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| Day 62 |
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 The reading for day 62 was Ezekiel 36:1-47:23.
In chapter 36 God tells Ezekiel to prophesy that Israel will be brought back to the land, but not for their sake. They are brought back because of God's jealous love for His own name. 36:22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not [this] for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.
In verse 25 God says "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols" (NASB). Is this an example of baptism? Anyway...God lets Israel know that He is not saving them for their glory, but for His. Can you imagine God shouting this at you: 36:32 Not for your sakes do I [this], saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel.
In the NASB it has an exclamation point at the end.
Chapter 37 has the famous Valley of Dry Bones vision. The point of the vision is that God is going to save His people even though they are dead in their sin. 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
37:13 And ye shall know that I [am] the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, 37:14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken [it], and performed [it], saith the LORD.
God breathes life into His people so that they can live...without Him they are just dry bones.
The end of chapter 37 gives another promise of Christ. Verses 24-28 are an awesome promise to God's people. The key to this little section is...when did God establish His covenant of peace with them? Did he establish that through the ministry of Jesus or is it still to come?
Chapters 38 and 39 are very interesting and I'm not sure how to interpret them. I can only assume that they are speaking of the future...but if someone else has another explanation, I would be glad to hear/read it.
Chapters 40-46 speak of a new temple and all of its dimensions and ordinances. I have no idea of what the significance of the measurements are, so someone who is wiser than I is more than welcome to explain it. One thing I will say...In the New Testament, we (the church) are pictured as the temple of God.
In chapter 47 we have a passage of scripture that closely parallels Revelation chapter 22. Read them and compare them and let me know what you think the significance of this comparison is.
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| To add a comment to "Day 62" |
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| July 12, 2007 |
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Hey, wow, and neat! I finished reading the Old Testament for the first time a few months ago. I remember the context of Eze 36:22, but that verse alone must have escaped me. I'm amazed. It's a significant concept. I've got quite a ride ahead of me, a lifetime to re-read and understand God. (And then an eternity getting to know God more!) |
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| July 12, 2007 |
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| And coincidentally, on the drive home from work I caught R.C. Sproul elaborating on one part of the Lord's Prayer: "Hallowed be thy name." He says it's not a statement of praise (i.e., "Lord, your name is so holy!") but rather a petition ("Lord, I pray that your name be made holy"). It's that significant. Of all the laws God could have given us in the 10 commandments, keeping His name holy is one of them! God's holiness must be important! |
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| July 12, 2007 |
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| Amen! |
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