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The Bible Breakdown
Ezekiel 14: The Stubbornness of God
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The More We Dig. The More We Find.
Well, everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today, ezekiel, chapter 14, and today's title is the Stubbornness of God. The Stubbornness of God, and I don't know about you, but I'm so thankful that God is just stubborn from our point of view. He just never gives up, he never gives in, he never stops working on us, and I can't wait to see how this plays out in our chapter today. So, if you have your Bibles, I want to open up with me to Ezekiel, chapter 14. While you're doing that, if you're new around here, press pause for a second and be sure that you like share, subscribe to YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure you leave us a five-star review on the podcast. You guys are my OGs. You are always my favorites. I don't care, I love my YouTube audience. But I'm going to tell you something about the podcast. We are the ones who've been here from the beginning. I love you so much. Make sure everybody also is gathering together at the Facebook group Bible Breakdown Discussion. There's an amazing group of people doing some hard work there every day, providing devotions for us to read. And I'm going to tell you something the more we dig, the more we find, and we want you to engage with us. Please ask questions, give responses, give us your point of view, your thoughts, your feedback. We want to do this thing called life together, so make sure you're going there, because the more we dig, the more we find. But once again, if you have your Bibles and you are open with me to Ezekiel, chapter 14, don't forget that the overall goal of Ezekiel 14 is God's promise of renewal and it's the idea that Ezekiel is telling them hey, bad things have happened and unfortunately it's going to get a lot worse, but God's never going to give up on us and he promises that he is going to renew all the things that are broken. And we're going to see that in Ezekiel 14, and it's the stubbornness of God that, even though the people are continually turning against God, they're worshiping pagan false idols in the temple, this place that Solomon built, and it's this beautiful place of worship, and they are just desecrating it over and over and over again. And it would be so easy for God to just say no, y'all are done, y'all are out. Even with all of that, god is showing mercy. Now, y'all are done, y'all are out. Even with all of that, god is showing mercy, and I love this about God that he does not give up on all of us. So let's read this together. Ezekiel, chapter 14, verse 1, says this Then, some of the leaders of Israel visited me and while they were sitting with me, this message came to me from the Lord Pause, what did that look like?
Speaker 1:You ever thought about that? Like, use your imaginations. So some of the leaders are visiting with Ezekiel. What are they doing? Like having coffee? You know, I don't know what they're doing Sharing, sharing. You know something I don't know? And as they're there, the word of the Lord came to him. Does that mean, like, all of a sudden, he's like you know what? This is what the Lord says, or what I don't know? Just use your imagination. But whatever it was, he'd be chilling. And all of a sudden, the word of the Lord came to him and he said this. He said son of man, which remember, that's buddy these leaders have set up idols in their hearts. They have embraced things that will make them fall into sin. Why should I listen to their request? Tell them this is what the sovereign Lord says. The people of Israel have set up idols in their hearts and have fallen into sin. And then they go to a prophet asking for a message. So I, the Lord, will give them the kind of message their great idolatry deserves. Pause again, oh boy, here we come. So, in other words, they came asking Ezekiel for a message from God, and God is looking at them and going. You do realize I'm God, right, I can see in your heart and see that you've got idols, see that you're full of sin, but yet you're wanting good news from me. Okay, here's the news from me. Here we go, as only God could inspire Ezekiel to say it.
Speaker 1:Verse 5. I will do this to capture the minds and hearts of my people who have turned from me to worship their detestable idols. Therefore, tell the people of Israel this is what the sovereign Lord says repent and turn away from your idols and stop all your detestable sins. I, the Lord, will answer all those, both Israelites and foreigners, who reject me and set up idols. Verse 8. That I am the Lord, and if a prophet is deceived into giving a message, it is because I, the Lord, have deceived that prophet. I will lift up my fist against such prophets and cut them off from the community of Israel. False prophets and those who seek their guidance will all be punished for their sins. In this way, the people of Israel will learn not to stray from me, polluting themselves with sin. They will be my people, I will be their God. I, the sovereign Lord, have spoken. In other words, I'm going to reveal who's real and who's not.
Speaker 1:Verse 12. Then this message came to me from the Lord. So pause again. So imagine they're coming to hear a word from God, even though they are full of all the things that God hates. And so God says yeah, here's my word, stop it. My word is quit being idiots and repent. And then, if that wasn't enough, god's like wait a minute, got a little bit more. Then this message came to me from the Lord, son of man.
Speaker 1:Suppose the people of a country were to sin against me and I lifted my fist to crush them, cutting off their food supply and sending them into famine, to destroy both people and animals. Even if Noah, daniel and Job were here, their righteousness would save no one but themselves, says the sovereign Lord. Pause real quick, just for the sake of it. There are some who try to act like the book of Job was not written until very late, even into the time after the Old Testament was basically written. Did you notice real quick that Job is right here? So it would have had to have been written before the time of Ezekiel. So it would be there. Just something to be said for those who are kind of liberal scholars who act like the book of Job was written way late. No, that's not true. All right, verse 15.
Speaker 1:Or suppose I were to send wild animals to invade the country, kill the people and make the land too detestable and dangerous to pass through? As surely as I live, says the sovereign Lord, even if those three men were there, they wouldn't be able to save their own sons and daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be made desolate. In other words, god is saying I do what I want, verse 17,. Or suppose I were to bring war against the land and I sent enemy armies to destroy both people and animals. As surely as the Lord lives, says, says the lord, even if those three men were here, they wouldn't be able to save their own sons and daughters. They, even though they alone would be saved. Or suppose I were to pour out my fury by sending an epidemic into the land and the disease killed people and animals alike. As surely as the as I live, says the sovereign lord. Even if noah, daniel and job were, they wouldn't be able to save their own sons and daughters. They alone would be saved by their righteousness.
Speaker 1:Now this is what the Sovereign Lord says. How terrible it will be when all four of these dreadful punishments fall upon Jerusalem War, famine, wild animals and disease, destroying all her people and animals. Yet there will be survivors and they will come here to join you as exiles in Babylon. You will see with your own eyes how wicked they are and then you will feel better about what I have done to Jerusalem. When you meet them and see their behavior, you will understand that these things were not done in Israel without cause. I, the sovereign Lord, have spoken".
Speaker 1:When I think about this, what blows my mind is that God is telling them anything Like what can we get out of this today? Because God is telling them I am gonna expose the false prophets. I am going to show you why I have destroyed Jerusalem and it's going to make sense to you finally, at last, why I had to do these things. Why that blows my mind is because God doesn't owe them this at all. But even as he is showing what is going to have to happen. And even though he is doing all of the justice and the destruction, he's still working to show himself to them. Do you realize how phenomenal that is? Like he doesn't owe us that at all. Like it's this idea of God does whatever he wants.
Speaker 1:And it's one thing if, like let's say, you've got a best friend and you know, I've known people before who were like magicians and they love doing these sleight of hand card tricks, stuff like this. And if a stranger comes up and asks the magician, hey, how'd you do that? They go no, that's part of the show, I'm not going to show you that. But if their best friend came and asked them hey, man, how did you do that, how did that work? They're going to come a lot closer to having that magician kind of show them what the trick is. Because they're friends, because of the relationship, the magician may show the friend how this whole thing worked. Well, if you're an audience member, someone that the magician doesn't know, you're not going to do that. Well, imagine you're someone who's actively trying to stop the show. Imagine you are someone who actively has proven that you hate that magician. Do you think that magician is going to show you why he is doing what he is doing. No, he's going to be like get out of here, man. No, that's who we are.
Speaker 1:The Bible says that God demonstrated his great love for us in that, while we were still sinners, while we were the ones who hated him, christ died for us. And so, even in this situation where judgment is coming upon the nation of Israel, even then God is saying when I do this, you'll finally see me. When I do this, you'll understand what I did. God doesn't owe them this, but he's doing it because he loves us. What does that have to do with us today?
Speaker 1:Think about all the things that God does for us that he doesn't have to do. Think about the love that he shows us. That he doesn't have to show us. He doesn't have to do all these different things in our lives, but he does anyway. He does because he wants us to have a relationship with him. There's a million little miracles that he does all the time, and he does it because of his love for us. And all of these things he does is to point us back to him, so that we can see him for who he is. Can I tell you. God is so stubborn in his pursuit of us. No matter what we do, no matter where we go, he loves us. I think if we fully understood the level of love that God has for us and the level of stubbornness he has had to have to reach back out to us over and, over and over again, I think we'd never have a bad day, we'd never feel unloved, ever again, when we truly noticed the stubborn, relentless love of God.
Speaker 1:Let's pray together right now. God, thank you so much for today. Thank you, god, that you're with us and you're for us in every way. I'm so thankful, god, for who you are, and I'm so thankful, god, that you are stubbornly relentless in your pursuit of us. I pray, god, that in all things we will see you more clearly every day and we'll come to know you more every day. In Jesus' name, we pray Amen. God's Word says in Ezekiel 34, verse 14, I will put my spirit in you and you will live again. As we are seeing, god is relentlessly showing them who he is over and over again, because His promise is to renew everything. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for Ezekiel, chapter 15.
