All right, let's get into the text. Yeah, yeah, great. Thank you for reminding me, Jim. So this is our last time together until September. So let's just kind of outline what the summer is going to look like for us. Next Wednesday is AWANA and we're going to ask all adults to join us in the auditorium to celebrate the achievements of the students for AWANA. So we do not have any small groups. Then the following Wednesday, we take that as a Sabbath Wednesday. So that would be Sunday night, Memorial Day Sunday night would be a Sabbath, and then that Wednesday would be a Sabbath. So it's a nice break, especially for the church leadership and the nursery and all that. Then we go into three weeks of what we're calling community groups. Pastor Mike has broken up every family in the church according to where you live. And we're going to send that out to you. You know, Harnett, Hope, 71st, Terry Sanford, all that. We're going to have 10 groups. We're all going to study the same thing for three weeks in June. And we're all going to study the same thing but we're going to be grouped by where we live. So this is real intentional. This is so that you get to know people that aren't in your Sunday School class or weren't in the Ezekiel study. Oh, you're half a mile away. You're down the road. You're in Eastover. All that general idea. I didn't know that. So we're all studying the same thing and then we're doing like that. That's what we're doing in June. Then the July 4th week, that first week of July, we won't have a Wednesday night thing. And then the first week in August, the attendance is always pitiful because everyone's getting their last week of vacation in, so we won't have something that Wednesday. So three Wednesdays off, and each of them is the first week of the month. Each of them is the first week. So come to three Wednesdays, get a Wednesday off, come to three Wednesdays, get a Wednesday off, come to three Wednesdays. That's basically how this summer goes. And we're going to do in the auditorium on the middle Wednesdays. And then in August, we're going to break up into men's groups and ladies' groups, study something specific for men, study something specific for ladies. So that's the summer plan. All right? Did I explain that OK? And then we get back into Ezekiel. And hopefully, all y'all will come back into Ezekiel in September. And maybe by the end of the year, we'll be able to finish the book. based on the 18 chapters all the time we've been at it. All right. I think that's good. Let's get started. So are we at 19? Chapter 19. And all of Bonnie's messages are online now, so we're hoping that they go viral. And we have a Beth Moore in our congregation. But they're all there, and I'm looking forward to listening to every one of them. And so if you weren't at the ladies' retreat and you want to hear what Bonnie taught about, then please check that out. You're on the lady's page already as well? We're on the Facebook page, and they're also on our website, and they're also in the office. Yep, so all kinds of good places. All right. Verse 1, who wants to start us off? Sam does. The world would take out the lanigation of the princes of Israel and say, what is your mother? A lioness. She lay down among the lions, among the young lions. She nourished her cubs. I feel too sorry about that. So three, she brought up one of her cubs and he became a young lion. He learned to catch prey and he The board? Yeah, the Bauer. The Bauer meeting. Four, the nations heard about him. He was caught in their pit, and they brought him and the boys to their refuge. Five, when she saw that she waited in vain, that her hope was lost, she took another of her cubs and made him a young lion. Six, and he went up and down among the lions. He became a young lion. and learn to catch the prey, and devour him. Seven, that he knew for desolate palaces, and he laid waste the cities, and the land was desolate, and the poor was there alone, by the glories of his glory. Eight, then the nation set against him, from provinces on every side, they stripped their neck over him, and he was taken in their grip. Nine, with hooks they put him in a cage and brought him to the king of Babylon. They brought him into custody that his voice should no more be heard on the mountains of Israel. Ten, your mother was like a vine in a vineyard, planted by the water fruitful and full of branches for a reason of abundant water. Eleven, she had strong branches for scepter of the rulers. She towered and stacked above the thick branches and was seen in her eyes, a man that didn't support it. 12. But it was plucked in furry, cast down to the ground. The east wind dried it up. Its fruit was dried off. Its strong stem was withered. Fire consumed it. Now it is planted in the wilderness in a dry and thristing land. And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a scepter to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation. I'll sit right here. There? Anywhere? Sure. So this is my aunt, Liz, from Boston, and her husband, Bill. And they're here for the kindergarten graduation as well. All right, very good. Y'all finish the chapter while I was out? All right, let's get started. Chris, what is all this lion stuff about? That's a good question. Yeah. About Israel. Yeah, that's good. That's good. Anybody have a good study note that you looked down and saw or want to share one just to kind of get the conversation started on chapter 19 and this reference to lions? I have a David Luther comment. It says, this limitation for the princes of Israel was fitting. Considering how badly the last several kings ruled and the judgment that entered their wickedness, his zeal for the Davidic covenant, however, did not allow him to see three of his inheritors disappear into exile without sorrow and emotion. This was no taunt song. The judgment of the Lord could be very grievous, and Ezekiel felt extremely." OK. So he's comparing the lions to particular people. Yeah, the princes. The last three princes. Right, OK. Or kings. Yeah. It is interesting that it says princes instead of kings. The CSB says sad songs of this type found in chapter 19 are known in Hebrew by the name, and then it has a Hebrew word, which means funeral dirge or funerary lament. They have a unique meter, and their content is similar to modern eulogies. And then it gives a reference to 2 Samuel. The switch of subjects from Ezekiel 18 which seems to indicate that the emphasis on individual responsibility also applies to the monarchy of Judah. This chapter would therefore indicate that the house of David fell not because of the sins of past kings, Josiah was righteous, but because of the sins of the kings immediately leading up to the exile. The pronouncement of this rejection in the form of a funeral lament suggests that the house of David had been overwhelmed by the powers of death. And then verse two says, the mother in this allegory is the nation of Israel who had produced the kings of the nation. All right, anyone else have a note or a thought? One of the other comments that I saw was that the princes, they were called princes because the rightful king was in exile. Oh, OK. Yeah. So Zedekiah was taken off into exile and then left with Jeconiah and the other three that were the sons. The puppets in essence. Exactly. Right. Yeah. OK. He used illustrations to communicate many of his messages, with a picture of the lioness and her cubs. He raised the curiosity of his listeners. The lioness symbolized the nation of Judah, and the two cubs were two of its kings. The first cub was King Abel. Jehoahaz, who was taken captive to Egypt in 690 B.C. by Pharaoh Judah. The second part was either him, Jehoahim, who had already been taken into captivity in Babylon, or him, Zechariah, who soon would be. And then the illustration showed that for Judah, there was no hope for a quick return from exile and no escape from the approaching Babylonian armies. Yeah, that's a nice summary. Yeah, I was out when we were reading 10. Your mother was like a vine, 1910, in your vineyard planted by the water. It was fruitful and full of branches because of the abundant water. It had strong branches fit for the scepter of rulers. Its height towered among the clouds, so it was conspicuous for its height as well as its many branches. but it was uprooted in fury, thrown to the ground, and the east wind dried up the fruit, and strong branches were turned off and dried up." So what is the comparison there that's being made between 10 and 12? Judgment of God. Alright, judgment of God. In 10 and 12, your mother was like a vine and vineyard planted by water, fruitful, full of branches because of their abundant water, strong branches fit for the scepters and the rulers. So what's that? Those are the good days of the kingdom, right? Right. Those are the good days of the kingdom. What period do we think that's describing? The United Kingdom. The United Kingdom, before it split, when they were seeking the Lord, when they were building the temple, when things were on what we might call a right glide path. And then you see this strong contrast In verse 12, it was uprooted in fury, thrown to the ground. The east wing dried up its fruit. Its strong branches were torn off and dried up. Fire consumed them. Now it is planted in the wilderness in a dry and thirsty land. Fire has gone out from its main branch and has devoured its fruit so that it no longer has a strong branch, a scepter for ruling. This is a lament and should be used as a lament. One through nine here being, talking about personal accountability, you talked about specific people, talking about specific kings they had done, but 10 through 14 seem to be talking about the nation as a whole. Right, right. A contrast between the individual kings and then the corporate identity of Israel. Yeah. Okay? Anyone else have a study note? Chris? Hosea in 1315, when the northern kingdom was still around, wrote very similar language in verse 12 when he wrote, Though he be fruitful among his brethren, an east wind shall come, the wind of the Lord shall come up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up, and he shall spoil the treasure of all the pleasant vessels. So it had been already said that it was coming two, three hundred years before. And what's interesting is, and I'm going to show this on Sunday because it comes out of the Genesis text, but east is always a reference to not serving the Lord. Yep. And for example, in the Garden of Eden, the cherubim is put on the east gate. And that's the only side, which is really, really symbolic. And then when Jacob goes, we'll see this Sunday when he goes to get a wife, and they says they are the people of the east. But he actually travels north is where he would travel, but they described as the people of the east. And then any previous reference to east in Genesis has a negative connotation, which is interesting with a east wind. So it's very symbolic language. Isn't the Babylon coming in from the east? Sure. To the right up. Yep. Was Assyria the place? I don't know where Assyria was. North. Yeah. But it seems as though, like, it doesn't matter what geographical location is. It's a descriptor to communicate a particular thing. Interesting, because Job was described as the greatest man in the East. Job was. Right. So then he's a righteous man living amongst unrighteous people. which is interesting because he opens up chapter one with, in case my children have sinned, kind of recognizing, and I'm going to offer sacrifices on their behalf. Say that again? Yeah, which would have been an unsaved area, right? I have a study note for 539. It says, the lion displayed greater power than the first by tearing down strongholds and devastating towns. The nations trapped him, also leading him with hooks to the land of Babylon. This second line appears to refer to Jehoiakim after a reign of only three months, 10 days. Second Chronicles 36.9, Jehoiakim was imprisoned in Babylon for 37 years until the Babylonian king, evil Merodach, released him. Jehoiakim died in Jerusalem, so he was not included in this lament. Anyone else have a thought? What does the scepter represent? What does the scepter represent? Because there's several references to the scepter. What does it represent? Kingship. What? Kingship. Yeah, yeah. Right, William. Sure. Good. Yeah. OK, anyone else have a comment on 19? Good? Go ahead. It seems odd that you talk about the kings of Israel The comparison is like a lion that would grow up and like devour men. I don't know if it's like a military thing, like these people used to be powerful or... And it's like, I don't know, that did not seem like a good descriptor at the beginning. It's kind of a lion that grew up, and it's eating people and devouring them. I guess it's just possibly saying how powerful they were, and then comparing how powerful they were to how low God brought them. Well, I think, Josh, what we've seen in the previous chapters is that Ezekiel has went after the injustice. And so that's the devouring aspect. So I'm not taking care of you. I'm abusing you. We're going to see later on, I think it's chapter 34, where the shepherds get their heads ripped off because they haven't been taking care of God's people the way they do. So I think this devouring is a sense of absorbing the resources, taking more than what's fair. Devouring their own people. Yes. Got it. And that's pretty much a pattern of, if you think about, I'm sure everyone remembers Rehoboam and Jeroboam, right? Rehoboam was the son of Solomon, should have been the next king. And why didn't he get the whole kingdom? Who can remember the story? He took the wrong advice. Yeah, he took the wrong advice, right? What were the two options? They said lower the tax burden. That was the whole issue here. Lower the tax burden. Because if you remember, the previous king was Solomon. And they've been raising money to do what? Build the temple. Right. So you can imagine what it was like to be at an Israelite in the days of building this incredible temple. And now Solomon's temple has been built. He's dead. And it's like, OK, can we take a breath? You know, can we lower this tax burden? Do you need to have the same extravagance that your father had? And the young men said, what? Yeah, you do need it. It's a way of showing your authority. Right. You're going to rule. Exactly. And that led to what? The split in the kingdom. The split in the kingdom. Right. The northern kingdom went with Israel, 10 tribes. The southern kingdom was Judah. And that kind of set the conditions for this devouring of people. Again, Josh, I know you remember this, but when the people went to Samuel and they said, we want a king, Samuel, no, you don't want a king. Actually, you don't want a king. Kings take this. Kings take your army. They want your daughters. No, no, no. We want to be like all the other nations. Well, here they are, devouring their people like all the other nations. All right, anyone want to push into 20, or do we have enough in 19? Go ahead, Jen. I had to think about this. But the Lord, when he left the temple, remember, in chapter 10? Yep. He said he left from the east gate. So I think that was when he comes and says, Note that when the Lord does finally return, he is seen coming back from the East Gate. Yeah, which makes perfect sense, because the East Gate is the one that's guarded in the Garden of Eden. So that symbolic return makes sense. And that would be in Ezekiel 43. Right. So that's about summer months, three months. So that's about nine months from now. OK. I think we can push into at least a little bit of chapter 20, because it's got 49 verses, so that's a pretty significant length of time. All right, let's start on with the Garcias and push through the first one. In the seventh year and the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before him. And the word of the Lord came to me. Verse three. So a man speaks to the elders of Israel, and says to them thus, Thus says the Lord God, Is it to inquire of me that you come, and I will inquire to the Lord? I will not be inquired by you, nor parted by you. Four, will you judge them, son of man? Will you judge them? Then make known to them the abominations of their fathers. Five, and say unto them, thus saith the Lord God, in the day when I drove Israel and lifted up my hand unto the seat of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, and I lifted up my hand unto them, saying, I am the Lord your God. Verse six, in the day that I have lifted up my hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt, into the land that I have despised for them, flowing with milk and honey, this is the glory of all lands. Seventh, that I have said to them, each of you will throw away the accommodations which were before his eyes, and do not deprive yourselves with the items of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. Eight, but they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me. None of them cast away the detestable things that their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in the mystical land of Egypt. Nine, but I wrought for my namesake that it should not be polluted before the heathen among whom they were Whose side I made myself known unto them, and bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt. 10. So I led them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. 11. And I gave them my statutes and showed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall live even live in them. 12. Moreover, also, I gave them my Sabbaths to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctified them. But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not observe my statutes, but rejected my ordinance. By whose observance everyone shall kneel, and my sabbath be greatly profaned. Then I thought I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to make an end of them. 14. But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of nations, at whose sight I have brought them up. 15. So I also raised my hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I have given them, flown with milk and honey, the glory of all lands, because they despised my judgments, and did not walk in my statutes, but profane myself or their heart whenever they're idle. Verse 17. Nevertheless, my eyes feared them, and I did not destroy them or make a fool of them, the rulers. 18. And I said to their children in the wilderness, do not walk in the statues of their fathers, nor keep their rules, nor defile yourselves with their idols. 19. I am the Lord your God, walk in my statues, and be careful to obey my rules. 20 And keep my sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between me and you, and that you may know that I am the Lord your God. 21 But the children rebelled against me. They did not walk in my statues, and were not careful to obey my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live if he refrains from my sabbaths. 22 Then I said, I would pour out my wrath upon them, and spend my anger against them in the wilderness. 22, nevertheless I withdrew my hand and wrought for my namesake that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen in whose sight I brought them forth. 23, I lifted up my hand unto them, also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen and disperse them through the countries. 24. Because they had not obeyed my rules, but had rejected my statutes and proclaimed them sabbaths, and their eyes were set on their father's idols. 25. Moreover, I gave them statutes that were not good of rules, but which they could not have liked. 26. And I pronounced them Undine because of their ritual fears. In that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire, that I might make them desolate, and that they might know that I am the Lord. And he said, Therefore some men speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God. Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, and in that they have committed a trespass against me. 28, when I brought them into the land I had sworn to give them, and they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices, made offerings that aroused my anger, presented their fragrant incense, and poured out their drink offerings. 29, then I said to them, what is this high place you go to? It is called Bama to this day. Therefore say to the house of Israel, this is what the Lord God says. Are you defiling yourselves the way your ancestors did and prostituting yourselves with their abhorrent things? When you offer your gifts, sacrificing your children in the fire, you still continue to defile yourselves with all your idols today. So I should let you inquire of me house of Israel as I live. This is the declaration, Lord God, I will not let you inquire of me. So let's just stop there. That's plenty to talk about. So what's going on in this section of scripture? They want to inquire of the Lord. What do you think they want to inquire about? Yeah, that's the most reasonable conclusion. I agree with you, Jan. How long is this gonna go on for? When are you gonna remember the Abrahamic covenant? Lord, are you ever gonna stop being angry with us? Is there an end to this? And the response is very clear. I will not let you inquire of me. And then we have this common language, verse three. The CSB has, this is the declaration of the Lord God. What does the King James have, Chris, in that last sentence of verse three? As I live, says the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you. As I live. Right. As I live. Same kind of language right there. And then what what happens next? What's the rest of the verses we read about? Quick review of every time that God pulled his hand away and tried to give them a give them an inch. They just keep going right back to their sins, their idols. Talks about how they basically worshiped Moloch in the high places and offered their children sacrifices. Yes, it's very, it's a quick review is exactly what you're describing. He takes them all the way back to the days of the what? Yeah. Yeah. He takes them all the way back to their time in Egypt when they were there from Joseph. Yes, and he consistently shows himself as what? Long-suffering, merciful. Exactly. And what is the language in each verse as to why he's doing that? And we can see it, for example, in verse 14, but I was trying to look back and find the first reference to it. What is it, Jen? Nine. Nine. What's it say in nine? But I acted for the sake of my name. Yes, right. That language keeps on repeating itself. Let's see how many times it's used. Because I see it in nine, and then I saw it in 14. Where else is it? 22. 22? Right. What is this language about? What is this? And it's also in 44. And where? 44. 44. You didn't get that part. Yeah. OK, so 8. But they rebelled against me, were unwilling to listen to me. None of them threw away the abhorred things that they prized. They did not abandon the idols of Egypt. So I considered pouring out my wrath on them, exhausting my anger against them within the land of Egypt. But I acted for the sake of my name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations. They were living amongst in whose sight I made myself known to Israel by bringing them out of Egypt. What does this remind you of? Reminds me of Moses. When he committed adultery and God rebuked him. But he says, because you called my name to be the father of the heathen. Yeah, okay, what else does it remind you of? Moses? Yeah, Moses. He's pleading with God, you know, hey, don't wipe out all these people, otherwise, you know, the natives are going to say you couldn't save them in the wilderness. Yeah, yeah, let's find that exact, is it in Exodus, or where, let's go ahead and find that dialogue of when this happens. I'm wondering, is it in Numbers or is it in Exodus? Maybe somebody's got a study note or you can Google it. So this is where Moses acts as an intercessor on behalf of Israel. And we want to see, what does Moses appeal to? Okay, here we are. Let's see how many numbers. 14, Israel's refusal to enter Canaan. I'm looking for where Moses intercedes on their behalf. and the language that Moses uses. That number is 20. OK, let's see what that is. I think it's 33. 33, 12. Where are you at, Josh? 33, 12, maybe. Number is 33? No, Exodus. Oh, Exodus. Moses said to the Lord, see, you say to me, bring up his people, but you have not let me know. Yes, so it's 32 verse 11. Oh yeah, let's get everyone get there. Then where are you at Angela? Exodus 32 11. Let's let everyone get there. And this is just one of the examples. There's more, because there's a particular section where he asked the question, what will the nation say? What will the nation say? I don't see that language here, but let's go ahead and read this. Someone pick it up, verse 11. Moses implored the Lord, his God said. O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt, with great power and with a mighty hand? Yeah. Verse 12. Why should the Egyptians say, With evil intent did he bring them out to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from your burning anger, as you live from this disaster, against your people. Verse 13. Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, referring to Jacob. You swore to them by yourself and declared, I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars in the sky. I will give your offspring all this land that I promised they will inherit forever. So the Lord relented concerning the disaster he had said. So if we go back to the Ezekiel passage, that's the language that we see being referenced here. Verse 8, but they rebelled against me and were unwilling to listen to me. None of them threw away the abhorrent things that they prized. They did not abandon idols either. So I considered pouring out my wrath on them, exhausting my anger against them. within the land of Egypt, verse 9, but I acted for the sake of my name so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations they were living among, in whose sight I had made myself known to Israel by bringing them out of Egypt. So let's unpack this. Explain what's going on here. In your own words, explain what's going on here. So again, he's, you know, he's letting them up to his end of the curtain. And, and so it's not only the chess side of the museum, but it's also showing the center of the other nations that, hey, I am the god of these people. And basically, I'm living up to my end of the bargain, but more so for them to see the visual that you're trying to work in a third way. Yeah. So he is doing this for the sake of his name. All right? So when we say for the sake of his name, what are we talking about? Well, the word had already gone throughout the land that had brought them out of Israel, because when the spies went to Rahab, they were like, oh, you are the nation that was brought out. So they knew of, not necessarily God Yahweh, but of a God who was capable of doing these things. And so if his word is going throughout the nations, that he did this, and then he destroys them, and they're just, he's no better than any other idol or paid god. that they're serving. But I also think it's because of the promises he made. Everyone makes promises and writes them, but his name is the only thing that does not do that. I made this promise to Abraham that his descendants would be winners, and if I destroy them, I'm not keeping my promise. Yes. Right, right. So what I would suggest to you is every reference to name refers to the character and nature of God. It's like a shorthand. So, for the sake of my character and my nature, or for the sake of my reputation. You know, like a good name is to be chosen over a good name. When we say a good name, what are we making, what are we describing? A reputation, right? Of integrity. And so I keep my promises. And so because I made a promise, as you said, Jim, and because it would utterly not make sense at all. That's what Moses appeals to. God, you brought them out of Egypt only to take him to the wilderness to destroy him. What are they going to say about you, God, that you did that? This doesn't make any sense. You're exactly right. So that's the language that he uses over and over again. All right. Why do we care about that? It still applies to us today. Okay, how so Josh? Because we represent the name of Christ. Everywhere we go, everything we do, people should know that we are carrying the name of Christ. So if we're doing something that's not representing that, we're not only blaspheming ourselves or making ourselves look bad, we're making God look bad. I mean, consequently, on the same side of the coin, you talk about salvation and everything, and God promised to save us and be merciful to us, and at the same time, you know, you can count on that as well. Yeah, so you gave us a very practical perspective, and then you gave us a theological perspective. We can unpack both of them. Theologically, why do we care about this? Unpack what Josh is saying. We want to change God's character to reflect our character to satisfy what we want. It's like we were talking about last week. God is love, right? All God is love. And we try to separate the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament. When it's one unchanging God, we're trying to change it because that's what works for us. But he's showing here that his character is consistent. Right. that his character's consistent, and that the only reason that they're not consumed is because of his name. Isaiah 48, bring it down. Great. 48, nine. He said, for my name's sake, I will defer my anger. And for my praise, I will restrain it from you, so that I do not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver. I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, For my name, O Jacob, I will do it. For how should my name be profane? And I will not give my glory to another." He goes on to tell them to listen to him. Listen to me, O Jacob, what is with my call? I am he, I am the first, I am also the last. Indeed, my hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand has stretched out the heavens. When I call to them, they stand up together." So he said, hey, for my sake, I'm going to not wipe you out the way I can't cure you. Changed my mind. And so if he's made a promise to forgive my sins through Christ Jesus, can I have confidence that he will keep that promise? Amen. Oh, yeah. Yeah. For his not for me. Yeah. Right. For his namesake. He swore an oath to himself. Right. And the scripture says he can swear no higher than himself. Right. That's what the author of Hebrews will tell us that he swore by himself. because there's nothing higher to swear by. So we get this pattern that keeps happening. The next thing that we notice is this idea of Sabbath. And I think it was found four or five times because that word just kept on coming up. Verse 10, so I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them into the wilderness. Then I gave them my statutes and explained my ordinance to them. The person who does them will live by them. I also gave them my sabbaths to serve as a sign between me and them so that they would know that I am the Lord who consecrates them. I think the King James Version sanctifies them, sets them apart, makes them holy. So what did the sabbath do? Because this is a big deal. What did the Sabbath do? Full day today, Sam? Full day today? Army day? So how did it do that, Sam? As far as I know, in that age group, you work seven days a week. But God wanted them to follow His creation model. Because if you are a seven-day workweek and having a day of rest and reflecting on what you did in the week, as Christians in the New Testament help to worship God and to be with others. Yeah, so let's unpack. What did the Sabbath do for Israel? In the simplest terms. Bonnie, how would you explain that? What did the Sabbath do for Israel in the simplest terms? It identified them and set them apart as a specific chosen people. How so? It made them remember God's And that would start when? Sundown on? Friday. And then go to? Sunday on Saturday. Right. And they're surrounded by heathen nations that no one else does this. There's no trading. You can't come bust in their cities and get some apples or whatever. They're shut down. They're utterly different and everybody knows it. Why was that such a big deal? What's the language in the text? Consecrate. Sanctify. Why does God care about that? Okay, good. Right, because He is different. If we look at this, we think about the covenants that are in the Bible. We start with the Noahic covenant. What's the sign of the Noahic covenant? Rainbow. The Abrahamic covenant, what's the sign of it? Circumcision. Circumcision is the sign of the Abrahamic covenant. Mosaic covenant, what's the sign of it? Seventh. Says it right here, it's a sign. This is what set them apart. There's nothing indicating in Genesis that Abraham followed a Sabbath. We haven't found anything. We've been in the whole book, half of the book of Genesis. And have we talked about a Sabbath at this point? No, because it's not there. This is truly something given to the children of Israel as part of the Mosaic Covenant. And this was to set them apart. They're now going to live outside of Egypt. They're going to be a people unto themselves. And they're going to do this really bizarre thing. They're going to rest every seven days. Which they haven't had in 400 years. Exactly right. That's a huge deal right there. They have been working as slaves for 400 years. And now they get, every seventh day, a day of rest. And who was that for? For them. Exactly. And yet, what's the text say? What did they do with it? They greatly profaned it. Yeah, they greatly profaned it. They greatly profaned it. It is important enough to go home Right, give the land a rest. It's important to understand that the reason they're in the captivity is because they did not keep the Sabbath. That's the reason they're in the captivity. That's why the captivity is 70 years long. There's a direct correlation between the ignoring of the Sabbath, seven, the seventh day, and the 70 years of the captivity. They were supposed to give land rest. They were supposed to give people rest. They were supposed to celebrate the year of Jubilee. What happens in Jubilee? All debts get forgiven. People get to restart. There's a new start. It's supposed to happen every seven years. It's supposed to happen every 50 on the Jubilee. They're ignoring all that stuff. Who was all that for? Them. It was for them. This was God's goodness being showed upon a people that they didn't have to work seven days a week. How awesome is it not to have to work seven days a week? Right? Even if you were a bond servant, could you be made to work? No. Everyone was supposed to shut down. Even the slaves were not supposed to work. So this becomes this really big deal. They also completely profaned my Sabbath. So I considered pouring out my wrath on them in the wilderness to put an end to them. But I acted for the sake of my name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. However, I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land that I had given them, the most beautiful of all lands, flowing with milk and honey." What's he talking about? The promised land, right? The promised land. Now, what I find really interesting, if we want to dig into some theology tonight, is what is God doing considering? What's he doing considering? I'm trying to hurt your brain right now. Verse number 13. Where's the transition to 14? Just above it. So what's your, Bonnie, what are you looking at tonight? You have an ESV? Where's your NIV, your trusted? I thought we were just eating pizza tonight. You came to a... Yep, yep, yep. All right, we need the last sentence of 13. Last sentence. Chris, what's the last sentence of 13 say in your translation? And I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness to consume them. Okay. All right. So he said, all right. What do you have, James? Same thing? Same thing. Okay. I think you said that you have an NIV. And you're out, right? That's the chapter. All right. We're in chapter 20. Ezekiel 20. Does anyone else have that last sentence? What does the ESV say? Because I'm looking at the next set. OK, so maybe there's something I'm not, maybe I'm making a big deal of something that's not there because of the translation. The Christian Standard Bible is using this word considered. I think it still applies if you read it in context. All right, let's hear it, Wayne. Start in verse 14. Well, start in verse 13. The house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They walked out on my statues, and they despised my judgments. which if a man do, he shall even live in them. In my Sabbaths, they greatly polluted. Then, I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, and the wilderness to consume them. Verse 14. But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen who sat upon them. Yeah, so all I'm just bracket my brain with for just a little bit is he's saying he's going to do this and then he chooses not to do it. Yes, right, right. That's what's really this dynamic that the text is bringing out with this dichotomy. Can I use that language? Of, this is what I'm going to do, then I chose not to do it. This is what I'm going to do. What is Moses doing getting God to change his mind? I mean, I feel like, you know, I've not seen it all. He is anywhere close to us, but it gives him a human-like quality that I'm so pissed off at you that I want to rip your head off, but I'm going to not. Yeah, you're not supposed to say that word in church. I'm not upset. OK, this is all adults in here. But yes, that utterly consumed, and yet he refrains. He relents. You know? And it's hard to understand. Yeah, it's like they've done a poor job. the time of my birth, or the foreknown, all these events, whatever. How could he not have foreknown that he was going to change his mind? Of course. Right. Yeah. And it's brought up several times. And the author is intentionally using language that gives God human-like attributes. Like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Right, and what are we talking about, let this cup pass from me? He was sacrificed as the Lamb of God before the foundation of the world. You don't want to hurt your head? Right. Yet, in real time, this is a legitimate, spoken from Christ, is it possible that this can pass away? I think it just goes to show that God has emotions. Apparently he was angry. And then, clearly, with Jesus, he was desperate to attempt to forego that pain and suffering, but he still submitted himself to God, and God still relented, not only there, but in the other time with Moses. So God was angry, and then he had compassion. Those are both emotions, and it might be good for us to remember that sometimes. Whenever we do something wrong, we make God angry. At the same time, God still does have love and compassion on us, too. Almost as though we're made in his image, right? So that which we have comes directly from him. Follow, sure. Bonnie? This stuff is apparent all the time. You keep your foot in that room. I'm coming in there. You don't know what's going to happen. And then you take your minute, and then you go ahead, and then you're able to act more in mercy than in your anger. But that's kind of what I like. Verse 17, yet I spared them from destruction and did not bring them to an end in the wilderness. Then I said to their children, don't follow the statutes of your fathers, defile yourselves with idols, or keep their ordinances. I am Yahweh, your God. Follow my statutes, keep my ordinances, practice them, keep my Sabbath holy. They will be a sign between me and you, so that you may know that I am Lord your God." Verse 21. But, and then the cycle goes all over again. And then the end of verse 21. So I considered pouring out my wrath on them and exhausting my anger against them. But I withheld my hand and acted for the sake of my name. And that's the cycle that's in this chapter. Over and over again. So God is often misrepresented in his attributes because we have a propensity to go one way or the other and who we want God to be. But we have to present both to be fair to the text. All right, it's 742, so those of you with unwanted children need to go get your children and the rest of us can hang out for a minute.