Through the Bible – Day 325

₁Ezekiel, sing a funeral song for two of Israel's leaders:

This funeral song must be sung with sorrow.

₁Seven years after King Jehoiachin and the rest of us had been led away as prisoners to Babylonia, some of Israel's leaders came to me on the tenth day of the fifth month. They sat down and asked for a message from the LORD. ₂Just then, the LORD God said:

₃Ezekiel, son of man, these leaders have come to find out what I want them to do. As surely as I live, I will not give them an answer of any kind.

₄Are you willing to warn them, Ezekiel? Then remind them of the disgusting sins of their ancestors.

₅Tell them that long ago I, the LORD God, chose Israel to be my own. I appeared to their ancestors in Egypt and made a solemn promise that I would be their God and the God of their descendants. ₆I swore that I would rescue them from Egypt and lead them to a land I had already chosen. This land was rich with milk and honey and was the most splendid land of all. ₇I told them to get rid of their disgusting idols and not to sin by worshipping the gods of Egypt. I reminded them that I was the LORD their God, ₈but they still rebelled against me. They refused to listen and kept on worshipping their idols and foreign gods.

In my anger, I decided to punish the Israelites in Egypt. ₉But that would have made me look like a liar, because I had already promised in front of everyone that I would lead them out of Egypt. ₁₀So I brought them out and led them into the desert. ₁₁I gave them my laws and teachings, so they would know how to live right. ₁₂And I commanded them to respect the Sabbath as a way of showing that they were holy and belonged to me. ₁₃But the Israelites rebelled against me in the desert. They refused to obey my laws and teachings, and they treated the Sabbath like any other day.

Then in my anger, I decided to destroy the Israelites in the desert once and for all. ₁₄But that would have disgraced me, because many other nations had seen me bring the Israelites out of Egypt. ₁₅Instead, I told them in the desert that I would not lead them into the beautiful, fertile land I had promised. ₁₆I said this because they had not only ignored my laws and teachings, but had disgraced my Sabbath and worshipped idols.

₁₇Yet, I felt sorry for them and could not let them die in the desert. ₁₈So I warned the children not to act like their parents or follow their evil ways or worship their idols. ₁₉I reminded them that I was the LORD their God and that they should obey my laws and teachings. ₂₀I told them to respect my Sabbath to show that they were my people and that I was the LORD their God. ₂₁But the children also rebelled against me. They refused to obey my laws and teachings, and they treated the Sabbath as any other day.

I became angry and decided to punish them in the desert. ₂₂But I did not. That would have disgraced me in front of the nations that had seen me bring the Israelites out of Egypt. ₂₃So I solemnly swore that I would scatter the people of Israel across the nations, ₂₄because they had disobeyed my laws and ignored my teachings; they had disgraced my Sabbath and worshipped the idols their ancestors had made. ₂₅I gave them laws that bring punishment instead of life, ₂₆and I let them offer me unacceptable sacrifices, including their firstborn sons. I did this to horrify them and to let them know that I, the LORD, was punishing them.

₂₇Ezekiel, tell the people of Israel that their ancestors also rejected and insulted me ₂₈by offering sacrifices, incense, and wine to gods on every hill and under every large tree. I was very angry, because they did these things in the land I had given them! ₂₉I asked them where they went to worship those gods, and they answered, “At the local shrines.” And those places of worship are still called shrines.

₃₀Then ask the Israelites why they are following the example of their wicked ancestors ₃₁by worshipping idols and by sacrificing their own children as offerings. They commit these sins and still think they can ask me for a message. As surely as I am the living LORD God, I will give them no answer. ₃₂They may think they can be like other nations and get away with worshipping idols made of wood and stone. But that will never happen!

₃₃As surely as I am the living LORD God, I will rule over you with my powerful arm. You will feel my fierce anger ₃₄and my power, when I gather you from the places where you are scattered ₃₅and lead you into a desert surrounded by nations. I will meet you there face to face. Then I will pass judgment on you ₃₆and punish you, just as I punished your ancestors in the desert near Egypt. ₃₇I will force each of you to obey the regulations of our solemn agreement. ₃₈I will separate the sinful rebels from the rest of you, and even though I will bring them from the nations where they live in exile, they won't be allowed to return to Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

₃₉Go ahead and worship your idols for now, you Israelites, because soon I will no longer let you dishonour me by offering gifts to them. You will have no choice but to obey me! ₄₀When that day comes, everyone in Israel will worship me on Mount Zion, my holy mountain in Jerusalem. I will once again call you my own, and I will accept your sacred offerings and sacrifices. ₄₁When I bring you home from the places where you are now scattered, I will be pleased with you, just as I am pleased with the smell of the smoke from your sacrifices. Every nation on earth will see that I am holy, ₄₂and you will know that I, the LORD, am the one who brought you back to Israel, the land I promised your ancestors. ₄₃Then you will remember your wicked sins, and you will hate yourselves for doing such horrible things. They have made you unacceptable to me, ₄₄so you deserve to be punished. But I will treat you in a way that will bring honour to my name, and you will know that I am the LORD God.

₄₅The LORD said, ₄₆“Ezekiel, son of man, turn towards the south and warn the forests ₄₇that I, the LORD God, will start a fire that will burn up every tree, whether green or dry. Nothing will be able to put out the blaze of that fire as it spreads to the north and burns everything in its path. ₄₈Everyone will know that I started it, and that it cannot be stopped.”

₄₉But I complained, “LORD God, I don't want to do that! People already say I confuse them with my messages.”

₁₃Be alert and think straight. Put all your hope in how kind God will be to you when Jesus Christ appears. ₁₄Behave like obedient children. Don't let your lives be controlled by your desires, as they used to be. ₁₅Always live as God's holy people should, because God is the one who chose you, and he is holy. ₁₆That's why the Scriptures say, “I am the holy God, and you must be holy too.”

₁₇You say that God is your Father, but God doesn't have favourites! He judges all people by what they do. So you must honour God while you live as strangers here on earth. ₁₈You were rescued from the useless way of life that you learnt from your ancestors. But you know that you were not rescued by such things as silver or gold that don't last for ever. ₁₉You were rescued by the precious blood of Christ, that spotless and innocent lamb. ₂₀Christ was chosen even before the world was created, but because of you, he did not come until these last days. ₂₁And when he did come, it was to lead you to have faith in God, who raised him from death and honoured him in a glorious way. That's why you have put your faith and hope in God.

₂₂You obeyed the truth, and your souls were made pure. Now you sincerely love each other. But you must keep on loving with all your heart. ₂₃Do this because God has given you new birth by his message that lives on for ever. ₂₄The Scriptures say,

Our good news to you is what the Lord has said.