I’m reading in Ezekiel still, and it’s the part where the angel gives Ezekiel all the measurements for the Temple, the division of land, the types and numbers of sacrifices, and all that. Interesting, yes, because it’s so detailed. I can imagine it was a lot to write and understand. But, I am not sure of the significance. Obviously, it’s in the Bible, so God has a purpose for it. However, it leaves me with more questions than answers. For example, has this Temple been built or is it something yet to be seen? And, why is God so particular about all the measurements? Also, is there a reason why God gave certain lands to certain tribes? Moreover, goodness, they had to sacrifice a lot of animals! So, nothing earth shattering, but lots of questions about this portion of Ezekiel… Anyone have any answers?
Ezekiel 3:11-12 The Spirit lifted me and took me away. I went in bitterness and turmoil, but the Lord’s hold on me was strong. Then I came to the colony of Judean exiles… I sat there among them for seven days, overwhelmed. I’ve been reading a lot about the stubbornness and sinfulness of Israel and about their punishment. There’s a lot of things that the prophets were asked to do that symbolized various stages of Israel’s rebellion and impending doom. It’s interesting to read because it’s so foreign of a concept to me. It’s not too often (ever?) that we hear of someone asked to lie on their side for 390 days (that’s over a year) to symbolize the sins of a nation. And today, selfishly, I asked God, “What am I supposed to be learning from this? What’s in it for me?” (Because, obviously, the whole purpose of spending quiet time with God at 4:30am is all about me.) I’m still not totally sure, but here are a couple of thoughts: 1. Reading about Israel’s stubbornness and the punishment they incurred can be a warning to me not to be stubborn about sinning. And the eventual punishment of Israel, leading much later to forgiveness and restoration, can be symbolic of the path I’ve been walking recently through the minefield of debt. I’ve incurred a just punishment, but there is hope for eventual restoration. 2. After God appeared to Ezekiel, he took him from Babylon to wherever the Israelites were staying (near the Keber River). There he was deposited. I don’t know if that was a short distance or a long distance, but it has to be disconcerting to start one place and end up in a another – via the hand of God! I also think it’s interesting that he went in bitterness and turmoil. I don’t think he was particularly thrilled about his assignment! Honestly, I’m not sure I’d been too thrilled either. It wasn’t exactly a pleasure jaunt. But even though he was bitter and full of turmoil, God’s hand was on him, holding him. And He had quite a grip, according to Ezekiel. So, just because Ezekiel wasn’t particularly happy about his assignment (I guess that’s why he was bitter and full of turmoil), God didn’t love him any less or change his assignment. 3. Ezekiel was overwhelmed for 7 days. He had seen God, literally. It’s amazing he wasn’t dead! I know after just feeling God’s presence I was overwhelmed and walked around with warm fuzzies for days. If I’d actually seen God, I’d probably have sat there with my jaw on the ground for days, too! I’d imagine that went a long way towards helping him cope with his new assignment and change of circumstance. And can you imagine what the exiled Israelites thought about a guy showing up randomly and sitting there for seven days obviously amazed at something… what a nut! I doubt Ezekiel noticed their reactions though. He was probably still trying to process his experience. So, I’m not totally sure exactly what the whole point of this is, but I do know that these books are here for a reason. God didn’t put them in the Bible to bore us to tears or confuse us or frustrate us. Even if they seem that way, there are small lessons that we can take away. And for me, I don’t see that lesson until I start writing.
2 Samuel 24:1, 10Once again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he caused David to harm them by taking a census. “God and count the people of Israel and Judah,” the Lord told him….But after he had taken the census, David’s conscience began to bother him. And he said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly and shouldn’t have taken the census. Please forgive me, Lord, for doing this foolish thing.” After this David is given three choices of punishment. He chooses three days of plague and 70,000 people die (which is truly the lesser of the choices, but still!). What I don’t get is, God told him to do it. Wasn’t David being obedient by doing what God told him to do? And, if he was being obedient, why did God punish him? It seems very wrong, and I can’t help but wonder what we’re missing. Surely God doesn’t tell us to do something wrong and then punish us for it. That doesn’t seem to be something a God who loves us would do. Sure, he would let us feel the consequences of our actions, but this is like my telling my son to go ahead and play with the light switches on the wall (something he’s not allowed to do), and then punishing him when he does it. Yes, God had told Israel not to take a census, but then here he is telling them to do what He told them not to do. I am thoroughly confused by this. It seems contrary to the nature of God to tell us to do something disobedient and then punish us for it (especially with a punishment as brutal as the one here). Yes, he wanted to punish Israel for turning against him, but the methodology is strange to me. I truly wonder if there’s not something in the language that we lose in translation that would make this more clear. Is you have any insight, please leave it in the comments because I’d love to know what others think.
Numbers 22:22 But God was furious that Balaam was going, so send the angel of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way… Okay, I realize this is out of context, but it confused me. It confused me when taken in context. Balaam was asked by the King Balak to curse “these people” (the Israelites who were coming to conquer his land). I don’t know if Balaam knew “these people” were the Israelites or not. Balaam told the king “no” the first time after consulting God (first question: how did this man know about God and come to be living in Moab while the Israelites were in the wilderness?) and then the second time he asked after refusing again (vs. 18: Even if Balak were to give me a palace filled with silver and gold, I would be powerless to do anything against the will of the Lord, my God. But stay here one more night to see if the Lord has anything else to say to me.), God said, “Since they’re here for you, get up and go with them. But be sure to do only what I tell you to do.” So, if God said it was okay for Balaam to go with these officials, why was he so furious that he went? I feel like there must be something important missing. Why tell him it’s okay to do something and then plan to have an angel kill him when he does it? I don’t believe that God is a god of trickery or meanness… so that leads me to believe there is more to this story. Was Balaam planning on ignoring God’s wishes once he got to the king? Was he prideful because the king had asked him to do this thing for him? Was God angry that Balaam even considered the request? Whatever the reason for this, later in the story a donkey talks to Balaam (which would have shocked me, but Balaam seems to take it in stride and goes on to have a conversation with the animal), and then he shocks the king by blessing Israel instead of cursing them. What a weird day.
Isaiah 21:12 The watchman replies, “Morning is coming, but night will soon follow. If you wish to ask again, then come back and ask.” Several Thoughts: My Bible says this is a message concerning Edom which is a play on words in Hebrew meaning “silence” or “stillness.” He says to come back and ask again… will the answer change? Or is it like the little kid in the back of the car… “Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?” Persistence pays off, as Jesus shows when he heals the blind man who kept calling His name and in the parable about the woman and the ruler. In application: if we have a question for God and we don’t understand the answer, keep coming back and asking until it makes sense or the answer is certain (I understand the answer).
Question: what “rules” from the Old Testament do we keep? For example, we say that getting tattoos is bad because the Bible says not to pierce or mark our bodies (but we pierce our ears with no compulsions…), but just a few verses earlier it says not to wear clothes made from two different fibers (polyester anyone?), which we regularly seem to do. So, are we picking and choosing the laws to enforce? Why do we enforce or defend the ones we do – is it simply because we are uncomfortable with them – like the tattoo issues (Do people with tattoos make you uncomfortable? There are some amazing people at my church with incredible tattoos and I have a hard time believing God considers them to be breaking His law – especially as they have such a wonderful ministry with others). Anyhow, I was just wondering if anyone had any thoughts. If we keep one but throw out another, is it arbitrary? Or in not keeping them all are we violating God’s will – or is that part of grace? But then, what about the 10 Commandments (don’t murder… that certainly still stands)? Any thoughts on that one?
Ecc 11:5 God’s ways are as hard to discern as the pathways of the wind and as mysterious as a tiny baby being formed in a mother’s womb. That pretty much sums it up. I have no idea what God is up to. But, I guess that’s why He is God and I’m not. We think we’re pretty smart. We use science to try and explain everything. And, science is good. However, no matter how much we try to explain God and the things in this world, no matter how much we learn and how much we can see, we will never figure His ways out. Maybe that’s why it seems so hard to walk in His ways. John and I really want to be on His path, in the middle of His plan, doing what He wants… but sometimes it seems like we’re walking in the dark and as lost as a child alone in a wild theme park. And this begs the question… Do you trust Me? … I choose to trust Him. I choose to keep stepping forward, trusting that He will be there to catch me. I choose to believe in Him even when I can’t see Him or feel Him or hear Him. I choose to raise my children to know Him. I choose to serve Him, not things or myself (at least to do my utmost in this area because as a human I will fail). I choose to seek Him – to know His character and to recognize His voice. So, yes. I suppose, in the end, I will trust You. I will never understand why You do the things You do or allow the circumstances You allow. I will never fully know Your ways or Your thoughts and motivations. But, if I believe ONE part of You – that You are who You say You are – God, Truth, Life – then I must also believe the other parts of You – Provider, Love, Father, Way. Do you trust Me?Before, I don’t know. Will you trust Me?Yes. So, Do you trust Me?Yes.