Verse of the Week: V2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD;”
1. The True Prophet (V1-2)
V1 “And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,”
The true prophet is one who preaches what God says to the people. In the Old Testament, God spoke directly to the prophets, and in the New Testament, God speaks to the pastors through the Bible, and both the prophets and pastors must speak to the people exactly what God says.
V2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD;”
2. The Foolish Prophet (V3-16)
V3 “Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!”
In order to win the hearts and minds of the people, the false prophets distort the truth of the Word of God and preach what the people like to hear. God through Prophet Ezekiel described these false prophets as foolish prophets as they thought there were wise in the eyes of the people, but in the eyes of God, they were foolish prophets and shall be severely judged and condemned for their false teachings and lies.
V13 “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it.”
3. The Lying Prophet (V17-23)
V19 “And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies?”
The worst sins are committed by these lying prophets and pastors who, instead of leading the people to know God and His Word, are guilty of lies, deceit, hypocrisy and selfish gains and misleading them from knowing God and His Word.
V23 “Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to discern the true preachers from the false ones.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 04:08 pm
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Verse of the Week: V2 “The word of the LORD also came unto me, saying,”
1. The Word Of God (V1-16)
V2 “The word of the LORD also came unto me, saying,”
Prophet Jeremiah prophesied from the Word of God that the people of Israel must prepare their possessions and be ready to be prisoners of war of their enemies. However, the people of Israel refused to believe and when eventually the army of Babylon attacked and destroyed their cities, they knew that the words from Jeremiah were indeed from God.
V3 “Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house.”
2. The Wrath Of God (V17-20)
V18 “Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness;”
It was a tough and terrible time for the people of Israel as the wrath of God came upon them. They were once the most powerful nation of the world under King Solomon but now they were trembling in the hands of their enemies, the mighty Babylonians.
V20 “And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.”
3. The Will Of God (V21-28)
V25 “For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord GOD.”
The people of Israel never thought that their God, the God of Israel, the true and living God, would allow their enemies to attack and destroy them. They were too complacent and proud to take heed of the warnings of the many prophets including Jeremiah who had time and again warned them of the impending wrath and judgment of God unless they repented of their sins. The will of God and the Word of God was eventually fulfilled as the Babylonians invaded and destroyed all the cities of Israel. Let us take heed of the Word of God in order for us to stay in the perfect will of God.
V28 “Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord GOD.”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to be always in the centre of Your perfect will.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 04:00 pm
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Verse of the Week: V19 “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:”
1. Man’s Deception (V1-12)
V3 “Which say, It is not near; let us build houses: this city is the caldron, and we be the flesh.”
The people of Israel refused to repent of their sins and continued to believe that Jerusalem was invincible until the Babylonians attacked and destroyed them. One of the worst sins is the sin of self deception or lying to one self. It is when we know we have sinned against God and yet we refuse to repent of our sins because of our wicked hearts.
Jeremiah 17:9
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
2. God’s Presence (V13-16)
V13 “And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord GOD! Wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?”
When Pelatiah, the wicked leader, died, Prophet Ezekiel knew that God’s judgment was upon the nation of Israel. He prayed and pleaded with God to spare the remnant of Israel and God promised him that His little sanctuary or His presence shall be with the remnant even though they would be scattered abroad among the foreign countries. No matter how tough and difficult is our present situations and circumstances, God is always with us and He shall never forsake us or leave us alone.
V16 “Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.”
3. God’s Healing (V17-25)
V17 “Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.”
God is willing to heal His people and give us one heart and a new spirit and a heart of flesh if we will only repent of our sins and serve and worship the true and living God.
V19 “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please give me a new spirit and a heart of flesh to worship You.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 08:04 pm
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Verse of the Week: V18 “Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims.”
1. The Glory Of God Displayed (V1)
V1 “Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne.”
God displayed His holiness to Prophet Ezekiel with the appearance of the likeness of a sapphire stone and a throne filled with glory and brightness. Indeed, God’s holiness demands that man repents of his sins and receives God’s holiness by faith and trust in the Almighty God
2. The Glory Of God Sanctified (V2-17)
V2 “And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. And he went in in my sight.”
God’s holiness also demands that He sanctified His people by judging their sins and unholy deeds. God’s prophecy given to Prophet Ezekiel of the coals of fire to be scattered across the city of Israel was fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his army attacked, destroyed and burnt the entire city of Jerusalem.
2 Kings 25:9
“And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man’s house burnt he with fire.”
3. The Glory Of God Departed (V18-22)
V18 “Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims.”
This was the saddest time of the history of Israel when the glory of God had departed from the house of God and Israel. It took a while before the glory of God actually departed from Israel because God was patiently waiting for His people to repent of their sins. Except for Ezekiel and a remnant of God’s people, all the prophets, the priests, the Levites and the people refused to repent but continued in their sins before the holy God.
V19 “And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD’s house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to be holy as You are holy.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 08:02 pm
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Verse of the Week: V4 “And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.”
1. God’s Glory Has Departed (V1-3)
V1 “He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.”
God spoke to Prophet Ezekiel that He would destroy the people of Israel because of their grievous sins and wickedness. The grievous sins and wickedness were so great that God’s glory had departed from the house of God. It was the saddest time of the history of Israel.
V3 “And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side;”
2. God’s Men Are Preserved (V4)
V4 “And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst of thereof.”
Though God sent His angels to destroy the wicked there was still a remnant of God’s people who were holy and hated the grievous sins and wickedness of the people of Israel. God commanded His angels to set a mark upon the foreheads of these holy men so that they would be preserved from His judgment.
3. God’s Judgment Is Sure (V5-11)
V6 “Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.”
In the eyes of God, the worst sins were committed by the ancient men who were the priests and the Levites as they were nearest to Him serving in the sanctuary or the house of God. This was why God’s glory had departed from the sanctuary and His judgment was upon the sins of the people of Israel and Judah. God is grieved when His people who are supposed to be the light of the world become the stumbling block of the world.
V9 “Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not.”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to be Your holy men in this unholy world.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 08:01 pm
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Verse of the Week: V12 “Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.”
1. God’s Glory (V1-6)
V4 “And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.”
God brought Prophet Ezekiel to see His great glory as well as the great sins of the people. It was a sight that Ezekiel would never forget in his lifetime. He saw both the glory of God in its highest character and the sins of the people in their lowest character.
V6 “He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? Even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? But turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.”
2. God’s Revelation (V7-12)
V7 “And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.”
God revealed the secret sins of the people to Ezekiel through a hole in the wall. The people who were supposedly to be holy men of God teaching the laws of God were the same people who broke the law and sinned against God just like the rest of the people.
V10 “So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about.”
3. God’s Fury (V13-18)
V12 “Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.”
The character of a man is determined when he is in the dark alone facing temptations. God’s blessings are upon a man when he overcomes temptations even when he is alone, however, God’s fury is upon him when he falls into temptations and sins against God. Man’s greatest sin is that of self deception when he thinks that God cannot see his sins.
V18 “Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to do right even when no one else is around.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 08:00 pm
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Verse of the Week: V25 “Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none.”
1. Pride (V1-15)
V10 “Behold the day, behold, it is come: the morning is gone forth; the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded.”
Man has become proud and many seek to live for self and deny the existence of God. Man thinks that he is his own destiny and only he can seek peace and power through his own means. Man thinks that those who believe in God are the weak minded people who need a Higher Being to help them find purpose and peace in their life struggles and challenges. Man fails to realize that there is indeed a true and living God who creates them, and only the Almighty God can grant them the perfect peace in a wicked world. This was why the people of Judah continued in their pride and sins even though Prophet Ezekiel had time and again warned them of God’s impending judgment.
V15 “The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him.”
2. Power (V16-19)
V17 “All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water.”
The proud and powerful shall be humbled. Nothing, not even their power or position, fame or fortune, can save them from the judgment and anger of the Almighty God.
V19 “They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.”
3. Peace (V20-27)
V25 “Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none.”
In the days of crimes, fighting, violence and wars, the only way to have peace is to seek God’s perfect peace. Man fails to realize that only God’s perfect peace can truly satisfy their deepest needs and save their wretched souls from the fiery pits of hell to the portals of heaven.
John 16:33
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to seek Your peace as only You have the perfect peace.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 06:50 pm
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Verse of the Week: V7 “And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.”
1. The Idol (V1-7)
V5 “And I will lay the dead carcases of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.”
Anything or anyone that comes between you and God is an idol. It can be your son, your daughter, your career, your hobby, etc. that you put above God. The people of Israel had many idols in their lives and God had to remind them time and again through His judgments that either He was the LORD of their lives or He was nothing to them.
V7 “And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.”
2. The Heart (V8-10)
V9 “And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall lothe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations.”
A true Christian will hate sins and will desire to keep his heart pure and holy before God. Even if the true Christian sins, he will feel guilty and will ultimately repent of his sins by God’s grace. However, the false Christian will not repent but will continue in sins.
V10 “And they shall know that I am the LORD, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.”
3. The Judgment (V11-14)
V11 “Thus saith the Lord God; Smite with thine hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say, Alas for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! For they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence.”
God has His ways of judging and bringing His people to repentance of their sins either by wars, famine or diseases. At the end of the day, you will have to decide whether you will acknowledge God as the Lord of your life or He is nothing to you.
V14 “So will I stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land desolate, yea, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations: and they shall know that I am the LORD.”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to submit to You and know that You are my LORD.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 06:48 pm
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Verse of the Week: V3 “Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy skirts.”
1. The Third (V1-2)
V1 “And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber’s razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair.”
Ezekiel divided his hair into 3 parts after he had shaved them from his head and beard. God told Ezekiel He would punish Israel in three ways because of their sins. One way was that one third of Israel shall be burn with fire. The other one third would be killed by their enemies and the last one third would be scattered to the neighbouring countries.
V2 “Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.”
2. The Few (V3-11)
V3 “Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy skirts.”
God also commanded Ezekiel to bind a few of his hairs underneath his robe. These precious few hairs represented the precious few people who were obedient to God while the majority was even more disobedient than their neigbouring nations.
V7 “Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you;”
3. The Choice (V12-17)
V15 “So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about thee, when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it.”
It was a sad day for Israel which was to be the example of God’s blessings but instead became the anger of God’s judgment. Though many choose to deny and disobey God, there will always be the few who choose to trust and obey Him and live for His glory.
Matthew 7:14
“Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to be the few who choose to trust and obey You.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 06:45 pm
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Verse of the Week: V14 “Then said I, Ah Lord God! Behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.”
1. 390 Years (V1-5)
V4 “Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity.”
God spoke to prophet Ezekiel that He would punish Israel, the Northern Kingdom, for 390 years for their sins by commanding Ezekiel to lie on his left side for 390 days, each day representing a year. Imagine Ezekiel lying on his side for 390 days or more than a year. This was how obedient Ezekiel was yet the people of Israel were disobedient to God.
V5 “For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.”
2. 40 Years (V6-8)
V6 “And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.”
If there was one obedient man in the entire world he must be Ezekiel! Not only he laid on his left side for 390 days, this time he had to lie on his right side for 40 days for the sins of Judah, the Southern Kingdom.
3. Eternity (V9-17)
V14 “Then said I, Ah Lord God! Behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.”
And if lying for 430 days were not enough, God commanded Ezekiel to eat defiled bread he had never eaten before. Ezekiel was willing to obey God no matter how inconvenient and how difficult life was. He knew that he would rather suffer on earth and enjoy eternity with God in heaven than to enjoy on earth and suffer eternity in hell without God. Ezekiel was a type of Christ who was obedient to death, even the cruel death of the cross.
Philippians 2:8
“And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to be obedient to You even if it costs my life.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 03:26 pm
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