this city

May 23, 2017

Lamentation for Tyre (Ezek 27:1-27:3)

“The word of Yahweh

Came to me.

‘Now you!

Son of man!

Raise a lamentation

Over Tyre!

Say to Tyre!

You sit

At the entrance

To the sea.

You are the merchant

Of the people

On many coastlands.’”

As usual the word of Yahweh came to Ezekiel. Now Yahweh wanted Ezekiel to lament or complain about Tyre in this new chapter. Ezekiel seemed to have an obsession with this city of Tyre. Yahweh told Ezekiel to tell Tyre that it lived at the entrance to the sea, as a merchant to many people on the coastlands, as if they did not already know this.

May 21, 2017

The destruction of Tyre (Ezek 26:3-26:5)

“Therefore

Thus says Yahweh God!

‘See!

I am against you!

O Tyre!

I will hurl

Many nations

Against you,

Just as the sea

Hurls it waves.

They shall destroy

The walls

Of Tyre.

They shall break down

Its towers.

I will scrape

Its soil from it.

I will make it

A bare rock.

It shall become,

In the midst

Of the sea,

A place

For spreading nets.

I have spoken.’

Says Yahweh God.”

Yahweh, via Ezekiel, was against Tyre. He wanted to send many nations against this city. He wanted this town destroyed, just like roaring seas hurling waves against their walls. He wanted their walls and towers destroyed. Thus, he could scrape this city from its soil, making it a bare rock. Instead of a city, it would become a place in the middle of the sea where people would spread fishing nets. Yahweh God had clearly spoken.

April 19, 2017

The difficult day of your birth (Ezek 16:4-16:5)

“As for your birth,

On the day

You were born

Your navel cord

Was not cut.

You were not washed

With water

To cleanse you.

You were not rubbed

With salt.

You were not wrapped

In clothes.

No eye pitied you.

No one did

Any of these things

For you

Out of compassion

For you.

But you were

Thrown out

In the open field.

You were abhorred

On the day

You were born.”

Apparently when Jerusalem was born, she did not have the usual amenities of child birth. The following things seemed to have happened at child birth at that time. Obviously, the navel cord, which would normally have been cut, was not done so. There was no washing of the child, nor the rubbing with salt as a protective element, nor being wrapped in clothing. No one pitied Jerusalem or had compassion for this city. She was simply thrown out into the open field to fend for herself.  She was abhorred from the day of her birth. She had a difficult first day.

December 25, 2016

The attack of the Chaldeans (Jer 32:24-32:25)

“See!

The siege ramps

Have been cast up

Against the city

To take it.

The city is faced

With sword,

With famine,

With pestilence.

The city has been

Given into the hands

Of the Chaldeans

Who are fighting against it.

What you spoke

Has happened.

As you yourself can see.

Yet you!

O Lord God!

You have said to me.

‘Buy the field

For money!

Get witnesses!’

Even though the city has been

Given into the hands

Of the Chaldeans.’”

The prayer of Jeremiah continued as he came to the present day situation of the attack by the Chaldeans, a Semitic people from the southeastern section of Babylon on the Euphrates River. The siege ramps were already in place against Jerusalem. The Chaldeans had come to take this city by sword, famine, or pestilence. What Yahweh had predicted, has happened. The Chaldeans have already taken over this city, as anyone can see with their own eyes. Yahweh had told Jeremiah to buy a field with money and witnesses, even though the city was in the hands of the Chaldeans. This purchase was a sign of hope for the future.

December 8, 2016

Jeremiah defends himself (Jer 26:12-26:15)

“Then Jeremiah spoke

To all the officials,

To all the people.

Saying.

‘Yahweh sent me

To prophesy

Against this house,

Against this city,

All the words you have heard.

Now therefore

Amend your ways!

Amend your doings!

Obey the voice of Yahweh!

Your God!

Then maybe

Yahweh will change his mind

About the desolation

That he has pronounced against you.

But as for me,

Here I am in your hands.

Do with me

As it seems good

And right to you!

Only know for certain

That if you put me to death,

You will be bringing

Innocent blood

Upon yourselves,

Upon this city,

Upon its inhabitants.

In truth,

Yahweh sent me to you

To speak all these words

In your ears.’”

Jeremiah defended himself, as he spoke to the royal officials and all the people. Yahweh had sent him to prophesy against this Temple and this city.   They should amend their ways and actions. They should obey the voice of God, Yahweh. Perhaps Yahweh would change his mind about the coming disaster that he had proclaimed. Jeremiah was willing to put his own fate in their hands. However, he reminded them that if they hurt him, they would have innocent blood on their hands, upon the city, and its inhabitants. Yahweh had sent him to speak all these words to them. They were not his words, but the words of Yahweh, their God.

December 7, 2016

Yahweh informs Jeremiah what to say (Jer 26:4-26:6)

“You shall say to them,

‘Thus says Yahweh.

If you will not listen to me,

To walk in my law

That I have set before you,

Then there will be a curse.

If you do not heed the words

Of my servants,

The prophets,

Whom I send to you urgently,

Even though you

Have not heeded them,

Then I will make this house

Like Shiloh.

I will make this city

A curse

For all the nations of the earth.’”

Yahweh tells Jeremiah exactly what to say to the people of Judah. If they do not listen to Yahweh and walk in the law that he gave them, he will curse them. If they do not heed the words of his servants, his prophets that he sent to them, then he would make their Temple like that of Shiloh in Samaria. Both the ancient Canaanites and the Israelites had used Shiloh as a cultic worship center, until the Temple was built in Jerusalem during the time of King David (1010-970 BCE) and King Solomon (970-931 BCE). Since they had not listened to the prophets of Yahweh, he was going to curse this city of Jerusalem in a way that all the countries of the world would know about it.

November 22, 2016

The broken jug (Jer 19:10-19:11)

“Then you shall break the jug

In the sight

Of those who went with you.

You shall say to them.

‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts.

So will I break this people

As well as this city.

Just as one breaks a potter’s vessel,

So that it can never be mended.”

Now we are back to the earthen jug and the people with him. Yahweh told Jeremiah that he was to break the jar in the sight of others. Then he was to say that Yahweh was going to break his people as well as this city in the same way. They were going to be broken, so that they could never be put back together, just like this potter’s earthen jug.

October 3, 2016

The new power of Jerusalem (Isa 60:14-60:16)

“The descendants of those

Who oppressed you

Shall come bending low to you.

All who despised you

Shall bow down at your feet.

They shall call you

The City of Yahweh.

They shall call you

The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

You have been forsaken.

You have been hated.

There was no one passing through.

I will make you majestic forever.

I will make you a joy from age to age.

You shall suck the milk of nations.

You shall suck the breast of kings.

You shall know

That I,

Yahweh,

Am your Savior!

I am Your Redeemer!

The Mighty One of Jacob!”

There will be a turnaround at Jerusalem. The descendants of those who oppressed Jerusalem will now come with bended knee. Those who despised this city will now bow down at its feet. The new name for Jerusalem will be the City of Yahweh, the City of the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, Zion. No one had been coming to Jerusalem since it was hated and forsaken. Now it will be majestic forever. In colorful words, Jerusalem would suck the breasts of nations and kings. They would soon learn that Yahweh was their savior and redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob

 

September 23, 2016

The new people of Jerusalem (Isa 54:13-54:14)

“All your children

Shall be taught

By Yahweh.

Great shall be the prosperity

Of your children.

In righteousness,

You shall be established.

You shall be far from oppression.

You shall not fear.

Terror shall not come near you.

If anyone stirs up strife,

It is not from me.

Whoever stirs up strife

With you

Shall fall

Because of you.”

Second Isaiah says the children at the new Jerusalem will be taught directly by Yahweh. They will have great prosperity. Righteousness shall prevail. There will be no oppression, fear, or terror because of the established righteousness of this city and its people. However, there is a caution. If anyone stirs up strife, it is their own fault. Yahweh will not stir up any arguments. If they are not righteous, they will have to take care of it themselves.

August 26, 2016

The king of Assyria will not attack Jerusalem (Isa 37:33-37:35)

“Therefore thus says Yahweh

Concerning the king of Assyria.

‘He shall not come into this city.

He shall not shoot an arrow there.

He shall not come before it with a shield.

He shall not cast up a siege ramp against it.

By the way that he came,

By the same,

He shall return.

He shall not come into this city.

I will defend this city.

I will save it

For my own sake

As well as for the sake

Of my servant David.’”

Once again, this is almost word for word from 2 Kings, chapter 19. In a clear statement without any ambiguity, the king of Assyria will not come into Jerusalem. He will not shoot an arrow or put up a siege ramp. He will instead return home because Yahweh will defend this city. He will save it for the sake of David and for himself.