Bible In A Year - Ezekiel 14-28

The Bible in a Year - Old Testament

Ezekiel 14-28

Read this coming week:

Nov 22 Ezek 14‐15, Ps 119:113‐120, Eph 5‐6 Nov 23 Ezek 16, Ps 119:121‐128, Phil 1‐2 Nov 24 Ezek 17‐18, Ps 119:129‐136, Phil 3‐4 Nov 25 Ezek 19‐20, Ps 119:137‐144, Col 1‐2 Nov 26 Ezek 21‐22, Ps 119:145‐152, Col 3‐4 Nov 27 Ezek 23, Ps 119:153‐160, 1 Thess 1‐2 Nov 28 Ezek 24‐26, Ps 119:161‐168,1 Thess 3‐5 Nov 29 Ezek 27‐28, Ps 119:169‐176,2 Thess 1

Reading Questions

For next week you’re reading Ezekiel 14-28.  Be able to answer the following:

• What imagery does God speaking through Ezekiel use to explain His judgment?
• What is the “everlasting covenant”?
• What is God teaching in the “parable” of Ohola and Oholibah?
• What is the character of the city of Tyre?

Tyre

Biblical geography can be tough because most of the places that are mentioned in the Bible don’t exist anymore.  However, without at least some working knowledge of the places in the Bible, we miss out on the message that God is trying to communicate.

Location: Tyre is just west of the region of Galilee where Jesus would have walked.  It is a part of Phoenicia.

Prominence in the text: Tyre is mentioned 57 times by name in the Bible.

People Group: Phoenicians. Phoenicians were sea-faring traders with close relations to nearby Assyria and not-so nearby Egypt.  They were pagan worshipers who considered “Melqart” (a kind of Baal-type god) to be the head of their multi-god religious system.

Modern day equivalent: Tyre was an industrious and wealthy nation-city.  They would have been known throughout the world for their trading and trade goods (especially purple dye made from sea-urchins).  A modern day equivalent might be Japan – a small nation with lots of trade.

Image: About.com

The Bible In A Year - Psalm 119 (Part 3)

The Bible in a Year - Psalms

Psalm 119 – Part Three

Read this coming week:

Nov 22 Ezek 14‐15, Ps 119:113‐120, Eph 5‐6 Nov 23 Ezek 16, Ps 119:121‐128, Phil 1‐2 Nov 24 Ezek 17‐18, Ps 119:129‐136, Phil 3‐4 Nov 25 Ezek 19‐20, Ps 119:137‐144, Col 1‐2 Nov 26 Ezek 21‐22, Ps 119:145‐152, Col 3‐4 Nov 27 Ezek 23, Ps 119:153‐160, 1 Thess 1‐2 Nov 28 Ezek 24‐26, Ps 119:161‐168,1 Thess 3‐5 Nov 29 Ezek 27‐28, Ps 119:169‐176,2 Thess 1

Reading Questions

For next week you’re reading Psalm 119, vs. 113-176.  Be able to answer the following:

• How many times are the following used (keep a tally):
  • Law
  • Testimonies
  • Precepts
  • Statutes
  • Commandments
  • Rules
  • Word
  • Promise
• Phew, you’re done with the longest Psalm.  Now try to condense the message down into one sentence.

Praying with the Psalms

The Psalms are possibly the easiest genre of Scripture to pray, as many of them were composed as prayers.  Using the Psalms can enrich your prayer life by making sure that praise and thanksgiving are a part of your prayers (which is something we often forget about).  Use this step by step process to pray the psalms:

1. Read the Psalm (or section of the Psalm) once through before praying.
2. Determine the speaker of the Psalm.  Is this 1^st person (I, me, us) 2^nd (you), or 3^rd (they, he)?  Is it singular or plural?
3. Are there any places or names that you don’t understand?  (You can look them up and/or replace them with places or names that fit in your own life.)
4. Set aside at least 10 minutes (even if you don’t think you’ll need that long).
5. Pray the Psalm to God, taking your time to let His Words guide your prayer and your thoughts.
6. If there Psalm leads you to think of a neighbor, pray for them.

Image: Whole heart by what_marty_sees at Flickr

It's my face...

A Lutheran pastor, a Roman Catholic priest, and a Methodist pastor went for a hike one day. It was very hot. They were sweating and exhausted when they came upon a small lake.Since it was fairly secluded, they took off all their clothes and jumped in the water.

As they were getting out of the lake, who should come along but a group of ladies from town. Unable to get to their clothes in time, the Methodist and the Catholic covered their privates and the Lutheran covered his face while they ran for cover.

After the ladies had left and the men got their clothes back on, the Baptist and the Roman Catholic asked the Lutheran why he covered his face rather than his privates. The Lutheran replied, “I don’t know about you, but in MY congregation, it’s my face they would recognize.”

(p.s. while I get along with the other campus ministers here at FSU, we haven’t gone skinny dipping together….well….at least for a while….)

Image: 50/365 Look away, I’m hideous! by TomTM5