seriously

April 16, 2017

Yahweh speaks about idols (Ezek 14:4-14:5)

“Therefore speak to them!

Say to them!

‘Thus says Yahweh God!

Any of the house of Israel

Who take their idols

Into their hearts

Place their iniquity

As a stumbling block

Before them.

Yet they come

To the prophet.

I,

Yahweh,

Will answer those

Who come

With the multitude

Of their idols.

Thus I may take hold

Of the hearts

Of the house of Israel,

All of whom are estranged

From me

Through their idols.’”

Yahweh told Ezekiel to speak to these elders with their idols. He told him to say that Yahweh was not pleased that anyone from the house of Israel would seriously take their idols to their hearts. Taking these idols seriously showed their wickedness as a stumbling block. Despite that, they came to the prophet to speak to him. Yahweh, himself was going to answer these people who had multiple idols. He knew why the hearts of the people of the house of Israelite were estranged from him. These idols were the main reason why they had turned against him.

March 29, 2017

The righteous ones (Ezek 3:20-3:21)

“‘Again,

If the righteous ones

Turn

From their righteousness,

If they commit iniquity,

I will lay

A stumbling block

Before them.

They shall die.

Because you have not

Warned them,

They shall die

For their sin.

Their righteous deeds

That they have done

Shall not be remembered.

But I will require

Their blood

At your hand.

If however,

You warn

The righteous ones

Not to sin,

Then they do not sin,

They shall surely live.

Because they took

The warning,

You will have saved

Your life.’”

What was true about the wicked was also true about the righteous. If these righteous ones would turn away from their righteousness, it they committed iniquity, Yahweh was going to lay a stumbling block before them. They would die. If Ezekiel had not warned them, they would die for their sins anyway. Any righteous deeds that they had done would be forgotten. However, the blood of these fallen away righteous one would be on the hands of Ezekiel. On the other hand, if Ezekiel had warned the righteous ones not to sin, and then they did not sin, they would live. They had taken the warning words from Ezekiel seriously. On top of that, Ezekiel’s life would be saved.

July 24, 2015

Job maintains that he has not committed adultery (Job 31:9-31:12)

“If my heart has been enticed by a woman,

If I have lain in wait at my neighbor’s door,

Then let my wife grind for another!

Let other men kneel over her.

That would be a heinous crime.

That would be a criminal offense.

That would be a fire consuming down to Abaddon.

It would burn to the root all my harvest.”

If Job had been enticed by another woman, he would have to give up his wife. If he laid in wait until his neighbor came home, that would be a terrible crime. His wife should then grind for another person. Grind referred to the idea that she should have sex with another man. Other men would then kneel over her. This would be a criminal act leading to the consuming fire of Abaddon, Sheol, or hell. His harvest should be burned at its roots. Job seemed to take adultery very seriously. He should lose his wife and crops if he committed such a thing.