Ezekiel 5: Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

In chapter 5, Ezekiel receives the call to another prophetic enactment.  He is instructed to shave off his hair and beard and meticulously divide the hairs into three equal piles.  One grouping goes into the fire, another is beaten with a sword, and the third is scattered to the wind (vs. 1 and 2).

Ezekiel 4: A Model Prophet

"And you, O mortal, take a brick and set it before you. On it portray a city, Jerusalem; and put siegeworks against it, and build a siege wall against it, and cast up a ramp against it; set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it all around.  Then take an iron plate and place it as an iron wall between you and the city; set your face toward it, and let it be in a state of siege, and press the siege against it. This is a sign for the house of Israel" (vs. 1-3).

Ezekiel 3: The Heavy Responsibility Of A Prophet

Being a "man of God" comes with a difficult responsibility.  The words that the Lord lays upon His servant's heart must be dispensed.  To withhold saying something that we know God has given us makes us culpable in others' sin and liable for their spiritual health.  So, even if we face rejection by man, it is better to offend people than God!

Ezekiel 2: Bad News On The Doorstep

"I looked, and a hand was stretched out to me, and a written scroll was in it.  He spread it before me; it had writing on the front and on the back, and written on it were words of lamentation and mourning and woe" (vs. 9 and 10).  

Ezekiel 1: Be Thou My Vision

A kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they drew pictures.  Occasionally, she would walk around the room to see each child's work.

"What are you drawing?" she asked one little girl who was working diligently at her desk.

The little girl replied, "I'm drawing God."

The teacher paused and said, "But no one know what God looks like."

The little girl replied, "They will in a minute!"

Psalm 136: For His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

There are 26 occurrences of "For His steadfast love endures forever" in Psalm 136, one for each verse (vs. 1-26).  Intermixed within a telling of Israel's history, this phrase stands out as a consistent response to the works of God.

Lamentations 5: What Despair Looks Like

I have found that a great deal of wisdom comes from learning the lessons of others.  Why suffer the hard knocks and painful experiences that result from bad decisions yourself - when you can instead benefit by applying the truths that others have discovered to your own situation?  Such is the case when it comes to the horrible circumstances endured by the residents of Judah when God's judgment falls by the hand of the Babylonians.  We can stand in their shoes vicariously and appreciate the salvation that God provides through the grace of His Son Jesus Christ.