“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: This is Jerusalem, which I have set in the center of the nations, with countries all around her.”
~ Ezekiel 5:5
Hi James and Ellen,
When do you know when your dad means what he said? How do you know that your dad was very serious about doing to you what he said that he would do if you crossed his red line? What is it that your dad told you that he will do to you if you cross his red line by doing what he told you not to do or not doing what he told you to do? How often have you crossed the red line that your dad warned you not to cross – when your dad did what he said that he would do to you in order to get your attention so that you will listen to him and do what he told you to do or not do what he told you not to do? When do you know when God means what He said? How do you know that God was very serious about doing to you what He said that He would do to you if you cross His red line? What is that God told you that He will do if you cross His red line by doing what He told you not to do or not doing what He told you to do? How often have you crossed the red line that God warned you not to cross – when God did what He said that He would do to you in order to get your attention so that you will listen to Him and do what He told you to do or not do what He told you not to do? Would you rather be punished by your biological dad or by God? Your grandpaa was spanked just once by his biological dad. It was not that the spanking that your grandpaa got from his dad that hurt your grandpaa; it was more your grandpaa never wanting to experience again the feeling of guilt for having done something that was bad to do – which was to break chicken eggs so that he and your dad’s Aunt Katie could watch chickens eat the broken eggs, and the painful emotion of regret of having made his dad angry with him for doing something that he knew better than to do. How often have you done something that you knew better than to do? How often have you said something that you knew better than to say? How do you feel after you have done or said something that you knew better than to do or say – especially when your dad finds out about or catches you doing or saying something that he has told you not to do or say or when your dad finds out about or catches you not doing or saying something that he has told you to do or say? How often would you say that God has watched you do or say something that you know that He does not want you to do or say or watched you not do or say something that He has told you to do or say?
Ezekiel did what God told him to do and say. Ezekiel was one of God’s prophet spokesmen. God used Ezekiel to pass on His messages to His specially chosen guys and gals who were living in the city of Jerusalem. God had Ezekiel do some really bizarre things – such as what Ezekiel scribed in his Ezekiel Book in what is now Ezekiel 5 when God told him use a sharp sword as a barber’s razor to shave off all his hair from his head and to shave off his beard. God told Ezekiel that he was then to divide into equal thirds the hair from his head and beard – using a scale to do this, and then when the siege of the city of Jerusalem comes to an end, that he was to burn a third of his hair from his head and beard in the city of Jerusalem, that he was to take another third of his hair from his head and beard and to use a sword to strike the hair around the city of Jerusalem and that he was to take the final third of his hair from his head and beard and to use the wind to scatter that third wherever. God did tell Ezekiel that He wanted him to save a few of his hair strands. God then told Ezekiel to toss a couple of these saved hair strands into a fire which would spread through the entire house of Israel. Ezekiel would be an eyewitness to God doing exactly what He said that He would do to His specially chosen guys and gals if . . . God used Ezekiel as one of His prophet spokesmen to tell His specially chosen guys and gals who were living in the city of Jerusalem that they had passed His red line and that the punishment that He had warned them about for years was finally going to take place. Because His specially chosen guys and gals nearly 2600 years ago mulishly and idiotically chose to be categorically the most disobedient people group of guys and gals who were living on planet Earth, God let His specially chosen guys and gals turn to cannibalism to stay alive. Dads ate their kids. Kids ate their dads. A third of the guys and gals who were living in the city of Jerusalem would – from a plague and a famine that God will allow to seriously impact the land area of Judah, die. Another third of the guys and gals who were living in the city of Jerusalem – as they tried to escape, would be killed outside the walls that surrounded the city of Jerusalem by swords being swung by guys in Babylonian’s army. Another third of the guys and gals who were living in the city of Jerusalem – while being chased by guys with drawn swords from enemy people groups and nations, would be scatted in all directions. God at this time would make the city of Jerusalem a city of reproach, a taunt, a warning and an object of horror to every other guy, gal and kid who was living on planet Earth. God’s reaction to having His hot button pushed was to have every guy, gal and kid who was living in neighboring countries of the land area of Judah see His righteous anger and holy wrath in action as He inflicted punishments and meted out stinging rebukes on His specially chosen guys and gals. Your grandpaa believes that God never stops doing what He needs to do to keep your grandpaa’s attention on Him.
The city of Jerusalem has an exclusive role on planet Earth. Verse 5 says, “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: This is Jerusalem, which I have set in the center of the nations, with countries all around her.” Why do you think that there always seems to be a spotlight on the city of Jerusalem? Your grandpaa thinks that God wants every guy, gal and kid looking towards to the city of Jerusalem to see the return of God – as God the Son, to planet Earth.
Ezekiel 5 (669)