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The Bible Breakdown
Ezekiel 19: Funeral Songs
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The More We Dig. The More We Find.
Well, hello everybody. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today, ezekiel, chapter 19,. And today's title is Funeral Songs, funeral Songs. And so, if you've been with us so far, he really has nothing good to say. Ezekiel is just so fed up with these people and so now he has the courage whatever you want to call it to just start proclaiming their funeral song. He's like you're going to die and this is going to be the song they're going to sing at your funeral. It's going to be that kind of day on the Bible breakdown.
Speaker 1:So, if you got your Bible, want to open up with me to Ezekiel, chapter 19, why you're doing that. If you're new around here, make sure you like share, subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure you are sure to leave us a five-star review on the podcast. I see more of you going back and doing that. It really does help us get the word out. And make sure you're going to the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook. They're doing an amazing job over there just writing these devotions every day, just continuing to enrich our experience with God's Word. And I'm going to tell you something the more we dig, the more we find, and for some of you, the most you get out of our podcast or video every day isn't what you and I do together, but it is what our team is doing over there, so make sure you're going there every single day, okay, all right? Well, once again, if you have your Bibles, open up with me to Ezekiel, chapter 19. Remember that the overall goal of this is Ezekiel is talking to the nation of Judah and he is telling them that God has a promise of renewal. But, as we said before, we first got to realize that we need a promise of renewal, and so there's all these things that he is talking about and he's going through with them, and the overall goal of all of this is he is trying to tell them hey, listen, it's bad, it is really really bad, and there's all this judgment that's headed, and then eventually it will turn into something good. And remember that God told Ezekiel I'm going to make you as stubborn as they are so that they will turn their lives back over. And so he's just really telling them what's up. And so, if you're ready, we're going to read Ezekiel, chapter 19, where he's just going to say we're going to declare some funeral songs because y'all going to die. So here we go. Ezekiel, chapter 19, verse one says this sing this funeral song for the princes of Israel.
Speaker 1:What is your mother? A lioness among lions, she lay down among the young lions and reared her cubs. She raised one of her cubs to become a strong young lion. He learned to hunt and devour prey. He became a man-eater. Then the nations heard about him. He was trapped in their pit and they led him away with hooks to the land of Egypt. When the lioness saw that her hopes for him were gone, she took another of her cups and taught him to be a young lion. He prowled among the other lions and stood out among them. In his strength he learned to hunt and devour prey, and he too became a man-eater. He demolished fortresses and destroyed their towns and cities. Their farms were desolated and their crops were destroyed. The land and its people trembled in fear when they heard him roar. Then the armies and the nations attacked him, surrounding him from every direction. They threw a net over him and captured him in their pit With hooks. They dragged him into a cage and brought him before the king of Babylon. They held him in captivity and his voice could never again be heard the mountains of Israel.
Speaker 1:Your mother was like a vine planted by the water's edge. It had lush green foliage because of the abundant water. Its branches became strong enough to be a ruler's scepter Because of the abundant water. Desert wind dried up its fruit and tore off its strong branches so that it withered and was destroyed by fire. Now the vine is transplanted to the wilderness, where the grounds are hard and dry. A fire has burst out from its branches and devoured its fruit. Its remaining limbs are not strong enough to be a ruler scepter. This is a funeral song and will be used in a funeral.
Speaker 1:Wow, well, remember, ezekiel has been telling these people over and over and over again. It's it for you jokers. This is bad. This is real bad. We need God's promised renewal and the way I'm going to tell you is because I'm going to tell you how you're going to die and what he's saying through this. And remember, this is apocalyptic literature, so we have to read it as such, like, for instance, in the New Testament, when Jesus is telling these different parables.
Speaker 1:He's saying the kingdom of God is like. That's what apocalyptic literature is is. It is taking these different symbols and ideas and it is using them to paint a picture, to describe what something is like. And so what he is saying is is he is saying that you were once strong, but eventually that strength failed you and now you're in a hard place and difficult things happened and you basically just withered and died because place and difficult things happened and you basically just withered and died because of all the bad stuff that you did. That's really what he's saying, is he is saying your legacy is you were strong but you didn't do the right things, and now you're dying and withering away. That is the whole point of this, and what got me thinking about this, or when I was thinking through this, rather, is maybe there's a good thought here for us.
Speaker 1:One day, someone is going to sing a funeral song over us. Now I hope it is a very long way away, like very, very long way, long, long time, but one day someone is going to sing a funeral song about us and I don't know about you if you've ever been to many funerals, and there are different reasons why people will pick different songs at funerals. I've heard people pick songs because that was someone's favorite song. I've heard because it was the favorite song of the person who was planning the funeral and they had no idea what the person wanted which, by the way, just take a little side note If you have never planned your funeral, can you do everybody a favor and write down somewhere what you would like at your funeral? Can we just get that out of the way, because it really is helpful. I have been with people who someone passed away suddenly and they didn't know what their departed loved one would want, and they are just in a mess, right. So enough of that.
Speaker 1:One day, someone is going to sing a song at your funeral, someone's going to tell your story. What will they tell? What will be the things that will stick out? Now, unfortunately, we don't get to pick the things that stick out. One day I was sitting around a table at my grandfather's funeral and it was one of those things that wasn't planned, but we were all kind of sitting there with my dad, my sister, a few others, and we just started telling stories about the memories that we had, and it struck me at one point these are probably not the stories he would like to be remembered by, not because they were bad or anything, it was just moments that were kind of throwaway moments, moments when I would ride with him somewhere, moments with my sister, remember just these little bitty, tiny moments. But it was these little stories that ultimately became the story we told about my grandfather, and it got me thinking about the idea that most of the time, we don't get to pick the specific stories that people will tell about us.
Speaker 1:People don't always remember what you said, but they will, most of the time, never forget how you made them feel. Do they feel loved? Do they feel seen? Do they feel known? Do they feel like they matter? Do they feel like that you pointed them toward Christ or that they were ashamed to know you? I sure hope not. But what is that? And so the question for you today is when somebody sings your funeral song one day, will it be like this, what we read today? Will it be devastating, where someone will say you started off so well but you ended so bad? Or will it be a song of a testimony of what the Lord can do and be like?
Speaker 1:You know that Brandon guy. He didn't get everything right. He made a lot of mistakes. I'm going to tell you something about him. That man loved Jesus, that man loved his family, that man loved me, and that made the difference. He made me want to be more like Jesus. Can I tell you that would be the greatest legacy for me is that Pastor Brandon made me want to know Jesus more. That's the greatest legacy I could think of. Hopefully, one day, when someone tells my funeral song, tells my funeral story. That's what they'll say. Because of Brandon, I wanted to know Jesus more. What about you? What is yours? It didn't have to be that like that. It could be something else.
Speaker 1:But what would it look like today, when our time is over, if you took a moment and you just thought to yourself, if someone were to tell a story about me, what would they say? And can I tell you, it needs to say at some point that at some point that young man, that young lady met Jesus and that changed their life. Let's pray together right now. God, thank you so much for today. Thank you, god, that you see us and you know us in every way and you are for us in all things.
Speaker 1:Lord, I know that in this life sometimes we go through ups and downs and many of us we don't like to think about the day when we will meet you, not because we don't want to, but because the idea of loss is scary to us. Lord, your word tells us that you have taken away the fear, the sting of death, because we know that on the other side of that death is your presence, your raw, complete, total, whole presence. So I pray that while we will never hasten the moment of our death, we'll not fear it, but we'll live in such a way so that, when we are with you, what we leave behind us is a legacy we could be proud of. We're thankful for that today. In Jesus' name, we pray amen. Anyway, what God's word says in Ezekiel 34, verse 14, I will put my spirit in you and you will live again. It is my prayer that you will know God more every single day. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow. For Ezekiel, chapter 20.
