November 26th
2 Peter, 1
1: Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 2: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3: According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5: And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6: And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7: And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8: For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9: But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 10: Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 11: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Here we have Peters second letter, written to those who have faith in Christ. Peter points out right from the beginning that this salvation is a righteousness of God and not the righteousness of the Law. Peter describes the salvation they have received as coming through the promises of God which the believer receives by faith. But he then says this is just the beginning. Add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledge – and then temperance and then patience etc, etc. Peter sees the Christian life as a progressive thing moving ever forward. From patience he adds godliness and then brotherly kindness and then charity – love. So he has come from faith to love. Peter says that if these things are in you then you will not be unfruitful or barren. Those who lack these things are short sighted. They have forgotten that they were forgiven. So says Peter make your calling and election sure. In other words be established in the faith. If you are established then you will not backslide.
Steve
25/11/2010
Evening Bible reading
November 25th
Ezekiel, 29
1: In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2: Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt: 3: Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself. 4: But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales. 5: And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven. 6: And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel. 7: When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and rend all their shoulder: and when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand. 8: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee. 9: And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the LORD: because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it. 10: Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia. 11: No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years. 12: And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries. 13: Yet thus saith the Lord GOD; At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scattered: 14: And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their habitation; and they shall be there a base kingdom. 15: It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations. 16: And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them: but they shall know that I am the Lord GOD. 17: And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 18: Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it: 19: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army. 20: I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour wherewith he served against it, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord GOD. 21: In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel, 30
1: The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 2: Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Howl ye, Woe worth the day 3: For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen. 4: And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down. 5: Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the men of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword. 6: Thus saith the LORD; They also that uphold Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her power shall come down: from the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by the sword, saith the Lord GOD. 7: And they shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted. 8: And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and when all her helpers shall be destroyed. 9: In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt: for, lo, it cometh. 10: Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon. 11: He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be brought to destroy the land: and they shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain. 12: And I will make the rivers dry, and sell the land into the hand of the wicked: and I will make the land waste, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I the LORD have spoken it. 13: Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause their images to cease out of Noph; and there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt: and I will put a fear in the land of Egypt. 14: And I will make Pathros desolate, and will set fire in Zoan, and will execute judgments in No. 15: And I will pour my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt; and I will cut off the multitude of No. 16: And I will set fire in Egypt: Sin shall have great pain, and No shall be rent asunder, and Noph shall have distresses daily. 17: The young men of Aven and of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword: and these cities shall go into captivity. 18: At Tehaphnehes also the day shall be darkened, when I shall break there the yokes of Egypt: and the pomp of her strength shall cease in her: as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity. 19: Thus will I execute judgments in Egypt: and they shall know that I am the LORD. 20: And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 21: Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword. 22: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong, and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand. 23: And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries. 24: And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand: but I will break Pharaoh's arms, and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man. 25: But I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out upon the land of Egypt. 26: And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them among the countries; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
This time the word of the Lord comes to Ezekiel regarding Egypt. The prophecy is specifically against the king and also his kingdom. God seems to hold the ultimate authority in the Kingdom the king to specific responsibility. The King has such a crucial role that often if he is a good king then the country will follow him but if he is bad king then the country will go to pot. This is why Paul says we should pray for Kings and those in authority. In Pharaohs case the Lord sets his face against him. It seems that the Lord is not just addressing the human king but the demon that is behind him. And God will judge Egypt according to how they deal with Israel. This is describing a time at the beginning of the Messianic kingdom in which no man will live in Egypt for forty years. Yet at the end of forty years the Lord will gather them again. It will be forever a small kingdom that will never rule the nations of the earth again. Again Ezekiel has another prophecy in which he foretells that Nebuchadrezzar will invade Tyrus and he will invade Egypt. Then Ezekiel has another prophecy telling him to howl because the Day of the Lord is near. Egypt, Libya, Lydia and Ethiopia will be destroyed in war. They will be destroyed by fire. Again another prophecy regarding Egypt. The Lord will break the arm of Pharaoh and none will bind it up so that it will be healed. The Egyptians will go and live among all the nations. In this way Egypt will learn that Jehovah is the God of heaven.
Steve
Ezekiel, 29
1: In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2: Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt: 3: Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself. 4: But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales. 5: And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven. 6: And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel. 7: When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and rend all their shoulder: and when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand. 8: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee. 9: And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the LORD: because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it. 10: Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia. 11: No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years. 12: And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries. 13: Yet thus saith the Lord GOD; At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scattered: 14: And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their habitation; and they shall be there a base kingdom. 15: It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations. 16: And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them: but they shall know that I am the Lord GOD. 17: And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 18: Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it: 19: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army. 20: I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour wherewith he served against it, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord GOD. 21: In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel, 30
1: The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 2: Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Howl ye, Woe worth the day 3: For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen. 4: And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down. 5: Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the men of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword. 6: Thus saith the LORD; They also that uphold Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her power shall come down: from the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by the sword, saith the Lord GOD. 7: And they shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted. 8: And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and when all her helpers shall be destroyed. 9: In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt: for, lo, it cometh. 10: Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon. 11: He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be brought to destroy the land: and they shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain. 12: And I will make the rivers dry, and sell the land into the hand of the wicked: and I will make the land waste, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I the LORD have spoken it. 13: Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause their images to cease out of Noph; and there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt: and I will put a fear in the land of Egypt. 14: And I will make Pathros desolate, and will set fire in Zoan, and will execute judgments in No. 15: And I will pour my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt; and I will cut off the multitude of No. 16: And I will set fire in Egypt: Sin shall have great pain, and No shall be rent asunder, and Noph shall have distresses daily. 17: The young men of Aven and of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword: and these cities shall go into captivity. 18: At Tehaphnehes also the day shall be darkened, when I shall break there the yokes of Egypt: and the pomp of her strength shall cease in her: as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity. 19: Thus will I execute judgments in Egypt: and they shall know that I am the LORD. 20: And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 21: Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword. 22: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong, and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand. 23: And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries. 24: And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand: but I will break Pharaoh's arms, and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man. 25: But I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out upon the land of Egypt. 26: And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them among the countries; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
This time the word of the Lord comes to Ezekiel regarding Egypt. The prophecy is specifically against the king and also his kingdom. God seems to hold the ultimate authority in the Kingdom the king to specific responsibility. The King has such a crucial role that often if he is a good king then the country will follow him but if he is bad king then the country will go to pot. This is why Paul says we should pray for Kings and those in authority. In Pharaohs case the Lord sets his face against him. It seems that the Lord is not just addressing the human king but the demon that is behind him. And God will judge Egypt according to how they deal with Israel. This is describing a time at the beginning of the Messianic kingdom in which no man will live in Egypt for forty years. Yet at the end of forty years the Lord will gather them again. It will be forever a small kingdom that will never rule the nations of the earth again. Again Ezekiel has another prophecy in which he foretells that Nebuchadrezzar will invade Tyrus and he will invade Egypt. Then Ezekiel has another prophecy telling him to howl because the Day of the Lord is near. Egypt, Libya, Lydia and Ethiopia will be destroyed in war. They will be destroyed by fire. Again another prophecy regarding Egypt. The Lord will break the arm of Pharaoh and none will bind it up so that it will be healed. The Egyptians will go and live among all the nations. In this way Egypt will learn that Jehovah is the God of heaven.
Steve
24/11/2010
Morning Bible reading
November 25th
1 Peter, 5
1: The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 2: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3: Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. 4: And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. 5: Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6: Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10: But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 11: To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
12: By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand. 13: The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son. 14: Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Peter next addresses those who are elders in the synagogues. He writes as one elder to another. First he says - Feed the flock of God which is among you. God’s elders are those who can give spiritual nourishment to believers. The word they teach is interesting, educational; spiritual it is up building and leads to an experience of God in the believer’s life. He says take the oversight not out of duty but willingly and not for filthy money but of a ready mind. Now he is not saying that elders should not be paid what he is saying is that they do not serve just for cash! Nor are they to ‘lords over God's heritage’ they are not elders for power. But they are to be examples to those who they lead. When Christ comes they will be crowned with a crown of glory - that fadeth not away. Those who are not elders are to submit to their leadership. In fact all of us should be characterised by submission to one another. Because God resists the proud but he gives his grace to the humble. He reminds them to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God. They are to trust in the God who can be trusted. They are to be sober and vigilant because the devil is wandering about seeking to hurt believers. They are to resist him and to remain steadfast in the faith. Everyone has the same struggles in the world. Lastly Peter brings his blessing. He asks that God might bring them to maturity and establishment and stability in the faith. At the end he places a post script. Silas is the messenger with the letter. He writes from Babylon where there was a very great number of ‘scattered’ Israelites. He sends greetings from John/Mark. He concludes with the Jewish Shalom.
Steve
1 Peter, 5
1: The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 2: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3: Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. 4: And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. 5: Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6: Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10: But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 11: To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
12: By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand. 13: The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son. 14: Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Peter next addresses those who are elders in the synagogues. He writes as one elder to another. First he says - Feed the flock of God which is among you. God’s elders are those who can give spiritual nourishment to believers. The word they teach is interesting, educational; spiritual it is up building and leads to an experience of God in the believer’s life. He says take the oversight not out of duty but willingly and not for filthy money but of a ready mind. Now he is not saying that elders should not be paid what he is saying is that they do not serve just for cash! Nor are they to ‘lords over God's heritage’ they are not elders for power. But they are to be examples to those who they lead. When Christ comes they will be crowned with a crown of glory - that fadeth not away. Those who are not elders are to submit to their leadership. In fact all of us should be characterised by submission to one another. Because God resists the proud but he gives his grace to the humble. He reminds them to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God. They are to trust in the God who can be trusted. They are to be sober and vigilant because the devil is wandering about seeking to hurt believers. They are to resist him and to remain steadfast in the faith. Everyone has the same struggles in the world. Lastly Peter brings his blessing. He asks that God might bring them to maturity and establishment and stability in the faith. At the end he places a post script. Silas is the messenger with the letter. He writes from Babylon where there was a very great number of ‘scattered’ Israelites. He sends greetings from John/Mark. He concludes with the Jewish Shalom.
Steve
Evening Bible reading
November 24th
Ezekiel, 26
1: And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2: Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people: she is turned unto me: I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste: 3: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up. 4: And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. 5: It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD: and it shall become a spoil to the nations. 6: And her daughters which are in the field shall be slain by the sword; and they shall know that I am the LORD. 7: For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people. 8: He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field: and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast a mount against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee. 9: And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break down thy towers. 10: By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust shall cover thee: thy walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen, and of the wheels, and of the chariots, when he shall enter into thy gates, as men enter into a city wherein is made a breach. 11: With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets: he shall slay thy people by the sword, and thy strong garrisons shall go down to the ground. 12: And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water. 13: And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard. 14: And I will make thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more: for I the LORD have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD. 15: Thus saith the Lord GOD to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee? 16: Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay away their robes, and put off their broidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble at every moment, and be astonished at thee. 17: And they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and say to thee, How art thou destroyed, that wast inhabited of seafaring men, the renowned city, which wast strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, which cause their terror to be on all that haunt it! 18: Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thy fall; yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be troubled at thy departure. 19: For thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall make thee a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep upon thee, and great waters shall cover thee; 20: When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of the living; 21: I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more: though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel, 27
1: The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 2: Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus; 3: And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty. 4: Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty. 5: They have made all thy ship boards of fir trees of Senir: they have taken cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee. 6: Of the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars; the company of the Ashurites have made thy benches of ivory, brought out of the isles of Chittim. 7: Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was that which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail; blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was that which covered thee. 8: The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy mariners: thy wise men, O Tyrus, that were in thee, were thy pilots. 9: The ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee thy calkers: all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise. 10: They of Persia and of Lud and of Phut were in thine army, thy men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness. 11: The men of Arvad with thine army were upon thy walls round about, and the Gammadims were in thy towers: they hanged their shields upon thy walls round about; they have made thy beauty perfect. 12: Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs. 13: Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market. 14: They of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules. 15: The men of Dedan were thy merchants; many isles were the merchandise of thine hand: they brought thee for a present horns of ivory and ebony. 16: Syria was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy making: they occupied in thy fairs with emeralds, purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and agate. 17: Judah, and the land of Israel, they were thy merchants: they traded in thy market wheat of Minnith, and Pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm. 18: Damascus was thy merchant in the multitude of the wares of thy making, for the multitude of all riches; in the wine of Helbon, and white wool. 19: Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupied in thy fairs: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market. 20: Dedan was thy merchant in precious clothes for chariots. 21: Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they occupied with thee in lambs, and rams, and goats: in these were they thy merchants. 22: The merchants of Sheba and Raamah, they were thy merchants: they occupied in thy fairs with chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold. 23: Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Assur, and Chilmad, were thy merchants. 24: These were thy merchants in all sorts of things, in blue clothes, and broidered work, and in chests of rich apparel, bound with cords, and made of cedar, among thy merchandise. 25: The ships of Tarshish did sing of thee in thy market: and thou wast replenished, and made very glorious in the midst of the seas. 26: Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas. 27: Thy riches, and thy fairs, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and the occupiers of thy merchandise, and all thy men of war, that are in thee, and in all thy company which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the midst of the seas in the day of thy ruin. 28: The suburbs shall shake at the sound of the cry of thy pilots. 29: And all that handle the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their ships, they shall stand upon the land; 30: And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes: 31: And they shall make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of heart and bitter wailing. 32: And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and lament over thee, saying, What city is like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea? 33: When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou filledst many people; thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise. 34: In the time when thou shalt be broken by the seas in the depths of the waters thy merchandise and all thy company in the midst of thee shall fall. 35: All the inhabitants of the isles shall be astonished at thee, and their kings shall be sore afraid, they shall be troubled in their countenance. 36: The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee; thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt be any more.
Ezekiel, 28
1: The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 2: Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God: 3: Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee: 4: With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: 5: By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches: 6: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; 7: Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness. 8: They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas. 9: Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee. 10: Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD. 11: Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 12: Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13: Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14: Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15: Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16: By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17: Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. 18: Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. 19: All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more. 20: Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 21: Son of man, set thy face against Zidon, and prophesy against it, 22: And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall have executed judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in her. 23: For I will send into her pestilence, and blood into her streets; and the wounded shall be judged in the midst of her by the sword upon her on every side; and they shall know that I am the LORD. 24: And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor any grieving thorn of all that are round about them, that despised them; and they shall know that I am the Lord GOD. 25: Thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob. 26: And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the LORD their God.
Next Ezekiel records a prophecy that came in the 11th year and the first month. This time it is a prophecy against Tyrus. The prophecy was that one day the city would be destroyed and carried away into the sea leaving nothing but rock in the sun. The Babylonians will come and kill all the people. The houses both timber and stones will be cast into the sea. The city will be like the top of a flat rock – good for drying nets. And the people will be destroyed forever. In the next chapter Ezekiel is told to make a lament for Tyrus. The city was very beautiful and yet it will be totally destroyed. Ezekiel goes on to describe their cosmopolitan riches. Men came from Spain. Russia, the east, Saudi Arabia and Africa to trade there. Yet they will weep bitterly for Tyrus and sit is sackcloth and ashes. Lastly the Lord brings a personal message to the prince of Tyrus. The message is that their riches have caused them to think that they are God! Yet says Ezekiel you are men not God! They will face destruction in the sea and those who destroy them will not be impressed by them. Next Ezekiel breaks off to speak of Satan in his pride, who though he is beautiful will be cast down. It seems that there is a link between the great wealth of Tyrus and Satan himself. Next Ezekiel prophesies against Sidon. The Lord will send pestilence and war to her streets. They will all know that the Lord is God.
Steve
Ezekiel, 26
1: And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2: Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people: she is turned unto me: I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste: 3: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up. 4: And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. 5: It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD: and it shall become a spoil to the nations. 6: And her daughters which are in the field shall be slain by the sword; and they shall know that I am the LORD. 7: For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people. 8: He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field: and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast a mount against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee. 9: And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break down thy towers. 10: By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust shall cover thee: thy walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen, and of the wheels, and of the chariots, when he shall enter into thy gates, as men enter into a city wherein is made a breach. 11: With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets: he shall slay thy people by the sword, and thy strong garrisons shall go down to the ground. 12: And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water. 13: And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard. 14: And I will make thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more: for I the LORD have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD. 15: Thus saith the Lord GOD to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee? 16: Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay away their robes, and put off their broidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble at every moment, and be astonished at thee. 17: And they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and say to thee, How art thou destroyed, that wast inhabited of seafaring men, the renowned city, which wast strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, which cause their terror to be on all that haunt it! 18: Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thy fall; yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be troubled at thy departure. 19: For thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall make thee a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep upon thee, and great waters shall cover thee; 20: When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of the living; 21: I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more: though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel, 27
1: The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 2: Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus; 3: And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty. 4: Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty. 5: They have made all thy ship boards of fir trees of Senir: they have taken cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee. 6: Of the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars; the company of the Ashurites have made thy benches of ivory, brought out of the isles of Chittim. 7: Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was that which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail; blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was that which covered thee. 8: The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy mariners: thy wise men, O Tyrus, that were in thee, were thy pilots. 9: The ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee thy calkers: all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise. 10: They of Persia and of Lud and of Phut were in thine army, thy men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness. 11: The men of Arvad with thine army were upon thy walls round about, and the Gammadims were in thy towers: they hanged their shields upon thy walls round about; they have made thy beauty perfect. 12: Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs. 13: Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market. 14: They of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules. 15: The men of Dedan were thy merchants; many isles were the merchandise of thine hand: they brought thee for a present horns of ivory and ebony. 16: Syria was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy making: they occupied in thy fairs with emeralds, purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and agate. 17: Judah, and the land of Israel, they were thy merchants: they traded in thy market wheat of Minnith, and Pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm. 18: Damascus was thy merchant in the multitude of the wares of thy making, for the multitude of all riches; in the wine of Helbon, and white wool. 19: Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupied in thy fairs: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market. 20: Dedan was thy merchant in precious clothes for chariots. 21: Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they occupied with thee in lambs, and rams, and goats: in these were they thy merchants. 22: The merchants of Sheba and Raamah, they were thy merchants: they occupied in thy fairs with chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold. 23: Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Assur, and Chilmad, were thy merchants. 24: These were thy merchants in all sorts of things, in blue clothes, and broidered work, and in chests of rich apparel, bound with cords, and made of cedar, among thy merchandise. 25: The ships of Tarshish did sing of thee in thy market: and thou wast replenished, and made very glorious in the midst of the seas. 26: Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas. 27: Thy riches, and thy fairs, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and the occupiers of thy merchandise, and all thy men of war, that are in thee, and in all thy company which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the midst of the seas in the day of thy ruin. 28: The suburbs shall shake at the sound of the cry of thy pilots. 29: And all that handle the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their ships, they shall stand upon the land; 30: And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes: 31: And they shall make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of heart and bitter wailing. 32: And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and lament over thee, saying, What city is like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea? 33: When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou filledst many people; thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise. 34: In the time when thou shalt be broken by the seas in the depths of the waters thy merchandise and all thy company in the midst of thee shall fall. 35: All the inhabitants of the isles shall be astonished at thee, and their kings shall be sore afraid, they shall be troubled in their countenance. 36: The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee; thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt be any more.
Ezekiel, 28
1: The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 2: Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God: 3: Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee: 4: With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: 5: By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches: 6: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; 7: Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness. 8: They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas. 9: Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee. 10: Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD. 11: Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 12: Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13: Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14: Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15: Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16: By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17: Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. 18: Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. 19: All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more. 20: Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 21: Son of man, set thy face against Zidon, and prophesy against it, 22: And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall have executed judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in her. 23: For I will send into her pestilence, and blood into her streets; and the wounded shall be judged in the midst of her by the sword upon her on every side; and they shall know that I am the LORD. 24: And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor any grieving thorn of all that are round about them, that despised them; and they shall know that I am the Lord GOD. 25: Thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob. 26: And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the LORD their God.
Next Ezekiel records a prophecy that came in the 11th year and the first month. This time it is a prophecy against Tyrus. The prophecy was that one day the city would be destroyed and carried away into the sea leaving nothing but rock in the sun. The Babylonians will come and kill all the people. The houses both timber and stones will be cast into the sea. The city will be like the top of a flat rock – good for drying nets. And the people will be destroyed forever. In the next chapter Ezekiel is told to make a lament for Tyrus. The city was very beautiful and yet it will be totally destroyed. Ezekiel goes on to describe their cosmopolitan riches. Men came from Spain. Russia, the east, Saudi Arabia and Africa to trade there. Yet they will weep bitterly for Tyrus and sit is sackcloth and ashes. Lastly the Lord brings a personal message to the prince of Tyrus. The message is that their riches have caused them to think that they are God! Yet says Ezekiel you are men not God! They will face destruction in the sea and those who destroy them will not be impressed by them. Next Ezekiel breaks off to speak of Satan in his pride, who though he is beautiful will be cast down. It seems that there is a link between the great wealth of Tyrus and Satan himself. Next Ezekiel prophesies against Sidon. The Lord will send pestilence and war to her streets. They will all know that the Lord is God.
Steve
23/11/2010
Morning Bible reading
November 24th
11: If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 12: Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14: If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 15: But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. 16: Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 17: For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 18: And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 19: Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
Previously Peter had said… As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Now he is more specific, he says those who prophecy are to do so as speaking the oracles of God and those who minister let them do so according to the ministry that God has given. And so we have the two great ministries of the Spirit – the Elder and the Deacon. The Elder teaches and the Deacon serves. And both serve in their own God appointed way not in opposition to one another but in partnership, to the glory of God. Peter again reminds the believers not to be fazed by the trial which has come to them, but they are to rejoice in the sufferings of Christ. This is reminiscent of the Beatitudes. Then Peter reminds these Jewish believers that the judgment of God will begin at the house of God – The Jewish nation. (This will occur before the judgement of the living nations Matt 25) And the judgment will fall on those who do not OBEY the Gospel. What is this Gospel that is to be obeyed? It is the Gospel of the Kingdom or rather the Gospel of God, Which is a further extension of the Gospel of the Kingdom to include the death and resurrection of Christ. Those who suffer commit their souls to the God of the resurrection who will raise the righteous from the dead to enter the Kingdom.
Steve
11: If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 12: Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14: If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 15: But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. 16: Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 17: For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 18: And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 19: Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
Previously Peter had said… As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Now he is more specific, he says those who prophecy are to do so as speaking the oracles of God and those who minister let them do so according to the ministry that God has given. And so we have the two great ministries of the Spirit – the Elder and the Deacon. The Elder teaches and the Deacon serves. And both serve in their own God appointed way not in opposition to one another but in partnership, to the glory of God. Peter again reminds the believers not to be fazed by the trial which has come to them, but they are to rejoice in the sufferings of Christ. This is reminiscent of the Beatitudes. Then Peter reminds these Jewish believers that the judgment of God will begin at the house of God – The Jewish nation. (This will occur before the judgement of the living nations Matt 25) And the judgment will fall on those who do not OBEY the Gospel. What is this Gospel that is to be obeyed? It is the Gospel of the Kingdom or rather the Gospel of God, Which is a further extension of the Gospel of the Kingdom to include the death and resurrection of Christ. Those who suffer commit their souls to the God of the resurrection who will raise the righteous from the dead to enter the Kingdom.
Steve
Evening Bible reading
November 23rd Ezekiel, 24
1: Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2: Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day. 3: And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it: 4: Gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones. 5: Take the choice of the flock, and burn also the bones under it, and make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein. 6: Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it! bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall up on it. 7: For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust; 8: That it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance; I have set her blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered. 9: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great. 10: Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned. 11: Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed. 12: She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire. 13: In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee. 14: I the LORD have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord GOD. 15: Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 16: Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. 17: Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. 18: So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded. 19: And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so? 20: Then I answered them, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 21: Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword. 22: And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men. 23: And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another. 24: Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD. 25: Also, thou son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters, 26: That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears? 27: In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel, 25
1: The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 2: Son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them; 3: And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou saidst, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity; 4: Behold, therefore I will deliver thee to the men of the east for a possession, and they shall set their palaces in thee, and make their dwellings in thee: they shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink thy milk. 5: And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels, and the Ammonites a couchingplace for flocks: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 6: For thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thy despite against the land of Israel; 7: Behold, therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. 8: Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Moab and Seir do say, Behold, the house of Judah is like unto all the heathen; 9: Therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities, from his cities which are on his frontiers, the glory of the country, Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim, 10: Unto the men of the east with the Ammonites, and will give them in possession, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations. 11: And I will execute judgments upon Moab; and they shall know that I am the LORD. 12: Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them; 13: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword. 14: And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord GOD. 15: Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred; 16: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethims, and destroy the remnant of the sea coast. 17: And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.
Ezekiel receives another prophecy from the Lord and he gives the date again. The Lord instructs him to write the name of the date when the king of Babylon camped around Jerusalem. He is to perform a living parable. (Parables come to a people who are in rejection of God) He is to set a pot and pour water into it. And he is to gather up pieces of meat. He is to take the best of the sheep and burn its bones under it to boil the bones inside it. Then the Lord said Woe to the bloody city in which the scum is boiling. The blood is to be set on the top of a rock and to be uncovered. Then Ezekiel is to heap on wood to burn the bones. Then the pot is to be allowed to burn itself. Then the Lord said to Ezekiel you are not to weep for the city, nor for the dead. He is not to put shoes on or cover his lips or eat food. In the morning he said this and in the evening his wife died. This was to be a sign to Israel of what will happen to them in the future. Next the Lord said to Ezekiel set your face against the Ammonites and prophecy against them, because they delighted in the profanity of the sanctuary and against the land of Israel and Judah when they were taken away captives. The Babylonians will come into your land and eat everything you have. This is because you clapped your hands and danced in joy against the land of Israel. the Lords judgment will come also on the Philistines because they were despiteful to Israel. All these people will know that God is the Lord.
Steve
1: Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2: Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day. 3: And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it: 4: Gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones. 5: Take the choice of the flock, and burn also the bones under it, and make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein. 6: Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it! bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall up on it. 7: For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust; 8: That it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance; I have set her blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered. 9: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great. 10: Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned. 11: Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed. 12: She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire. 13: In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee. 14: I the LORD have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord GOD. 15: Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 16: Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. 17: Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. 18: So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded. 19: And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so? 20: Then I answered them, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 21: Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword. 22: And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men. 23: And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another. 24: Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD. 25: Also, thou son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters, 26: That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears? 27: In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel, 25
1: The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 2: Son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them; 3: And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou saidst, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity; 4: Behold, therefore I will deliver thee to the men of the east for a possession, and they shall set their palaces in thee, and make their dwellings in thee: they shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink thy milk. 5: And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels, and the Ammonites a couchingplace for flocks: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 6: For thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thy despite against the land of Israel; 7: Behold, therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. 8: Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Moab and Seir do say, Behold, the house of Judah is like unto all the heathen; 9: Therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities, from his cities which are on his frontiers, the glory of the country, Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim, 10: Unto the men of the east with the Ammonites, and will give them in possession, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations. 11: And I will execute judgments upon Moab; and they shall know that I am the LORD. 12: Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them; 13: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword. 14: And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord GOD. 15: Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred; 16: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethims, and destroy the remnant of the sea coast. 17: And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.
Ezekiel receives another prophecy from the Lord and he gives the date again. The Lord instructs him to write the name of the date when the king of Babylon camped around Jerusalem. He is to perform a living parable. (Parables come to a people who are in rejection of God) He is to set a pot and pour water into it. And he is to gather up pieces of meat. He is to take the best of the sheep and burn its bones under it to boil the bones inside it. Then the Lord said Woe to the bloody city in which the scum is boiling. The blood is to be set on the top of a rock and to be uncovered. Then Ezekiel is to heap on wood to burn the bones. Then the pot is to be allowed to burn itself. Then the Lord said to Ezekiel you are not to weep for the city, nor for the dead. He is not to put shoes on or cover his lips or eat food. In the morning he said this and in the evening his wife died. This was to be a sign to Israel of what will happen to them in the future. Next the Lord said to Ezekiel set your face against the Ammonites and prophecy against them, because they delighted in the profanity of the sanctuary and against the land of Israel and Judah when they were taken away captives. The Babylonians will come into your land and eat everything you have. This is because you clapped your hands and danced in joy against the land of Israel. the Lords judgment will come also on the Philistines because they were despiteful to Israel. All these people will know that God is the Lord.
Steve
22/11/2010
Morning Bible reading
November 23rd
1 Peter, 4
1: Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 2: That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. 3: For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: 4: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: 5: Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. 6: For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. 7: But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 8: And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 9: Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 10: As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Peter says that as Christ has suffered in the flesh so you are to cease from sin. So that you might nor live the rest of your life fulfilling the lusts of men, but doing the will of God. He says your lives were lives of excess, lust, drunkenness, greed and idolatries. The men of this world cannot understand why you do not continue to live like this and they speak evil of you. However they will give account of this to Christ who will judge the living and the dead. This is why the Gospel was preached also unto the dead, so that they might be judged by the unbelieving but live according to God in the Spirit. Peter says the end of everything is coming therefore we should be sober, and watchful unto prayer. Peter reiterates the call to righteousness of living for those under that law which is seen in love to one another. Love covers a multitude of sins. He reminds the Jews to practise hospitality to each other willingly and that they should all hold their possessions in trust and to be used for the mutual benefit of all.
steve
1 Peter, 4
1: Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 2: That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. 3: For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: 4: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: 5: Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. 6: For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. 7: But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 8: And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 9: Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 10: As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Peter says that as Christ has suffered in the flesh so you are to cease from sin. So that you might nor live the rest of your life fulfilling the lusts of men, but doing the will of God. He says your lives were lives of excess, lust, drunkenness, greed and idolatries. The men of this world cannot understand why you do not continue to live like this and they speak evil of you. However they will give account of this to Christ who will judge the living and the dead. This is why the Gospel was preached also unto the dead, so that they might be judged by the unbelieving but live according to God in the Spirit. Peter says the end of everything is coming therefore we should be sober, and watchful unto prayer. Peter reiterates the call to righteousness of living for those under that law which is seen in love to one another. Love covers a multitude of sins. He reminds the Jews to practise hospitality to each other willingly and that they should all hold their possessions in trust and to be used for the mutual benefit of all.
steve
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