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The Bible Breakdown
Ezekiel 05: A God Centered Haircut
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The More We Dig. The More We Find.
Well, everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, pastor Brandon. Today, ezekiel, chapter 5, and today's title is A God-Centered Haircut. You heard it A God-Centered Haircut. My man, ezekiel. He's at it again. Okay, we're going to get into all that in just a second.
Speaker 1:But if you like what we're doing here, make sure, as you're getting your Bible out, you're also like sharing and subscribing to the YouTube channel and the podcast. It doesn't cost you anything, but it really helps us get the word out, as we're letting people know that we are reading God's word one chapter at a time, and we're discussing it as we go. And I love the fact that we have people now literally from all over the world who are reading God's word with us. And I do want to say for some of you who are listening in other countries no, most people don't sound like I do when they talk. Okay, this is a southern accent and I am working to get rid of it somewhat, but I'm kind of stuck with it at this point. But just so you know, if you can't understand me, not all people from the United States sound like I do. Okay, but make sure you're also going to the Bible Breakdown discussion on Facebook because I'm going to tell you, the more we dig, the more we find. And they discussion on Facebook because I'm going to tell you, the more we dig, the more we find. And they're doing a great job there and I love it. I love, I love the idea of us creating a community where, when you learn something about God's word, you can share it with us and then we'll do the same back to you and that's how we grow. Right Is life is meant to be done in community. Well, once again, if you have your Bibles, you want to open.
Speaker 1:The overall theme of Ezekiel is God's promise of renewal, and so God is going to speak to them continually about hey, listen, you guys are in exile. Remember, jeremiah watched the end of the nation of Israel, of Jerusalem. The temple was destroyed, all of that. But now they want to come out of that. They're in 70 years captivity, but they're wanting to. They're in 70 years captivity, but they're wanting to come back to God, even though they're scattered. And God has sent Ezekiel, my man, the guy who is so very stubborn, and he is now a living parable to all of them, to see what it looks like with the things that God is saying and so, like with Jeremiah and Isaiah and different ones, they would go and they would go debate in the temple and they would talk about the different things. Well, with Ezekiel there is no temple and so he is becoming this living parable in front of them.
Speaker 1:And so yesterday, can I just tell you, yesterday let me come back to this Yesterday I feel like we grew together as a team, as a family, as a church community between me and you. It's not every day that we get to talk about human poo. That just unites people. Can I just say that? And if you did not listen to yesterday's, can you just go and suffer with us. Okay, you're going to feel closer to your community as we do this. We just grew together and, as a matter of fact, as a quick aside, I've had other pastors say you know, brandon, I would like to start a podcast like this for my church and read through the Bible.
Speaker 1:What do you do with some of those problem chapters? And they're thinking about some where there's some theological stuff. Can I tell them I was like man, that's no problem. Wait till you get to Song of Solomon, wait till you get to Leviticus. Can I tell you, wait, wait till you get to Leviticus, can I tell you, wait till you get to Ezekiel.
Speaker 1:Chapter four what are you going to do with that? What can I tell you? We did so good, we made it, and today it's also going to be a little weird, but it's different. Okay, remember. Today it's about getting a haircut for Jesus, and remember that he is just a living parable, a metaphor for what God is doing. So if you're ready, get your razors, and here we go.
Speaker 1:Chapter five, verse one son of man, remember that's? That's buddy. Hey, buddy, take a sharp sword, use it as a razor to shave your head and beard. Use a scale to weigh the hair into three parts. Can we just pause and say he must've had a lot of hair. If I cut off all of my hair and put it on a scale, it wouldn't weigh much, but his weighed enough that he was able to separate it into three parts.
Speaker 1:Okay, verse 2, place a third of it at the center of your map of Jerusalem. Don't need to stare at it for 390 days, good heavens. Okay, all right. Verse 4. Then take some of these hairs out and throw them into the fire, burning them up. A fire will then spread from this remnant and destroy all Israel.
Speaker 1:This is what the Lord says. This is an illustration of what will happen to Jerusalem. I placed her at the center of the nations, but she rebelled against my regulations and decrees and has been even more wicked than the surrounding nations. She has refused to obey the regulations and decrees I gave her to follow. Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says you people have behaved worse than your neighbors and have refused to obey my decrees and regulations. You have not even lived up to the standards of the nations around you.
Speaker 1:Therefore, I myself, the sovereign Lord, I'm now your enemy. I will punish you publicly, while all the nations watch, because of your detestable idols. I will punish you like I have never punished anyone before or ever will again. Parents will eat. Never punished anyone before or ever will again. Parents will eat their own children. Children will eat their parents.
Speaker 1:I will punish you and scatter you to the few winds of the few who survive as surely as I live, says the sovereign Lord. I will cut you off completely. I will show you no pity at all because you have defiled my temple with your vile images and detestable sins. A third of your people will die in the city from disease and famine. A third will be slaughtered by the enemy outside the city walls and I will scatter the other third to the winds, chasing them with my sword. Then, at last, my anger will be spent and I will be satisfied. And when my fury against them has subsided, all Israel will know that I, the Lord, have spoken to them in my jealous anger. So I will turn you into a ruin, a mockery in the eyes of the surrounding nations, and all who pass by you will become an object of mockery, a taunting and horror. You will be a warning to all the nations around you and they will see what happens when the Lord punishes a nation in anger and rebukes.
Speaker 1:It says the Lord, I will shower you with deadly arrows of famine to destroy you. A famine will become more and more severe until every crumb of food is gone and along with the famine, wild animals will attack you and rob you of your children. Disease and war will stalk your land and I will bring the sword of the enemy against you. I, the Lord, have spoken man against you. I, the Lord, have spoken man. So in other words, we're hearing an echo of what God kept telling them through Isaiah and Jeremiah and now Ezekiel.
Speaker 1:So what God told the people with Isaiah was hey, listen, guys, you got to get your act together. If you don't get your act together, god is going to allow these nations to overtake you in his justice. He is going Let you go and let them have you, let them do whatever they want to do. And then Jeremiah comes along and he said listen, god's coming now. God's judgment it's on its way because we will not turn. And he's like and even then, god still wants something good for you, but you're going to have to turn back to God, you're going to have to.
Speaker 1:And now Ezekiel's like this is what you asked for, this is what you did, this is what you did. This is what happened. And you know why? Because you're stupid. I mean, that's what he's saying. He's like you see y'all done, turned into cannibals, y'all be eating each other. You know why? Because you're stupid, that's what he's saying. You did this to yourself. God said I kept telling you and I kept telling you and I kept telling you. And now, here it is. Don't get mad at me, this is what happened. And then he's and then you know what he said. You know what's so sad too Is. He was saying that for those of you who escape the slaughter, for those of you who escape the famine, wild animals going to come get you. So it's like, after you have survived everything else, now wild animals are coming. In other words, you're done, just give up. You're done, it's all going to happen. And then, if you happen to survive that disease, you're done. But you notice what he said. He said you know why, because of what you did, the temple, just for.
Speaker 1:At this point we're like we want to act like that God's mean. It's been hundreds of years at this point that God has said over and over again. You know how many times I let my girls tell me not obey me before they get in trouble. They get once. Okay, they, if I tell them I need you to go do your chores, and they don't go do them, then they're in trouble because I told them once. God has been telling them for over 100 years hey, listen, I need you to follow me, I need you to repent, I need you to turn back. So in other words, it hasn't just been this generation, but over the course of two and three generations he's been telling you. So finally he's like okay, I'm done, and then God pronounces judgment. And so here's the question what in the world can we do to apply this today?
Speaker 1:Now, first of all, don't let that be us. Don't ever get to the point where God finally has to say the only thing that's going to reach you is judgment. I've tried my kindness, I've tried my goodness, I've tried my long suffering, and it's not working. I got another trick up my sleeve and I don't want to use it. That's why I save it for last. Nothing else will work. Judgment, I've got to be just. Don't be that, don't do that.
Speaker 1:But I want to think about another thing, and that is I want to think about Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a living parable of what God was wanting to do. Now, his parable was a bad one. He was having to cut off all of his hair and throw this one over here and throw that one over there, and it was God's example of judgment. But you know what God's asked us to do? It's to be a living parable among the people around us. But the parable that he has asked us to live is the parable of. This, is what it looks like to follow God. So can I encourage you, can I ask you, can I beg you to do something Live your faith out loud.
Speaker 1:Live your faith in public. Don't save your prayer for the private place only. Don't save your reading of God's word for private only. Don't save your testimony for life group only. Don't save your worship of God's word for private only. Don't don't save your testimony for life group only. Don't save your worship only for Sunday mornings. But live your faith out loud, cause that's what God's asking us to do Now.
Speaker 1:I'm not asking you to be weird. I'm not asking you to be uh, like, like just some, you know. I'm not asking you to be. You know what I'm trying to say. But what I am saying is don't be ashamed of who you are, because so many people have seen what's fake. They need to see one person that's real, and I'm. I'm not better than any one of you. I'm just better than I would be without Jesus. That would be our testimony. I'm not a salesman, I'm a satisfied customer, and if I'm going to tell you about my new favorite restaurant, I got to tell you about my favorite God, the only God, and his name is Jesus. So what about you? That's our takeaway, and that is are you willing to live your faith out loud, be a living parable about what it looks like to serve the Lord. If you do that, then, just like Ezekiel, it doesn't matter if other people turn over their lives over to God or not. We hope they do, but that's their business. Our business is to be faithful and to do what God has called us to do.
Speaker 1:Let's pray God. Thank you so much for today. Thank you, god, that you're with us and you're for us in every way. I pray today, god, that we will never first of all get to that place where the only thing that will reach us is judgment, but instead will constantly be coming back to you, allowing you to wash away our sins. I also pray God for everyone today, lord, that we will be a living parable to those around us and that we will find a way, lord, to constantly live our faith out loud and let you guide us in all things. In Jesus' name, we pray amen and amen. Ezekiel 34, 34, verse 14, says I will put my spirit in you and you will say it with me live again. My hope is that you experience the fullness of God and that you live life to the full. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow. For Ezekiel, chapter six.
