- with Jeff Klein, Pastor of Outreach
Jeffrey Klein 00:09
Welcome to Elmhurst CRC's daily dose in the Word of God. Today is Tuesday, January four, and my name is Jeff Klein, I serve here as Pastor of Outreach. I'll be reading from Ezekiel chapter five verses one through seven from The Message version of the Bible. "Now Son of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a straight razor shaving your head and your beard. Then using a set of balancing scales, divide the hair into thirds. When the days of the seizure overtake 1/3 of the hair and burden inside the city, take another third, chop it into bits with the sword and sprinkle it around the sea. The final third, you'll throw to the wind, that I'll go after them with a sword, retrieve a few hairs and slip them into your pocket. Take some of them and throw them into the fire to burn them up. From them fire will spread to the whole family of Israel. This is what God, the Master says: This means Jerusalem, I set her at the center of the world. All the nations ranged around her. But she rebelled against my laws and ordinances rebelled far worse than the nations ranged around her—sheer wickedness!— refused my guidance, ignored my directions. Therefore, this is what God the Master says: You've been more headstrong and willful than any of the nations around you. refusing my guidance, ignoring my directions. You've sunk to the gutter level of those around you. Ezekial was often asked by God to be an actor, God made him act out his messages. In this case, he is told to shave his hair and beard and divide it into thirds and then burn 1/3, chop 1/3 into bits and throw the final third to the wind. But then he has given this strange instruction, take a few pieces and tuck it into the pocket in your pocket, take some of these and throw them into the fire, that fire will spread to the whole family of Israel. This passage is interesting because it talks about Israel being set at the center of the nations with all the nations ranging around her she was meant to be a witness to spread the fire of God to everyone else. So this remnant that is being set aside and Ezekiel's pocket is the one hopeful moment in this judgmental passage of scripture. This small clump of few hairs that are tucked in the pocket, becomes the remnant of people that have not been rebellious and have not ignored God's instructions or effuses guidance. That remnant fire will spread throughout the nation of Israel and to all the nations around her. In the middle of a corrupt and difficult time for Israel. There was hope and remnant of people who are still faithful to God, and that remnant became a witness to the whole nation and to the whole world. Are you part of the remnant? One of the faithful who listens for God and follows his decrees and guidance? How might God be asking you to spread what you know, to the rest of his church, to your neighborhood to the rest of the people you work with to the world? Who could you invest in and come alongside to help them join the remnant and walk faithfully with their God?
Jeffrey Klein 03:12
Let's pray. Lord God, help us to remain faithful to you. Help us, Lord, to notice the people around us who need us to show them what it means to walk faithfully with you your name we pray Jesus, Amen.