Ezekiel 13-15; Psalm 136; John 5
At the end of chapter 12, Ezekiel emphasizes the importance of prophetic words and highlights that prophets must truly speak the word from God, not their own desires: “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because of your false words and lying visions, I am against you, declares the Sovereign Lord” (Ezek. 13:8). False prophets falsely predicted peace when Judah was in danger.
Throughout these chapters, God repeatedly underscores the purpose of His actions—“and you will know that I am the Lord.”
The righteousness of Noah, Daniel, and Job lay in their trust in God’s promises.
Psalm 136
This well-known psalm lists numerous manifestations of God’s mercy. The word “mercy” in Hebrew, “hesed,” means kindness, faithfulness, and goodwill. By listing various acts of God’s mercy, the author highlights that we are dependent on God’s goodwill toward us in all these things.
John 5
John speaks of another miracle that demonstrates Christ’s divinity, but he also focuses heavily on the reaction of the Jews, who did not believe in or accept Jesus. The miracle was undeniable and significant—a man who had been sick for 38 years was healed. The Jews criticized Jesus for healing on the Sabbath after telling the man, “Get up, take your mat, and walk.” They began persecuting Jesus and sought to kill Him not only for “breaking the Sabbath but also for calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God” (John 5:18) (another proof that Jesus directly claimed to be God).
Here, John gives a detailed account of Christ’s explanation for the Jews’ unbelief, given by Jesus Himself. He speaks in detail about His relationship with the Father (John 5:19-22)—“that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” (John 5:23)—and the importance of faith in Him: “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24).
In the final part of the chapter, Jesus explains the reasons for the Jews’ unbelief. They rejected John the Baptist’s testimony (John 5:32-36), did not accept God’s direct testimony even after hearing His voice from heaven, and most importantly, they did not accept the testimony of Scripture: “If you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me” (John 5:46). The main reasons for their rejection: unbelief in God—“nor does His word dwell in you, for you do not believe the One He sent” (John 5:38)—and a lack of love for God—“but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts” (John 5:42).
Throughout these chapters, God repeatedly underscores the purpose of His actions—“and you will know that I am the Lord.”
The righteousness of Noah, Daniel, and Job lay in their trust in God’s promises.
Psalm 136
This well-known psalm lists numerous manifestations of God’s mercy. The word “mercy” in Hebrew, “hesed,” means kindness, faithfulness, and goodwill. By listing various acts of God’s mercy, the author highlights that we are dependent on God’s goodwill toward us in all these things.
John 5
John speaks of another miracle that demonstrates Christ’s divinity, but he also focuses heavily on the reaction of the Jews, who did not believe in or accept Jesus. The miracle was undeniable and significant—a man who had been sick for 38 years was healed. The Jews criticized Jesus for healing on the Sabbath after telling the man, “Get up, take your mat, and walk.” They began persecuting Jesus and sought to kill Him not only for “breaking the Sabbath but also for calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God” (John 5:18) (another proof that Jesus directly claimed to be God).
Here, John gives a detailed account of Christ’s explanation for the Jews’ unbelief, given by Jesus Himself. He speaks in detail about His relationship with the Father (John 5:19-22)—“that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” (John 5:23)—and the importance of faith in Him: “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24).
In the final part of the chapter, Jesus explains the reasons for the Jews’ unbelief. They rejected John the Baptist’s testimony (John 5:32-36), did not accept God’s direct testimony even after hearing His voice from heaven, and most importantly, they did not accept the testimony of Scripture: “If you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me” (John 5:46). The main reasons for their rejection: unbelief in God—“nor does His word dwell in you, for you do not believe the One He sent” (John 5:38)—and a lack of love for God—“but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts” (John 5:42).
Posted in Reading Bible Together