DAY 225 Read Ezekiel 1 through 3; Psalm 137.
Today's reading: Another exiled Hebrew served as God's messenger. Daniel spoke in the royal court; Ezekiel spoke to his fellow exiles as well as to the Jews still in Judah. Psalm 137, of unknown authorship, fittingly expresses the sadness of Israelites in exile.
Memory gem: "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion" (Psalm 137:1).
Thought for today:
"Through Daniel and others of the Hebrew captives, the Babylonian monarch had been made acquainted with the power and supreme authority of the true God; and when Zedekiah once more solemnly promised to remain loyal, Nebuchadnezzer required him to swear to this promise in the name of the Lord God of Israel. Had Zedekiah respected this renewal of his covenant oath, his loyalty would have had profound influence on the minds of many who were watching the conduct of those who claimed to reverence the name and to cherish the honor of the God of the Hebrews
"But Judah's king lost sight of his privilege of bringing honor to the name of the living God....
"While Jeremiah continued to bear his testimony in the land of Judah, the prophet Ezekiel was raised up from among the captives in Babylon, to warn and to comfort the exiles, and also to confirm the word of the Lord that was being spoken through Jeremiah. During the years that remained of Zedekiah's reign, Ezekiel made very plain the folly of trusting to the false predictions of those who were causing the captives to hope for an early return to Jerusalem. He was also instructed to foretell, by means of a variety of symbols and solemn messages, the siege and utter destruction of Jerusalem."--Prophets and Kings, pp. 447, 448.
NOTE: "The thirtieth year" of Ezekiel 1:1 is equated with the "fifth year of Jehoachin's captivity" in verse 2. We can only speculate on the event marking the beginning of the period (maybe Ezekiel was thirty years old), but the fifth year of captivity would be 593/593 B.C. All other events in the book are dated from this point.
Today's reading: Another exiled Hebrew served as God's messenger. Daniel spoke in the royal court; Ezekiel spoke to his fellow exiles as well as to the Jews still in Judah. Psalm 137, of unknown authorship, fittingly expresses the sadness of Israelites in exile.
Memory gem: "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion" (Psalm 137:1).
Thought for today:
"Through Daniel and others of the Hebrew captives, the Babylonian monarch had been made acquainted with the power and supreme authority of the true God; and when Zedekiah once more solemnly promised to remain loyal, Nebuchadnezzer required him to swear to this promise in the name of the Lord God of Israel. Had Zedekiah respected this renewal of his covenant oath, his loyalty would have had profound influence on the minds of many who were watching the conduct of those who claimed to reverence the name and to cherish the honor of the God of the Hebrews
"But Judah's king lost sight of his privilege of bringing honor to the name of the living God....
"While Jeremiah continued to bear his testimony in the land of Judah, the prophet Ezekiel was raised up from among the captives in Babylon, to warn and to comfort the exiles, and also to confirm the word of the Lord that was being spoken through Jeremiah. During the years that remained of Zedekiah's reign, Ezekiel made very plain the folly of trusting to the false predictions of those who were causing the captives to hope for an early return to Jerusalem. He was also instructed to foretell, by means of a variety of symbols and solemn messages, the siege and utter destruction of Jerusalem."--Prophets and Kings, pp. 447, 448.
NOTE: "The thirtieth year" of Ezekiel 1:1 is equated with the "fifth year of Jehoachin's captivity" in verse 2. We can only speculate on the event marking the beginning of the period (maybe Ezekiel was thirty years old), but the fifth year of captivity would be 593/593 B.C. All other events in the book are dated from this point.
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