Archive for category: GAMEtime Sharing

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 30:1-26.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-9:  Here the Lord has a message concerning the nation of Egypt, warning that “the day is near” (v3) when “a sword will come against Egypt” (v4) causing widespread destruction there.  Despite “her proud strength” (v6) and her allies supporting her, Egypt would be defeated and made desolate (v7), and her allies would be crushed (v8).

What can we learn from this?  If God is against you, it doesn’t matter who else is for you or on your side.  But the reverse is also true: if God is for you, it doesn’t matter who is against you or who is on your enemy’s side.  As Romans 8:31 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Praise God.  Because Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, we can know that God is definitely for us and not against us.  That is especially the case if you have responded in faith to what Jesus Christ has done on the cross, for now by faith in Jesus Christ you are God’s child, endowed with God’s Holy Spirit, an heir of His kingdom, a citizen of heaven and a member of God’s team and family on earth.  Because of Jesus Christ, we know that God is for us and not against us.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 28:1-26.  Let’s go!
 
Ezekiel 28:1-10 (NIV) 
1  The word of the LORD came to me: 
2  “Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘In the pride of your heart you say, “I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas.” But you are a man and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god. 
3  Are you wiser than Daniel? Is no secret hidden from you? ……

On verses 1-10:  Here the Lord has a message specifically for “the ruler of Tyre”, whom scholars identify as Ethbaal III, who ruled over Tyre from approximately 590 B.C. to 573 B.C.  The message is that because Ethbaal III in his pride called himself a god (v2, 9) and considered himself “as wise as a god” (v2, 6), Ethbaal III would be brought down by foreigners and die a violent death, proving himself to be anything but a god.   That the ruler of Tyre “will die the death of the uncircumcised” suggests that the ruler of Tyre will be cut off from God for eternity.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 27:1-24.  Let’s go!

Ezekiel 27:1-24 (NIV) 
1  The word of the LORD came to me:
2  “Son of man, take up a lament concerning Tyre.
3  Say to Tyre, situated at the gateway to the sea, merchant of peoples on many coasts, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘You say, O Tyre, “I am perfect in beauty.”
4  Your domain was on the high seas; your builders brought your beauty to perfection…….

On verses 1-24:  Here in these verses we really get a sense of how prosperous, beautiful and sophisticated was the city of Tyre.  Verses 4 through 7 speak of Tyre’s asthetic beauty.  Verses 8 through 11 speak of how Tyre attracted the best and the brightest, making their shipping industry and military very powerful.  Verses 12 to 24 speak of Tyre’s extensive trade relationships and burgeoning economy.  As powerful, prosperous and beautiful as Tyre was, the one problem we see in Tyre — which would prove to be her fatal flaw — was her pride.  In verse 3, God quotes Tyre as saying, “I am perfect in beauty”.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 25:1-17.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-11:  After previously prophesying at length about the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem and such destruction coming to pass, Ezekiel here receives messages from the Lord for nations that were historically enemies of Judah and Jerusalem.   The first nation God has a message for is the Ammonites.  Because the Ammonites gloated and rejoiced over the deportation of the Israelites, the desecration of the temple and the destruction of the land of Israel, God will cause the Ammonites to be cut off and exterminated.

The second nation was Moab.  Because Moab looked down on Israel and spoke with contempt about Israel’s downfall, God would punish the Moabites and give them over to other nations.

What can we learn from this?  God watches how we respond to the misfortune or loss of others.  When others suffer loss, including people you would consider your enemies or your competitors, do not gloat boastfully about it.   Rather, have a heart of humility and compassion toward them.

Hi GAMErs,

Ezekiel 24:1-2 (NIV) 
1  In the ninth year, in the tenth month on the tenth day, the word of the LORD came to me:
2  “Son of man, record this date, this very date, because the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day.

On verses 1-2:  According to scholars, “in the ninth year” refers to the ninth year of King Zedekiah’s reign as King of Judah (and also the ninth year after Zedekiah’s predecessor King Jehoiachin of Judah was exiled to Babylon – see Ezekiel 1:2 and Jeremiah 39:1).   According to scholars, the exact date being described in verse 1 is January 15, 558 B.C, the day when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon besieged Jerusalem.  By this time Ezekiel had been warning the Israelites for over 4 years that Jerusalem would fall to Babylon (see Ezekiel 1:2), though many had refused to believe.

Ezekiel 24:3-6 (NIV) 
3  Tell this rebellious house a parable and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘Put on the cooking pot; put it on and pour water into it.
4  Put into it the pieces of meat, all the choice pieces–the leg and the shoulder. Fill it with the best of these bones;
5  take the pick of the flock. Pile wood beneath it for the bones; bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it.
6  “‘For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘Woe to the city of bloodshed, to the pot now encrusted, whose deposit will not go away! Empty it piece by piece without casting lots for them.