Ezekiel 29-30
I was caught off guard by this reading. I've been reading like this since 1995 and what I read today sent me thinking. I finally saw something that was right in the text, but I had never paid attention. I'll mention it when we get there.
Ezekiel 29
Vs. 1-12 Notice when this judgment is given. Charlie Dyer in the Bible Knowledge Commentary, OT, page 1284, actually has a date for this. It was January 5, 587 BC. That was a year after the siege of Jerusalem began, with about a year to go until the city and temple were destroyed.
Notice why this punishment is promised. Egypt was one of those nations that enticed Judah to break off their relationship with Babylon. Egypt promised them protection in spite of what God told the people through the prophets.
Also, keep underlining "know that I am the Lord." Even as this phrase is used in this section, it raises some interesting questions.
Vs. 13-16 Egypt would also be taken into captivity and allowed to return after 40 years. Their return would coincide with the return of Israel.
Notice too, that they would never be a world power again.
Vs. 17-20 This is the defeat of Egypt. Notice the time marker. It is now April 26, 571 BC. This is 16 years later and still a couple of years (about 568 BC) before Nebuchadnezzar set up his throne over those rocks that Jeremiah buried. This is what really got me thinking. When Jeremiah buried those stones in Jeremiah 43:10, he told the people who were in rebellion that God would bring Nebuchadnezzar to Egypt to destroy it and to judge them. But that judgment wouldn't come for another 18 years. They must have thought that Jeremiah (and God) were nuts as the years kept slipping away and nothing happened. That is almost the same amount of time from the first time Nebuchadnezzar entered Jerusalem, mildly looting the temple and taking Daniel and others as prisoners, to the destruction of Jerusalem. It just made me think how patient God is, on the one hand, and how He uses time and silence to build and prove and test our faith in His Word.
After Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in 586, he went back to work on Tyre. Neb never could defeat the city, but it did surrender in about 572. Since there must have been an agreement for peace, and since the city father's had shipped off the wealth of the city to an undisclosed location, Nebuchadnezzar had nothing to pay his troops. So, they went to Egypt. Neb had already broken the power of Egypt, so it was an easy victory and the place was full of riches (gold, silver, i-pads, flat screen TVs, etc…) for his men.
V. 21 It is hard to fully understand what this verse is saying. When the exiles returned, the kept pretty good records of who went back and Ezekiel is not one of them, that we know of. Also, the mention of a "horn" usually has something to do with a deliverer or king. One guess would be that when Zerubbabel (of the house of David) led the first group of exiles back to Israel, that he read from Ezekiel when they arrived in Jerusalem.
Or, there could be some messianic message here dealing with the return of Christ at the end of the tribulation.
Or Ezekiel actually did go back. He would have been in his eighties.
Ezekiel 30
Vs. 1-4 These verse have a tribulational/ end-times feeling and might have some connection to verse 21. Egypt will receive millennial blessing.
Vs. 5-19 Back to God's judgment on Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar.
Vs. 20-26 This would be about April 29, 587. During the siege of Jerusalem, Egypt challenged Nebuchadnezzar and Neb left Jerusalem for a short time. If you remember, it was during this time in Jerusalem that the wealthy reclaimed their slaves. But Neb "broke the arms" of Egypt and returned to finish up with Jerusalem, knowing that Egypt wouldn't be a threat any longer.
Hebrews 11:32-12:13
I guess the question in this section is, "How long do you pursue God in faith?" The answer is in all that follows.
Hebrews 11:32-40
Vs. 32-39 You'll notice that verses 32-34 seem positive and the rest seem negative. But if you look into the lives of David and the prophets, there was a lot of "negative" for them to endure too, as they followed in faith.
V. 37 Tradition has it that Isaiah was sawn in two by King Manasseh.
V. 38 This wandering could have been David or Elijah or others or all of them together.
V. 39 This is something Jesus mentioned, that many prophets and kings longed to see what the disciples saw, but didn't see it.
V. 40 The fulfillment was in Jesus and we have tasted the first fruit of this blessing, which is also the fulfillment of their faith. They held on through long, difficult times, following in faith, living and dying for their faith. Obviously the writer, and God, is saying that these people (and we too) ought to do the same.
Hebrews 12:1-13
Vs. 1-2 The running of this race in faith with endurance is defined and modeled by our Savior. If you unpack these verses you know what a disciple is supposed to do on earth. What would you say a disciple is supposed to do?
Vs. 3-4 Jesus is the model of living, and living by faith. The question of "how long" is answered in Jesus: to the death. The Hebrews had not gone that far.
Vs. 5-11 The word discipline means "child training," so this isn't strictly punitive. It is comprehensive training as any parent would do in teaching and nurturing a child.
Notice the alternating examples of our earthly parents and God.
V. 10 This holiness isn't just "purity," but also being set apart to God and His purpose.
V. 11 It is OK not to feel good when God is teaching us. Just as we learned in Job, it is knowing the goodness of the Lord as revealed in His Word, and knowing He is totally wise that gives us the endurance to hold on in faith. Job did it. All the people in Hebrews 11 did it. Jesus did it. Therefore, the Hebrews (and we) should do it too.
V. 12 This is a warning. If a person allows a weak faith to wreck them, their hurt can grow deeper, to the place of shipwrecking their faith and taking them away from God's rest and blessing, possibly for the duration of their time on earth. We've seen this expressed by the writer in other ways. Paul and Jesus said the same things.
This is a great song that ties into the exhortation the writer is giving. It might seem ironic, but perhaps fitting, that this song was written by someone who started well, but failed to heed the exhortation in this passage and has wrecked his walk and testimony for the duration of his time on earth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3uwNn9ibmo
Psalm 112
This is a great song and must have been written by someone who had gone through deep trials and darkness, but he endured by faith and proved God to be true to His Word. This song and its confidence is the result.
This song gives an idea of what this psalm/song might have sounded like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QAR8H3msaI
Proverbs 27:17
Sounds like a great title for a book. This assumes that the men are godly men. This is exactly what Jesus meant by making disciples. But, He also cautioned that a disciple is not above his teacher. We ourselves need to become the kind of iron that can sharpen other iron. That's what we're trying to do here.
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it. Send comment or feedback to dgkachikis@gmail.com.
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