Lord’s Day, Vol. 12 No. 47
The 7am Service
Two milestones last week for “The 7am Service”. The 100th meeting was held on 20 November 2024 and the completed of the Book of Deuteronomy and the Pentateuch on 23 November 2024 by Mr Lucas Lek. All praise and thanksgiving to the Lord for the Word of God to go forth for His glory.
We shall be completing the Gospel of John this week and a closing message on 29 November for the year by Pastor Lek.
You are encouraged to join us for this early morning hour worship.
Visitation to Mr Lee Kim Song
A visitation was made to the home of Mr Lee Kim Song to administer the Lord’s Supper for Mr Lee, his wife Mrs Pauline Lee and son Chung on 22 November 2024. Thank the Lord for preserving Mr Lee. Remember Mr Lee in your prayers for the Lord keep and strengthen him and his wife daily. Mr Lee is 95.
He was able to recite the hymn “Thank you, Lord!” Mr Lee suffered a stroke earlier this year and was unable to speak for some months.
Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul
Thank you, Lord, for making me whole
Thank you, Lord, for giving to me
Thy great salvation so rich and free.
the hymn “Thank you, Lord!”
Opening the Book of Ezekiel (1)
The Book of Ezekiel was written in the darkest and grimiest days of Judah’s history during the seventy years of Babylonian captivity. The name “Ezekiel” means “God strengtheneth” or “Strengthened by God.” He was a priest, and a prophet, born in 622 B.C. carried to Babylon during the second deportation in 597 B.C. before the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 586 B.C. Ezekiel’s wife died as a sign to Judah when Nebuchadnezzar began his final siege of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 24:16-24).
The presentation of the Book is chronological. Ezekiel would give the exact date and place for events.
Ezekiel was called and commissioned to be a prophet of the Lord (Ezekiel 1-3). This is followed by his message of judgment to Judah from the Lord (Ezekiel 4-24) through signs, messages, visions and parable of judgments from 592 – 587 B.C. The judgment upon the Gentile nations (Ezekiel 25-32) was pronounced during the siege of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. The message of the restoration of Israel was given after the siege of Jerusalem 585 B.C. – 570 B.C. (Ezekiel 33-39) and finally the glorious reign of Messiah in the millennial kingdom with the vision of the Millennia Temple in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 40-48).
Ezekiel was asked to minister to the stubborn and rebellious house of Israel, the nation of Judah at the time of their exile and the period of their exile.
Ezekiel 3:4-11 (KJV) And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them. 5 For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel; 6 Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee. 7 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. 8 Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. 9 As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. 10 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears. 11 And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.
Ezekiel was made by the Lord a watchman unto the house of Israel. A work that he would fulfil with fear and trembling – Ezekiel 3:17-21 (KJV) 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.
Ezekiel would need to be prepared to be hated and persecuted for his truthful message from the Lord to the rebellious house of Israel – Ezekiel 3:25-27 (KJV) But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them: 26 And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house. 27 But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.
Ezekiel gave the sign of the tile and the sign of the defiled bread to portray the siege of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 4) – Ezekiel 4:16-17 (KJV) Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment: 17 That they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with another, and consume away for their iniquity.
Ezekiel also gave the sign of the razor and hair (Ezekiel 5). The Lord has prospered the nation of Israel above all the nations around about but Israel has refused the Lord’s judgments and statutes and not walked in them – Ezekiel 5:11-17 (KJV) 11 Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD; Surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity. 12 A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.
Judah was judged for the sin of idolatry (Ezekiel 6), the instrument of God’s judgment against Judah will be the Babylon army (Ezekiel 7) – Ezekiel 6:3-5 (KJV) And say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys; Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places. 4 And your altars shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken: and I will cast down your slain men before your idols. 5 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.
More specifically, Judah was judged for Sun Worship – Ezekiel 8:16 (KJV) And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD’S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.
Ezekiel was given visions of Israel’s abominations (Ezekiel 8-9). He wept as the judgment was pronounced by the Lord – Ezekiel 9:8-10 (KJV) And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem? 9 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. 10 And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head.
The glory of God finally departing from the Temple (Ezekiel 10-11) after the vision of the twenty-five wicked rulers of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 11:1-2) – Ezekiel 10:4 (KJV) Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’S glory… Ezekiel 10:18-19 (KJV) Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims. 19 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…. Ezekiel 11:23 (KJV) And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.
Ezekiel announced Judah’s captivity (Ezekiel 12 cf. 12:11), renounced the false prophets (Ezekiel 13), the idolatry of the elders (Ezekiel 14 cf. 14:1-6), parable of the vine tree cast into the fire signifying the inhabitants of Jerusalem in desolation (Ezekiel 15 cf. 15:4-6).
Ezekiel gave the parable of Israel’s marriage (Ezekiel 16), demonstrating God’s mercy on Israel (16:1-14), Israel rejects God (16:15-34), God punishes Israel (16:35-59) God remembers His covenant (16:60-63) – Ezekiel 16:62-63 (KJV) And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: 63 That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel gave the parable of the two eagles and a vine (Ezekiel 17) represented by the king of Babylon (the great eagle – 17:3, 12) and the king of Egypt (17:7, 15), and Zedekiah’s rebellion against the Babylonians (17:12) and captivity.
Ezekiel pointed out the personal sins of Israel and the judgment of God (Ezekiel 18), lament for the princes of Israel (Ezekiel 19) and the judgment upon Jerusalem (Ezekiel 20-24) with a review of God’s past dealings with Israel till Ezekiel’s time (20:1-32) and their future restoration (20:33-44). The signs of judgment on Jerusalem (Ezekiel 20-21) – sign of forest fire (20:45-49), drawn sword (21:1-17), double stroke of the sword (21:18-32), the judgment on Jerusalem (22) , parable of two sisters (23) signifying the whoredom of Samaria and Jerusalem (23:4), parable of the boiling pot (24:1-14) and sign through the death of Ezekiel’s wife (24:15-27).
To be continued…
Yours lovingly,
Pastor Lek Aik Wee