Thursday, December 16 2010
Ezekiel 5
Verse of the Week: V3 “Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy skirts.”
1. The Third (V1-2)
V1 “And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber’s razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair.”
Ezekiel divided his hair into 3 parts after he had shaved them from his head and beard. God told Ezekiel He would punish Israel in three ways because of their sins. One way was that one third of Israel shall be burn with fire. The other one third would be killed by their enemies and the last one third would be scattered to the neighbouring countries.
V2 “Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.”
2. The Few (V3-11)
V3 “Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy skirts.”
God also commanded Ezekiel to bind a few of his hairs underneath his robe. These precious few hairs represented the precious few people who were obedient to God while the majority was even more disobedient than their neigbouring nations.
V7 “Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you;”
3. The Choice (V12-17)
V15 “So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about thee, when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it.”
It was a sad day for Israel which was to be the example of God’s blessings but instead became the anger of God’s judgment. Though many choose to deny and disobey God, there will always be the few who choose to trust and obey Him and live for His glory.
Matthew 7:14
“Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to be the few who choose to trust and obey You.
