Ezekiel 19-21; Psalm 84; John 7
Speaking about Israel’s sinfulness, God uses various parables to illustrate the severity of their situation.
Foretelling the future was one of the prophets’ main roles then. God refuses to answer the elders of Israel about their future. Instead, He recounts the many blessings He showed Israel and the numerous acts of unfaithfulness by the people. The phrase “but they rebelled against Me and were unwilling to listen…” (Ezek. 20:8) is repeated multiple times. God describes history in detail to show the basis for the coming judgment: “As I live, says the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you” (Ezek. 20:33).
Then, after describing the coming punishment, as usual, there follows a promise of the remnant’s restoration: “Then you will know that I am the Lord when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to your ancestors” (Ezek. 20:42).
Psalm 84
A psalm of the sons of Korah, describing the blessings of a person who knows and trusts in the Lord. This person treasures the place of communion with God, the house of the Lord. His strength is in God. His heart’s paths are directed toward God, and he finds sources of blessing even when passing through the Valley of Tears.
John 7
Jesus attends the Feast of Tabernacles despite the danger of persecution and possible arrest and teaches from the Scriptures. Many believe in Him (John 7:31). Seeing the crowds following Jesus, the Pharisees send guards to arrest Him. However, they cannot do so, saying, “No one ever spoke the way this man does” (John 7:46).
On that day, a well-known ceremony of pouring water from special vessels took place, symbolizing the outpouring of God’s Spirit, which was to come to Israel. At that moment, Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them” (John 7:38), indicating that He would be the source of the Holy Spirit expected by Israel, the only one who could quench their thirst.
Foretelling the future was one of the prophets’ main roles then. God refuses to answer the elders of Israel about their future. Instead, He recounts the many blessings He showed Israel and the numerous acts of unfaithfulness by the people. The phrase “but they rebelled against Me and were unwilling to listen…” (Ezek. 20:8) is repeated multiple times. God describes history in detail to show the basis for the coming judgment: “As I live, says the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you” (Ezek. 20:33).
Then, after describing the coming punishment, as usual, there follows a promise of the remnant’s restoration: “Then you will know that I am the Lord when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to your ancestors” (Ezek. 20:42).
Psalm 84
A psalm of the sons of Korah, describing the blessings of a person who knows and trusts in the Lord. This person treasures the place of communion with God, the house of the Lord. His strength is in God. His heart’s paths are directed toward God, and he finds sources of blessing even when passing through the Valley of Tears.
John 7
Jesus attends the Feast of Tabernacles despite the danger of persecution and possible arrest and teaches from the Scriptures. Many believe in Him (John 7:31). Seeing the crowds following Jesus, the Pharisees send guards to arrest Him. However, they cannot do so, saying, “No one ever spoke the way this man does” (John 7:46).
On that day, a well-known ceremony of pouring water from special vessels took place, symbolizing the outpouring of God’s Spirit, which was to come to Israel. At that moment, Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them” (John 7:38), indicating that He would be the source of the Holy Spirit expected by Israel, the only one who could quench their thirst.
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