34 lines
1.7 KiB
Markdown
34 lines
1.7 KiB
Markdown
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title = "Ezekiel 7:1–13"
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date = "2023-03-15"
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### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Ezekiel7.1-13)
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In case you haven't gotten the message by now (and I'm sure there were some
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Ezekiel spoke to who needed these reminders), God punishes sin. He doesn't play
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around; when it's time for judgement to be brought to bear, it is done fully
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and completely. There are some who say they follow a "God of love" who doesn't
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want to punish anyone. They aren't following the God of the Bible. No one
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actually wants to live in total anarchy where everybody does whatever they like
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with no rules to stop them. Read the last couple chapters of Judges for a
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glimpse of what that is like. Perhaps they think that wicked people should be
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"corrected" instead of "punished", but the fact remains that evil deeds incur
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consequences.
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There are also those who say that prophecy is confusing and not worth reading.
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I would argue that anyone could read this chapter and figure out what God is
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saying, even if they didn't know any of Israel's history. They would probably
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need to study more of the Bible to learn _why_ God is saying all this, but what
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He says is pretty clear. Fictional prophecies are always vague and easy to
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misinterpret for narrative purposes. Biblical prophecy will either have
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straightforward meanings, or the symbolism used is explained in the text
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itself. God's purpose for giving prophecies is never to be a "Gotcha!" or a
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puzzle to figure out. Instead they are clear warnings, calls to repentence, or
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sources of comfort to believers because they show that God has had everything
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planned out from the very beginning and nothing can thwart Him.
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* * *
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Change our hearts to want what You want, and not our own evil desires.
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