Scripture: Ezekiel 8: 6, 9, 18

⁶ “Son of man,” he said, “do you see what they are doing? Do you see the detestable sins the people of Israel are committing to drive me from my Temple? But come, and you will see even more detestable sins than these!” ⁹ “Go in,” he said, “and see the wicked and detestable sins they are committing in there!” ¹⁸ Therefore, I will respond in fury. I will neither pity nor spare them. And though they cry for mercy, I will not listen.”

Scripture Commentary: Disrespecting God is a detestable sin.

God tells Ezekiel of the detestable sins being committed by the Israelites. Their disrespect for God is a great abomination. God takes Ezekiel in a vision from Babylon to the temple in Jerusalem to see the wickedness of man. The religious leaders and the people were thoroughly corrupt.

Where will you stand in the judgment?

God passed judgment on them for their wickedness and this judgment continues to this day. We are so self absorbed that God is no longer a part of our lives. God shows Ezekiel in scene after scene the extent to which the people worshipped idols and pagan gods. Today we are so caught up in world values that we no longer feel we need God. We worship what we can buy; we prize what we need today. This is a stench to God.

His judgement is coming. Where do you stand?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Ezekiel 8

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Ezekiel:

God Has Committed to Forgiving Your Sin

Is the Punishment Fair?

Scripture: Joshua 2: 12 – 14

¹² “Now swear to me by the Lord that you will be kind to me and my family since I have helped you. Give me some guarantee that ¹³ when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families.” ¹⁴ “We offer our own lives as a guarantee for your safety,” the men agreed. “If you don’t betray us, we will keep our promise and be kind to you when the Lord gives us the land.”

Scripture Commentary:

Rahab was one of Jericho’s well-known prostitutes. She not only lived in Jericho, she also practiced her trade there. This was the perfect place for the spies to hide. The townspeople were accustomed to men coming from and going to her home.

The king got word that spies were in Jericho. Gossipers told of strangers who had come to Rahab’s house so he sent his men to check it out. Rahab hid the men from the king’s spies. She told the spies that she had heard of their God and believed.

Through her faith, Rahab was spared.

Rahab, who the people of Jericho looked down on, had placed her faith and belief in the one God, Yahweh. She kept her word and told the spies where to hide and then to make their escape. In turn, the spies told her to tie a scarlet cord on her window to signify which house not to destroy. The color scarlet has been a symbol of Jesus’s blood shed on the cross.

Only God can turn our sin into a scarlet cord of forgiveness. Only Jesus’s blood has the power to remove sin.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Joshua 2

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Joshua:

Serve Only the Lord Your God

Scripture: Ezekiel 44: 6-7

 ⁶ You shall say to the rebellious ones, to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Enough of all your repulsive acts, O house of Israel! ⁷ In that you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to pollute and profane it—My house—when you offered My bread, the fat, and the blood; and ^[b]they made My covenant void —this in addition to all your other repulsive acts.

Scripture Commentary: Enter God’s house with thanksgiving.

Go into God’s house with a pure heart. Worship and serve God to the best of your ability. Don’t go in with your own agenda or with intentions to have your own way. Unfortunately, we take our individual agendas to church, making God’s house a place of constant bickering.

The above verses tell us to see and hear God’s ordinances concerning His house. When we have a problem or just need to talk to God, we need to go to Him humbly, seeking Him with a sincere heart. Don’t approach Him for your personal gain. Ezekiel’s vision was for believers to prepare themselves both physically and spiritually to worship God.

We need to prepare ourselves to worship God reverently and properly. Don’t just go through the motions of ritual performance. Approaching our Holy God must not be taken lightly. Disobedience will lead to God leaving His house, ensuring destruction of the sanctuary. God is holy, perfect and blameless.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Ezekiel 44

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Ezekiel:

Is Your Heart Set on Idols or on God?

The Wicked Find No Favor With God

Scripture: Isaiah 40: 29-31

He gives strength to the weary, And to him who has no might He increases power. ³⁰ Even youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, ³¹ But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] Will gain new strength and renew their power; They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; They will run and not become weary, They will walk and not grow tired.

Scripture Commentary: God does not grow tired.

When I was young I felt like I could run and play all day and not grow tired. I was on the cross country team where we ran 2.5 miles. I played tennis, racketball and golf. As I grew older I would get tired and had to stop and rest. No matter our physical condition, our body has limitations. Both our physical and mental gifts can take us only so far before we have to rest and restore ourselves.

God’s power and strength never falters or diminishes.

God, our Creator, needs no rest. He is almighty. God’s power and strength never falters or diminishes. Through adversity, God is our source of comfort and encouragement. We are not immune to suffering but with God’s help and direction we will come through stronger.

God is without limit.

God is the good shepherd who protects His flock. We, His children, are limited in knowledge. We cannot fully understand God but He is not limited in His understanding of us.

His love is for all of us. That is why He is called the Great Shepherd, the Chief Shepherd, the Bread of Life, and The Light. He is the past, the present, and the future. He is everything – almighty!

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Isaiah 40

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Isaiah:

The Lord’s Glory Is Revealed

Call Upon the Lord and He Will Deliver You

Scripture: Jeremiah 1: 4-6

⁴ The Lord gave me this message: ⁵ “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” ⁶ “O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”

Scripture Commentary: God set you apart and has a purpose for your life.

God knew us before we were born. When we were conceived in our mother’s womb, God knew each and every one of us. He set each of us apart and gave us a purpose.

Some of us don’t know our mission in life because we are caught up in worldly glitter and gold. We’ve blocked out God in exchange for what the world offers. But for some, this is not the case.

Accept God and learn your purpose.

Jeremiah felt inadequate but God told Jeremiah that he was valuable and had a purpose. Likewise, God has a purpose for you. To find out what it is, you must first accept God and His Son Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Only then can the door be opened.

Seek God and know His voice.

God is always present but you have to accept Him into your life. Like Jeremiah, you have a purpose. In Jeremiah’s case, he was to go to the nations and prophesy. Your path likely won’t be easy but God never will give you more than you can bear.

You are appointed. Do you know what your assignment is?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Jeremiah 1

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Jeremiah:

Trust God Who Can Do All Things

What Message Does God Have For You?

Scripture: Jeremiah 16: 1-5

The Lord gave me another message. He said, ² “Do not get married or have children in this place. ³ For this is what the Lord says about the children born here in this city and about their mothers and fathers: ⁴ They will die from terrible diseases. No one will mourn for them or bury them, and they will lie scattered on the ground like manure. They will die from war and famine, and their bodies will be food for the vultures and wild animals.” ⁵ This is what the Lord says: “Do not go to funerals to mourn and show sympathy for these people, for I have removed my protection and peace from them. I have taken away my unfailing love and my mercy.

Scripture Commentary:

Jeremiah is now a social outcast because he delivered God’s message and the people rejected it. What the Lord says remains unchanged to this day and the rejection continues.

God’s Word has given us messages for how to live and serve Him. However, we don’t want to hear it because we say that we know how to live.

When the people rejected God’s message the first wave of destruction was almost immediate, and the second wave – the complete destruction of Judah – came in 586 B.C. But God told Jeremiah to show no remorese and not to mourn the loss of life.

The time was devastating. People were dying and they couldn’t be buried or mourned because they had disobeyed God to the point of punishment.

Will God punish us for how we are living today? He has many ways and a variety of methods to get His message across. Do not think that what you say and do in the dark goes unseen by God. You may close your eyes and ears to sin but God sees and hears all.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Jeremiah 16

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Jeremiah:

Trust God Instead of Yourself

What Message Does God Have For You?

Scripture: Daniel 12: 2-3

² Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting disgrace. ³ Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever.

Scripture Commentary: Don’t gamble with your everlasting life with God.

Ashes to ashes and dust to dust. These words are spoken at the end of funerals. For some it’s the beginning of an everlasting life with God and His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. For others, it’s the beginning of everlasting damnation and punishment in hell with Satan.

This scripture references the resurrection of the righteous and the wicked. One points the way to joy; the other to damnation. There is no middle ground; it’s only one way or the other. Some want to gamble, playing both sides of life. We think our job, money, house and talent are what God judges us on. But this is not so. God gives us material things but He will judge us on what we do with them. When we share what God gives us, we show that we are a servant of God. Otherwise, we only serve ourselves.

What are you doing with the life God has given you? Will you enjoy everlasting joy or damnation?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Daniel 12

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Daniel:

Jesus, Son of God; Son of Man

Scripture : Jeremiah 2: 13, 29

¹³ “For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me—the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all! ²⁹ Why do you accuse me of doing wrong? You are the ones who have rebelled,” says the Lord.

Scripture Commentary:

God asks the people in Jeremiah 2 why He has been abandoned? The question is still relevant today. God further asks how has He wronged the people. He has loved them, and freed them from slavery from the Egyptians. God forsakes no one. It is we who forsake God when we put self, or self-serving things, before Him.

Think. Has God forgotten or left you? These verses compare the relationship with God to that of a marriage. Why would you seek worthless things rather than God’s love? The only lasting security is found in God, not in yourself. Do not let temptation distract you from God, the Father.

Verse 13 references “cracked cisterns.” A cistern is a pot or vase that holds water. A broken cistern is useless. If you have denied God, you are like a broken cistern. You can hold nothing. Be a vessel for God so He can fill you with His love. Carry His gospel throughout the world.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Jeremiah 2

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Jeremiah:

Trust God Who Can Do All Things

What Message Does God Have For You?

Scripture: Psalm 103: 1-2, 8-9

¹ Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. ² Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. ⁸ The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. ⁹ He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.

Scripture Commentary:

We get angry with a person or a group of people and won’t let it go. Why is that? God not only forgets; He forgives and is compassionate and merciful. So, if we ask God to forgive us, why is it so hard to forgive others?

If we’ve truly surrendered to God, then we can forgive and forget. If not, then we haven’t truly committed to God. We need to think about everything God has done in our lives. He has forgiven our sins, healed our diseases, redeemed us from death and given us His love and compassion. And we have a chance to be with Him forever.

We get all this, and all He asks is to be faithful to Him and love one another. Let go of the past. God has. We have a clean record moving forward.

If you believe in Jesus Christ, follow the path He has given. You are fragile but God is all powerful. He knows your strengths and weaknesses. Don’t use your weakness to justify sin. Ask God for his forgiveness, wisdom, and spiritual strength to guide you through your life.

Thank God for His Son, Jesus Christ, and His love.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Psalm 103

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Psalms:

Blessed Is the Person Who Walks With God

The Lord Is My Mighty Fortress, My Deliverer

Scripture: Proverbs 3: 5-7

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. ⁶ Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. ⁷ Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

Scripture Commentary: God gives us the choice to trust Him.

Do you fully trust God or only partially trust Him? When do you turn to Him – all the time or when you run into trouble? Most of us do our own thing our own way and over the course of time, the mistakes pile up. God gives us the gift of choice; we choose when to call on Him.

Learn to trust God.

God does not force himself on us. He’s just there for us. We learn to trust Him. The learning curve is short for some, but there are those who never learn to put their trust in Him. God is a better judge than we for what’s best for us. We may not get what we want but God gives us what is best for us.

We must never try to think for God or discount what He is doing in our life. His ways are not our ways; His time is not our time. We must acknowledge God in all our ways. This means turning everything over to Him.

Don’t rely on yourself. Put God first in your life. Make Him a vital part of everything you say and do. Trust God completely, without question.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Proverbs 3

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Proverbs:

Avoid Sexual Sin: Steps to Take

Let God Help You Make Decisions