Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Ezekiel+034

 

Ezekiel 34 (ESV)

¹¹ “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. ¹² As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. ¹³ And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. ¹⁴ I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵ I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. ¹⁶ I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

¹⁷ “As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and male goats. ¹⁸ Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? ¹⁹ And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

 

REFLECTION:

The good shepherd takes good care of the flock in need, in stark contrast to the bad shepherd who ignores the flock. Ezekiel used parables to show that the leaders of the Israelites did not fulfill their responsibilities in the past, and declared that in the future God would personally be the shepherd of the flock. It’s just “the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.” It is a metaphor that God wants to discipline the fat and bullying ones in the flock. Although God also loves these fat sheep, His love and righteousness is indivisible, justice without love is cruel, and love without justice is blind. “Fatty sheep” only cares about enjoying God’s grace, but refuse to share grace with brothers and sisters. Instead, they oppress the weak and create disputes. Therefore, when the flock of Israel was taken into captivity, it was not only the responsibility of the shepherd, but also the responsibility of the flock itself. The king neglected his duty, and the people did not stand firm. Therefore, God will not only judge the shepherd, but also the flock; He will not only pursue the bad shepherd, but also deal with the evil sheep. Today, if we feel that the leaders of the church have not been able to shepherd us comprehensively, or have tripped by unspiritual companions, we should not be disappointed. We must remember that God is in charge of everything. We have the Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd, personally shepherd us, and we only need to listen to His voice. What we have to do is just to imitate the life of the Lord Jesus, to have compassion for the weak, and to put an end to all disputes with our peace.

 

PRAYER:

Talk to God about the setbacks you have encountered in your spiritual growth and church ministries, and ask God to give you faith and strength so that you can focus on God’s perfection instead of man’s flaws; pray for the spiritual growth of your pastors, brothers and sisters, and yourself, asking God to give you a united heart, love one another, and build God’s house together.

 

HYMN:

One Voice – youtu.be/Ecr1NTfN_wk

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Ezekiel+033

 

Ezekiel 33 (ESV)

⁷ “So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. ⁸ If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. ⁹ But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.

¹⁰ “And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: ‘Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them. How then can we live?’ ¹¹ Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

 
REFLECTION:

After the destruction of Jerusalem, from the beginning of this chapter, Ezekiel’s message has shifted from condemnation and judgment to comfort, hope, and the return of God’s people in the future. God had appointed Ezekiel as the watchman before and asked him to warn the Israelites that the judgment would come. God here once again appointed Ezekiel as the watchman, only this time He ordered Ezekiel to convey the message of hope and forgiveness of sins, but the message still contains a warning element. This is an important turning point in the Book of Ezekiel. The sins committed in the past discouraged the Israelites in exile. They had refused to face their disobedience, and here they finally realized the sin of rebelling against God for many years. So God assured them: If they repent, God will forgive them. God not only wants to save the Israelites, but also wants everyone to return to Him. God cares about the present and future of each of us, not our past. The opportunity to return to God depends on whether we are willing to accept it. We should follow God sincerely, especially when we fail and fall, we should confess our sins and repent, and ask God to forgive us. The God of grace and compassion “have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.” If we turn back in our sins, we will be forgiven and accepted by God. “You turn back, turn back!” Is this also God calling us today?

 

PRAYER:

Come to God humbly, ask God to enlighten the darkness and filth in your heart, and confess your hidden sins to Him; ask God to give you strength so that you can escape from the bondages that you are currently powerless or unwilling to escape from, so that you no longer enjoy this “joy in sin”, but “turn back” to the path of seeking God wholeheartedly.

 

HYMN:

Refiner’s Fire – youtu.be/7qCdr5FEXic

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Ezekiel+032
 

Ezekiel 32 (ESV)

¹⁷ In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁸ “Son of man, wail over the multitude of Egypt, and send them down, her and the daughters of majestic nations, to the world below, to those who have gone down to the pit:

¹⁹ ‘Whom do you surpass in beauty?
Go down and be laid to rest with the uncircumcised.’

²⁰ They shall fall amid those who are slain by the sword. Egypt is delivered to the sword; drag her away, and all her multitudes. ²¹ The mighty chiefs shall speak of them, with their helpers, out of the midst of Sheol: ‘They have come down, they lie still, the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.’

 

REFLECTION:

This passage is still a prophecy against Egypt. This prophecy was issued by Ezekiel in 586 BC two months after the news of the destruction of Jerusalem reached Babylon. Ezekiel emphasized that only God has sovereignty, and that even a powerful ruler like Pharaoh will fall before God. Idol-worshipping Egyptians believe that people continue to live in the “world below” after death, and Egypt’s most magnificent building turned out to be a pyramid tomb. The Egyptian pharaoh had no fear in the face of death, instead he made himself a mummy, ignorantly and arrogantly thinking that he could enjoy his time in the tomb through various superstitious methods. Therefore, God’s judgment will surprise the Egyptians to discover that the “glorious power” they flaunt and rely on is useless in the world above and below. Ezekiel’s message reminds us that anyone who wants to control his future or even his life after death, but ignores God, is extremely stupid. Therefore, we should be vigilant, we should get rid of our secret greed for power and wealth, not to be influenced by all kinds of idols in traditional culture and customs, but to give all our hearts and thoughts to God, and ask for God’s guidance in this life, and keep the beautiful hope of eternal life in our heart.

 

PRAYER:

Before God, reflect on the negative impact of various idol worship practices in the Chinese tradition (such as worshiping ancestors, the god of wealth, etc.) in your life before you became a Christian, and how God helped you get rid of the bondage of these idols after you became a Christian so that you can enjoy peace; thank God, and ask Him to remove the reliance on all kinds of idols in your heart so that you can live a holy life.

 

HYMN:

No Other Name – youtu.be/Wku9OphQ7JE

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Ezekiel+031

Ezekiel 31 (ESV)

¹ In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude:

“Whom are you like in your greatness?
³  Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon,
with beautiful branches and forest shade,
and of towering height,
its top among the clouds.
⁴ The waters nourished it;
the deep made it grow tall,
making its rivers flow
around the place of its planting,
sending forth its streams
to all the trees of the field…

¹⁰ “Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because it towered high and set its top among the clouds, and its heart was proud of its height, ¹¹ I will give it into the hand of a mighty one of the nations. He shall surely deal with it as its wickedness deserves. I have cast it out. ¹² Foreigners, the most ruthless of nations, have cut it down and left it. On the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs have been broken in all the ravines of the land, and all the peoples of the earth have gone away from its shadow and left it. ¹³ On its fallen trunk dwell all the birds of the heavens, and on its branches are all the beasts of the field. ¹⁴ All this is in order that no trees by the waters may grow to towering height or set their tops among the clouds, and that no trees that drink water may reach up to them in height. For they are all given over to death, to the world below, among the children of man, with those who go down to the pit.

 

REFLECTION:

Ezekiel compared Egypt to Assyria and called Assyria a huge cedar tree. God wants the Egyptians to see that the destruction of the powerful Assyrian state is their “lesson from the past.” Like Assyria, Egypt is proud of its strength and beauty, which will eventually lead to its destruction. Egypt will fall down like a big tree and be sent to death. No people or country in the world can last long without God, even countries with rich cultural traditions and powerful military forces. The tall cedar tree is not a sin, but “because it towered high and set its top among the clouds, and its heart was proud of its height,” and even forgot that “the waters nourished it; the deep made it grow tall”, so it becomes a sin. As stated in Proverbs 18:12, “before destruction a man’s heart is haughty.” This is also the model of corruption in Tyre, Sidon and other countries. The result is that they are being driven out by God, just like Adam and Eve being driven out of the Garden of Eden by God. Throughout the ages, death has been the most effective way to heal pride. No matter how Assyria and Egypt despise God, they will eventually become an obedient student in front of the teacher of death – “given over to death, to the world below.” It is the same with the world today, no matter how you exalt yourself, you will eventually die, and there will be God’s judgment after death. As God’s people, we should reflect on our hearts and ask God to remove our pride. Only by humbly trusting God throughout our lives is our way out.

 

PRAYER:

Come to God humbly, thank God for all the worldly achievements and abundance He has given you; ask God to remove the pride that secretly arises in your heart because of these achievements, so that you can understand that all this is not your own merit but the grace of God; ask God to give you a more godly heart, so that you can live a life that is more obedient to God and get more spiritual abundance every day.

 

HYMN:

God You’re So Good – youtu.be/7Kxah1QroUg