As you’ll recall from our last episode, Ezekiel is prophesying against the port city of Tyre. That section of prophecy concludes today and we’ll begin a new prophecy against the nation of Egypt. As evidenced by the pyramids that remain standing today, the treasures of the pharaohs, along with abundant of historical records, Egypt was once a major world power that ruled mightily for centuries. Bible readers will recall that Joseph helped Egypt thrive early in their history and that Egypt held the...
Nov 12, 2024•23 min•Season 4Ep. 215
Israel and Judah have incited the Lord’s wrath by their wanton disregard for His statutes, and the Lord intends to pour His wrath out on His people. Even so, He will continue to stand by His promise to save a remnant and bring them back into the land. This is not the case for the surrounding nations, who have shown contempt for Jerusalem and disregard for the Holy One of Israel. With today’s episode, we begin a new section in Ezekiel which focuses on prophecies against other nations. A majority ...
Nov 11, 2024•20 min•Season 4Ep. 214
The Word of God sometimes shocks us with the imagery it gives to describe the sins of mankind, and today’s passage is no exception. As you might imagine, today’s podcast includes sexually explicit content, so parents, use discretion as you see fit. The Lord tells a parable of sorts, describing Samaria (aka Israel) and Jerusalem as two sisters named Oholah and Oholibah. With scandalous and sordid depictions of their rebellion against God, they stand condemned before the one who called them to fai...
Nov 08, 2024•21 min•Season 4Ep. 213
In our last reading, some of the elders of Israel had gathered around Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord, but God denied them counsel and began to recount the history of Israel’s rebellion and idolatry. Time and again, the Lord would have been justified in exhausting His wrath against Israel, but over and over He relented from disaster so that His name wouldn’t be profaned among the nations. The Lord will not answer them, but one day, God’s people will humble themselves and return to him. Later, Eze...
Nov 07, 2024•23 min•Season 4Ep. 212
Our reading opens with a consideration of personal responsibility for sin. The Lord says that each man is responsible for his own sins; no man will be charged as guilty for the sins of his father, but will certainly be judged for his own actions. Moreover, a sinful man can be restored when he turns in repentance toward God, but the one who turns away from righteousness to live in unrighteousness will be condemned. Later we’ll read a lament for the princes of Israel, who are compared to lions tha...
Nov 06, 2024•22 min•Season 4Ep. 211
Today’s episode contains sexual themes, so parental discretion is advised. Today we get a glimpse of God’s lovingkindness toward Israel as God describes Himself as a Father who adopts an unwanted baby, then as a man who redeems the life of a woman by claiming her as His bride. This woman becomes beautiful through the nurturing love of God, and as she grows in beauty, she begins to trust her beauty more than her husband. This bride is more anxious to please other men than to please her own husban...
Nov 05, 2024•22 min•Season 4Ep. 210
We begin today’s passage with prophecies against false teachers who make up things to say from the Lord even though he didn’t actually say them. These prophets are figuratively like those who don’t repair the structure of a weakened wall so that it is strong once again, but who simply whitewash over it to make it look nice. Women who practice sorcery and sell bracelets as magic charms are condemned here as well. Later, the Lord God says that no one from Israel will be saved simply because there ...
Nov 04, 2024•16 min•Season 4Ep. 209
In our last episode, while meeting with Judah’s elders, Ezekiel was carried off in a vision by the Lord. In one scene after another, the Lord showed Ezekiel the abhorrent practices of idolatry that the people were committing, especially those in the Lord’s temple. Today, the prophet sees an otherworldly visual representation of the Lord’s sovereign decrees as judgment is declared upon Jerusalem and upon the temple where God once lived among His people. He is then carried off to see a conversatio...
Nov 01, 2024•23 min•Season 4Ep. 208
When we last left Ezekiel, the Lord had given him prophetic acts to perform before the people of Jerusalem. In one he drew the city of Jerusalem on a brick and then laid siege to it. In another, he was commanded to lay on his left side for 390 days, and then 40 days on his right, all while eating bread baked over cow dung. Today, at the Lord’s direction, Ezekiel shaves his head and beard, a look that was considered shameful, and then proceeds to destroy most of the hair that had been removed. La...
Oct 31, 2024•22 min•Season 4Ep. 207
Ezekiel is on his way to Babylon with a group of exiles when suddenly, the heavens are opened and he sees a vision from God. The symbolism here is pretty deep. Coming from the north, like the Chaldean armies, the Lord’s angels are fourfold with four faces and four wings, communicating the Lord’s sovereignty over the fourfold directions of the earth (north, south, east, and west) over every mighty creature, and over every man. The cherubim were the enforcers of divine judgment and were accompanie...
Oct 30, 2024•22 min•Season 4Ep. 206
Today, we complete the book of Lamentations, a work of suffering, shame, horror, and defeat, but centered in the middle of the work, we read of Jeremiah’s confident hope in the Lord (that section occurs in today’s reading near the end of chapter 3). As a whole, Lamentations is presented in a series of five poems, of which the first four are acrostics of the Hebrew alphabet, much like Psalm 119, only shorter. The first poem focuses outside the city, the second: inside the city (we covered these i...
Oct 29, 2024•21 min•Season 4Ep. 205
The book of Lamentations has some pretty harrowing imagery, especially as it relates to children, so parental discretion is advised . We have concluded the book Jeremiah but we have not yet exhausted his writings; church history carries tradition that it is Jeremiah who wrote the book of Lamentations after the desolation of Judah had come to pass. Remember that Chaldeans laid siege to Jerusalem, basically surrounding them and starving them out until there was no more bread. A combination of evil...
Oct 28, 2024•19 min•Season 4Ep. 204
The prophecy against Babylon continues from our last episode today as we read the rest of chapter 51. In it, the Lord calls upon several nations to wage war against Babylon, bringing devastation and destruction. When that time of judgment comes, the Lord calls his people out of Babylon, telling them not to be fearful. When the prophecy concludes, Jeremiah instructs Seraiah to go to Babylon, declare the prophecy, then tie the scroll to a rock and throw into the Euphrates River, thus symbolizing t...
Oct 25, 2024•23 min•Season 4Ep. 203
The final prophecy against a particular nation is a doozy, proclaiming total annihilation and ruin and spanning two long chapters, (50, 51) one of which is the sixth longest chapter in Scripture. Who could this prophecy be against? What nation’s actions would merit such a rebuke? If you guessed Babylon, you are right! Though the Lord allowed Babylon to attack His own people and send them into exile, Babylon is still responsible for their own sin and their own actions. By God’s design, his people...
Oct 24, 2024•22 min•Season 4Ep. 202
We’re now in the section of Jeremiah that includes prophecies against individual nations. These prophecies were gathered over the course of Jeremiah’s life and have been collected here at the end of his account. The overarching theme of these chapters is that the Lord sees the injustice and disgrace of the surrounding nations, and they will not escape his wrath and judgment. In some cases, the Lord says that he will restore the nation, but in other cases, the nation will become a perpetual ruin....
Oct 23, 2024•20 min•Season 4Ep. 201
Following the destruction of Jerusalem, Jeremiah had elected to stay in the land with permission from the Chaldeans. After an insurrection and no small tumult within the remnant who stayed in the land, the skittish group asked for direction from the Lord. Jeremiah told them plainly that staying in the land would result in blessing but fleeing to Egypt would result in hardship, violence, and famine. They rejected the Lord’s command and went to Egypt anyway, taking Jeremiah with them. When we last...
Oct 22, 2024•23 min•Season 4Ep. 200
The prophecies of Jeremiah foretelling the devastation of Jerusalem have come to pass. Through it all the Lord has kept His promises and has protected Jeremiah from harm. With the blessing of the Chaldean captain of the guards, Jeremiah has elected to stay in Jerusalem. As Jeremiah continues to serve the Lord through this transition he must navigate new relationships and new authorities. After Ishmael leads an insurrection against Gedaliah, the new governor, Johanan rescues those taken captive i...
Oct 21, 2024•21 min•Season 4Ep. 199
As we cover the siege of Jerusalem and it’s fall there will be a lot of overlap as we try to cover all the material that pertains to this period in biblical history. Today, we’ll begin with a reading that spans the entire book of Habakkuk, wherein the prophet of the same name is recorded speaking to the Lord on behalf of his people. He openly and honestly struggles with understanding why God would allow injustice to prevail. By his conversation with the Lord, we are reminded of the sovereign pow...
Oct 18, 2024•22 min•Season 4Ep. 198
In our last episode, the prophecies of Jeremiah came to pass. The Chaldean army laid siege to Jerusalem and right before his eyes were gouged out, Zedekiah’s sons were executed in front of him. Our chronological reading of the Old Testament continues as we read this account from 2 Kings. In both readings we are introduced to Nebuzaradan, the Chaldean captain of the guards. Those who surrender to the Chaldeans are spared, and those who resist are put to the sword, usually at Nebuzaradan’s command...
Oct 17, 2024•20 min•Season 4Ep. 197
From a chronological standpoint, today’s reading can be a little confusing. Have you ever been watching a TV show that begins with a jump in the story’s timeline for dramatic interest, then jumps backward to show the circumstances that have led up to that point? That’s what’s happening here. Our last reading opened with Jeremiah in prison, but there was no explanation of how he got there. The accounts in chapters 35-36 (starting after the first musical break) jump backward and lead up to his imp...
Oct 16, 2024•21 min•Season 4Ep. 196
From a chronological standpoint, today’s reading can be a little confusing. Have you ever been watching a TV show that begins with a jump in the story’s timeline for dramatic interest, then jumps backward to show the circumstances that have led up to that point? That’s what’s happening here. Our last reading opened with Jeremiah in prison, but there was no explanation of how he got there. The accounts in chapters 35-36 (starting after the first musical break) jump backward and lead up to his imp...
Oct 15, 2024•21 min•Season 4Ep. 195
This part of the text may be a little confusing, so let me give a little historical context. The Babylonian siege began after King Zedekiah had been in office for nine years. This siege was lifted for a small window of time when the troops caught word that an Egyptian army was approaching. During this break, Zedekiah arrested Jeremiah because he was encouraging the men of Judah to surrender, but God commanded Jeremiah to tell them to do exactly that, to surrender. During this time, the Lord send...
Oct 11, 2024•21 min•Season 4Ep. 194
Today, the Lord offers consolation and hope for those in exile. After 70 years of living outside of the land the Lord has given them, the Lord will bring judgment upon those nations which brought destruction. His people will once again return to the land of promise. Though their land had been decimated by war, it will be brought back to life. The Lord then expresses His everlasting love for His people, promising to rebuild them and make them joyful once more. A new covenant is coming, one in whi...
Oct 10, 2024•21 min•Season 4Ep. 193
In an age before billboards, movies, and cat videos, there were few ways to stand out from the crowd and command the attention of people who might otherwise ignore you. At the Lord’s command, Jeremiah frequently acts out some of his prophesies in order to dramatically display the reality of what will soon take place. You wouldn’t soon forget a man wearing chains and a yoke who looks you in the eye and tells you that you will be like him in the near future. Another prophet named Hananiah comes al...
Oct 09, 2024•21 min•Season 4Ep. 192
At this point in the life of Jeremiah, he has served as a prophet among the people of Judah for 23 years. During that time, the people have ignored his prophecies and his calls for repentance. Moreover, other prophets have come before him, but the people have not paid attention. As such, they have brought disaster on themselves and the cup of God’s wrath will poured out on them and on the nations. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, will destroy them, but after 70 years, the Lord will punish th...
Oct 08, 2024•18 min•Season 4Ep. 191
In our last reading, Jeremiah condemned Zedekiah and the three godless kings that preceded him. These leaders of Judah, whom the Lord addresses as shepherds in today’s reading, have led the Lord’s flock away from Him, but God promises to raise up one who is called “a Righteous Branch for David,” a king and a shepherd who will reign wisely and administer justice righteously. Moreover, the prophets of Judah have not only prophesied falsely in the name of the Lord, they have become so morally repug...
Oct 07, 2024•20 min•Season 4Ep. 190
Jeremiah has proclaimed that those who trust in men are cursed and those who trust in the Lord will be blessed. Today, the prophet must put this very teaching into practice, for after gathering the priests, prophets, and leaders of Judah to declare the judgment of the Lord, he is beaten, put in the stocks, and humiliated by one of the priests. Both before and after this event, Jeremiah pleads with the Lord to do something about the humiliation he endures, lamenting in sorrow over the day he was ...
Oct 04, 2024•20 min•Season 4Ep. 189
Jeremiah continues his pronouncement against the persistent sin of Judah as our text begins today, saying that those who trust in men are cursed and those who trust in the Lord will be blessed. The Lord instructs Jeremiah to visit the house of a potter, and in so doing he observes the potter disregarding a jar he had created because it became flawed, at which point he makes another jar. The Lord says that the house of Israel is like this lump of clay; he may do as he wishes with the nations of e...
Oct 03, 2024•20 min•Season 4Ep. 188
In today’s episode, Jeremiah delivers a lament for the drought that has come over Judah, calling on God to deliver his people. Throughout Scripture, the Lord often relents after such prayers, but in this instance the Lord denies Jeremiah’s request, saying that this time he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins. God tells Jeremiah not to pray for these people, saying that even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before Him, He would not listen. In his anguish, Jeremiah complains about ...
Oct 02, 2024•22 min•Season 4Ep. 187
The false gods that Israel has served are worthless and lifeless, and God warns that those gods will not save them from His wrath. The nation that the Lord loved and cherished has continuously rejected Him and even mocked His authority, so the Lord will finally bring them to the ruin He promised would come. Later, at the Lord’s command, Jeremiah performs a prophetic act, one of several over the course of his life, and we’ll all try our hardest to suppress our inner six year old as we read about ...
Oct 01, 2024•21 min•Season 4Ep. 186
