Ezekiel 9-12

9 - God's people killed if they don't grieve Israel's idolatry

10 - God's glory moves above the temple; coals/fire from the wheels scattered over the city in judgment

11 - Jerusalem's current wicked counselors judged; restoration promised; God's glory moves to Olive Mt.

12 - Ezekiel to act out exile, complete with baggage, and moving from his house to another part of the city. Israel doesn't think judgment will come, but it is near.

Ezekiel 5-8

5 - Ezekiel to shave his hair and do to it what will happen to Israel: burned, scattered, struck, and a remnant saved. Because of Israel's disobedience and her abominations.

6 - "I will scatter your bones around your altars," leaving a few to remember Him.

7 - Judgment day has come. Israel craved gold, but it can't save them now. They will lie dead in the streets, while the prophet, priest and kings lack vision, law or counsel.

8 - God shows Israel's highest leaders continuing to worship idols, right in the temple itself. "Have you seen what [they] are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures?" (12).

Ezekiel 1-4

1 - Ezekiel in Babylon sees the glory of God, which can move anywhere, in four living creatures, a throne, and a bright rainbow.

2 - God sends Ezekiel to Irsael, a rebellious house. They do not eat what God gives them.

3 - God makes Ezekiel eat a book of His words, to take to Israel with firm resolve to overcome their stubbornness. He is lifted up by the Spirit to Babylon (like Phillip in Acts 8?). God says Ezekiel is responsible for Israel's destruction, if He has message for them from God and doesn't deliver it.

4 - Ezekiel is to make a model of Jerusalem's siege, lay on his side as many days as the exile will be in years, and eat a coarse and stingy diet, as those in exile will.

Forgiveness unites; refusal to do so separates

Perhaps you heard this week in baseball of the bad call by umpire Jim Joyce, that cost Detroit Tigers’ pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game. With 2 out in the ninth inning, with no hits or walks allowed, the 27^th batter of the night against Galarraga hits an infield grounder, and the ball beats him to first by almost a full stride. Galarraga himself catches the ball. But the ump calls him safe. The replay shows it was obviously a bad call. With much of the baseball world outraged in that moment, what did Galarraga do? He smiled at the umpire. No in your face argument. Just smiled. Later on, the umpire apologized to the near perfect pitcher. And Galarraga forgave him.

There are lessons here. When you mess up. Confess it. Don’t blame anybody else. Don’t make excuses. Own up to it. Admit it. And ask forgiveness. When someone wrongs you and then confesses it and seeks your forgiveness, forgive him. If we don’t do this, our sins will separate us from God, and they will separate us from each other.

6/6/10

Lamentations

1 - Jerusalem has fallen, stripped and violated by her enemies.
2 - God has brought destruction without pity. Priests, women, children killed. Enemies vaunting.
3 - God has given me bitterness and gall, trapping me with His nets. But His mercy and faithfulness are daily renewed.
3 - God has punished us for our sins. We cannot complain, but I do weep and grieve. They mock me, but you will give them their due.
4 - The dead are better off than the survivors, who wander the streets without food or shelter. "This was for the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests,
who shed in the midst of her the blood of the righteous" (13).
5 - We are wasting away. Women raped, elders disrespected, young men doing menial tasks, princes executed, all economically oppressed. God reigns and can restore us - do so, Lord!

Books bought on vacation (for a song!)

In no particular order.

Best selection of books for hundreds of miles around

From Baker (Grand Rapids publisher) used bookstore

A Journey in Grace: A Theological Novel
Richard Belcher

How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth: A Guide to Understanding the Bible
Fee/Stuart

Hal Lindsey and Biblical Prophecy
Cornelius VanderWaal

Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know

E.D. Hirsch, Jr.

Advocates of Reform: From Wyclif to Erasmus (Hus and others)

Library of Christian Classics - original works

Modern American Religion: The Irony of it all - 1893-1919

Martin E. Marty

Divorce

John Murray

Transforming Grace

Jerry Bridges

Principles of Conduct

John Murray

Discovering the Intimate Marriage

R.C. Sproul

Call the Sabbath a Delight

Walter Chantry

Reason within the Bounds of Religion

Nicholas Wolterstorff

Minister's Worship Handbook

James Robertson

By This Standard: The Authority of God's Law Today

Greg Bahnsen

Christian Living in the Home

Jay Adams

Evidence that Demands a Verdict

Josh McDowell

No Little People

Francis Schaeffer

Reaching Out without Dumbing Down: A Theology of Worship

Marva Dawn

Creative Imagination in Preaching

Webb Garrison

From Reformed Book Outlet

Protestant Reformed bookstore in Hudsonville

The Christian Life

Sinclair Ferguson

William of Orange: the Silent Prince

W.G. Van de Hulst

Treasures of the Snow

Patricia St. John

The Reformation in Scotland

John Knox

Christian Leaders of the 18th Century

JC Ryle

From a used bookstore in downtown Holland
The Waning of the Middle Ages
John Huizenga

The Secret of Father Brown
G.K. Chesterton

Cry, the Beloved Country
Alan Paton

The Crisis of Islam
Bernard Lewis

Truth in All Its Glory: Commending the Reformed Faith
William Edgar

The Embarrassment of Riches: An Interpretation of Dutch Culture in the Golden Age
Simon Schama



From Eerdman’s (Grand Rapids publisher) bookstore
Deep discounts on slightly damaged books

Dangerous Journey: The Story of Pilgrim’s Progress
Oliver Hunkin

The Innkeeper
John Piper

Warriors of the Lord: The Military Orders of Christendom
Michael Walsh

The Mystery of Marriage
Mike Mason

C.S. Lewis
Poems

C.S. Lewis
Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer

The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C.S. Lewis
Alan Jacobs

An Introduction to Early Judaism
James VanderKam

Eat This Book
Eugene Peterson

The Heidelberg Catechism: A Study Guide
G.I. Williamson

The Old Religion in a New World
Mark Noll

The Sage from Galilee: Rediscovering Jesus’ Genius
David Flusser

Kingdom, Grace, Judgment
Robert Farrar Capon

From Reformation Heritage Books

Grand Rapids publisher - specializing in Puritans

The Work of the Pastor

William Still

Studies in Theology

Loraine Boettner

Faith of our Fathers: A Study of the Nicene Creed

L. Charles Jackson

The Christ of the Prophets

O. Palmer Robertson

Augustine of Hippo

Simonetta Carr

Bible Lessons 1-4 for Juniors (covers whole Bible)

Andrew Van Der Veer

Reformation Heroes: A Simple, Illustrated Overview of People Who Assisted in the Great Work of the Reformation

Diana Kleyn/Joel Beeke

Covers 40 reformers, the biggies and lesser knowns

From miscellaneous sources
Complete Book of Bible Lists
Joel Meredith

Atonement
Packer, Boice, Sproul, Gerstner, Ferguson, DeWitt, Begg

A Heap O’ Livin’ along Life’s Highway
Edgar Guest

Top 13 Childrens' Books I Read on Vacation

Best is at the bottom...

13. Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman, Schroeder/Pinkney
Describes her childhood as a slave, and her early budding desire to run away.

12. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens, abridged
Good story, but recommend the unabridged, and only for older children

11. Kidnapped, Robert Louis Stevenson, abridged
Good story, but recommend the unabridged, and only for older children

10. Meet the Orchestra, Ann Hayes
Short description of each instrument. Well done.

9. The Tale of Three Trees, Angela Elwell Hunt
Classic

8. Sammy and His Shepherd, Susan Hunt
Decent for 5-10 year olds

7. Blueberries for the Queen, Paterson
Very nice. Boys need “war work.”

6. The True Princess, Angela Elwell Hunt
Good description of the virtue needed in every princess

5. Tattered Sails, Verla Kay
Pilgrims. Vivid illustrations; two-word sentences throughout that capture the story

4. The Orderly Cricket, Rae Oetting
Refreshing lesson on not meddling in others’ business.

3. When Abraham Talked to the Trees, Elizabeth Van Steenwyk
Lincoln, practicing his public speaking. Liked it.

2. Joseph, Brian Wildsmith
Historically believable and draws-you-in illustrations that capture literary clues in the text

1. The Book of Jonah, Peter Spier
Well done, especially on Jonah’s anger at the end

Jeremiah 46-52

46 - Judgement against Egypt. Babylon will conquer her. Israel will be spared from her, though punished.
47 - God's sword of judgment also comes against the Philistines: horses and chariots from the north.
48 - Judgment against Moab: "Because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken" (7).
49 - Judgment against Ammon, Moab, Damascus, Hazor, Kedar, and Elam.
50 - Judgment against Babylon. She shall fall for her sins to a nation from the north.
51 - God remembers Israel, and so Babylon falls. "Babylon must fall for the slain of Israel." She was God's hammer to break the nations, and now Israel will escape from her. She will be desolate forever. Jeremiah sends this prophecy with King Zedekiah to the Babylonian king to read before him, then throw into the Euphrates tied to a stone, to show how Babylon will sink!
52 - recap of Jerusalem's fall: temple taken down, bronze pillar and basin melted down, high priest and other nobles slain. Back in Babylon, King Jehoiachin is released from prison to eat with the king. Hope for return from exile.

Jeremiah 41-45

41 - Governor Gedaliah murdered. The remnant corporately kidnapped (Jeremiah presumably with them) to be taken to Ammon. Johanan rescues them and they head for Egypt.

42 - they ask Jeremiah for God's direction. He says to stay in the land - going to Egypt would be disastrous.

43 - they don't listen imputing false motives to Jeremiah. When they get to Egypt, Jeremiah prophesies that Babylon will conquer it.

44 - Jeremiah prophesies that God will destroy them for their continued idolatry. They flatly reject it, saying it was for stopping their sacrifice to the queen of heaven that they were destroyed. Jeremiah says God did it, remembering that idolatry. If they want to find out who did it, just stay in Egypt and God will destroy them.

45 - Baruch, sad to be losing so much (was he a nobleman? Jer 43:3) gets some perspective, straight from God. He's in the middle of tearing down Israel, and Baruch is looking for comforts. All he'll get is his life.

Habakkuk

1 - Hab: how long will you let sin go unpunished, Lord?
God: I send the harsh Chaldeans to punish Israel.
Hab: surely not, for you cannot countenance such evil.
2 - God: you'll have to take it by faith, and if it takes a while for an answer, be patient.
The wicked will get their due, and God's glory will cover the earth
3 - Hab: God has acted with force before, to save His people. I will wait, though ot takes many days of hardship; I will rejoice in Him and He will sustain me.

2 Kings 24-25; 2 Chronicles 36

24 - Babylon conquers Jehoiakim. Jehoiachin made king but conquered 3 months later. Zedekiah made king by Babylon and reigns for 11 years.
25 - Zedekiah rebels and is conquered. Jerusalem burned and exiled. Governor Gedaliah assasinated, and the people flee to Egypt.

36 - Same as above. Also, the land was given rest for 70 years, for all the Sabbaths Israel failed to give it. After that time Cyrus decrees Israel free to return.

Jeremiah 38-40

38 - Jeremiah is imprisoned for hurting the war effort, encouraging Judeans to defect. He becomes a political football between nobles, in and out of prisons, summoned to and sent from the king. Jeremiah tells King Zedekiah privately to surrender, and it will be easier for him. He objects, and never does.
39 - Jerusalem is taken, nobles and king's sons killed, king and people exiled, temple and palace torn and burned down. Jeremiah is treated well and God promises the same to a nobleman who protected him.
40 - Judah brings in the harvest; governor Gedaliah orders the remnant to serve Babylon. Rumors of assasination go ignored.

Jeremiah 35-37

35 - The Rechabites obey their father, not drinking wine, building houses or farming. But Israel won't obey it's Father.
36 - God has Jeremiah write all His words down, and Baruch reads them to some nobles in a temple chamber. They send it to the king, but protect Jeremiah and Baruch, his secretary. King Jehoiakim burns it, column by column, as it's read to him. God has Jeremiah write it all out again, with a judgment against Jehoiakim added.
37 - Jeremiah warns Zedekiah that the Chaldeans would take the city. Jeremiah goes out of Jerusalem on business when the Chaldeans withdraw, and his enemies accuse, beat and imprison him falsely for defecting. The king asks privately of Jeremiah, and he gives the same word from God.

Jeremiah 32-34

32 - Zedekiah asks Jeremiah under siege if they will escape and Jeremiah says no. He buys a field at God's command, but asks Him why. God says He will restore Judah.
33 - Restoring Judah, God will raise a Branch to rule, and priests to offer pure sacrifice. He will be true to His promise to David.
34 - Jeremiah tells Zedekiah he will see Babylon's king, and go there. The nobles who freed their slaves, and then forced them back to service will themselves be free - to the sword and exile.

Jeremiah 30-31

30 - God tells Jerremiah to write this all down in a book, because after they are taken captive He will restore them.
31 - Judah and Zion will prosper again. A new covenant of greater knowledge of the Lord will come.