SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 48 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: And the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE. [Ezekiel 48:35] Ezekiel is describing the restoration of God’s special relationship with His people. Ever since humanity was separated from God in the garden, God has been at work reconciling this broken relationship, bringing Himself back to…
deep enough to swim in!
SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 47 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross. [Ezekiel 47:5] I love this reading: what begins as a trickle grows ankle-deep, then knee-deep, and now deep enough…
focus on Jesus!
SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 46 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: On the Sabbaths and New Moons the people of the land are to worship in the presence of the LORD at the entrance of that gateway. [Ezekiel 46:3] Today’s reading describes how God renews the old covenant arrangements of the temple and the sacrifice after the temple had been destroyed. In other words,…
follow the leader!
SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 45 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: This is what the Sovereign LORD says: You have gone far enough, princes of Israel! Give up your violence and oppression and do what is just and right. Stop dispossessing my people, declares the Sovereign LORD. [Ezekiel 45:9] As Ezekiel describes the temple at the center of this city plan, and the land…
Grant Approved
[May 10, 2011] Crossroads belongs to a fellowship of churches called the Christian Reformed Church (CRC). As part of this organizational structure, we belong to a regional group of CRC churches (called ‘Classis’) that extends from Ajax to Kingston, and north to Lindsay and Peterborough. At it’s May 10 meeting, the Classis approved a request…
the duty of a priest
SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 44 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean. [Ezekiel 44:23] God is reissuing His calling on the priests, reminding them of their duty to show people the difference between holy and common, clean and unclean…
see His glory?
SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 43 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory… The glory of the LORD filled the temple. [Ezekiel 43:2,5] The temple was impressive architecture, but that is not where it’s true glory…
all things holy!
SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 42 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: So he measured the area on all four sides. It had a wall around it, five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide, to separate the holy from the common. [Ezekiel 42:20] To highlight the separation between a holy God and a sinful humanity, God set up the symbolism of holy places,…
my life’s purpose
SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 41 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: And he measured the length of the inner sanctuary; it was twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits across the end of the main hall. He said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.” [Ezekiel 41:4] The man said to me, “This is the table that is before the LORD.” [Ezekiel 41:22]…
beyond the symbols
SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 40 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Then he measured the court: It was square—a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits wide. And the altar was in front of the temple. [Ezekiel 40:47] Oh no, more boring, detailed instructions about the temple… brings me back to when we read chapter after chapter on the building of the tabernacle (Exodus 25ff)….