Good Morning “Kingdom Citizens”. Today we are in Ezekiel 17.
3 chapters, three allegories: a vine, a cheating wife, and two eagles. In all three, the rebellion of Judah has been portrayed… together with Gods judgments through the Babylonians.
A quick breakdown of the characters herein:
Lebanon is fertile Northern Israel - at the time full of tall cedars.
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, is the eagle and the tops of the trees of Lebanon represent the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem
Then in v.13, the Lord says Babylon took another king of the family of Judah, Zedekiah, and placed him in power over Jerusalem as their vassal
But in 588 BC, Zedekiah decided to break his covenant and rebel against Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon.
The judgment Ezekiel presented here was less than five years away. The wrath of God was imminent. God’s people had “nullified” the covenant blessings and ran straight into its curses.
Israel had chosen a worldly selfish lifestyle. In doing so, they turned their backs on God and and are about to face the consequences.
Is America like Israel? No matter what you may have been taught, we were founded by Christians who desired a place to worship the Lord freely. It seems America has become little more than a secular society, which chases hard after its idolatries and denies the Lord whose providence led our founders to establish such a nation. If the similarity exists, an inevitable end is sure to follow. Just ask Ezekiel.
All is not lost, though. Throughout the impending judgments, Ezekiel speaks of a remnant, according to God’s grace, who will be brought back to Jerusalem. Further into the future, still, Ezekiel sees the coming of Messiah Himself and the Kingdom of God flourishing as the result of His coming.
And that is, the most important thing to remember: God is not nearly so concerned with building secular cities or nations. He is about the establishment and building of His Kingdom. It is a kingdom where, if people could be described as “birds,” it would contain every “kind” of bird. (Luke 13:18-19) The requirement of citizenship in His Kingdom has nothing to do with national or ethnic heritage or a certain number of good deeds (Ephesians 2:8-9); it has everything to do with the kind of faith that would compel a person to turn from “idolatry” and commit to following the Messiah described by the Bible - Jesus (John 14:6)!
The future is as bright as the promise of God to those who live according to His Word (John 14:15-21, John 15)!
Let’s keep seeking God through His Word daily!
Love you all! Dig in!
3 chapters, three allegories: a vine, a cheating wife, and two eagles. In all three, the rebellion of Judah has been portrayed… together with Gods judgments through the Babylonians.
A quick breakdown of the characters herein:
Lebanon is fertile Northern Israel - at the time full of tall cedars.
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, is the eagle and the tops of the trees of Lebanon represent the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem
Then in v.13, the Lord says Babylon took another king of the family of Judah, Zedekiah, and placed him in power over Jerusalem as their vassal
But in 588 BC, Zedekiah decided to break his covenant and rebel against Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon.
The judgment Ezekiel presented here was less than five years away. The wrath of God was imminent. God’s people had “nullified” the covenant blessings and ran straight into its curses.
Israel had chosen a worldly selfish lifestyle. In doing so, they turned their backs on God and and are about to face the consequences.
Is America like Israel? No matter what you may have been taught, we were founded by Christians who desired a place to worship the Lord freely. It seems America has become little more than a secular society, which chases hard after its idolatries and denies the Lord whose providence led our founders to establish such a nation. If the similarity exists, an inevitable end is sure to follow. Just ask Ezekiel.
All is not lost, though. Throughout the impending judgments, Ezekiel speaks of a remnant, according to God’s grace, who will be brought back to Jerusalem. Further into the future, still, Ezekiel sees the coming of Messiah Himself and the Kingdom of God flourishing as the result of His coming.
And that is, the most important thing to remember: God is not nearly so concerned with building secular cities or nations. He is about the establishment and building of His Kingdom. It is a kingdom where, if people could be described as “birds,” it would contain every “kind” of bird. (Luke 13:18-19) The requirement of citizenship in His Kingdom has nothing to do with national or ethnic heritage or a certain number of good deeds (Ephesians 2:8-9); it has everything to do with the kind of faith that would compel a person to turn from “idolatry” and commit to following the Messiah described by the Bible - Jesus (John 14:6)!
The future is as bright as the promise of God to those who live according to His Word (John 14:15-21, John 15)!
Let’s keep seeking God through His Word daily!
Love you all! Dig in!
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