Devotional on Ezekiel

2010 – Goose Island State Park, TX

Don’t push God too far
Ezekiel 24: I wanted to clean you up, but you wouldn’t let me.
I don’t like this portion of Ezekiel. He graphically describes people’s betrayal of God as adultery. The picture is ugly and the images are “R” rated. Not only that, but Ezekiel offers them no hope. God, he says, is done with them. Even if the sexual content of this passage didn’t earn an “R” the violence Ezekiel says is coming would. Again, this isn’t a warm, fuzzy passage! The Lord doesn’t want it to be this way. Even after his people committed spiritual adultery with other gods and nations he reached out to them. The problem was that they wanted none of it. No matter what God did or said, they refused to respond. They turned their backs on God and acted in ways intended to send him the message that they didn’t want anything to do with him. It could have been different. His plan was to clean them up, to make them into a holy people, his very own. In fact, that’s still his plan. However, that will come in a different generation. For now, he’s finished with them and he’s going to clean the place up by getting rid of them. Their children and grandchildren will get another chance, not them. The Lord won’t force us to come to him. We can break his heart and we can make him angry but he’ll never force us to do the right thing even when it’s for our own good. I may not be able to solve the needs of my life but I do have the final say as to whether or not God is allowed to do so. If I agree, he’ll go to work, cleaning up the mess I’ve made. If I refuse, there’s a very real danger that he’ll let me continue down the path I insist on traveling and in so doing, will arrive at the destination I’ve persisted in reaching.
Take Away: We may not be able to solve the needs of our lives but we have been granted the responsibility and ability to allow the Lord to do so.

Devotional on Genesis

2013 – Burgess Falls State Park, TN

Hell hath no fury…
Genesis 39: How could I violate his trust and sin against God?
The Ten Commandments, with the “no adultery” and “no coveting” rules, are 500 years into the future but Joseph already gets it. He’s gone from being the favorite son to being a lowly slave. His intelligence, honesty, and God’s blessing put him on the fast track in Potiphar’s household, but he’s still a slave, a piece of property. When Mrs. Potiphar becomes infatuated with him Joseph refuses to play along. There’ll be no fling with the boss’s wife for him. Joseph doesn’t need Moses or Laws written in stone to tell him that that would be a betrayal of Potiphar and a sin against God. Even though Mrs. Potiphar doesn’t like Joseph’s insistence on sexual purity he stands his ground (well, better put: he flees as fast as his feet will carry him!). I’m impressed with this young man who takes his commitment to God seriously even in the face of sexual opportunity. For him, he’ll hold to God’s beautiful standard of sex only within marriage. As we see in this story, and as we see in the lives of people today, individuals who have standards and hold to them are in a position to be especially blessed by God and to be a blessing to others.
Take away: God can use people who hold to his standards.

Devotional on 2 Samuel

2015 -Pictured Rocks Cruise – Munising, MI

I wonder if Nathan checked his life insurance policy first
2 Samuel 12: You’re the man!
It’s through the prophet Nathan that God responds to David’s adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of her righteous husband, Uriah. We don’t know much about Nathan, but he carries on in the spirit of his predecessor, Samuel. In Nathan we see the same boldness we saw in Samuel when he stood up to Saul. A few pages back, when David wants to build a Temple, its Nathan who first agrees but then returns with the disappointing news that God doesn’t want David to build a Temple. Now, when David has fallen in sin, it’s Nathan who takes his life in his hands and confronts the king with what he’s done. The prophet is pretty smart in his approach. He comes to David with a made-up scenario about a farmer and a lamb. When David reacts with righteous indignation over what he thinks has happened Nathan responds with the famous words, “You’re the man!” David, who could have any available woman in Israel (it’s acceptable in this society for him to have multiple wives), instead wanted another man’s wife. David, who’s bravely fought God’s enemies all his life, has used God’s enemies to do his dirty work for him. It’s Nathan who stands up to David. It’s nice to be God’s spokesman and tell people about the story of God’s love for us, preaching sermons from John 3:16. However, there’s a place for confrontation too. We’d just better be sure it’s God who’s sending us with that strong message.
Take Away: No one is big enough, so valuable to God’s Kingdom, that they can get away with sin.

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