Ezekiel III: Trading Up

Ezekiel III

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26 ESV)

Trading Up

I have read of people, con men almost, who go to a flea market with a  piece of trivial junk in their hands… maybe a screwdriver.  They make a series of trades, each time increasing the value of what they ‘own’ until they leave the marketplace with something surprisingly valuable, like a riding lawnmower.

They trade up.

Ezekiel promises here that for those of us who know we had stone cold hearts, God will enable us to trade up!  Through the Christ (and only through the Christ) our selfish hearts become hearts able to love.  Our fearful hearts become hearts at peace.  Our bored hearts become excited hearts.  Our dull hearts become hearts reflecting Christ’s light. 

Our dead hearts become alive hearts.

And all because of Christ.

Ezekiel II: The Messiah

Ezekiel II

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. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord; I have spoken. (Ezekiel 34:23,24 ESV)

The Messiah

Ezekiel’s audience was seeing their line of Kings fail and die out.  And undoubtably that made them nervous.  Not only was a Kingdom difficult to manage without a King… but the whole concept of God’s Blessings on His People was entwined with that Kingdom.  And a King.

But now what?

So this promise has at least two levels.  First, Ezekiel is saying that A King will still be around.  While they might have been thinking about better prices for olive oil, better sources for sheep-feed, and better armed protection against enemy nations, God meant more.

He is saying that He will take care of them.

Which brings our minds to the second level.  God was going to provide a King, but a better King than they had dreamed of since the days of Samuel.  This would not be a King like other nations have… this would be God’s choice of King, a King with God’s direct authority, the Lord Himself as King!

And somehow, with shades of Christmases to come, that King would be both divine and human.

That King would be the Messiah.

And that Messiah is still our King.  Shepherding His people, feeding His people, being our prince, being our savior. 

Being Jesus.

Ezekiel I: Unpragmatic Obedience

Ezekiel I

And you shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house. (Ezekiel 2:7 ESV)

Unpragmatic Obedience

I’ve stopped, I admit, trying to teach my dog to “come,” because it does not seem to do any good.  He ignores my command, or even goes the other way.

I’ve stopped, for the most part, urging folk to refer to the northwest part of Texas as the “potholder of Texas,” rather than, “The panhandle.”  Because that region of Oklahoma SHOULD be honored with that name, since it looks like a panhandle, and Texas does not.  No one has joined me.  So it does not seem to do any good.

I’ve stopped balancing our checkbook on paper, because online banking gives us better, quicker financial information.  Paper balancing does not seem to do any good.

But poor Ezekiel is not given that type of option by God.   Ezekiel is told to Speak for God… whether the people hear, listen, obey, agree, or pay attention.  Poor Ezekiel must have felt, at times, that his preaching was not doing any good.

But God said to keep preaching. 

Obeying God, whether as a preacher, a father, or anything, is not a pragmatic choice.  God’s people are not given the option of obeying as long as we see the good effect, find such efforts successful, or see a grand result.

Obedience to God is what we get to do regardless of visible effect.

We obey because He says.  That’s what Ezekiel did.  That’s what Jesus did.  That’s what we can do.

Lamentations II: Suffering

Lamentations II

I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; (Lamentations 3:1 ESV)

Suffering

Living in Judah during the time of Jeremiah would have been terrible.  The nation, the regions, the cities, the villages, the neighborhoods, and the families all suffered.

But it was more than people suffering… it was individuals.

Jeremiah shows us this as he describes those dark days of God’s wrath.  He writes as the personification of God’s people. 

He writes “I” instead of “we.”

Never lose sight of that when considering the suffering in our world.  Yes, nations suffer.  Yes, regions suffer.  Yes, cities suffer.  Yes, neighborhoods suffer.  Yes families suffer.

But in every case, for those sufferings to have any meaning, we must see that it is individuals who suffer.

When children suffer, it is a child who is suffering.  When the aged suffer, it is an elderly person who is suffering.  When oppression happens, it happens to individuals.  When people hurt, it is a person who hurts.

But God’s compassion, reconciliation, and salvation come to both the large groups, and the individuals, too!

He saves His people, but He saves persons.  He is the God of groups, like churches and families, but He is the God of individuals.

In that way, He relieves YOUR sufferings.

Lamentations I: Steadfast Love

Lamentations I

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22,23 ESV)

Steadfast Love

Two characteristics of God’s hesed (steadfast love) seem to contradict each other.  But they really do not.

First, Jeremiah points out that God’s hesed never ceases.  Connected to His mercy, it never, ever, ever, ever ends.  It progresses from now, until forever.  Our eternity in heaven, in the presence of our Savior, will be spent WITH Jesus, knowing His steadfast love! That is a lot of steadfast love! That forever quality is the first part of what makes is steadfast.

And second, we see that the steadfast love of the Lord is new every morning.  It starts fresh, not founded on our failures, our unsteadfast love, our decisions, actions, and declarations.  Every day it starts over.  It is the second chance of second chances.

Those two might seem to be contradictory.  If it never ceases, why does it need to start new?  And the answer is because God is amazing.  Somehow, He adds each day to the full perfection of His lovingkindness.

It never runs out.  It never gets old.  It never is stale.  It never gets watered down.

It never ceases, and it is new every morning.

Jeremiah IV: Trust IS

Jeremiah IV

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green,          and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit. (Jeremiah 17:7,8 ESV)

Trust IS

I have a bad tree in my back yard.  It is not the tree’s fault, really.  It is too far from water, no streams or wells nearby.  It stands on it’s own, and the heat of the sun bakes it, and when the rain doesn’t fall for a few weeks or months… we can almost watch it shrivel up.  It has stopped producing apples… is rarely green… and looks terrible.

But what a tree Jeremiah describes!  Planted close to nurturing water, roots drinking from a steady stream.  No fear of excessive heat or drought.  And guaranteed to bear fruit.

And while we usually read this passage as claiming that the process of becoming THAT kind of tree requires us to trust in the Lord… the Lord actually tells us a little bit more.

Trusting IN the Lord is good… but Jeremiah says that God’s people’s trust IS the Lord.

Because our ability to trust comes from Him.

Because it is not our trust that matters, it is the Lord that matters.

Because trusting brings us into relationship with Him, through Christ… and that relationship IS what makes great trees.

Trust IS the Lord!

Jeremiah III: Good Intentions

Jeremiah III

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 ESV)

Good Intentions

Do not confuse our human good intentions with God’s good intentions.  Where our intentions, even when seemingly good, are usually tainted with at least SOME selfish motivation, God has plans for US, His people.

Where our follow-up, even when often fairly good, still comes up short, God’s good plans are absolutely sure, and WILL happen.

Where our plans can be sketchy, illogical, unsure, and even dark, God’s plans for His people are grand, beautiful, exciting, and amazing.

He plans for His people’s welfare, for the brightest of futures, and for hope.

He knows those plans.  And when we know HIM… we can rest in His plans.

Jeremiah II: Hearts

Jeremiah II

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Jeremiah 31:33 ESV)

Hearts

We Christians often sound like we think it is our obedience, actions, and law-keeping that makes us God’s people.  But really, that is putting the cart ahead of the horse.

God says here that He (the Holy Spirit, particularly) alters our hearts first.  Our inner being.  Our foundational existence.  Who we ARE… not merely what we DO.  Our hearts, uniquely CHRISTIAN’S hearts, are changed so that we know God.  We know Him through His Law (His Word).  We understand His Will through His Law (His Word).  We relate to Him through His Law (His Word).

Other things flow from that.  Our willingness to obey, and our ability to obey, for instance… but it starts with new hearts.

Other things flow from that.  His peace, His joy, His hope, for instance… but it starts with new hearts.

Other things flow from that.  Love, for instance… but it starts with new hearts.

We are God’s people because He changes our hearts… He does not change our hearts because we are God’s people.

Jeremiah I: Knowledge and Time

Jeremiah I

 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5 ESV)

Knowledge and Time

I claim to be familiar with many things.  I know my guitar.  I know my car. I know my computer keyboard.  I know my socks.

Those things are set apart in my life… I care for them and maintain them.

Those things have a purpose in my life… I have a use for them.

But they are just things.  And I am often wrong about them.  And I expect they will decay, fall apart, and fail.

God knows His people better.

He knew Jeremiah before Jeremiah was even a twinkle in his parents’ eyes.  God set Jeremiah apart before Jeremiah was born into the world.  God knew the exact job He wanted for Jeremiah all along… REALLY all along.

And God has that same knowledge about ALL of His people.  I do not understand how God keeps all of those life-threads in place. It boggles my mind to grasp how God knows His people that well, for that long, without fail.

But He does.

I claim to be familiar with a few inanimate objects… to know them, to set them apart, and to have a job for them. 

Rejoice that God knows His people even better.

Isaiah VII: Names

Isaiah VII

…and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6b ESV)

Names

Our names do not usually describe we Westerners.  But other cultures have different practices.  Some ancient people did not assign names until character was displayed, and was then noted in that person’s name.  Other ancient people officially added descriptors to names, when circumstances distinguished the indivuals… Ethelred the Unready, and Charles the Bald, for instance. 

The Messiah was named Jesus.  That is His name.

But His name is also Wonderful Counselor… Jesus teaches and guides His people with God’s wisdom, that is wondrous because it is beyond, far beyond, what we can understand without Him.

His name is also Mighty God… Jesus is not merely a human, but He is God Himself.  The God revealed from Genesis to Malachi, and then also from Matthew to Revelation. Mighty God because He is all-powerful.  Mighty God because there is nothing that He cannot do.

His name is also Everlasting Father… Jesus is smack dab in the Trinity.  We saw that also in His name, “Wonderful Counselor,” the Holy Spirit.  But in this name we see that Jesus is also the Father.  And has been those three persons forever.

His name is also Prince of Peace… Jesus was born, incarnated, to resolve the conflict between sinful mankind and holy divine.  That conflict has wracked the universe since Adam’s fall.  And the Prince of Peace came to reconcile us to God.  To fix what was broken.  To reforge the world.

Jesus has great names, eh?

Isaiah VI: Guilty

Isaiah VI

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6 ESV)

Guilty

When we make a list of guilty folk, we easily place figures such as Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Osama bin Laden on our list.  Perhaps you would add people like Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, or John Wilkes Booth.

But it is surprising that when God looks at mankind, the most guilty person of all is His Son, Christ Jesus.

Not because of any Sin of the Christ.  He is sinless.  But because in God’s eyes, which should define our understanding, His Son is very, very, very guilty.

In fact, the Sin of every Christian (both Old Testament believers and New Testament believers) are placed in Christ’s ledger book.  God calls Him guilty, even though it is OUR Sin that He is guilty of.

This is an unusual concept, and looks so unjust and unfair in our eyes.  But God’s eyes see differently.  He saves His people, not just with a whimsical wave of His hand, but by moving OUR guilt onto Christ’s truly innocent back.

And so God calls Him guilty, instead of us.

God calls Him guilty, instead of me.

God calls Him guilty, instead of His people.

Isaiah V: Selfish

Isaiah V

…everyone who is called by My name, whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and made. (Isaiah 43:7 ESV)

Selfish

King John (the first and only British King with that name) is remembered for two reasons… being a villain in the tales of Robin Hood, and signing the Magna Carta.  The Magna Carta is a foundational legal document that, in effect, places the Kings of England under the Law, instead of outside of it.

Pretty good and important concept.

But it might not mean what we think it means.

We are not all equal before traffic courts… my seven-year-old granddaughter is not able to drive a car.  We are not all equal before (very) local bedtime laws.  My bedtime was not the same as my thirteen-year-old son.  We are not all equal in military situations.  I am not allowed to drive an M-1 Abrams Battle Tank, even though I am SURE I would be great!

And God is absolutely able to do things that we must not.

Here, God proclaims that He has made the universe, and particularly His people,  for His own glory.  For Himself.  He gets the credit, the praise, and the wonder.  This is even the reason He brought His Son into the world to save sinners, defeat sin, and fix the broken universe.  For HIS glory.

If I claimed that sort of thing, I would be selfish, egotistical, and maybe even dangerous.

But God is not selfish, egotistical, or dangerous.

He is the one true living God… and both the universe AND His people are His.

We therefore get to aim our praise, our worship, and our glory-giving pretty high.  And when we do that, we are accurate.

Praise Jesus.  Honor Jesus.  Glorify Jesus.

Isaiah IV: Old Fashioned

Isaiah IV

Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? (Isaiah 43:18,19 ESV)

Old Fashioned

I am old-fashioned.  I prefer card catalogues in libraries.  If I could use two tin cans with a wire, instead of my cell phone, I would.  ChatGPT scares me, my smart TV intimidates me, and while GPS is useful, I still like to hold an actual map.

But life and time mean that things change.

It feels natural to me to cling to the old ways.  I easily mistrust new, so called improvements.  Being Amish would hold a certain appeal to me, except that I DO like buttons.

But in this key verse in Isaiah, God tells me that He does new things.

Specifically, God is announcing that the Messiah was NEW.  But He implies more than that.

Rather than simply, blindly, and thoughtlessly clinging to the old ways, God announces that HE is the change agent of the universe.  Yes, things change, but new things, really new things, we are encouraged to see that new things are ALSO under His authority.

Loving old things might be fine… but when I remember that God is beyond my time-constraints, beyond my knowledge, beyond my understanding… I can also embrace valuable and helpful and true new things when I encounter them.  When they are valuable, helpful, and true.

New ideas about social justice perhaps.  New ideas about economics, perhaps.  New ideas about the Kingdom of God, perhaps.

New ideas about Grace: absolutely.

Isaiah III: Completeness

Isaiah III

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:5,6 ESV)

Confusing Completeness

How can a child be the Father?

How can one born be everlasting?

How can a counselor be a prince?

It would be confusing if these words and phrases were describing a human being.  But no, they are describing the wonderful Messiah.  Confusing to our small minds, but necessary in God’s economy.  Unclear to our limited consciences, but necessary in God’s plans.  Hard to grasp in our faulty thought-processes, but necessary in God’s knowledge.

Sometimes, the more we understand something, the less amazing it becomes to us.  But not so with Christ Jesus. The more these words, names, and descriptions are absorbed by our minds, the more shocked, amazed, and humbled we can become.

Perhaps God did not use these words merely to make His Son better known to us… but perhaps God used these words ALSO to shock us, to amaze us, and to draw us into worship.

Isaiah II: Immanuel

Isaiah II

Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14 ESV)

Immanuel

My name means twin, although I am not.  I have seen tall people nicknamed, “Shorty.”  I have heard old men called, “Kid.” Poor fathers are still called, “Dad,” and insecure leaders are often referred to as, “boss.”

But the Messiah’s name really fit.

Immanuel, God with us, is the perfect name for that virgin’s son, that sign, that necessary savior.

Christ Jesus was not simply a wise prophet.  He was God with us.

Christ Jesus was not merely a suffering servant.  He was God with us.

Christ Jesus was not only a miracle-worker.  He was God with us.

What a sign!  What a Savior!  What a God… with us!

Isaiah I: Hear

Isaiah I

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken.  (Isaiah 1:1 ESV)

Hear

My dog allows himself to be distracted.  It is why we do not let him off his leash in the backyard.  Birds tweet at him, probably mocking him.  Other dogs are barking at him, or at least barking in his hearing-range.  The wind whispers, or here in Kansas, roars at his perked up ears.  And maybe even memories of PAST sounds haunt his walnut brain.

And when I speak, he often does not hear me.

But he should.  Because I usually have good things to tell him. (Come and eat!) I sometimes have words of safety for him. (Look out!  There is a car!) I even might have words of affection for him, to warm his heart. (You are a good boy.)

But foolishly, arrogantly, ignorantly, he does not hear me.

God speaks to us, too.

And while I do understand general revelation, and the Spirit’s voice through God’s people, God speaks most clearly, most loudly, most personally, and most poignantly through His Word, the Bible.

Through prophets like Isaiah.  Through the written words of Scripture.  Through the indisputable and clear and necessary and wonderful Word of God.

Isaiah is the first Big Prophet in the Bible, the first one with his writing gathered in one place, the first one with a book named after him.

And HE says, listen to God.

It is good advice.

Song of Songs II: One Love

Song of Songs II

Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord. (Song of Songs 8:6 ESV)

One Love

Sometimes we overthink things.  For instance, we seem to find value in claiming that many kinds of love exist.  Yes, the Greek language uses (at least) three words to describe love.  But that does NOT mean they are different loves.

Merely different manifestations of love. 

Love is total focus, service, adoration, and affection for a beloved.

We might love our dog differently than we love our best friend.  But within the boundaries of both relationships, our love is focused, service-aimed, adoring, and affectionate.

In this verse, near the end of the Song of Songs, we see the female beloved describing her love for her shepherd.   The human actors in this drama.  But every word mimics the love that Christians get to have for our Savior, Jesus.

Love that overcomes death, and goes beyond death.

Love that requires (and enjoys) FULL focus, fierce focus, jealous (in a good way) focus.

Love that is fiery and passionate, learned only from the love of God.

It IS a good song! And teaches us about love.

Song of Songs I: Superlatives

Song of Songs I

The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s. (Song of Songs 1:1 ESV)

Superlative

King of Kings, Very God of Very God, Holy of Holies, Vanity of Vanities… and Song of Songs.

When the Bible uses such superlatives, it is meant to make us notice.  Not just a King, but the KING OF KINGS… and here, not just a Song, but the SONG OF SONGS.

In this book, we see two relationships intertwining.  We see a love story between a man and a woman, and a love story between the Messiah and God’s people.

Maybe the two most important social relationships on earth.

The Apostle Paul ties marriage and the church together, using the example of the one to teach us about the other, and vice versa.  And this Song of Songs does the same thing.

Out of all the relationships that we see or experience, these two are the biggest.  Of course, not everyone is married, nor is there any condemnation of that state in this song.  Instead, this song displays both loves in obvious and desirable ways. 

But the BIGGEST relationship… the Relationship of Relationships… is found in this song that shows us our shepherd, our savior, our Messiah loving us.

Completely.  Without limitation.  Unabashedly. Passionately. Sacrificially.  With focus, intention, and power.

It is indeed a good song.  It is indeed the Song of Songs.

Ecclesiastes III: The Guy

Ecclesiastes III

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (Ecclesiastes 12:13 ESV)

The Guy

It is important to know who the key individual is in most situations.  In politics, it might be the person who can gain you the most votes.  In sports, it might be the person with the most skill.  In a family, it might be the father.  In a business it might be the manager.

In the universe, it is God.

The only way to safely, successfully, and meaningfully live life is to have a particular relationship with God.  Everyone has a relationship with God, of course.  Whether they believe in Him or not.  But without the relationship that comes through Christ Jesus, your relationship with God is a dangerous one, one wrought with failure, and an empty one.

There are a number of ways to describe that right kind of relationship with God.  Here, the verse says that the way to have the right kind of relationship with God comes from fearing Him, and obeying Him.  But those choices and actions only can happen through the Messiah, Jesus. 

He points out Himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life!” (John 14:6 ESV) 

God IS the most important individual in the universe.  And the way to HIM is Jesus.

Ecclesiastes II: What Time Is It?

Ecclesiastes II

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: (Ecclesiastes 3:1 ESV)

What Time Is It?

One of my favorite toys was a red and blue plastic globe, with a few particularly shaped holes in it.  Those holes lined up with plastic shapes.  One shape per hole.  One hole per shape.

I do not remember playing with it when I was very young.

But I enjoyed it a lot when I was a cynical teenager.  I spent far too much time attempting to fit the wrong shapes in the wrong holes.

Ignoring this verse, I have also spent too much time attempting to fit events, choices, responsibilities, and activities in the wrong time hole.

God is the master time-keeper.  He knows, because He created the universe, when it is time for me to act, and time for me to wait.  He knows, because He loves me, when it is time for me to succeed, and time for me to fail.  He knows, because He upholds every atom and every second, when it is time for me to inhale, and time for me to exhale.

Jesus knew this.  He despaired in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He wept when seeing Jerusalem during His last entry.  He also wept when Lazarus, His best friend, died. 

But Jesus trusted His Father… His Father’s plans… His Father’s timing.  All the way through the Via Delarosa, Calvary, the full tomb, the empty time, His ascension, and His crowing as King.

We get to trust that keeper-of-time, too.