Archive for category: GAMEtime Sharing

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 17:11-24. Let’s go!

Ezekiel 17:11-14 (NIV)
11 Then the word of the LORD came to me:
12 “Say to this rebellious house, ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Say to them: ‘The king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and carried off her king and her nobles, bringing them back with him to Babylon.
13 Then he took a member of the royal family and made a treaty with him, putting him under oath. He also carried away the leading men of the land,
14 so that the kingdom would be brought low, unable to rise again, surviving only by keeping his treaty.

On verses 11-14: After capturing King Jehoichin of Judah and taking him to Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon would appoint Zedekiah, Jehoichin’s uncle (“a member of the royal family” – v13), to stay in Jerusalem and to take Jehoichin’s place as ruler in Judah. Nebuchadnezzar would place Zedekiah under oath and make him sign a treaty promising that he would cooperate with Nebuchadnezzar’s policies.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 16:49-63.  Let’s go!

On verses 49-59:  Jerusalem had looked down on Sodom and Samaria as places of great wickedness (v56).  Yet here God says that Jerusalem’s sins have exceeded those of Sodom and Samaria, making those places which were known for their wickedness look righteous compared to Jerusalem.  God tells Jerusalem repeatedly to “bear your disgrace” (v52, 54) because not only did she pridefully judge others, but she proved herself to be a hypocrite and an even worse sinner than the people she judged.  God also tells Jerusalem later to “bear the consequences of your lewdness and detestable practices” (v58).

What can we learn from this?  Have you ever judged someone for doing something wrong, and then you ended up doing the same thing or worse?  That is called pride and hypocrisy.  In response to our pride and hypocrisy, God had every right to make us bear our disgrace and treat us as our sins deserve, just as God would do to Jerusalem.  However, in God’s mercy and love, God would send His Son Jesus to bear our disgrace instead, and to bear the consequences of our sin by dying on a cross.  What an amazing Saviour we have in Jesus, that He would bear our disgrace for us and suffer the consequences in our place.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 16:15-34.  Let’s go!

On verses 15-34:  Here in verses 15-34 the love story between God and the city of Jerusalem takes a tragic turn.  God recounts how Jerusalem’s love for God grows cold and Jerusalem chases after other lovers instead.

Here God compares Jerusalem’s idolatry to adultery.  That’s because Jerusalem had made vows to the Lord and had a relationship with the Lord much like married people do, and then Jerusalem cheated on Him by running to other gods, such as the gods of Egypt (v26), Philistia (v27), Assyria (v28) and Babylonia (v29).

God also compares Jerusalem’s idolatry to prostitution, for Jerusalem was taking her beauty as well as the gifts and treasures that God had given Jerusalem and was giving them away to other nations and other gods to use (v15-19).  The only difference between Jerusalem and a prostitute is that instead of these other nations paying Jerusalem in exchange for her affection, Jerusalem incredibly pays other nations to take her affection (v33-34).

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 15:1-8.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-8:  Here Ezekiel senses the Lord give him the first of three parables concerning the unfaithfulness of the people living in Jerusalem.  In this parable, the Lord compares the people living in Jerusalem to a fruitless vine whose wood is unusable (v2-3) especially after having been burned in a fire (v4-5).  The people living in Jerusalem had already “come out of the fire” of one Babylonian attack in 597 B.C. (v7).  However, the Lord warns that a similar “fire will yet consume them” again (v7), meaning that they would be subject to another Babylonian attack.  As history would show, this “fire” would take place in 586 B.C. due to the Israelites’ unfaithfulness to God (v8).

What can we learn from this?  These verses remind me of what Jesus says about the disciple who does not bear fruit.  God made us to bear fruit for Him.   As Jesus says, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples…You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last.” (John 15:8, 16a)

What kind of fruit does God make us to bear? 

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 14:1-23.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-8:  Ezekiel is sitting with the Jewish elders who have apparently come to see him to get some guidance from the Lord (v1).  All of a sudden Ezekiel receives a word from the Lord that actually these elders have set up idols in their hearts.  Thus the Lord questions whether He should answer these elders at all (v2).  The Lord then instructs Ezekiel to speak a message to the elders which would shed light upon their idolatry and encourage them to return to God (v3-11).

Notice that in these verses the following phrase gets repeated almost word for word in verses 3, 4 and 7: “sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet”.  Ezekiel was evidently describing exactly what the elders had done: consult idols before going to him for the Lord’s counsel.

What can we learn from this?

Idolatry is a heart matter.  Idolatry is when a person “sets up” (v3, 4, 7) the idol “in his heart” (v3, 4, 7) and treats it as being more important than the Lord.
Idolatry is a stumbling block to others.  If I set up an idol in my heart, my idolatry will impact every person within my circle of influence and be “a stumbling block to other people”.  More than anyone else, it is my family who is affected when I set up an idol in my heart.  So make it your goal not to set up any idol in your heart, lest those you love the most be affected negatively.