YOU REAP WHERE YOU SOW. Ezekiel 6:13.

We reap what we sow—when we plant bad seeds, we will harvest bad plants. Our actions have consequences related to those actions. If you eat too much, you will get fat. If you go to the beach without sunscreen, you will be sunburned. If you inhale smoke for decades, you will develop a lung condition. (And ALL actions have consequences, not just sinful actions. If you work hard, you will succeed, etc.)

You also reap WHERE you sow. When God judged Israel’s idolatry, the idol worshipers were found lying dead in the places where they committed their sin.

“You will know that I am Yahweh when the slain lie among their idols, around their altars, on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, and under every green tree and leafy oak—the PLACES WHERE THEY OFFERED PLEASING AROMAS TO THEIR IDOLS” Ezekiel 6:13.

God struck down the idol worshipers at the places WHERE they worshipped idols. Not only was that a fitting punishment, but the presence of dead bodies would have profaned each location, making it unfit for further idol worship (even the idolators had rules about the uncleanness of dead bodies).

Sometimes God will send consequences that impact your life in unexpected ways. When a friend of mine planned to see a woman he had been seeing for a while—but whom he had recently discovered was not divorced as she had told him but was still married—God struck his car. Suddenly the Mercedes was useless. When Walter White of BREAKING BAD first begins using his chemistry knowledge to cook meth, he finds himself in trouble at his job at the high school—when they have a surprise audit and discover missing lab equipment. Similarly, a man who looks at porn in the office may be fired when his habit is discovered. Or on a positive note, God may bless the places where you study the Bible and share its truth: you reap WHERE you sow.

God, remind us to ‘Fear the Lord and turn away from evil‘ Proverbs 3:7.

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Don’t Crush God’s Feelings. Ezekiel 6:9

Does God have feelings? How does God feel about our sin?

I was crushed by their promiscuous hearts that turned away from Me and by their eyes that lusted after idols. Ezekiel 6:9

Your sin, your lust, hurts God. He is crushed by promiscuous hearts, by lust, by idolatry. Repent and confess your sins.

(See? You can read the Bible every single day—and you will always find something new and profound.)

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STREET THEATER 2: THE HAIRCUT. Ezekiel 5:1-4; 6:9.

God’s message of judgment continues. Note the reason for judgment (I learned this great verse recently):

“I was crushed by their promiscuous hearts that turned away from Me and by their eyes that lusted after idols.” Ezekiel 6:9

Imagine—your heart (not actions, but your HEART) can “crush” God. When our hearts stray into idolatry or lust (same thing), it hurts God deeply.

So God casts Ezekiel as the lead in a play warning of judgment:

“Now son of man, take a sharp sword, use it as you would a barber’s razor, and shave your head and beard. Then take a set of scales and divide the hair. You are to burn a third of it in the city… take a third and slash it with the sword all around the city; and scatter a third to the wind… BUT you are to take a few strands and secure them in the folds of your robe.” Ezekiel 5:1-4.

This bit of theater will be seen by everyone: Ezekiel is God’s prophet; even unbelieving Israelites will be fascinated. Everyone will be talking about it: “Did you see what Ezekiel did? What do you think it means?”

What do YOU think it means? God explains:

“A THIRD of your people will die by plague and be consumed by famine…; a THIRD will fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter a THIRD to every direction of the wind…. Yet I will leave a remnant when you are scattered among the nations.” Ezekiel 5:12;6:8.

How many thirds? Three. God punishes THREE thirds (that’s EVERYONE). But a few strands—a remnant too small to count—will be tucked into His robe.

God, we want to be part of the remnant. Help us STUDY Your word and hate sin. We don’t want to crush You with promiscuous hearts. We want to please You. Please tuck our lives away, safe in the folds of Your robe. Help us choose holy actions. Teach us to read Your signs (if any) in our circumstances.

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Heaven’s Courtroom. Ezekiel 8:6-16.

We think of God as a Heavenly Judge, and that role belongs to Him and no one else. But if God is the judge, who is the prosecutor? Some think it’s the devil. Not only does Revelation 12:10 call Satan the “Accuser of the Brethren,” but the first two chapters of Job indicate Satan busies himself slandering us before God.

But the devil is NOT God’s prosecutor. 

A prosecutor is a respected Officer of the Court, with a legitimate, honored role in a legal proceeding. God has not given Satan that role or any role.

Whatever responsibility the devil may have once had, he abdicated when he rebelled against God. So while he may appear before God to accuse Job and others of sinful motives,[1] the devil is not welcome as a prosecutor in God’s Courtroom. Instead, he is the angry, out-of-order witness shouting from the back of the room, treating the process with contempt and being found in Contempt of Court by Heaven’s Judge.

The fact is, God is the prosecutor in God’s courtroom.  

Consider the vision He gives Ezekiel. God knows the idolatry of His people, and He chooses to reveal it to His prophet Ezekiel, much like a prosecutor revealing evidence to a jury.

“Son of Man, do you see what they are doing here? … You will see even more detestable things” … Then He brought me to the temple court where there was a hole in the wall. “Son of Man, go in and see the terrible things they are doing.” And I went in and looked and saw … all the idols of the house of Israel. … “Son of man, do you see what the elders are doing? For they are saying ‘the Lord does not see us.’ … They were bowing to the east in worship of the sun.” Ezekiel 8:6-16.

God showed Ezekiel the evidence of Israel’s crimes. Why? So the prophet could preach to the people about their sins, charging them with a long list of crimes against the God who delivered them from slavery in Egypt, and perhaps rescuing some of them from the coming judgment.

Thus, in Heaven’s courtroom, God is both Prosecutor and Judge. And He plays a third role. There was a time I mentioned this final role in so many conversations. When I played the adult Jesus on stage, people always teased me:

“I can’t wrap my mind around a lawyer playing Jesus.”

I always answered the same way:

“Well, the Bible says Jesus is our Advocate with the Father” (1 John 2:1).

Suddenly they had to face the notion that Jesus is a lawyer. That always rocked their world. Thus, God is our Prosecutor, Defender, and Judge. It is His Court and He plays all the roles. Equally important, your adversary, the devil, does NOT have a role. His status in God’s Courtroom is that of a convicted criminal and nothing more.

Jesus, we praise you for being our Advocate with the Father!

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[1] Jesus rightly called the devil the “Father of Lies” in John 8:44. But because the enemy constantly questions good people’s motives, I might call him the FATHER OF ALL CYNICS.

THE SCANDAL OF THE SERMON ILLUSTRATION. Ezekiel 1-4.

We have gotten carried away with sermon illustrations.

One Sunday morning I turned on the television to discover that Woodlands, Texas, pastor Kerry Shook had had truckload after truckload of dirt hauled into his church and piled on the stage.  Stage left bore a thirty-foot mound of dirt and stage right bore a thirty-foot mound of dirt and center stage was a valley between the two. The pastor was riding his 250 cc dirt bike up and down the two peaks, apparently proving some deep spiritual truth with his motorcycle. What was the point of this elaborate illustration? I have no idea. 

Then there was the time Ed Young, Jr., drove onto the stage in a Rolls Royce, then a second time in a Ferrari, to illustrate that God’s children are the Ferraris of creation. Another time, Ed and his wife spent 24 hours in a bed on the church roof, while being live-streamed talking about sex and promoting their brand-new book on the topic. Can anyone take such a man seriously[1]?  Does his life display the wisdom you want to bring to your marriage and home (not to mention your automobile budget)? You may agree or disagree, but you can’t blame me for asking the questions. Scandalous behavior invites scandalous questions.

A New Testament preacher is a man of letters. He traffics in words, reading and writing sophisticated arguments meant to help congregations better understand the most important—and most challenging—work of literature ever written, the Bible. When you are confused by the talking heads on television, or when a college professor challenges your faith, it is the preacher to whom you look for guidance. He ought to be a man of learning and thoughtful reflection, capable of offering well-reasoned responses to the skeptics of our day. The man ought to be a writer and thinker, an orator, perhaps, but not the ringmaster of a circus.

In contrast to New Testament preachers, God once chose an Old Testament priest to live out elaborate dramas. Suddenly Ezekiel’s life became a series of painful sermon illustrations.

Here is a partial list: God feeds Ezekiel a scroll, which he eats. He builds a model of Jerusalem and lays next to it for over a year. He loses his voice. He cuts his hair with a sword and divides the cut hair in symbolic ways. He eats a tiny bit of bread each day to warn of the famine to come. His wife dies and he is not allowed to engage in the usual rituals of mourning. 

Did Ezekiel want to do these things? No. He specifically complained when God asked him to eat food that would make him unclean. Ezekiel—unlike some of today’s preachers—had no desire to debase or humiliate himself to entertain a crowd or increase the offering revenue. But he obeyed the voice of the Lord. Why did God choose to have Ezekiel act out these sidewalk dramas? To warn an unbelieving nation of what was to come, Ezekiel 2:7. 

Church congregations, by contrast, are not unbelievers. They believe and have come to church hoping to be taught the word in plain language. They will learn a lot more if we do not waste time and resources on over-the-top illustrations.  Street theater works best with street audiences.

I read an interesting statement the other day: “In America, there is so much focus on the illustration, on the modern application, compared to that boring, stiff British Anglicanism with its constant emphasis on the scripture itself.”[2] That struck me as quite an indictment—I know my own style as both a teacher and writer is exactly what they said: heavy on illustration and application.

Don’t misunderstand: a good illustration has merit. For example, there is the short “frog in the pot” story that most of us remember. But we can take illustrations too far. We should never lose sight of God’s Word. We are serving God and in a sermon or a Sunday school lesson we should remember: these people did not get out of bed this morning to hear your funny stories or political opinions or to watch you ride a motorcycle or a Rolls Royce in church.

When the Body of Christ comes together to hear the word preached, let’s be sure we give it to them.

“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” 2 Timothy 2:15.

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[1] In 2009, Ed Young, Jr., received a “Bum Steer” award from TEXAS MONTHLY after bringing a king size bed on stage and preaching that married couples should have sex every day for a week “because sex is like Super Glue.” On the subject of Ferraris, Ed sounds like a prosperity preacher: “God gave me a Ferrari because I am a Ferrari. You’re a Ferrari too. God has given you a Ferrari.”  https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/bum-steer-grapevine-pastor-ed-young-plans-24-hour-bed-in-on-roof-of-church/

[2] Timothy Alberta, THE KINGDOM, THE POWER, AND THE GLORY: AMERICAN EVANGELICALS IN AN AGE OF EXTREMISM, quoting Australian Anglican pastor John Dickson, Ph.D., now with Wheaton College.

AN ACQUIRED TASTE. Ezekiel 3:2-3.

“Liver again? No!”

“Keep eating it. It’s an acquired taste.”

“…But radishes are too hot to put on salads.”

“You’ll be fine. It’s an acquired taste.”

“…How can anyone eat sardines? They smell awful.”

“It’s an acquired taste.”

Some things are good from the start. Babies love milk, whipped bananas, and apple sauce. But many foods require children to try them a few times and get used to them. You must ‘ACQUIRE’ a taste for certain things. Hot sauce is a good example—children won’t like it the first time. But they may soon love it.

What about people who are picky, difficult eaters? I would argue they did not keep at it long enough. With a few more tries, they might have acquired a taste for things the rest of us enjoy. Acquiring tastes is part of being an adult—you LEARN to enjoy things.

Reading scripture is like that. (Reading any book is like that.) You have to push yourself a little. This is not cotton candy God is offering you. But it will nourish you and meet your deepest needs if you PUSH YOURSELF A LITTLE, so you can acquire a taste for it. During college, I was spending so much time in the word that I began to love it. I longed for it in songs, and I even found myself growing excited before hearing a sermon, even from a preacher I did not enjoy—because I KNEW I would love hearing God’s word preached. I had acquired not only a taste for the word but a CRAVING.

Do you crave God’s word?

“I opened my mouth and He fed me the scroll [of His word]. ‘Son of Man,’ He said to me, ‘Eat and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you.’ So I ate, and it was as SWEET AS HONEY in my mouth” Ezekiel 3:2-3.

God, help us to ACQUIRE A TASTE—A CRAVING—for Your word.

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STREET THEATER. Ezekiel 3:3; 4:1-17.

You’ve seen the guy painted silver who pretends to be a statue. And the juggler with bowling pins, the guy who “swallows” flaming swords, the magicians, drummers, and tap dancers in the French Quarter. Street theater is nothing like THEATER-theater. It’s not a play—there’s no script, and usually a cast of only one. Often there’s a hat or a violin case in which to drop a few dollars. Other times it’s not about money but sharing a message.

The Bible employs street theater. God enlists prophets to LIVE OUT His messages.

And no one is called to more outrageous street theater than Ezekiel.

It begins when God gives him a scroll covered in words of judgment. God tells him to eat it. “So I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth.” Ezekiel 3:3.

Next God tells him to build a model of Jerusalem. “Then lay siege: construct a siege wall, build a ramp, pitch military camps, and place battering rams against it on all sides…. Then lie down on your left side…” and God tells Ezekiel to lie on his left side one day for each year of Israel’s sin. That’s 390 DAYS! Then he will lie on his right side one day for each year of Judah’s sin. Another 40 days! And during those 430 days Ezekiel will eat a tiny amount of bread cooked over cow dung. The message? Because of their sin, God’s people are heading into a long siege, they will starve, and what little food they do eat will be unclean, Ezekiel 4.

But why the theater? Why not just preach a sermon? Because Israel WILL NOT listen. So God creates an illustration, a bit of theater that will last over 14 months! Maybe they will repent of their sins before God has to send an enemy nation to actually lay siege against them.

Does your life look like street theater? Could God be trying to tell you something? If nothing else, 2020 and the years that have followed seem to cry out for sorrow over sin and a return to holy living. Are you doing your part?

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LOOKING UP FROM THE BOTTOM.

Remember Oscar the Grouch? He lived at the bottom of a trash can on Sesame Street–and somehow he was happy there. I always thought he had sunk about as low as anyone could. 

Have you reached the bottom? Different people have different bottoms.  For one, a single failure in school or bad performance review on the job, may cause them to change their ways forever.  Others find themselves homeless on “Skid Row,” but still refuse to make any changes.  If your life is ever going to change, it will probably happen when you reach the bottom, that point where you know you need to suddenly change everything or all is lost.  For many, it is that realization that drives us to Christ: we know we have finally reached the bottom and nothing but a complete reversal is going to get us out of this.

When I was a kid, Larry Gatlin recorded Chris Christian’s song, “Light at the End of the Darkness.” This long-forgotten song has a pair of lines that I have never gotten out of my head:

“I was looking up from the bottom when it finally shined on me.  I was looking up through the bottom when it finally shined on me.”

Have you ever reached the bottom? Has your life sunk so deep in a pit you feel like you fell down a well? Have you been to the bottom, where the only light you could see came from an opening far above you? Have you crashed so hard that only a complete change—such as putting Jesus in the driver’s seat—will repair the damage?

Israel reached that point when God brought punishment for the nation’s idolatry. Wars and famine brought the nation so low that some actually engaged in cannibalism, Lamentations 4:10.  (I call that reaching the bottom.)  But they prayed.

“I called on Your Name Yahweh from the depths of the pit. You hear my plea; do not ignore my cry for relief. You come near when I call on You. You say, ‘Do not be afraid.’” Lamentations 3:55-57. 

When you find yourself looking up from the bottom, TURN TO CHRIST.  Cry out to Him. Some of us will reach bottom more than once.  Maybe you turned from one sin, but fell into another.  Or you did not sin, but God simply allowed unexpected circumstances to knock you down and humble you.  The Christian life is a mountain range—and every mountaintop is surrounded by valleys.  You may hit bottom several times in life. When you do, turn to Jesus.

“I called on Your Name from the depths of the pit … You come near when I call and You say, ‘Do not be afraid.’” Lamentations 3:55-57.

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SCHOOL IS NOT PUNISHMENT.

I was unhappy in high school.  And I was not the only one. Sharpstown High School had all the worst problems of American high schools, from drugs to riots to shootings. And for several months one year, someone phoned-in bomb threats nearly every day. The first time it happened it was funny and exciting, a fire drill that lasted three hours.  It was going to be a great story to tell our parents and the little kids who weren’t in high school yet. Then there was a bomb threat the next day.  And the next.  It immediately became extremely annoying.  One student—probably using a pay phone on campus—was calling in anonymously to report the presence of a bomb (a fake bomb, of course), and now thousands of us would spend two or three hours standing around in the sun and mosquitoes while bomb-sniffing dogs searched every inch of the school.

Thirty years later, the building was demolished and a new high school built in the parking lot next door.  Somehow that felt like poetic justice, and we made jokes about blowing up the school.  But the jokes rang hollow.  As bad as you may hate your school, few really believe it needs blowing up. Deep down we know that education matters. A life without schools, teachers, or instruction would be a terrible loss.

When God punished Israel, education dried up.  “Instruction is no more, and even Zion’s prophets receive no visions from the Lord” Lamentations 2:9.

Can you imagine the devastating loss? The better your own education, the more you will recognize what’s at stake. When Hitler came to power in Germany, he started off slowly. He did not immediately round up God’s Chosen People and send them away to their deaths. First he had the children released from schools. Why? Because Jewish children allegedly could not be trusted with an education. How did the Jewish children feel about that? They immediately realized, some perhaps for the first time, how critically important an education was. There would be no more half measures; they would learn as much as possible every chance they had for the rest of their lives.

School is a blessing, not a punishment. 

NOT going to school is a punishment.

God, thank you for education, for teachers, for quality instruction. May we work HARD to earn the best education possible. Fill us with a love and passion for your Word! Bless our education in the 66 books of the Bible.

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TWO QUESTIONS. Lamentations 3:31-33.

QUESTION #1. Can you name this villain? To what cruel person do the following verses refer?

“He is a bear waiting in ambush, a lion in hiding. He forced me off my way and tore me to pieces. He left me desolate. He strung his bow and set me as the target for his arrows. He pierced my kidneys with his arrows. I am a laughingstock to all my people, mocked by their songs all day long… He ground my teeth in the gravel and made me cower in the dust” Lamentations 3:10-16.

Sounds like someone terribly cruel—and extremely skillful. A bear? A lion? An archer. A wrestler who could plant your face in the pavement, grinding off your teeth?

Goliath? King Nebuchadnezzar? The Romans who attacked Jesus? Or maybe the devil himself?

Actually, you may have realized this passage refers to God Himself. When Israel pushed God so far that He had to punish the nation, He did so. –And boy, is He skillful at meting out punishment!

QUESTION #2. How does God FEEL about punishing His children? (Thoughts?)

I’ll give you a clue—He does not enjoy punishing. He does not punish out of anger or to get vengeance or to feel some feeling of having settled a score. He only wants to make us better.

“For the Lord will not reject us forever. Even if He causes suffering, He will show compassion according to His abundant faithful love. FOR HE DOES NOT ENJOY BRINGING AFFLICTION OR SUFFERING ON MANKIND” vv. 31-33.

Remember, God loves you. God delights in you. He wants to bless you! But when His children become entrenched in sin, He will act to rescue them—and to rescue those they are hurting.

But remember this too—God defines Himself by one noun: love. “GOD IS LOVE” 1 John 4:8. He does not say, “God is anger,” or even “God is justice,” or “God is holiness.” GOD. IS. LOVE.

God, thank you for your love and compassion. Never let us forget it, no matter the troubles we face!

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