Bible Reading Plan

Author: Jon Green

  • Rest Day

    Rest Day

    Rest Day

    Today is a Rest Day. There is no new Bible reading to do. Today, the goal is simple: rest in the presence of God. Maybe you need to use today to get caught up on the reading plan if you’re behind, maybe you want to journal what you’re learning so you don’t forget what God is teaching you, or maybe you want to spend time in concentrated prayer–do that. Above all, just spend time in God’s presence. Each Rest Day, we will also introduce a memory verse for the week. Meditate on this week’s verse and begin to memorize it.

    Check This Out

    There is a lot going on in the book of Ezekiel! The Bible Project has a lot of helpful resources to walk you through the different sections of the book. Check out this page to read a summary of all that happens in the first section (chapters 1-11)! 

    Worship With Us

    Join us in person or online at 9a, 11a, or 4p at harriscreek.org/live. We’d love to worship with you! We also desire to connect everyone with a local church body where they can thrive in community and use their gifts to serve. If you’re following our Bible Reading Plan from outside of Waco and are eager to get connected with a great local church, email us at [email protected]. 

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  • Ezekiel 9

    Ezekiel 9

    Read Ezekiel 9

    Judgment on the Idolaters

    9 Then I heard him call out in a loud voice, “Bring near those who are appointed to execute judgment on the city, each with a weapon in his hand.” 2 And I saw six men coming from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. They came in and stood beside the bronze altar.

    3 Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim,where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side4 and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.”

    5 As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. 6 Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, the mothers and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the old men who were in front of the temple.

    7 Then he said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain.Go!” So they went out and began killing throughout the city. 8 While they were killing and I was left alone, I fell facedown, crying out, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! Are you going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel in this outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?”

    9 He answered me, “The sin of the people of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice. They say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land; the Lord does not see.’ 10 So I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.”

    11 Then the man in linen with the writing kit at his side brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded.”

    Go Deeper

    In Ezekiel 9, seven beings are summoned by God from His throne. Seven is a holy and perfect number in scripture representing wholeness and completeness. Six of these supernatural beings are asked to be ministers of death and destruction with weapons in hand. The seventh is dressed in linen with a pen to put a mark on the forehead of those Israelites saddened by the perversion and idolatry both inside and outside the temple of God. The first six beings are sent for judgment, but the one in linen was the giver of life and grace. This passage reminds us of Exodus 12:22-23 when Moses commanded the Israelites to paint the blood of a lamb on the frames of their doorposts in order for the Lord to “pass over” them and protect those families from the death of their first-born children as God’s judgment of Egypt. 

    Ezekiel desperately cries out to the Lord on behalf of his people and begs the Lord to save the remnant of Israel. As we read, his heart is one of love and care over the nation of Israel and he is asking God to spare them. Ezekiel loved his fellow Israelites even in their sin and disregard of God and His law. God explained the reasons for His wrath over his chosen people’s flagrant sin, murder, perversion and claims of God as unfaithful (v. 9). God makes clear that His judgment will always start in the House of God with his chosen people.

    There are three lessons for us today in this chapter. First, the judgment of God has been satisfied in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His blood on the cruel cross is the blood of the lamb that takes away the sin of the world. We are offered salvation through Christ just as the stories above offered life with a mark on the forehead or the passover blood of the lamb. Trusting in Christ alone to save us from sin gives us adoption as a child of God. We are promised eternity with Christ, and our lives begin in harmony with him now. Because of Christ, we will never suffer this judgment we read in this chapter. 

    Second, like Ezekiel, our hearts should cry out to God for those that don’t know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. May we have the same desperate heart and ask the Lord to use us to spread the gospel message to our unbelieving neighbor everywhere. May we also cry out for those who do believe but are living in ways that are not pleasing to God. Pray and ask for the Lord to open the door to conversation that is both gracious, yet uncompromising to the word of God. 

    Finally, our God is holy and good and offers us all every moment of each day a vibrant love relationship with him. God’s judgment is real, but we as believers, have nothing to fear. Let us bring others into the hope and joy of 1 Peter 2:9, which says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

    Questions

    1. What does this passage teach you about God? What does it teach you about humanity? 
    2. How do you view the judgment of God? Is it something you think about often? Why or why not? Discuss this with you life group
    3. What has the cross of Christ accomplished for you?

    A Quote

    George Williams, a 19th century commentary writer, said, “God’s grace acts from Calvary, and the wrath of God will act from Calvary. It is the center of Divine activity in grace and judgment. God’s controversy with man concerns His dearly beloved Son and the atonement he made for sin. Man tries in religion, but there is no substitution than that provided by God at Calvary.”

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  • Ezekiel 8

    Ezekiel 8

    Read Ezekiel 8

    Idolatry in the Temple

    8 In the sixth year, in the sixth month on the fifth day, while I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting before me, the hand of the Sovereign Lord came on me there. 2 I looked, and I saw a figure like that of a man. From what appeared to be his waist down he was like fire, and from there up his appearance was as bright as glowing metal. 3 He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. The Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and in visions of God he took me to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court, where the idol that provokes to jealousy stood. 4 And there before me was the glory of the God of Israel, as in the vision I had seen in the plain.

    5 Then he said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north.” So I looked, and in the entrance north of the gate of the altar I saw this idol of jealousy.

    6 And he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing—the utterly detestable things the Israelites are doing here, things that will drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see things that are even more detestable.”

    7 Then he brought me to the entrance to the court. I looked, and I saw a hole in the wall. 8 He said to me, “Son of man, now dig into the wall.” So I dug into the wall and saw a doorway there.

    9 And he said to me, “Go in and see the wicked and detestable things they are doing here.” 10 So I went in and looked, and I saw portrayed all over the walls all kinds of crawling things and unclean animals and all the idols of Israel. 11 In front of them stood seventy elders of Israel, and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan was standing among them. Each had a censer in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising.

    12 He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, ‘The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land.’” 13 Again, he said, “You will see them doing things that are even more detestable.”

    14 Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord, and I saw women sitting there, mourning the god Tammuz. 15 He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? You will see things that are even more detestable than this.”

    16 He then brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar,were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun in the east.

    17 He said to me, “Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the people of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence and continually arouse my anger? Look at them putting the branch to their nose! 18 Therefore I will deal with them in anger; I will not look on them with pity or spare them. Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen to them.”

    Go Deeper

    Ezekiel 8 is a chapter full of vivid imagery as Ezekiel is experiencing another vision given to him by God. This particular vision, which lasts from this chapter through the end of Ezekiel 11, is time stamped for us around 592 B.C. Ezekiel is sitting in his home with the elders of Israel gathered around when he is pulled (by his hair) and brought to Jerusalem in a vision where he is able to see the extent to which idolatry has crept in and is destroying the temple. 

    Obviously, this chapter opens up a lot of questions (some we can know the answers to, some we can’t). What we do know is that Ezekiel’s vision gave him a glimpse into the temple and he was able to see the false idol worship of the elders of Israel (v. 9-13), a group of women mourning a false god (v. 14-15), and a group of men bowing towards the sun (v. 16). And God tells Ezekiel that it’s only going to get worse and more detestable! 

    Dr. Ian Duguid, an Old Testament professor at Westminster Theological Seminary and contributor to the NIV Application Commentary, describes Ezekiel 8 this way: 

    “In four brief scenes, then, Ezekiel has been shown the comprehensive nature of the sins of Jerusalem. Their sin extends from outside the city gate to the inner courtyard of the temple itself. It involves both men and women, even the seventy elders, symbolic of the leadership of the whole people. It includes idolatry imported from all sorts of surrounding nations (Canaan, Egypt, and Babylon) and involving all kinds of gods (male and female human figures, animal figures, and stellar bodies). This is a unified, universalized religion, the ultimate multifaith worship service. From the Lord’s perspective, however, the picture is one of abomination piled on abomination.”

    The temple, the place where God’s presence was supposed to dwell, had become so defiled that it had to be dealt with. In the following chapters, Ezekiel’s vision shows him what that will look like, while this chapter is primarily setting the scene so Ezekiel can see just how bleak things had gotten. 

    As we read this chapter, just like so many others in Ezekiel, we are to be reminded that idolatry in any form is destructive to our ability to pursue the things of God and that none of us are immune to it. These were supposed to be God’s people! How did idolatry creep into the temple of all places? The same way it always does: one compromise at a time. Let this chapter serve as a reminder today that we are to stand firm in our faith and to not even give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:27) where we might want to compromise.

    Questions

    1. What stuck out to you the most as you read through this chapter? Why?
    2. Where are you tempted to create and worship idols of your own? Where are you most likely to give the devil a foothold?
    3. How can you ensure that you and your Life Group aren’t merely going through the religious motions of our day and instead pursuing Jesus with full devotion?

    Did You Know?

    This is the only usage of the phrase “putting the branch to their nose” (v. 17) in the entire Bible. While it may be impossible to know exactly what it meant to put the branch to their nose, most scholars agree that it was some sort of gesture of contempt towards God. 

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  • Ezekiel 7

    Ezekiel 7

    Read Ezekiel 7

    The End Has Come

    7 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says to the land of Israel:

    “‘The end! The end has come
        upon the four corners of the land!
    3 The end is now upon you,
        and I will unleash my anger against you.
    I will judge you according to your conduct
        and repay you for all your detestable practices.
    4 I will not look on you with pity;
        I will not spare you.
    I will surely repay you for your conduct
        and for the detestable practices among you.

    “‘Then you will know that I am the Lord.’

    5 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

    “‘Disaster! Unheard-of[a] disaster!
        See, it comes!
    6 The end has come!
        The end has come!
    It has roused itself against you.
        See, it comes!
    7 Doom has come upon you,
        upon you who dwell in the land.
    The time has come! The day is near!
        There is panic, not joy, on the mountains.
    8 I am about to pour out my wrath on you
        and spend my anger against you.
    I will judge you according to your conduct
        and repay you for all your detestable practices.
    9 I will not look on you with pity;
        I will not spare you.
    I will repay you for your conduct
        and for the detestable practices among you.

    “‘Then you will know that it is I the Lord who strikes you.

    10 “‘See, the day!
        See, it comes!
    Doom has burst forth,
        the rod has budded,
        arrogance has blossomed!
    11 Violence has arisen,[b]
        a rod to punish the wicked.
    None of the people will be left,
        none of that crowd—
    none of their wealth,
        nothing of value.
    12 The time has come!
        The day has arrived!
    Let not the buyer rejoice
        nor the seller grieve,
        for my wrath is on the whole crowd.
    13 The seller will not recover
        the property that was sold—
        as long as both buyer and seller live.
    For the vision concerning the whole crowd
        will not be reversed.
    Because of their sins, not one of them
        will preserve their life.

    14 “‘They have blown the trumpet,
        they have made all things ready,
    but no one will go into battle,
        for my wrath is on the whole crowd.
    15 Outside is the sword;
        inside are plague and famine.
    Those in the country
        will die by the sword;
    those in the city
        will be devoured by famine and plague.
    16 The fugitives who escape
        will flee to the mountains.
    Like doves of the valleys,
        they will all moan,
        each for their own sins.
    17 Every hand will go limp;
        every leg will be wet with urine.
    18 They will put on sackcloth
        and be clothed with terror.
    Every face will be covered with shame,
        and every head will be shaved.

    19 “‘They will throw their silver into the streets,
        and their gold will be treated as a thing unclean.
    Their silver and gold
        will not be able to deliver them
        in the day of the Lord’s wrath.
    It will not satisfy their hunger
        or fill their stomachs,
        for it has caused them to stumble into sin.
    20 They took pride in their beautiful jewelry
        and used it to make their detestable idols.
    They made it into vile images;
        therefore I will make it a thing unclean for them.
    21 I will give their wealth as plunder to foreigners
        and as loot to the wicked of the earth,
        who will defile it.
    22 I will turn my face away from the people,
        and robbers will desecrate the place I treasure.
    They will enter it
        and will defile it.

    23 “‘Prepare chains!
        For the land is full of bloodshed,
        and the city is full of violence.
    24 I will bring the most wicked of nations
        to take possession of their houses.
    I will put an end to the pride of the mighty,
        and their sanctuaries will be desecrated.
    25 When terror comes,
        they will seek peace in vain.
    26 Calamity upon calamity will come,
        and rumor upon rumor.
    They will go searching for a vision from the prophet,
        priestly instruction in the law will cease,
        the counsel of the elders will come to an end.
    27 The king will mourn,
        the prince will be clothed with despair,
        and the hands of the people of the land will tremble.
    I will deal with them according to their conduct,
        and by their own standards I will judge them.

    “‘Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”

     

    Go Deeper

    After reading through this chapter, it’s easy to pick up on the dark and heavy tone of it. Ezekiel, who was prophesying to a group of fellow exiles in Babylon, was given another message by God and it was his job to deliver it to the people. Most scholars place the message and events of Ezekiel 7 around 591 B.C., about five years before Jerusalem and everything in it (including the temple) would be destroyed. This vision Ezekiel was given was clear: God’s judgment was coming and it was going to be severe (v. 1-4). 

    God’s judgment was coming because of the years of unrepentant idolatry. God made it abundantly clear in Deuteronomy 28:36-37 that if His people broke their covenant with God, the consequences would be severe and they would be sent into exile. As the day of destruction grew closer and closer, Ezekiel was able to foretell just how grim it was going to be. While oftentimes in the Old Testament prophetic books we read of God’s invitation for repentance, in this case it is clear that the day of reckoning is coming either way. Even all of their material possessions would be rendered useless (v. 19-22).

    So, why did it have to happen this way? Why did the punishment have to be so intense? Ultimately, God’s relationship with His people would be restored. By having their idolatry destroyed and plundered and then spending decades in exile, God was going to do a new work in their hearts and bring them back into relationship with Him. This period of exile was meant to purify Israel and, once it was time to return back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple, it would be done by a faithful remnant who had held fast to God’s promises.

    Reading this today, our hearts should swell with gratitude that, through Jesus, we have a pathway into right standing with God. It’s because of the gift of grace, not our own doing (Ephesians 2:8-9) that we’re able to repent and be saved from the destruction that our sin deserves. As we continue reading through the book of Ezekiel, let’s do so with a hopeful, grateful heart for all that Jesus has done for us!

    Questions

    1. What first stood out to you as you read through this chapter? Why?
    2. Why were the Israelites’ material possessions useless? 
    3. What does Ezekiel 7 teach you about God? What does it teach you about humanity?

    By the Way

    To read the story of the destruction of Jerusalem (and the temple) in 2 Kings 25, click here! 

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  • Ezekiel 6

    Ezekiel 6

    Read Ezekiel 6

    Doom for the Mountains of Israel

    6 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, set your face against the mountains of Israel; prophesy against them 3 and say: ‘You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places. 4 Your altars will be demolished and your incense altars will be smashed; and I will slay your people in front of your idols. 5 I will lay the dead bodies of the Israelites in front of their idols, and I will scatter your bones around your altars. 6 Wherever you live, the towns will be laid waste and the high places demolished, so that your altars will be laid waste and devastated, your idols smashed and ruined, your incense altars broken down, and what you have made wiped out. 7 Your people will fall slain among you, and you will know that I am the Lord.

    8 “‘But I will spare some, for some of you will escape the sword when you are scattered among the lands and nations. 9 Then in the nations where they have been carried captive, those who escape will remember me—how I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts, which have turned away from me, and by their eyes, which have lusted after their idols. They will loathe themselves for the evil they have done and for all their detestable practices. 10 And they will know that I am the Lord; I did not threaten in vain to bring this calamity on them.

    11 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Strike your hands together and stamp your feet and cry out “Alas!” because of all the wicked and detestable practices of the people of Israel, for they will fall by the sword, famine and plague. 12 One who is far away will die of the plague, and one who is near will fall by the sword, and anyone who survives and is spared will die of famine. So will I pour out my wrath on them. 13 And they will know that I am the Lord, when their people lie slain among their idolsaround their altars, on every high hill and on all the mountaintops, under every spreading tree and every leafy oak—places where they offered fragrant incense to all their idols. 14 And I will stretch out my hand against them and make the land a desolate waste from the desert to Diblah—wherever they live. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”

    Go Deeper

    Ezekiel, God’s prophet to Israel, is now speaking the Lord’s message of judgment to Israel addressing the mountains and hills, ravines, and valleys. Destruction will come to these places that were established to worship false gods in a direct affront to and rejection of the one true God. Ezekiel explains that this desolation, demolition, and death to idol worship and its worshippers is so that “you will know I am the Lord.” God’s purpose is to restore the people to their proper relationship with Him. In this chapter alone, this purpose is stated four times, “then they will know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel repeats this message from God over 60 times in this book. 

    Reading this chapter gives us a glimpse into the heart of God. He is holy and just and must address rebellion, false worship, injustice, and wickedness. The warnings prophesied by Ezekiel also reveal His purpose to draw His people back to Him and to recognize that He alone is the Lord. His mercy and grace are exposed as Ezekiel speaks of God’s sparing a remnant from the sword who will then remember that God is the Lord. 

    Notice the description of God’s grief over the unfaithful adulterous hearts of His people. Their sin of rejecting Him and pursuing false gods broke His heart. Centuries earlier, God spoke these heartfelt words in Deuteronomy 5:29, “Oh that their hearts would be inclined to fear Me and keep all My commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!” This remnant scattered, yet spared, will repent of their “loathsome” practices as they recall that He alone is the Lord and that when He speaks, He does not speak in vain.  

    As difficult as it is to think of the devastating judgment prophesied by Ezekiel, there are significant truths about God that should prompt our praise, worship, and gratitude. He is the one true God and He alone is worthy of our worship. His words are trustworthy and certain. He is perfectly just and immeasurably merciful. He is the God who cares, who grieves over us. Our sin breaks His heart, just as the Israelites’ sin did. The good news is Jesus suffered the punishment on the cross for our rebellious, detestable sins. The penalty we deserve was endured by Christ. God’s perfect justice was satisfied because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we know that He alone is the Lord!

    Questions

    1. How have you been reminded that God alone is the Lord?
    2. How does knowing that God’s heart can be broken by your sin influence your view of God?
    3. How have you grieved the heart of God? Would you take a moment to admit this to Him and repent? If this is an ongoing struggle, ask your Life Group to walk with you as you seek to repent and experience God’s mercy.

    A Quote

    Ralph Alexander writes in Everyman’s Bible Commentary these helpful thoughts:

    “In every generation God’s judgment and discipline is misunderstood by most people. God’s chief desire is to bring people to Himself or back to Himself. When mankind willfully refuses to turn to Him, God mercifully uses discipline and judgment to cause people to recognize that He is the only true God, always faithful to what He has said in His word.”

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  • Ezekiel 5

    Ezekiel 5

    Read Ezekiel 5

    God’s Razor of Judgment

    5 “Now, son of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a barber’s razor to shave your head and your beard. Then take a set of scales and divide up the hair. 2 When the days of your siege come to an end, burn a third of the hair inside the city. Take a third and strike it with the sword all around the city. And scatter a third to the wind. For I will pursue them with drawn sword. 3 But take a few hairs and tuck them away in the folds of your garment. 4 Again, take a few of these and throw them into the fire and burn them up. A fire will spread from there to all Israel.

    5 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: This is Jerusalem, which I have set in the center of the nations, with countries all around her. 6 Yet in her wickedness she has rebelled against my laws and decrees more than the nations and countries around her. She has rejected my laws and has not followed my decrees.

    7 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: You have been more unruly than the nations around you and have not followed my decrees or kept my laws. You have not even conformed to the standards of the nations around you.

    8 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself am against you, Jerusalem, and I will inflict punishment on you in the sight of the nations.9 Because of all your detestable idols, I will do to you what I have never done before and will never do again. 10 Therefore in your midst parents will eat their children, and children will eat their parents. I will inflict punishment on you and will scatter all your survivors to the winds.11 Therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your vile images and detestable practices, I myself will shave you; I will not look on you with pity or spare you. 12 A third of your people will die of the plague or perish by famine inside you; a third will fall by the sword outside your walls; and a third I will scatter to the winds and pursue with drawn sword.

    13 “Then my anger will cease and my wrath against them will subside, and I will be avenged. And when I have spent my wrath on them, they will know that I the Lord have spoken in my zeal.

    14 “I will make you a ruin and a reproach among the nations around you, in the sight of all who pass by. 15 You will be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and an object of horror to the nations around you when I inflict punishment on you in anger and in wrath and with stinging rebuke. I the Lord have spoken. 16 When I shoot at you with my deadly and destructive arrows of famine, I will shoot to destroy you. I will bring more and more famine upon you and cut off your supply of food. 17 I will send famine and wild beasts against you, and they will leave you childless. Plague and bloodshed will sweep through you, and I will bring the sword against you. I the Lord have spoken.”

    Go Deeper

    Ezekiel is in a hairy situation in today’s reading! All jokes aside, it can be difficult to see how passages like this one can be applied to us today, but there is something that we can learn from this passage regarding the Nature of God. For context, this chapter is the second installment of a three-part series of sign acts that Ezekiel completed in public for everyone to see. Each of these sign acts are a specific message from God to the Israelite exiles in Babylon. Let’s take a deeper look into how today’s reading displays some key aspects of God’s nature: namely His precision, justice, and omnipotence.  

    First, let’s talk about God’s precision. Think about everything that God asks Ezekiel to do: He asks Ezekiel to take a sword, cut up his hair, and divide it into three parts. He then commands Ezekiel to complete a different task with each part, each task signifying a distinct portion of God’s plan for Israel’s judgment. God cares about the details–the smaller things! The same is true of God’s care and concern for your life. 

    Next, let’s talk about God’s justice. God firmly metes out judgment on the Israelites in this passage. He firmly administers judgment upon the Israelites, emphasizing that while He desires reconciliation with His people, He remains just and will not tolerate His mercy being taken for granted. 

    Finally, let’s look at God’s omnipotence. Several times in today’s passage the phrase “sovereign Lord” is used in reference to God’s declarations of judgment over Israel. This emphasizes that He is the Lord over all creation, and His will prevails both on Earth and in Heaven. With these judgements being demonstrations of His power, God reaffirms His absolute control over all things. Even when we see chaos all around us, we can rest in the comfort that God is consistently working everything together for His good. 

    Ezekiel 5 may appear unusual (and unsettling) at first glance, but it offers profound insights into the very nature of God. We see His precision, justice, and omnipotence in action, reminding us of His sovereignty over all aspects of our lives. Just as He was actively involved in the lives of the Israelites, He is equally present and engaged in our lives today, inviting us to trust in His perfect plan and justice.

    Questions

    1. How have you seen an aspect of God’s nature at work in your life recently?  
    2. What does Ezekiel’s ministry teach us about God’s love for his people?  
    3. Why should this passage make me more grateful for the grace of God? 

    Did You Know?

    Scholars agree that Ezekiel used a sword to cut his hair in this passage as a reference to the judgment that Nebuchadnezzar’s army would bring upon Jerusalem. 

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  • Ezekiel 4

    Ezekiel 4

    Read Ezekiel 4

    Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized

    4 “Now, son of man, take a block of clay, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it. 2 Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it. 3 Then take an iron pan, place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign to the people of Israel.

    4 “Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the people of Israel upon yourself. You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side. 5 I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the people of Israel.

    6 “After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin of the people of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year. 7 Turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem and with bared arm prophesy against her. 8 I will tie you up with ropes so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have finished the days of your siege.

    9 “Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the 390 days you lie on your side. 10 Weigh out twenty shekels of food to eat each day and eat it at set times. 11 Also measure out a sixth of a hin of water and drink it at set times. 12 Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrementfor fuel.” 13 The Lord said, “In this way the people of Israel will eat defiled food among the nations where I will drive them.”

    14 Then I said, “Not so, Sovereign Lord! I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have never eaten anything found dead or torn by wild animals. No impure meat has ever entered my mouth.”

    15 “Very well,” he said, “I will let you bake your bread over cow dung instead of human excrement.”

    16 He then said to me: “Son of man, I am about to cut off the food supply in Jerusalem. The people will eat rationed food in anxiety and drink rationed water in despair, 17 for food and water will be scarce. They will be appalled at the sight of each other and will waste away because of their sin.

    Go Deeper

    In this chapter of Scripture, we see God telling Ezekiel to set up a clay tablet and carve the city of Jerusalem onto it. Then, Ezekiel is told to set up a scale battlefield around it with camps, battering rams, and a siege wall. He was told not to make the battlefield passive, but to show it in a “state of siege.” It is not in the text, but we can assume that if Ezekiel was asked to build this scale battlefield of Jerusalem, that God was not just asking him to “play make-believe war” by himself. Instead, historians believe that Ezekiel was asked to do this most likely in the doorway of his home for many visitors to see, or inside of his home with visitors inside watching as a “sign for the house of Israel.” Then, if that was not already an interesting enough ask of Ezekiel, God commands him to lay on his left side for 390 days and then on his right side for 40 days. 

    Then, to top it all off, God tells Ezekiel to make bread (with some very strange ingredients) in human excrement. This is to signify the absolute desperation the people will be in during the siege and punishment that is coming. Strange ingredients being prepared in human excrement for consumption. That does not sound appetizing, but if you are starving, you will eat it. This is what God is trying to show them. Starvation is coming.

    What does God commanding these three actions of Ezekiel mean for us today? We need to remember that judgment is real, God will do whatever He needs to get our attention, and that He wants our attention. Yes, judgment is coming. But look around you! God has made Himself known (Romans 1:20) to the entire world time and time again. God is good and loves you. He loves His creation so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us so that we might be reconciled to Him. He is a jealous God that will get our attention, one way or another. Whether it be pandemics, economic turmoil, personal challenges, or making bread in human dung, God will get our attention to remind us that He is God, we are not, and He is the only one who can save us.

    Questions

    1. How is God trying to get your attention?
    2. What does it mean to you that God is making Himself known?
    3. How has God called you to make other people attentive to Him?

    Did You Know?

    The 390 days would equate to 390 years of punishment for sins committed. According to theologian Warren Wiersbe, “When you add the years of the reigns of the kings of Judah from Rehoboam to Zedekiah, as recorded in 1-2 Kings, you have a total of 394 years. Since during three of the years of his reign Rehoboam walked with God (2 Chronicles 11:16-17), we end up with a number very close to Ezekiel’s 390 years.

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  • Rest Day

    Rest Day

    Rest Day

    Today is a Rest Day. There is no new Bible reading to do. Today, the goal is simple: rest in the presence of God. Maybe you need to use today to get caught up on the reading plan if you’re behind, maybe you want to journal what you’re learning so you don’t forget what God is teaching you, or maybe you want to spend time in concentrated prayer–do that. Above all, just spend time in God’s presence. Each Rest Day, we will also introduce a memory verse for the week. Meditate on this week’s verse and begin to memorize it.

    Read This

    As we’ll read throughout the book of Ezekiel, this book points towards a future “shepherd-king”. To learn more about how Ezekiel points to Jesus, check out this blog post from The Bible Project! 

    Worship With Us

    Join us in person or online at 9a, 11a, or 4p at harriscreek.org/live. We’d love to worship with you! We also desire to connect everyone with a local church body where they can thrive in community and use their gifts to serve. If you’re following our Bible Reading Plan from outside of Waco and are eager to get connected with a great local church, email us at [email protected]. 

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  • Ezekiel 3

    Ezekiel 3

    Read Ezekiel 3

    3 And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.

    3 Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.

    4 He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them. 5 You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language, but to the people of Israel— 6 not to many peoples of obscure speech and strange language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you. 7 But the people of Israel are not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for all the Israelites are hardened and obstinate. 8 But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are. 9 I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.”

    10 And he said to me, “Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you. 11 Go now to your people in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,’ whether they listen or fail to listen.”

    12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound as the glory of the Lord rose from the place where it was standing.13 It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound. 14 The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lordon me. 15 I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kebar River.And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days—deeply distressed.

    Ezekiel’s Task as Watchman

    16 At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 18 When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.19 But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.

    20 “Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 21 But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.”

    22 The hand of the Lord was on me there, and he said to me, “Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you.” 23 So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown.

    24 Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. He spoke to me and said: “Go, shut yourself inside your house. 25 And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people. 26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious people. 27 But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ Whoever will listen let them listen, and whoever will refuse let them refuse; for they are a rebellious people.

    Go Deeper

    Perhaps the most memorable image from Ezekiel comes in today’s reading, when he eats a scroll that tastes like honey. The act is done within the continuation of a God-given vision in which Ezekiel is called to prophesy to the obstinate nation of Israel and warn them of destruction if they continue to rebel. We already learned yesterday what was written on the scroll: “words of lament, mourning, and woe”. The mood is dour. The tension is high. God has had enough.  

    Symbolically, the scroll is a reference to the living Word of God. Ezekiel ingests the Law before going to speak to Israel. He “fills” his stomach with it. This serves as preparation for what he will face. He embodies the Law and therefore represents its authority on behalf of God. God then sets the expectations for what Ezekiel will encounter on the journey. In short, God declares that Israel is out of excuses. There are no language or speech barriers preventing them from hearing Ezekiel’s plea.  

    But what happens next carries high stakes for Ezekiel himself. God likens him to a watchman. Those under his watch are now his responsibility. If he doesn’t warn them about God’s impending destruction, their blood will be on his own hands. God says directly, “I will hold you accountable for their blood.” Ezekiel must go and share. Otherwise, he will be held personally responsible for their sin. He will pay the price.  

    This seems unfair to him. But there is a clear tie to Jesus here. Hundreds of years later, Jesus is held responsible for our sin. He takes the wrath of God on our behalf, paying the price for our own rebellion. What seems like an unfair proposition to Ezekiel becomes the reality for Jesus. And for us.  

    Questions

    1. How does God prepare Ezekiel for the rejection he will face (verse 8)? 
    2. Where does God send Ezekiel for 7 days, and what does he do? 
    3. What responsibility do you have to the nonbelievers in your life? 

    By the Way

    Ezekiel eating the scroll that tastes like honey in his vision is reminiscent of Psalm 119:103:

    “How sweet are your words to my taste,
        sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

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  • Ezekiel 2

    Ezekiel 2

    Read Ezekiel 2

    Ezekiel’s Call to Be a Prophet

    2 He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.” 2 As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.

    3 He said: “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day. 4 The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ 5 And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious people—they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people. 7 You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. 8 But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”

    9 Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll,10 which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe.

    Go Deeper

    In this chapter, God tells Ezekiel that the Israelites are rebellious, obstinate, and stubborn. Ezekiel is warned not to be scared of them, even though they would be like painful stinging things surrounding him. Then, Ezekiel is handed a paper filler with funeral songs, words of mourning, and judgments–not really a sign of good things to come.  

    While God paints a pretty miserable picture for Ezekiel, He also prepares and equips Him with the Spirit, His purpose, and His word. Notice that in verse 2, the Holy Spirit fills Ezekiel. Isaiah 11:2 describes the Spirit this way: the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

    In verses 4-5, God fills Ezekiel with His purpose. The purpose of Ezekiel’s mission is to share God’s message with the Israelites, not necessarily to convince them to change; God is the one who changes the human heart. In Jeremiah 24:7, God says: I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.

    Finally, Ezekiel is filled with God’s word. He doesn’t have to figure out what to say; God provides Ezekiel with the message he’s supposed to share. Hebrews 4:12 describes the power-filled words of God: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

    Just like God shared with Ezekiel, Jesus shares the challenges of being a Christian in this world with us. So, why wouldn’t He make better pitch? God doesn’t sell us; instead, He prepares and equips us by filling us with His Spirit, with His purpose, and with His word.

    Questions

    1. What stuck out to you on your first read through this chapter? Why?
    2. What do you learn about Ezekiel through God’s call on his life?
    3. Why is it important to understand a prophetical book like Ezekiel? What are the implications for us as the readers?

    Did You Know?

    Ezekiel’s name means “strengthened by God.” He grew up in Jerusalem and trained to be a priest, but became a prophet after God called him to a different kind of ministry. 

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