{"id":10778,"date":"2020-08-03T20:00:52","date_gmt":"2020-08-04T03:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/ezekiel-21_1-17-copy\/"},"modified":"2020-08-02T16:03:51","modified_gmt":"2020-08-02T23:03:51","slug":"ezekiel-21_18-32","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/ezekiel-21_18-32\/","title":{"rendered":"When There\u2019s a Fork in Your Road"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ezekiel 21:18-32\u00a0 Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Ezekiel 21:18-32.\u00a0\u00a0Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Ezekiel 21:18-20 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n18\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The word of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0came to me:
\n19\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“Son of man, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take, both starting from the same country. Make a signpost where the road branches off to the city.
\n20\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Mark out one road for the sword to come against Rabbah of the Ammonites and another against Judah and fortified Jerusalem.
\n<\/em>
\nOn verses 18-20:\u00a0 According to scholars, when Jerusalem (led by King Zedekiah) rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 588 B.C., there were two other cities, also under Babylonian rule, that were rebelling against King Nebuchadnezzar at the same time.\u00a0 Those other two cities were Rabbah (the capital of Ammon) and Tyre.\u00a0 Tyre was the most difficult of the three cities to attack, so King Nebuchadnezzar narrowed it down to two options: attack Jerusalem or attack Rabbah.\u00a0 Which one would he choose?<\/p>\n

To illustrate in a prophetic way the decision-making process King Nebuchadnezzar would go through, God tells Ezekiel to \u201cmark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take\u201d (v18), effectively creating a fork in the road.\u00a0 (It is not clear what exact medium Ezekiel would use to illustrate this fork in the road.\u00a0 Would he draw a map, create a small-scale model as with Lego bricks, or build a life-size model?\u00a0 For fun I could imagine Ezekiel in a construction hard hat driving a bull dozer and constructing a life size model.\u00a0 Whatever medium Ezekiel chose, I\u2019m sure it was something that would grab the Israelites\u2019 attention.)<\/p>\n

Ezekiel 21:21-22 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n21\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0For the king of Babylon will stop at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He will cast lots with arrows, he will consult his idols, he will examine the liver.
\n22\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Into his right hand will come the lot for Jerusalem, where he is to set up battering rams, to give the command to slaughter, to sound the battle cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp and to erect siege works.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 21-22:\u00a0 Here we read of 3 ways that King Nebuchadnezzar would try to decide what he should do, most probably with the help of his most trusted fortune tellers.\u00a0 First, he would take a number of arrows marked with an occult symbol, attach one option to each arrow, shake the arrows in a quiver, and the first arrow that dropped out would indicate what decision he should make.\u00a0 This was one form of a divination practice called belomancy.\u00a0 Second, he would consult idols for guidance.\u00a0 Third, he would kill an animal and examine its liver to see what it tells him about his future (a practice called a hepatoscopy).<\/p>\n

All of the methods Nebuchadnezzar would use were different forms of divination.\u00a0\u00a0What is divination?\u00a0 Divination is the\u00a0attempt to discover hidden knowledge by calling on the help of spirits and by interpreting signs that are believed to be given by them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>As much as people in the world today still resort to, believe in, and pay for divination, divination comes with 3 significant dangers.\u00a0 If you aren\u2019t clear on the dangers of divination and fortune telling, or how seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit is different from divination, check out this sermon called\u00a0Jesus, Fortune Telling and The Dangers of Divination<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Praise God that we don\u2019t need to resort to divination to help us discern God\u2019s will for our lives.\u00a0 That is because God has given us three much more powerful, more peace-producing and more effective ways to discern His will:\u00a0 His Word, His Holy Spirit, and His church.\u00a0 When there is a fork in your road and you are trying to figure out your future, I pray that you would have increasing wisdom to know how to look to God\u2019s Word, God\u2019s Spirit, and God\u2019s church (God\u2019s people and in particular Christians you respect) to help you discern God\u2019s will.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ezekiel 21:23-24 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n23\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0It will seem like a false omen to those who have sworn allegiance to him, but he will remind them of their guilt and take them captive.
\n24\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“Therefore this is what the Sovereign\u00a0LORD\u00a0says: ‘Because you people have brought to mind your guilt by your open rebellion, revealing your sins in all that you do–because you have done this, you will be taken captive.
\n<\/em>
\nOn verses 23-24:\u00a0 Even when King Nebuchadnezzar\u2019s own people think that their divination methods have incorrectly chosen Jerusalem as their next target, King Nebuchadnezzar will choose to go after Jerusalem anyways (v23).\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 It\u2019s because divination, coincidence and even King Nebuchadnezzar\u2019s will were not the ultimate reason for King Nebuchadnezzar attacking Jerusalem and taking the people captive.\u00a0 It was because God\u2019s hand was at work, using this situation and using King Nebuchadnezzar to discipline the Israelites for their open rebellion against Him.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. God can use anyone, even those who do not acknowledge Him or worship Him, to accomplish His will, whether they even know it or not.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0God is sovereign and He has authority over all things.\u00a0 One way or another He will make sure His plans are accomplished.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n
    1. Notice that the word \u201ccaptive\u201d is repeated in verses 23-24.\u00a0\u00a0Sin can have a captivating effect on us.<\/strong>\u00a0 At first, certain sins can seem so captivating to us in an exciting, exhilarating way, but when we actually get involved in the sin, it\u2019s captivating in another way: it takes us captive.\u00a0 Instead of setting us free and bringing us happiness, sin enslaves and makes us miserable.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Ezekiel 21:25-2 (NIV)<\/strong>
      \n25\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“‘O profane and wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose time of punishment has reached its climax,
      \n26\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0this is what the Sovereign\u00a0LORD\u00a0says: Take off the turban, remove the crown. It will not be as it was: The lowly will be exalted and the exalted will be brought low.
      \n27\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! It will not be restored until he comes to whom it rightfully belongs; to him I will give it.’
      \n<\/em>
      \nOn verses 25-27:\u00a0 Here Ezekiel has a message specifically for King Zedekiah of Judah, whom Ezekiel calls the \u201cprofane and wicked prince of Israel\u201d (v25).\u00a0 The message is that though King Zedekiah is exalted with the crown right now, he \u201cwill be brought low\u201d (v26).\u00a0 His kingship will become \u201ca ruin\u201d (v27).\u00a0 In other words, Zedekiah (who was installed as a puppet king by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon) will be deposed until such time as \u201che comes to whom it rightfully belongs; to him I will give it.\u201d (v27b)\u00a0 This prophecy would be fulfilled in part when Zedekiah would be taken captive and executed by King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C.\u00a0 Ultimately, however, this prophecy is pointing us to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the rightful ruler of Israel who will one day take possession of the crown and control of Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

      Just as God was in the business of deposing a weak king in Jerusalem and ultimately to install Jesus Christ His Son as the rightful king, so God wants to do that in our lives as well.\u00a0 May we humble ourselves, lay down our crowns, and relinquish control to Jesus Christ, the rightful ruler and owner of our lives.<\/p>\n

      Ezekiel 21:28-32 (NIV)<\/strong>
      \n28\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign\u00a0LORD\u00a0says about the Ammonites and their insults: “‘A sword, a sword, drawn for the slaughter, polished to consume and to flash like lightning!
      \n29\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Despite false visions concerning you and lying divinations about you, it will be laid on the necks of the wicked who are to be slain, whose day has come, whose time of punishment has reached its climax.
      \n30\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Return the sword to its scabbard. In the place where you were created, in the land of your ancestry, I will judge you.
      \n31\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0I will pour out my wrath upon you and breathe out my fiery anger against you; I will hand you over to brutal men, men skilled in destruction.
      \n32\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0You will be fuel for the fire, your blood will be shed in your land, you will be remembered no more; for I the\u00a0LORD\u00a0have spoken.'”
      \n<\/em>
      \nOn verses 28-32:\u00a0 Despite God directing King Nebuchadnezzar to attack Jerusalem first, God still had unfinished business with the Ammonites and the city of Rabbah.\u00a0 Here verses 28-32 describe how God\u2019s wrath would come against the Ammonites for their sin, despite the Ammonites receiving \u201cfalse visions\u2026and lying divinations\u201d (v29) that they would be okay.\u00a0 Though the Ammonites may have thought that they had escaped the wrath of King Nebuchadnezzar, they would not escape the wrath of God.\u00a0 Here God confirms that He will \u201cpour out\u201d (v31a) His wrath upon them and hand them over to \u201cbrutal men, skilled in destruction\u201d (v31b).<\/p>\n

      What can we learn from this?<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. God\u2019s wrath against sin does not discriminate between cultures, ethnicities or backgrounds.\u00a0 God is Lord over all the earth and demands that justice be served and that injustice be stamped out, no matter where that injustice takes place.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
          \n
        1. By our own effort we can\u2019t escape God\u2019s wrath toward our sin.\u00a0 The only true way to escape God\u2019s wrath is when God decides to have mercy on us.\u00a0\u00a0Praise God that in His mercy God sent His Son Jesus Christ to accept God\u2019s wrath for us, so that through faith in Jesus Christ we could go from objects of God\u2019s wrath to objects of God\u2019s mercy.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Your Word, Your Holy Spirit, and Your church so that we can more easily discern Your will for our lives, such that we don\u2019t need to resort to divination.\u00a0 Jesus, thank You that when sin took me captive, You came and rescued me, laying down Your life so that I could escape God\u2019s wrath.\u00a0 Be exalted and glorified today as the rightful ruler and owner of my life.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n

          <\/div>\n
          <\/div>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

          Today\u2019s passage is Ezekiel 21:18-32.\u00a0\u00a0Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

          Ezekiel 21:18-20 (NIV)\u00a0
          \n18\u00a0\u00a0The word of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0came to me:\u00a0
          \n19\u00a0\u00a0“Son of man, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take, both starting from the same country. Make a signpost where the road branches off to the city.\u00a0
          \n20\u00a0\u00a0Mark out one road for the sword to come against Rabbah of the Ammonites and another against Judah and fortified Jerusalem.
          \n\u00a0
          \nOn verses 18-20:\u00a0 According to scholars, when Jerusalem (led by King Zedekiah) rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 588 B.C., there were two other cities, also under Babylonian rule, that were rebelling against King Nebuchadnezzar at the same time.\u00a0 Those other two cities were Rabbah (the capital of Ammon) and Tyre.\u00a0 Tyre was the most difficult of the three cities to attack, so King Nebuchadnezzar narrowed it down to two options: attack Jerusalem or attack Rabbah.\u00a0 Which one would he choose?\u00a0
          \n\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10780,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10778"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10778\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10779,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10778\/revisions\/10779"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}