Verse of the Week: V17 “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.”
1. People’s Watchman (V1-14)
V3 “And He said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.’
The people’s prophets or watchmen, those who seek to be popular with people, gave the good news that God would soon deliver the people of Israel from their slavery under the wicked Babylonians. These people’s prophets were false prophets sent by the Devil. Ezekiel, the true prophet sent by God, gave the people the bad news that God would not deliver them until 70 years of hard labour and suffering. The people could not take the bad news and they cursed Ezekiel, and God had to encourage him by giving the roll, God’s Word, to eat and to taste that indeed God’s Word was as sweet as honey in his soul.
V7 “But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.”
2. God’s Watchman (V15-21)
V17 “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.”
God called Ezekiel as His watchman to warn the people of Israel the impending judgment of God if they refuse to repent of their sins. It was also a warning to Ezekiel not to neglect his duty as a watchman otherwise the blood of the people shall be in his hand. Christians are to preach the Gospel of Christ that the Son of God became the Son of man so that the sons of man can become the sons of God. It is not just the duty of the pastors to share the Gospel but every Christian, every son of God, must share the Gospel.
3. God’s Glory (V22-27)
V23 “Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face.”
Time and again, Ezekiel was very discouraged and depressed as the people refused to repent. However, God’s glory encouraged Ezekiel to keep on, keeping on, no matter how discouraged and depressed he was. It is not easy to live as a holy Christian in the world of unholy unbelievers. The Devil is continually seducing and tempting men that they reject the Gospel and mock and scorn Christians who are living for God’s glory.
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to be Your watchman to share the Gospel that the Son of God becomes the Son of man so that the sons of man become the sons of God.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 03:23 pm
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Verse of the Week: V6 “And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou doest dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellions house.”
1. The Rebel (V1-3)
V3 “And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against Me: they and their fathers have transgressed against Me, even unto this very day.”
Prophet Ezekiel preached and warned the people of Israel that God’s judgment shall be upon them unless they repent of their sins. Yet the people refused to repent and continued to rebel against God. It was a tragic day for the people of Israel who were supposed to be the people of God yet they became rebels. The people who hurt God most are the professing Christians who worship God every Sunday but live like a devil the rest of the week. It is easy to be a professing Christian but hardest to be a true Christian of God.
2. The Rude (V4-8)
V4 “For they are impudent children and stiffhearted, I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD.”
The people of Israel were not only rebels but were rude and stubborn. They were so bent to do evil that they would kill prophet Ezekiel than to listen to his preaching and warning of God’s impending judgment. How could Ezekiel not be afraid of these evil people who threatened to kill him? But praise God, the Lord who calls Him, shall protect Him.
V6 “And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou doest dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.”
3. The Roll (V9-10)
V9 “And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;”
Ezekiel saw a scroll of a book with severe warnings and judgments of God because of the rebellion of the people of Israel. There shall be lamentations, mourning and troubles everywhere as the people of Israel reaped the consequences of their sins and rebellion.
V10 “And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please grant me the courage to obey You in spite of fierce opposition.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 01:42 pm
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Verse of the Week: V1 “Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.”
1. The Visions Of God (V1-14)
V1 “Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.”
Ezekiel, the priest from the tribe of Levite, and now a prisoner of Babylon, had the privilege of seeing the visions of God with the messages of warning the people of Israel of the impending calamities, telling them of the future restoration of Israel and foretelling them of the coming of the Messiah. He also saw the prophecy of the first coming of the Messiah in the form of four living creatures which had the face of a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle which actually were the four gospels where the gospel of Matthew was symbolized by the lion, the gospel of Mark was symbolized by the ox, the gospel of Luke was symbolized by the man and the gospel of John was symbolized by the eagle.
V10 “As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.”
2. The Voice Of God (V15-25)
V24 “And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings.”
Beside the visions of God, Ezekiel also heard the voice of God confirming his visions and telling him of all the prophecies that would be fulfilled in the future.
3. The Glory Of God (V26-28)
V28 “As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.”
When Ezekiel saw the glory of God, it was like seeing the beautiful rainbow after the shower of rain. When man sees God, they will immediately fell to the ground because of the beauty, holiness and brightness of God. Let us humbly worship God and serve Him as the day will come when we shall see God in all His beauty, holiness and brightness and we shall fall upon our faces and know that He is indeed worthy of all our worship.
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to worship You with all humility and holiness.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 04:25 pm
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Verse of the Week: V19 “Thou, O LORD, remainest for ever; Thy throne from generation to generation.”
1. Persecuted Without Peace (V1-14)
V5 “Our necks are under persecution: we labour, and have no rest.”
The people of Israel sinned against God yet they never expect that they would reap the devastating and destructive consequences of their sins and wickedness. They thought they were the people of God and could get away with their sins. Little did they expect God would send the mighty Egyptians and the Assyrians to attack and destroy them. Many were killed and those who survived were brought to Babylon and persecuted as slaves without peace and rest, as they toiled day and night under the wicked Babylonians.
V6 “We have given the hand to the Egyptians, and to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.”
2. Dance Without Delight (V15-16)
V15 “The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning.”
The people of God remembered the time when they danced with delight and joy as they celebrated the completion of the holy temple of God. However, as time passed, they failed to completely trust and obey God, and now they were in a foreign land and their dance had turned into mourning. Instead of reigning as princes of the King of heaven and earth, their crowns had fallen from their heads and they were under God’s fiery judgment.
V16 “The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned!”
3. Forsaken Without Forgotten (V17-22)
V19 “Thou, O LORD, remainest for ever; Thy throne from generation to generation.”
The children of God were forsaken by God for 70 long years as they labored as slaves in the land of Babylon. Though they were forsaken and rejected by God yet they were never forgotten by God. No matter how far the people of God strayed away from Him, no matter how wicked their sins were, no matter how they changed their attitude towards Him, God remains the same and reigns forever. Remember, God shall always bless and keep His children if we repent our sins, turn from our wicked ways, and trust and obey Him, and we shall reign with Him now and forever.
V20 “Wherefore dost Thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time?”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to stay close to You and reign with You now and forever.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 04:20 pm
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Verse of the Week: V1 “How is the gold become dim! How is the most fine gold changed! The stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street.”
1. The Pure Gold Became Dim (V1-12)
V1 “How is the gold become dim! How is the most fine gold changed! The stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street.”
The people of Israel became proud since they thought they were the people of God and had the license to sin. They became cruel and wicked, and some even boiled and ate their own babies and children when there was war and famine in the land. God’s people who were supposed to be shining as the most fine gold for the glory of God became dull and dim and stumbling stones awaiting God’s punishment.
V10 “The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.”
2. The Pure Gold Became Deceitful (V13-20)
V13 “For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her,”
Even the prophets and priests of Israel became deceitful as they compromised and sinned against God. It was a sad and tragic day for the entire nation of Israel as they were under the anger and judgment of the Lord. It is so important for the people of God especially, the preachers of God, to live a holy life and preach the Word of God with truth and courage, rebuking sins even if it costs their popularity or even their lives.
V16 “The anger of the LORD hath divided them; He will no more regard them: they respected not the persons of the priests, they favoured not the elders.”
3. The Pure Gold Becomes Shining (V21-22)
V22 “The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; He will no more carry thee away into captivity: He will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom; He will discover thy sins.”
Though the people of Israel sinned against God, and were punished by Him, yet He will forgive them if they confess and repent of their sins. God allows troubles in our lives so that our faith can be tested and we shall come forth as gold shining brightly for Him.
Job 23:10 “But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to be the pure gold that shines brightly for Your glory.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 07:22 pm
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Verse of the Week: V23 “They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness.”
1. Suffering Reflects Love (V1-36)
V22 “It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.”
Prophet Jeremiah warned the nation of Israel to repent of their sins and turn to God. Yet time and again, the people of Israel refused to repent of their sins, and it grieved and hurt Jeremiah to see the anger and judgment of the Lord upon His people. Jeremiah suffered together with his people as God allowed their enemies to attack and destroy them and brought them into captivity in foreign lands. God allowed the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Romans, etc., to attack and destroy the people of Israel because of their unbelief and rebellion. Yet throughout history and till today, God has never forsake or leave Israel, because great is the LORD’s faithfulness, mercies, compassion and love.
V23 “They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness.”
2. Sufferings Reflects Hope (V37-63)
V39 “Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?”
When we have life, we have hope. Let us who have hope in God, be thankful to God that we are alive and blessed of God. Many times, we fail to realize that it is God who gives us the breath and heartbeat of our precious life. We complain about everything and anything including the house we live and the food we eat when there are many who have no roof over their heads or food to eat. Let us thank God for everything including our sufferings and know that our sufferings shall come to pass when we see God in heaven. Let us lift up our hearts and praise God for our sufferings!
V41 “Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.”
3. Suffering Reflects Judgment (V64-66)
V64 “Render unto them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.”
There is one suffering and judgment that is reserved only for the wicked. God has warned the enemies of Israel that suffering and judgment will be upon them if they refuse to believe in the true and living God of Israel. The Day of Judgment will come upon the wicked and they shall surely be persecuted and destroyed in God’s anger.
V66 “Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD.”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to thank You for Your great faithfulness and know that my suffering is for my good.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 04:49 pm
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Verse of the Week: V5 “The Lord was as an enemy: He hath swallowed up Israel, He hath swallowed up all her palaces: He hath destroyed His strong holds, and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.”
1. The Lord Corrects (V1-10)
V5 “The Lord was as an enemy: He hath swallowed up Israel, He hath swallowed up all her palaces: He hath destroyed His strong holds, and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.”
The Lord was like an enemy to His people when they sinned against Him. In order to correct His people, God sent the Babylonians to attack and destroy them including His own sanctuary. The Lord would not hesitate to correct His people in order for them to repent and return to Him. Let us repent our sins before the Lord is like an enemy to us.
V7 “The Lord hath cast off His altar, He hath abhorred His sanctuary, He hath given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; they have made a noise in the house of the LORD, as in the day of a solemn feast.”
2. The Enemy Celebrates (V11-16)
V11 “Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city.”
Jeremiah wept as he saw the destruction of his people and the sanctuary of God while the enemy of Israel, the Babylonians, celebrated the fall of Israel. When Christians commit sins, the world and the unbelievers will laugh and mock at our poor testimony for God. “Why do Christians cheat, lie and commit immorality? Where is your perfect Christian testimony? Where is your perfect and true God?”
V15 “All that pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city of that men call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?”
3. The Lord Controls (V17-22)
V17 “The LORD hath done that which He had devised; He hath fulfilled His word that He had commanded in the days of old: He hath thrown down, and hath not pitied: and He hath caused thine enemy to rejoice over thee, He hath set up the horn of thine adversaries.”
The Lord controls everything and allows our enemies to celebrate and mock at our poor testimony so that we can learn from our mistakes and do what is right before Him.
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to flee from sins and keep a godly testimony before You.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 04:50 pm
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Verse of the Week: V18 “The LORD is righteous; for I have rebelled against His commandment: hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow: my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.”
1. The Fall Of The Proud (V1-11)
V1 “How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! How is she become as a widow! She that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!”
Jeremiah witnessed both the glory and greatness of the city of God as well as its devastation and destruction by the hands of the Babylonians. He saw how the people of God became proud and God allowed the Babylonians to attack and destroy them and carried them captives to Babylon. This was why the people of God wept as they sat down by the rivers of Babylon after suffering as slaves under the Babylonians when they remembered Zion, the city of God, and how they were once blessed of God.
Psalms 137:1 “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.”
2. The Fall Of The Careless (V12-17)
V12 “Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of His fierce anger.”
Jeremiah preached to the people to repent of their sins yet they would not hear and were careless with their life and testimony. As the nation of God, instead of being an example in righteousness to all the nations of the world, they were careless with their life and testimony. This was why Jeremiah wept as he saw the wickedness of the people of God.
V16 “For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me: my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed.”
3. The Fall Of The Rebellious (V18-22)
V18 “The LORD is righteous; for I have rebelled against His commandment: hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow: my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.”
God’s punishment came and the rebellious people of God suffered as slaves under the rule and power of the Babylonians. The Lord is righteous and you can never escape His punishment if you are proud, careless and rebellious.
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to be righteous as You are righteous.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 07:35 pm
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Verse of the Week: V10 “And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah.”
1. Sins Affects The Children (V1-11)
V2 “And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.”
King Zedekiah sinned against God and reaped the consequences that he could never have imagined. Before the king of Babylon plucked out his eyes, he witnessed the king killing all his children. When you sin against God, not only do you reap the consequences of your sins but your children will also suffer for it. Just like in the case of a divorce, children suffer the most when they witness the separation of their beloved parents.
V10 “And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah.”
2. Sins Affects The Church (V12-23)
V13 “And burned the house of the LORD, and the king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire:”
Not only was the children of King Zedekiah affected, even the house of the LORD was affected when it was completely burnt down. When you sin against God, the testimony of the church as well as the Lord’s name will be adversely affected. If you desire the Lord to bless you and the church, then you should live to His praise and glory, and flee from sins.
V14 “And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about.”
3. Sins Affects The Community (V24-34)
V27 “And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death in Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive out of his own land.”
Sins also affected the entire community of Judah as Babylon defeated Judah and brought the people of Judah to Babylon to be their slaves. The people of Judah were supposed to be the people of God sharing the glory of God but instead they brought shame to God. In spite of the sins of the King of Judah and his people, the gracious God allowed the king of Babylon to release the king of Judah, Jehoiachin, out of prison and set him above the throne of his kings and even provided great food for him until his death.
V34 “And for his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to flee from sins.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 11:34 am
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Verse of the Week: V53 “Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from Me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the LORD.”
1. Wealth Cannot Win God (V1-29)
V11 “Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of His temple.”
Some of the philosophy of the world is that money can solve every problem and can even buy marriage and friendship. This philosophy is nothing new as the Babylonians had the same philosophy. They thought that they had abundant treasures and wealth and no one, not even the LORD Himself, could touch and destroy them. However, the LORD had been preparing the kings of the Medes to eventually attack and destroy them because of their pride and wickedness.
V13 “O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.”
2. Might Cannot Win God (V30-52)
V30 “The mighty men of Babylon have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.”
The LORD sent the Medes to attack Babylon and there was fear in the hearts of the wealthy and mighty Babylonians. They soon discovered that wealth and might were from God and they would be utterly and completely destroyed because of their sins and pride.
3. Nothing Can Win God (V53-64)
V53 “Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from Me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the LORD.”
The Babylonians would not give up trying to attack the LORD. They even had the audacity and pride to mount up to heaven to attack the home of the LORD. Subsequently, the LORD sank the entire Babylon to ground zero and till today Babylon (modern Iraq) had never truly recovered from God’s judgment and destruction.
V64 “And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to submit to You as You win all the time.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 11:31 am
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