Through the Bible – Day 319

Bible text(s)

Ezekiel 1

Ezekiel sees the Lord's glory and is chosen to be his prophet

1-3I am Ezekiel—a priest and the son of Buzi.

Five years after King Jehoiachin of Judah had been led away as a prisoner to Babylonia, I was living near the River Chebar among those who had been taken there with him. Then on the fifth day of the fourth month of the thirtieth year, the heavens suddenly opened. The LORD placed his hand upon me and showed me some visions.

4I saw a storm blowing in from the north. Lightning flashed from a huge cloud and lit up the whole sky with a dazzling brightness. The fiery centre of the cloud was as shiny as polished metal, 5and in that centre I saw what looked like four living creatures. They were somewhat like humans, 6except that each one had four faces and four wings. 7Their legs were straight, but their feet looked like the hoofs of calves and sparkled like bronze. 8Under each of their wings, these creatures had a human hand. 9The four creatures were standing back-to-back with the tips of their wings touching. They moved together in every direction, without turning their bodies.

10Each creature had the face of a human in front, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of a bull on the left, and the face of an eagle at the back. 11Two wings of each creature were spread out and touched the wings of the creatures on either side. The other two wings of each creature were folded against its body.

12Wherever the four living creatures went, they moved together without turning their bodies, because each creature faced straight ahead. 13The creatures were glowing like hot coals, and I saw something like a flaming torch moving back and forth among them. Lightning flashed from the torch every time its flame blazed up. 14The creatures themselves moved as quickly as sparks jumping from a fire.

15I then noticed that on the ground beside each of the four living creatures was a wheel, 16shining like chrysolite. Each wheel was exactly the same and had a second wheel that cut through the middle of it, 17so that they could move in any direction without turning. 18The rims of the wheels were large and had eyes all the way around them. 19-21The creatures controlled when and where the wheels moved—the wheels went wherever the four creatures went and stopped whenever they stopped. Even when the creatures flew in the air, the wheels were beside them.

22-23Above the living creatures, I saw something that was sparkling like ice, and it reminded me of a dome. Each creature had two of its wings stretched out towards the creatures on either side, with the other two wings folded against its body. 24Whenever the creatures flew, their wings roared like an ocean or a large army or even the voice of God All-Powerful. And whenever the creatures stopped, they folded their wings against their bodies.

25When the creatures stopped flapping their wings, I heard a sound coming from above the dome. 26I then saw what looked like a throne made of sapphire, and sitting on the throne was a figure in the shape of a human. 27From the waist up, it was glowing like metal in a hot furnace, and from the waist down it looked like the flames of a fire. The figure was surrounded by a bright light, 28as colourful as a rainbow that appears after a storm.

I realized I was seeing the brightness of the LORD's glory! So I bowed with my face to the ground, and just then I heard a voice speaking to me.

Ezekiel 2

The LORD chooses Ezekiel

1The LORD said, “Ezekiel, son of man, I want you to stand up and listen.” 2After he said this, his Spirit took control of me and lifted me to my feet. Then the LORD said:

3Ezekiel, I am sending you to the people of Israel. They are just like their ancestors who rebelled against me and refused to stop. 4They are stubborn and hard-headed. But I, the LORD God, have chosen you to tell them what I say. 5Those rebels may not even listen, but at least they will know that a prophet has come to them.

6Don't be afraid of them or of anything they say. You may think you're in the middle of thorn bushes or scorpions. But be brave 7and preach my message to them, whether they choose to listen or not. 8Ezekiel, don't rebel against me, as they have done. Instead, listen to everything I tell you.

And now, Ezekiel, open your mouth and eat what I am going to give you.

9Just then, I saw a hand stretched out towards me. And in it was a scroll. 10The hand opened the scroll, and both sides of it were filled with words of sadness, mourning, and grief.

Ezekiel 3

1The LORD said, “Ezekiel, son of man, after you eat this scroll, go and speak to the people of Israel.”

2-3He handed me the scroll and said, “Eat this and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate the scroll, and it tasted sweet as honey.

4The LORD said:

Ezekiel, I am sending you to your own people. 5-6They are Israelites, not strangers who speak a foreign language you can't understand. If I were to send you to foreign nations, they would listen to you. 7But the people of Israel will refuse to listen, because they have refused to listen to me. All of them are stubborn and hard-headed, 8so I will make you as stubborn as they are. 9You will be so determined to speak my message that nothing will stop you. I will make you hard like a diamond, and you'll have no reason to be afraid of those arrogant rebels.

10Listen carefully to everything I say and then think about it. 11Then go to the people who were brought here to Babylonia with you and tell them you have a message from me, the LORD God. Do this, whether they listen to you or not.

12The Spirit lifted me up, and as the glory of the LORD started to leave, I heard a loud, thundering noise behind me. 13It was the sound made by the creatures' wings as they brushed against each other, and by the rumble of the wheels beside them. 14Then the Spirit carried me away.

The LORD's power had taken complete control of me, and I was both annoyed and angry.

15When I was back with the others living at Abib Hill near the River Chebar, I sat among them for seven days, shocked at what had happened to me.

The LORD appoints Ezekiel to stand watch

16Seven days after I had seen the brightness of the LORD's glory, the LORD said:

17Ezekiel, son of man, I have appointed you to stand watch for the people of Israel. So listen to what I say, then warn them for me. 18When I tell wicked people they will die because of their sins, you must warn them to turn from their sinful ways so they won't be punished. If you refuse, you are responsible for their death. 19However, if you do warn them, and they keep on sinning, they will die because of their sins, and you will be innocent.

20Now suppose faithful people start sinning, and I decide to put stumbling blocks in their paths to make them fall. They deserve to die because of their sins. So if you refuse to warn them, I will forget about the times they were faithful, and I will hold you responsible for their death. 21But if you do warn them, and they listen to you and stop sinning, I will let them live. And you will be innocent.

Ezekiel cannot talk

22The LORD took control of me and said, “Stand up! Go into the valley, and I will talk with you there.”

23I immediately went to the valley, where I saw the brightness of the LORD's glory, just as I had seen near the River Chebar, and I bowed with my face to the ground. 24His Spirit took control of me and lifted me to my feet. Then the LORD said:

Go back and lock yourself in your house! 25You will be tied up to keep you inside, 26and I will make you unable to talk or to warn those who have rebelled against me. 27But the time will come, when I will tell you what to say, and you will again be able to speak my message. Some of them will listen; others will be stubborn and refuse to listen.

Ezekiel 1:1-3:27CEVOpen in Bible reader

James 1

Greetings

1From James, a servant of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Greetings to the twelve tribes scattered all over the world.

A life of faith and wisdom

2My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. 3You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. 4But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.

5If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won't correct you for asking. 6But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm. 7-8If you are that kind of person, you can't make up your mind, and you can't be trusted. So don't expect the Lord to give you anything at all.

Poor people and rich people

9Any of God's people who are poor should be glad that he thinks so highly of them. 10But any who are rich should be glad when God makes them humble. Rich people will disappear like wild flowers 11scorched by the burning heat of the sun. The flowers lose their blossoms, and their beauty is destroyed. That is how the rich will disappear, as they go about their business.

Trials and temptations

12God will bless you, if you don't give up when your faith is being tested. He will reward you with a glorious life, just as he rewards everyone who loves him.

13Don't blame God when you are tempted! God cannot be tempted by evil, and he doesn't use evil to tempt others. 14We are tempted by our own desires that drag us off and trap us. 15Our desires make us sin, and when sin is finished with us, it leaves us dead.

16Don't be fooled, my dear friends. 17Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father who created all the lights in the heavens. He is always the same and never makes dark shadows by changing. 18He wanted us to be his own special people, and so he sent the true message to give us new birth.

Hearing and obeying God's message

19My dear friends, you should be quick to listen and slow to speak or to get angry. 20If you are angry, you cannot do any of the good things that God wants done. 21You must stop doing anything immoral or evil. Instead be humble and accept the message that is planted in you to save you.

22Obey God's message! Don't fool yourselves by just listening to it. 23If you hear the message and don't obey it, you are like people who stare at themselves in a mirror 24and forget what they look like as soon as they leave. 25But you must never stop looking at the perfect law that sets you free. God will bless you in everything you do, if you listen and obey, and don't just hear and forget.

26If you think you are being religious, but can't control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and everything you do is useless. 27Religion that pleases God the Father must be pure and spotless. You must help needy orphans and widows and not let this world make you evil.

James 1:1-27CEVOpen in Bible reader
Canadian Bible Societyv.4.25.2
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