Archive for July, 2012

Ezekiel 28:12-19 Pride, Original Sin?

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , , , , , on July 29, 2012 by paulthepoke

Ezekiel 28:12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “You had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

Who is this King of Tyre God is talking about? Is this figurative language or is this a real personality? I would challenge all who read this to come to a decision independently.  Think about it. God describes this being as perfect in wisdom and beauty. This being is the most beautiful thing created. This being is also the best at taking knowledge and functionally applying that information. This is how God describes this being, the essence of good looks and smarts. The “king” had God’s stamp of approval.

Ezekiel 28:13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. 

Wait a minute, there were only three characters in Eden according to the Genesis account: a man, a woman, and a serpent. The man and the woman were without possessions prior to the fall. They were naked. Humanity had no clothing.

This creature being discussed in verse 13 has extravagant material wealth and possessions. He has every precious jewel and the jewels are placed in gold. He has significant riches and in need of nothing. He is not only clothed, he has the finest. The best was given to him from day one. He did nothing to earn them. God’s grace materially blessed this creature from the beginning. 

Ezekiel 28:14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked in the midst of the stones of fire.

This being was created with a purpose. He was to rule and guard, specifically God’s separate mountain. He was placed to watch over God’s property by God Himself. He was given authority and power. He was in charge.

Ezekiel 28:15 “You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you.

He was originally made perfect and without sin. He got off to a good start. Then sin and perversion was identified by God within him. It was his mental attitude. God knows what we are thinking.

Ezekiel 28:16 “By the abundance of your trade you were internally filled with violence, and you sinned; therefore I have cast you as profane from the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

Because of his greed and need for more and more and more, his attitude and being were consumed with aggression. He was kicked off the mountain of God because of self-pollution and desecration.

Ezekiel 28:17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, that they may see you.

He thought he was better because he was “good looking”. He used his beauty and appearance to manipulate others with his reasoning. He was persuasive.

Ezekiel 28:18 You defiled your sanctuaries with your many sins and your dishonest trade. So I brought fire from within you, and it consumed you. I let it burn you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. 

His depravity and sin polluted and desecrated holy places. Unjust, violent, and corrupt trade practices were the norm. He was initially granted the ability to judge and preside over God’s property. Fire is a symbol and instrument of judgment in the Bible. This character is being stripped of his ability to judge and stripped of his instrument of judgment, fire.

Ezekiel 28:19 “All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have become terrified and you will cease to be forever.”

All the destruction, violence, and dread that has been brought upon others… The tables will ultimately be turned. The irony, he was created with the power to judge by fire. Now, he will be eternally judged by fire. Who is thrown into the Lake of fire in Revelation 20:10 for all eternity?

Isaiah 5:15-17,21 God’s View on Pride

Posted in Isaiah with tags , , , , , on July 24, 2012 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 5:15-17 So the common man will be humbled and the man of importance abased, the eyes of the proud also will be abased. But the LORD of hosts will be exalted in judgment, and the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness. Then the lambs will graze as in their pasture, and strangers will eat in the waste places of the wealthy. 

Isaiah 5:21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight! 

V. 15 The context of the verse is all of humanity. It does not matter if you are an everyday Joe or a hot shot. The idea of the grammar in Hebrew is men are being brought to humility. The point is repeated a second time to make sure the idea is understood.

V. 16 God is set apart, separate, or holy. He has the moral clout to execute justice. He is a truthful, capable, and justified ruler.

V. 17 There is debate whether the language in this verse is figurative or literal. Hebrew Linguists indicate the text literally reads, “Young rams, and ruins, fatlings, resident aliens, will eat.” Will strangers really eat in places where the rich used to live? Will the rich have their places destroyed? The bottom line is this. Animals and people are eating in locations that are not their usual places to dine.

God takes pride seriously. Just ask King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The king was full of himself and thought he was the source of all of his success and power. Nebuchadnezzar had not finished his statement on his self-proclaimed greatness when Daniel 4:31-33 provides a reminder of who is in charge.

“While the word was in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you, and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.’

 “Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws…

Some would say this is just a crazy story from the Bible. You may want to consider there are real psychological disorders where people think they are animals. Check out zoanthropy and lycanthropy. More specifically, boanthropy is a condition where individuals think they are cattle. The king’s diet was grass like cattle. The king was not accustomed to a diet of grass.

This episode did ultimately result in a change of attitude for King Nebuchadnezzar. He came to understand God was in charge (Daniel 4:34-37).

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.

Isaiah 5:13-14 The Party Is Over

Posted in Isaiah with tags , , , , , , on July 14, 2012 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 5:13-14 Therefore My people go into exile for their lack of knowledge; and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude is parched with thirst. Therefore Sheol has enlarged its throat and opened its mouth without measure; and Jerusalem’s splendor, her multitude, her din of revelry and the jubilant within her, descend into it.

The Hebrew grammar of verse 13 indicates the exile is a foregone conclusion. It is written in what we would consider the past tense in English. It is a done deal, you are exiled. Even though, the event is yet to happen in the time of Isaiah’s writing. The deportation out of the land occurs not because of their actions. The Jews are kicked out of the land because of a lack of discernment or understanding.

The irony of the judgment is this. The rich, greedy, and materialistic who loved to throw big banquets and feasts will have nothing to eat. They will be afflicted with hunger and famine. The people, who loved to get up and start drinking till late in the evening, will have nothing to drink. There will be a lack of water.

Their destination is Sheol. Strong’s defines sheol as the underworld, a grave, hell, a pit. This is the Old Testament designation for the abode of the dead. It is a place of no return. The wicked are sent here for punishment.

The city of Jerusalem in all of its glory and majesty, the people in all of its noise and celebration will sink into Sheol.  There will be no limit to the amount of death and destruction.

Posted in Uncategorized on July 12, 2012 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 5:11-12 Party All the Time!

Posted in Isaiah with tags , , , , , , on July 6, 2012 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 5:11-12 Woe to those who rise early in the morning that they may pursue strong drink, who stay up late in the evening that wine may inflame them! Their banquets are accompanied by lyre and harp, by tambourine and flute, and by wine; but they do not pay attention to the deeds of the LORD, nor do they consider the work of His hands.

The Hebrew grammar describes these guys are getting up with a purpose. They hit the ground drinking. It was the first thing they thought about in the morning. The “strong drink” is alcohol, the hard stuff. They were not waiting until noon to start. These were all day parties. The drinking started upon awakening and they were up late. These Jews knew how to throw a good party. They had food and music as well.

Do not confuse the issue. This is a matter of lifestyle. The lifestyle presented in Isaiah 5 is what is being condemned. God is not impressed with how much one can drink. Isaiah 5:22 Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and valiant men in mixing strong drink…

The Bible is a very practical book. It shows that nothing has really changed with alcohol. This was going on hundreds of years before Christ.  When drinking excessively, one’s ability to walk was impaired. They weebled, they wobbled, and they did fall down. Judgment was decreased along with ability to think. The drunks back in Isaiah’s day swore they saw things too. And yes, they partied till they puked. Isaiah 28:7-8 And these also reel with wine and stagger from strong drink: the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink; they reel while having visions, they totter when rendering judgment. For all the tables are full of filthy vomit, without a single clean place.

A reminder, Jesus did turn water into wine at a wedding feast. God is not opposed to alcohol in moderation or for the purpose of medication. The Apostle Paul gave Timothy this advice, 1 Timothy 5:23 No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. Balance is provided with the topic of alcohol. Is it a good idea to have a drink around an alcoholic? Probably not. Romans 14:21 It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. Applied common sense goes a long way.

Drinking and partying were the focus. There was no place for God in their lifestyle. Another “Woe”.

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