The Lord calls Ezekiel "son of man" 93 times in the book. He seems to want to emphasize Ezekiel's humanity and weakness compared to God's strength. Jesus calls Himself the Son of Man frequently, perhaps to emphasize that as a Man He depended on His Father's power.
The name Ezekiel means "God strengthens," so there's a lesson there: We are weak, sinful humans, but ... God strengthens. If we realize our humanity, if we humble ourselves and depend upon God, He will supply us with the strength that we need, the courage, the power of His love so that we can make it through each day.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Jeremiah Mourns: Lamentations
Lamentations is an acrostic--Jeremiah begins with aleph and continues throughout the Hebrew alphabet, weeping from A to Z. Jeremiah is a "type" of Christ--that means his crying over Jerusalem "points forward" to when Jesus cried over Jerusalem (see Matt 23:37 and Luke 13:34)
Even though it's a sad book, he still praises God: "Great is Your faithfulness" (3:23). No matter what sad situations we may find ourselves in, God is faithful--He's always there, He always cares, He always hears our prayer. And eventually, there will come a day when there won't be any more death, sorrow, crying, or pain! (See Rev. 21:4). We can cry now, and God understands our sorrow, but we don't have to cry like those who have no hope. We have this hope, that burns within our hearts--HOPE in the coming of the Lord!
Even though it's a sad book, he still praises God: "Great is Your faithfulness" (3:23). No matter what sad situations we may find ourselves in, God is faithful--He's always there, He always cares, He always hears our prayer. And eventually, there will come a day when there won't be any more death, sorrow, crying, or pain! (See Rev. 21:4). We can cry now, and God understands our sorrow, but we don't have to cry like those who have no hope. We have this hope, that burns within our hearts--HOPE in the coming of the Lord!
Friday, February 05, 2010
Jeremiah - Why Do We Call Them the "Old" and "New" Testaments / Covenants
Have you ever wondered where we got the terms "Old Testament" and "New Testament"? In Jeremiah 31:31-33, he quotes God: "I'm going to make a New Covenant with My people." A covenant is a contract or a testament.
So what is God saying? Covenant is an old word for contract: a contract has 3 parts: the parties, the terms, the signing. Or the Agree-ers, The Agreement, and the Formal Signing.
When we bought our first house, we signed a contract. The PARTIES were: Amigo Savings & Loan (they wanted to be our friends). The TERMS were: pay us $600-something per month for 30 years and you can have this house. And the SIGNING was the closing, we met with the builder, signed the papers, and the house was ours, well, not really.
In Jeremiah 31, The AGREE-ERS are God and us, His people. The AGREEMENT is God's Eternal Law (look at verse 33, God will write His law on our hearts). And the FORMAL SIGNING was at Mt. Sinai, where oxen were sacrificed, the promise was "sealed" and Israel pledged to obey His law.
In the NEW Covenant, the AGREE-ERS are the same--God and us. The AGREEMENT is the same. God's law is still how He wants us to live, the only way we're going to be happy. The FORMAL SIGNING was Jesus' death on the cross. Remember He said "this is My blood, which seals God's covenant" in Matthew 26:28 TEV.
The reason the New Covenant is called "new" is that it was ratified (the "formal signing") in 31 A.D., long after the Old Covenant was ratified at Sinai in 1445 B.C.
The New Covenant is really the Everlasting Covenant--it's the way men and women have been saved all along (read Gen. 17:7). The Old Covenant is an object lesson: God wanted to teach us our complete helplessness without Him, our need of a Savior. In the New Covenant, God wants to write His law on our hearts (Jer. 31:33) so we'll obey out of our love for Him.
So what is God saying? Covenant is an old word for contract: a contract has 3 parts: the parties, the terms, the signing. Or the Agree-ers, The Agreement, and the Formal Signing.
When we bought our first house, we signed a contract. The PARTIES were: Amigo Savings & Loan (they wanted to be our friends). The TERMS were: pay us $600-something per month for 30 years and you can have this house. And the SIGNING was the closing, we met with the builder, signed the papers, and the house was ours, well, not really.
In Jeremiah 31, The AGREE-ERS are God and us, His people. The AGREEMENT is God's Eternal Law (look at verse 33, God will write His law on our hearts). And the FORMAL SIGNING was at Mt. Sinai, where oxen were sacrificed, the promise was "sealed" and Israel pledged to obey His law.
In the NEW Covenant, the AGREE-ERS are the same--God and us. The AGREEMENT is the same. God's law is still how He wants us to live, the only way we're going to be happy. The FORMAL SIGNING was Jesus' death on the cross. Remember He said "this is My blood, which seals God's covenant" in Matthew 26:28 TEV.
The reason the New Covenant is called "new" is that it was ratified (the "formal signing") in 31 A.D., long after the Old Covenant was ratified at Sinai in 1445 B.C.
The New Covenant is really the Everlasting Covenant--it's the way men and women have been saved all along (read Gen. 17:7). The Old Covenant is an object lesson: God wanted to teach us our complete helplessness without Him, our need of a Savior. In the New Covenant, God wants to write His law on our hearts (Jer. 31:33) so we'll obey out of our love for Him.
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