What do you think is the most famous verse in the Old Testament? Even though we’re studying Ezekiel, I don’t think the most famous OT verse is in Ezekiel.
How about Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Or maybe all of Psalm 23, but especially its opening verse, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” What about the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), and especially “Thou shalt not kill”?
Better yet, maybe the two greatest commands, as affirmed by Jesus: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5) and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18)?
I wonder if any other verses came to your mind? There are so many excellent options! Comment below with your pick!
How about this one, “Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” I wouldn’t be surprised if many or most of you are familiar with that verse. It’s a really good one! Look it up for yourself at Micah 6:8. Then skim through Micah, which is basically as gruesome as the most graphic horror movie from start to finish, except for that one verse. What that tells us is that in the middle of awful terror and wickedness, we cannot forget that God’s heart beats for justice, mercy and humility.
What are justice, mercy and humility? This week I listened to a brief podcast that did a great job explaining those words. It is Leonard Sweet’s Napkin Scribbles episode on Oct 14, 2021, “The Greek and Hebrew Words Every Christian Should Know: Chesed”. I encourage you to listen to it.
On the blog this coming week, we’re going to talk about one of those words: justice. What we’ll learn in the next section of Ezekiel is a clear picture of God’s heart for justice. In Ezekiel chapters 21-23 God tells his people Israel how they have wandered from his heart. If you’ve been following the blog series studying Ezekiel, it will not surprise you to hear that. What might be surprising in these chapters is how specific God gets when he describes Israel’s rebellion. Furthermore, it is amazing how it relates to American Christians in 2021. Read those chapters ahead of time and see what you think, then check back in on Monday as we begin to discuss them.
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
Let's Talk About Sunday 