man, speak against the false prophets of Israel who are inventing their own prophecies. Tell them to listen to the word of the LORD.” Do we see this in our world today?  People inventing their own prophecies?  Inventing their own religions?  Picking and choosing what philosophies they like the best?  Do we do this?  Should we be listening instead to the Word of the Lord?  Are you actively involved in a church where the Word is clearly taught and Jesus is clearly the cornerstone?

Ezekiel 14 verse 3 I believe can definitely speak to us today: “Son of man, these leaders have set up idols in their hearts. They have embraced things that lead them into sin.”  This is scary to think about…  Have we set up idols in our hearts?  Have we embraced things that lead us into sin?  Think this is a good idea… ?  Can we turn these idols in our hearts over to the Lord?  It is my hunch that an idol set up in our hearts is one of the toughest things to get rid of.  We need Jesus in our lives to free us idols.  Will you let Jesus remove any idol that is in your heart this very day?  Please don’t let that idol hang around in your heart any longer…

Worship Video:  Today’s readings reminded me of TobyMac and Blessing Offur’s song “The Goodness:”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L5xi8DbQ5c

Do you know God’s Goodness?  Click here for True Goodness!

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you from today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

Grace, love, peace, and joy!
Mike

p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

Ezekiel 10:1-11:25
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Ezekiel’s vision of the Lord in Jerusalem continues today in chapters 10 and 11 as the glory of the Lord first leaves the Temple and then leaves Jerusalem completely! This is a big deal as the glory of the Lord had pretty much been in the Temple since it’s construction. We are also visited by the cherubim again in these chapters – check out the November 1st readings calendar link below/left for more commentary on the cherubim.  I really like this artwork by Priscilla Silver called “The Four Faced Cherubim” –

Today in chapter 11 verse 13 we read – “While I was still speaking, Pelatiah son of Benaiah suddenly died. Then I fell face down in the dust and cried out, “O Sovereign LORD, are you going to kill everyone in Israel?””

Chapter 11 verses 19 & 20 stood out to me today, with a message for the exiles in Babylon – “I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their hearts of stone and give them tender hearts instead, so they will obey my laws and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.” How are our hearts today? Are they tender? Single in their focus on God? Do we have a new Spirit within us?

Worship Video:  Today’s readings reminded me of the Aaron Shust song “To God Alone be the Glory:”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT-QWSxV0Hs

Do you give God all your glory?  Click here to get to know your Glory!

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you from today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

Grace, love, peace, and joy!
Mike

p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

Ezekiel 7:1-9:11
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Ezekiel chapter 7 has a line that repeats twice in verses 4 & 27: “Then you/they will know that I am the LORD!”  We are seeing here that God is not happy with Israel in large part because they do not realize that he is the Lord. They have sold out to other gods and idols and sin and don’t really think God will do much about it. Well, God opens this chapter with strong words in verse 1: “The end is here!” God’s patience has run out. But, keep in mind that God kept trying to get the Israelites to repent over and over and over again. They wouldn’t.  Do we sometimes test God’s patience? If so, will we repent in the areas of our life where we test God’s patience?

Ezekiel chapter 8 reminds me of a lawyer making a case in court! And God absolutely puts forth a strong case for why the end arrived for Jerusalem in the 5th/6th century B.C. It is so sad to see these sins take place in and around the Temple. In chapter 9 we see six angels of God appear from the north gates – where one of the major idols was located. In this vision, these 6 angels are carrying out God’s judgment on Israel. Verse 7 gives us a hint that God is preparing to leave the Temple completely: “”Defile the Temple!” the LORD commanded.”  We’ll pick this up in tomorrow’s readings…  Below is an artist’s interpretation of Ezekiel’s visit to Jerusalem:  (I realize this is one of the more “unique” pieces of art I have posted up – just wait until we get to the book of Revelation! 🙂

YouTube: Today’s readings reminds me of the Casting Crowns song “Slow Fade,” which was in the movie Fireproof.  Here’s the video for the song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QASREBVDsLk

Are you in a slow fade in your life?  Click here for the fast track to God!

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you from today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

Grace, love, peace, and joy!
Mike

p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

Ezekiel 3:16-6:14
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In Ezekiel chapter 3 today God appoints Ezekiel as a watchman for Israel! This might sound pretty good at first… but there are some serious ramifications for Ezekiel to follow through with what God asks Ezekiel to do. My thoughts based on this chapter – Are there times in our lives where God asks us to do something that may sound good at first, but then turns out to be harder than we initially thought it would be? With potential some serious ramifications?  If so, do you quit? Or do you forge ahead with what God asks of you?  Will you stay within God’s will for your life – even when the going gets tough?  If God calls you to be a watch-person, will you be obedient to the call?

Ezekiel chapters 4 and 5 get into God’s signs of the coming siege and judgment of Jerusalem and Israel. The thing that went through my mind when reading all of this was the 3rd commandment from Exodus chapter 20, verses 4-6:  “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.”  The term in these verses “jealous God” did come to my mind when reading Ezekiel 4 and 5. And not in a bad way. But, just in the way it was. God commanded no idols. Israel/Jerusalem created idols and did not repent after repeated warnings. God was “jealous” of all of this, and the siege and judgment came.

Ezekiel chapter 6 continues along the lines of chapters 4 & 5 – with judgment against the very land of Israel because of the pagan shrines. Verses 8 & 9 stood out to me in this chapter: “”But I will let a few of my people escape destruction, and they will be scattered among the nations of the world. Then when they are exiled among the nations, they will remember me. They will recognize how grieved I am by their unfaithful hearts and lustful eyes that long for other gods. Then at last they will hate themselves for all their wickedness.” Here we see that God will preserve the Davidic line – and that the Israelites will eventually repent, and the nation will eventually be restored (as we know in hindsight now). Verse 10 in this chapter also seems to sum up a lot of what’s going on in God’s mind in today’s readings in Ezekiel: “They will know that I alone am the LORD and that I was serious when I predicted that all this would happen to them.”  Do we know that God is alone the Lord in our lives today? Do we trust his Word and his predictions without a doubt?

Worship Video: Today’s readings reminded me of the Third Day song “Lift Up Your Face:”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ij71LWwPt-w

Have you lifted up your face?  Click here to lift up your face to God!

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you from today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

Grace, love, peace, and joy!
Mike

p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

Ezekiel 1:1-3:15
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Today we begin the book of the prophet Ezekiel!  Ezekiel is a prophet whose name means “God strengthens” – which is clearly a good thing for those in the prophet business. We’ve recently wrapped up the book of Jeremiah and are well aware of the challenges facing a prophet. The interesting thing to note is that Jeremiah was prophesying in Judah, whereas Ezekiel was prophesying in Babylon to the exiles from Judah. These two were doing their work at about the same time, but in different geographies. Ezekiel gets his call to be a prophet in probably his 30th year of life – the age when most of the priestly line were called to be priests. Instead, Ezekiel was called to be a prophet – which, is probably a good thing because he is living in exile in Babylon – so wouldn’t have been able to perform the priestly duties at the Temple in Jerusalem. Ezekiel’s call comes in 593 B.C., which is 7 years prior to the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. Ezekiel’s ministry goes until 571 B.C., at the age of 52. (which is 2 years beyond what most priests would have served – from ages 30 to 50).  Below is a portrait of Ezekiel by artist Guy Rowe:

~ Ezekiel ~
Author: Ezekiel
Date: Sixth century B.C.
Content: Ezekiel, who grew up as a priest, was carried off to Babylon with the Jewish exiles deported in 597 B.C., and there he became a prophet of God. His message was one of coming judgment for those remaining in Jerusalem, but his preaching was not well received by the Jews who were with him in captivity. When his dire predictions came true in 586 B.C. with the destruction of Jerusalem, the people listened then on with great earnestness. His message changed at this point from being one of unbending judgment to one of comfort and hope for the future. The worst had come; it was now time to make plans for beginning again. Ezekiel saw himself as a shepherd and watchman over Israel. As a shepherd, he was to protect the people, but as a watchman, he was to warn of danger ahead.
Theme: The message of Ezekiel is based upon the unchangeable holiness of God. This is both a promise and a warning. It is a warning because God has promised to remain faithful to his people and this will not change. The book of Ezekiel shows God’s unbreakable promise fulfilled in both respects: the city fell according to promise because of Judah’s sin, and the city would be restored according to promise because of God’s faithfulness. The lives of God’s people determined how God would treat them. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” p. 14)  A wonderful commentary on the book of Ezekiel by Imanuel Christian is at this link.  Below is a sculpture of Ezekiel by German sculptor Johann Josef Christian (1706 – 1777):

In today’s readings, chapter 1 is an incredible vision and call that Ezekiel receives! Obviously the flying creatures with 4 faces and wings are a highlight of this vision. What is up with these you ask? Good question. They are called “cherubim” later in the book of Ezekiel (chapter 10) and are also thought to be the creatures in Isaiah called seraphs – and they show up again in the book of Revelation. If you get a vision, and you see these creatures, you know something big is going on… 🙂 The interesting thing about these creatures is that their four faces representing a human, lion, ox and an eagle have many interpretations, which all basically relate to the nature of God. An interesting interpretation I read was that these 4 represent the 4 Gospels – Matthew being the lion, Mark being the ox, Luke being the human and John being the eagle. You’ll have to pick up a commentary to read more on why these analogies have been made…. (just trying to get everyone to dive into books beyond this blog… 🙂  Below is the artist Rafaelo’s oil painting of “The Vision of Ezekiel” from the year 1518 (Galleria Palatina (Palazzo Pitti), Florence)-

Ezekiel Chapter 2 is God’s Call and Commission of Ezekiel. Don’t we all wish that God could be this clear with us about the purpose of our lives sometimes? 🙂

Ezekiel Chapter 3 has the great narrative of Ezekiel eating the scroll of God. And it tasting like honey – even though it had words of doom upon it.  In Ezekiel 3:3 we read: “Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.” Can we eat of the Word of God?  Does the Word nourish us?  How does the Word nourish us?  Is the Word nourishing you today?  Is it as sweet as honey?  Is the Word literally spiritual food?  Will you eat of God’s Holy Word, the Bible, today – and every day of your life?

Then, in Ezekiel 3 verse 15 ends with a very appropriate line I believe- “I sat there among them for seven days, overwhelmed.” Think you’d be overwhelmed if you experienced chapters 1 & 2?? Whew. I am looking forward to us starting the book of Ezekiel! Thanks for joining me on this journey!  Below is one final image of Ezekiel from the artist Michelangelo.  This one’s in the Sistine Chapel in Rome:

Worship Video:  Today’s readings reminds me of the Jonny Diaz song “A More Beautiful You.” Here’s his thought provoking video for the song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNqQUojBg84

Do you know our Beautiful God?  Click here to get to know Him!

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you from today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

Grace, love, peace, and joy!
Mike

p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

Lamentations 4:1-5:22
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Lamentations Chapters 4 and 5 are tough chapters to read. We know why everything that we read in these chapters has come to pass from our readings in the book of Jeremiah. I guess the thing personally that jumped out at me today when reading this chapter were these thoughts: Have I personally ever experienced anything like what we read about in this chapter? The answer is no. The second thought or question that came to me, however, was this: Are there people in our world today that are experiencing similar things that we read about in this chapter? And I believe the answer is obviously yes. Not for the same “reasons” that Jerusalem was experiencing all of this of course – but the same experiences of starvation and lack of hope are indeed happening in our world today.

Then…. the question becomes – is this fair? Is this right? Should we try to do something for people in our world that are experiencing starvation, lack of hope, and worse?  What will we do?  I know there are thousands of organizations that we could support to help those in need in our world. One that I have personal experience with is World Vision. If you have an extra dollar a day, you can sponsor a child and radically change that child’s life – forever.  Or, even if you have an extra dollar a month, World Vision can do incredible things with that dollar.  If anyone wants to post up other good relief orgs in the Comments sections, please do?  I’d love to hear about which international relief organization you invest in.  Thanks.

Actually, since I started down the path of mentioning World Vision, let me go off a bit more on my tangent here if you don’t mind… 🙂  I don’t know about you, but I have had a hard time buying gifts that are simply “more stuff” for my friends and family in recent years.  Don’t get me wrong.  I think there are wonderful hand-made gifts or books or music or even some stuff that is just the perfect gift for someone in our life.  But, more often than not – if I’m going to a wedding, holiday party, birthday for kids, housewarming party – I feel like I’m just buying more “stuff” for my friends and family who have plenty of “stuff”!   And so, I just want to share with you what I do now for weddings and birthdays and holidays: I may get a small personal gift for folks, but more likely I’ll get them a goat!  Yep, you read that right.  A goat.  The thing about this goat is that my friends and family won’t actually have this goat walking around their house – and I’m sure they appreciate that.  This goat actually goes to a family in our world that is living on less than $1 a day.   This goat will provide milk and cheese for this family’s personal use and for sale in the market.  This goat might even allow the family to breed more goats and start up an entrepreneurial business so that this family can get self-sufficient.  So…  I’ll be 100% honest with you here – my friends love receiving this type of goat!!  They really do.  With the holiday season coming up – and with weddings and birthdays and the list can go on – will you consider buying a goat for your family & friends instead of buying them more “stuff”?  World Vision is one organization where you can buy these types of goats as gifts – but I’m sure there are more.  World Vision actually recently unveiled their holiday gift catalog online at this link!  At this link you can peruse their catalog of more than 100 gift items for families world-wide living on less than $1 a day.   You can buy goats, fruit trees, wells for clean water, clothing, sheep, chickens, and the list goes on.  During this holiday season, will you consider buying life-changing and life-saving gifts for others in our world this holiday season rather than just buying more “stuff”?  (Thanks for reading all this…  I know I’ve gone way off from the Bible readings today…  or have I?)

Worship Video:  Todya’s readings remind me of the Casting Crowns song “East to West.” Enjoy this live version of the song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUkTenwz_mw

How far are your sins from you?  Click here to send them as far as the East is from the West!

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you from today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

Grace, love, peace, and joy!
Mike

p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

Lamentations 3:1-66
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Lamentations Chapter 3 today starts out quite sad and empty in verses 1-20.  Of course, the reason for this sadness and emptiness in these opening verses is God’s discipline toward the people of Jerusalem at this time.  They had sinned greatly and thus this discipline had come upon them.  I think the thing for us to remember in seasons like this in our lives is that it is typically only a season.  This too shall pass – if we repent & learn & grow and return to the Lord.  Indeed, we see the transition in chapter 21: “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this…”  I love this!  “I still dare to hope” – even in the midst of so much sadness & emptiness.  In the midst of our tough seasons in life, can we still dare to hope?  Why should we still dare to hope?  Will you still dare to hope?

Verses 22 to 66 in today’s readings are just phenomenal. I could write on and on about probably each of these verses. There is so much here for us. I’d encourage you to read these verses at least twice and meditate on them and how they might apply to your life today. I’ll jump through a couple of verses here that stood out to me. Verse 23 – “Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day.” Do you experience God’s mercies afresh each day? Do you believe that you can?

Verse 25 – “The LORD is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him.” If you are not experiencing God now, will you wait for him? Will you seek him? (this reminds me of Jeremy Camp’s tune on his worship album – “I’ll wait for the Lord. My soul waits”. Great tune and great reminder that we sometimes need to wait on the Lord).

Worship Video:  Lamentations 3:23 obviously reminded me of the wonderful worship song “Great is Thy Faithfulness, ” sung here by Donnie McClurkin. This video is over 12 minutes long!  But trust me, it is worth the time! Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDOSNf-O2ac

Can you sing “Great is Your Mercy” to God?  Click here to sing!

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you from today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

Grace, love, peace, and joy!
Mike

p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

Lamentations 1:1-2:22
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Today we begin the book of Lamentations!  Lamentations is a short 5 chapter book. It’s essentially a post-script to the book of Jeremiah, and was likely written by the prophet Jeremiah. It is a book that surveys and laments Jerusalem and the Temple after the destruction of both by the Babylonians in about 586 B.C.  A wonderful commentary on the book of Lamentations by Donald Curtis titled “The Fall of Jerusalem” is at this link – surf about 2/3rds the way down this page to get a good chapter by chapter overview of Lamentations – and to dive into info on the acrostics, etc.

~ Lamentations ~
Author: Jeremiah
Date: Sixth century B.C.
Content: The book of Lamentations is a funeral song, written for the fallen city of Jerusalem. It was composed by Jeremiah, who was an eye-witness of all he describes in such vivid detail. He shows the destruction in all its horror so that it could never again be asked, “Why did no one ever tell us the awful price we would have to pay for disobeying God?” There is very little of comfort, but Jeremiah’s prayer in chapter 5 does look beyond the desolate ashes of the once glorious Jerusalem to God whose throne endures forever. Only there can Jeremiah find any solace.
Theme: Lamentations is a declaration of the wrath of God. It portrays the bitter truth that God had promised judgment upon sin, and Judah had been foolish enough to put God to the test. Bad as that was, the deeper tragedy was that it did not have to be. God’s faithfulness is great, being renewed every morning, and his compassion never fails. Had Judah only obeyed, it all could have been avoided. The warning and the promise found in this book should be emblazoned in the skies for all to see. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” pp. 13-14)  Below is an engraving by Gustaf Dore of these Lamentations of Jeremiah…

Lamentations chapter 1 verse 1 sets the tone & stage for this book – “Jerusalem’s streets, once bustling with people, are now silent. Like a widow broken with grief, she sits alone in her mourning. Once the queen of nations, she is now a slave.” Why is this so? Well, we just read the book of the prophet Jeremiah, so we know why…  One thing to keep in mind when reading Lamentations – it provides a glimpse at the devastating affects of unchecked & unrepentant sin. Per this verse above, do you think our sin change our position in life from being a “queen” to a “slave”? 

I think it is important to realize that God did provide so much grace and compassion toward Jerusalem and Judah in the book of Jeremiah before everything got to the devastating point that it is in the book of Lamentations. God sent the prophet Jeremiah to warn Judah over and over and over again…. However, there was no repentance of sin and things got worse and worse – until it got to the point that God had no choice but to discipline Judah through Babylon’s taking Judah captive. We do need to know that unrepentant, unsorrowful, unchecked sin in our lives can lead to horrifically sorrowful things happening in our lives. And perhaps, by us hitting a rock bottom, like Jerusalem clearly is here in Lamentations, there will be an opportunity for discipline and ultimate redemption…

Today in Lamentations 1:14 we read: “My sins have been bound into a yoke; by his hands they were woven together. They have come upon my neck and the Lord has sapped my strength. He has handed me over to those I cannot withstand.” Do you believe that sin can become a “yoke” around your neck? Can sin sap your strength? Can sin hand you over to those you cannot withstand? How can you be freed from this yoke of sin? Perhaps these words from Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30 will give us some ideas – “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” If there is a yoke of sin around your neck, will you allow Jesus to remove that yoke? Will you exchange the yoke of sin for the yoke of rest that Christ offers you today?

Perhaps Lamentations chapter 2, verses 18 & 19, give us a hint at what we should do if we realize we’ve hit a rock bottom place in our lives due to unchecked sin – “Cry aloud before the Lord, O walls of Jerusalem! Let your tears flow like a river. Give yourselves no rest from weeping day or night. Rise during the night and cry out. Pour out your hearts like water to the Lord. Lift up your hands to him in prayer.” If you are at that place of rock bottom, or nearing it, will you cry to the Lord? Will you pour out your heart to the Lord letting him know that you need him – that you cannot do life without him? Will you pray?

Worship Video: Today’s readings remind me of the Paul Baloche song “Above All,” sung here by Michael W. Smith:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtS7UuNI2Vk

Is God above all else in your life?  Click here to meet the One above all!

Comments from you – What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!