Doing what God Tells you to do

 

 

Ezekiel 4:4-17

November 1, 2023

 

“Then lie on your left side, and place the punishment of the house of Israel upon it. For the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their punishment.  For I assign to you a number of days, 390 days, equal to the number of the years of their punishment. So long shall you bear the punishment of the house of Israel.  And when you have completed these, you shall lie down a second time, but on your right side, and bear the punishment of the house of Judah. Forty days I assign you, a day for each year.  And you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with your arm bared, and you shall prophesy against the city.  And behold, I will place cords upon you, so that you cannot turn from one side to the other, till you have completed the days of your siege.

 

In the year 2023, Ezekiel would be locked away in a mental hospital, and that is what some commentators are saying about this prophet of God.  They do not understand obedience to the voice of God, but Ezekiel did.  He did as God told him, and yet it is clear that when God told him he would cook his food on human dung, he had this reply to the Lord.  “Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I have never defiled myself. From my youth up till now I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has tainted meat come into my mouth.”  Then he said to me, “See, I assign to you cow's dung instead of human dung, on which you may prepare your bread.” 

Hebrews 3:15, As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”  I have little doubt that in 2023, Ezekiel would be viewed as a madman. Does that change anything? When God speaks, you always have two choices: to obey or to reject. One brings eternal blessing, and the other separation.  Will you be willing to be called a mad person by the world, by obeying our God?

The rest of chapter 4:4-17,

 “And you, take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet, and emmer, and put them into a single vessel and make your bread from them. During the number of days that you lie on your side, 390 days, you shall eat it.  And your food that you eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day; from day to day you shall eat it.  And water you shall drink by measure, the sixth part of a hin; from day to day you shall drink.  And you shall eat it as a barley cake, baking it in their sight on human dung.”  And the Lord said, “Thus shall the people of Israel eat their bread unclean, among the nations where I will drive them.”  Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I have never defiled myself. From my youth up till now, I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has tainted meat come into my mouth.”  Then he said to me, “See, I assign to you cow's dung instead of human dung, on which you may prepare your bread.”  Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, behold, I will break the supply of bread in Jerusalem. They shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and they shall drink water by measure and in dismay.  I will do this that they may lack bread and water, and look at one another in dismay, and rot away because of their punishment.

“During this period of the sign-act, the prophet, weighed down with his heavy burden, symbolizes the entire nation’s long history of accumulated sin, which will culminate in the siege of Jerusalem, God’s chosen city, and the destruction of its temple. Ezekiel is not atoning for the people through his suffering; he merely represents the people’s being loaded down with their sin.”  

[Jesus] bears the fiery wrath of God against the sin of all his people—past, present, and future.” I am not sure of the Author of this quote.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

 

The Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized

 

Ezekiel 4:1-3

October30, 2023

 

The Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized

 “And you, son of man, take a brick and lay it before you, and engrave on it a city, even Jerusalem.  And put siegeworks against it, and build a siege wall against it, and cast up a mound against it. Set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it all around.  And you, take an iron griddle, and place it as an iron wall between you and the city; and set your face toward it, and let it be in a state of siege, and press the siege against it. This is a sign for the House of Israel.

President Ronald Regan emphasized, “America is a shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere.”  In his farewell address, he said, “In my mind, it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity.” We also have another quote from our history, "For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us; so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall shame the faces of many of God's worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses... ."—John Winthrop, aboard the Arbella, 1630.

 

As I write this paper, what happened to America, the USA, we are not a nation living in harmony, for we have dealt falsely with our God.  Just look at the ignorance of our history and the history of Israel, coming out of our Colleges.  

 

I am not a prophet, not even close to having any understanding of the future, but we are a lot like the people of Ezekiel's time, and in this regard, we believe they were proof.  We like them have not prepared for God’s judgment, and like them, we do not believe it will come.  

God required Ezekiel to engrave on a brick the city of Jerusalem and to take an iron griddle, and place it as an iron wall between you and the city, and set your face toward it, and let it be in a state of siege, and press the siege against it. This is a sign for the House of Israel.  The iron griddle was like an impenetrable wall between Israel, Judah, and God.  Their cries for help would not be heard, and the Lord forbade Ezekiel to intercede for them.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A Watchman for Israel

 

Ezekiel 3:16-27

 

October 25, 2023

 

A Watchman for Israel

And at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.  If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.  But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.  Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand.  But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”

And the hand of the Lord was upon me there. And he said to me, “Arise, go out into the valley, and there I will speak with you.”  So, I arose and went out into the valley, and behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, like the glory that I had seen by the Chebar canal, and I fell on my face.  But the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and he spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself within your house.  And you, O son of man, behold, cords will be placed upon you, and you shall be bound with them so that you cannot go out among the people.  And I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth so that you shall be mute and unable to reprove them, for they are a rebellious house.  But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ He who will hear, let him hear; and he who will refuse to hear, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.

It is written; Watch and wait; “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41

In the book of Lamentations 3:25, “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.”  And in Psalm 62:5, “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.” 

Has the church been called to be a watchman?   In many ways, standing against false teaching encourages the weak in the faith and looking to Jesus for those who have been deceived by the devil.  I asked the question “Got Questions” and this was the answer: “But remember, as a Christian, our personal duty is to be that which God has called us to be:  the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, the Children of God, the Shepherd’s sheep, the Teacher’s disciples, the Master’s bondservants, the stones of God’s house, the workers in God’s field, the subjects of the King, the citizens of Heaven, and more.  We are to be looking UP — looking unto Jesus.”

2 Cor 4:6  “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

 

Sorrow and regret look back.
Worry and fear look around,
But faith and hope look up!

 

 

From ​our Back Porch, 

 

Bob Rice

 

 

 

Eat the Scroll

 Ezekiel 3:1-15

 

October 14, 2023

 

And he said to me, “Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.”  So, I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat.  And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.

 And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them.  For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel, not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you.  But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart.  Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads.  Like emery harder than flint have I made your forehead. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.”  Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears.  And go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ whether they hear or refuse to hear.”

Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great earthquake: “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from its place!”  It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and the sound of a great earthquake.  The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the hand of the Lord being strong upon me.  And I came to the exiles at Tel-Abib, who were dwelling by the Chebar canal, and I sat where they were dwelling.  And I sat there, overwhelmed, among​ themseven days.

We, the Church, have been given much, but are we willing to eat what God has given and allow His spirit to be our guide?  I fear we are more enlightened by man than by God.  We are instructed to go and tell; it is the Holy Spirit's job, not yours or mine to bring convictions.  But often I want to wait till I earned their friendship before going and telling, but that is not what the command was, “Go into all the world and tell what God has done, that salvation is found in none other than Jesus Christ,  As my friend Greg Hood often says, as you go tell, about what Jesus has done for you.

 

But go in the Spirit, for in Him you will have success.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Ezekiel's Call

 Ezekiel 2:1-8

 

October 23, 2023

 

Ezekiel's Call

And he said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.”  And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.  And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day.  The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’  And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them.  And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.  And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.

“But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”  And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it.  And he spread it before me. And it had writing on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe.

Son of man is a rather common term in the Bible, and it simply means “man.” It emphasizes the humanity of a person.  But when Jesus uses the same term, it has a much different meaning.  Look at Daniel 7:13-14, “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.  And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

We have John the Baptist's confession in John 1, where John calls Jesus the Lamb of God who has come to take away the sins of the world.  In John 1 32-34, ^“And John bore witness: 'I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.  I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’  And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”  

John 3:16 is well known, but too often we have not read the rest of the chapter, how about verses 17 and 18, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

The Jewish people are and always will be the chosen people of God, and yes, they are the same in many ways as they were when Ezekiel got this vision from God.  Ezekiel was sent by God, “to the people of Israel, to the nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day.  The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’  And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them.

Now, let me ask you who goes by the title of Christian, how different are you from the impudent and stubborn rebels who have transgressed against the commandments of our God? John 3:19-21, “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.  For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.  But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

 

--

Truth-Seeker

 

Truth-Seeker

  

 

 This thought came into my mind: What if we, the Church of the Living Christ, became seekers of truth?   And I do mean you and me, beginning today. Jesus said in John 8:32, “Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”  We have become more like the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate when he replied to Jesus with this question; What is Truth?  The society of 2025 often will say your truth is not my truth.  But there can be only one truth.

 

Would you be willing to say that the truth does not change, and what is a fact today is also tomorrow?  That is exactness and precision, and as a seeker of truth, you will always want to seek to have accuracy in what you send on the internet, and in your speech.

 

It all begins with you, not with a political party, not with your boss, or even with someone you look up to; it must begin with you.  If you want deception, then listen to the talking heads on TV, the media, or many people in public office.  As a truth-seeker, your role is not to believe without verifying, always believing that all men are liars and only God is the truth.

 

Let me tell you, if you desire to be a seeker of truth, where to begin, by checking out these words of Jesus.  Jesus said in John 14:6-7, “Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.  From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

 

I have found out that a follower of Christ has been given a promise of a Helper, which you will find in John 14:15-17. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.   And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

 

Remember, we serve a God of the second chance. He loves you and will forgive, so confess the need to be a seeker of Truth, for in doing so, you will find Jesus!

 

From our Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Ezekiels Vision

 

 

Ezekiel 1:15-28

 

October 21, 2023

 

Now, as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them.  As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl. And the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel.  When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went.  And their rims were tall and awesome, and the rims of all four were full of eyes all around.  And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose.  Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.  When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

Over the heads of the living creatures, there was the likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring crystal, spread out above their heads.  And under the expanse, their wings were stretched out straight, one toward another. And each creature had two wings covering its body.  And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters, like the sound of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings.  And there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads. When they stood still, they let down their wings.

And above the expanse over their heads, there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance.  And upward from what had the appearance of his waist, I saw, as it were, gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around.

Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

When it comes to Ezekiel and other books of the Bible talking of future prophecy, I have found “Got Questions” soundly handles them.

 

“Ezekiel’s vision of the four wheels dramatically illustrates the omnipresence and omniscience of God. These wheels were associated with the “four living creatures” (Ezekiel 1:4), who were later described in Ezekiel 10:5, 20 as cherubim, angelic beings appointed as guardians of the holiness of God.

Each wheel was actually two in one, with one apparently set inside the other at right angles, which enabled the “living creatures” to move in any direction instantly without having to turn, like a flash of lightning. These wheels had the appearance of chrysolite, which may have been a topaz or other semiprecious stone. The outer rim of the wheels was described as high and awesome, with the outer edge of the rims inset with “eyes” (Ezekiel 1:14-18).

The Spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels (Ezekiel 1:20-21).  As a result, the creatures were able to move in any direction the wheels moved. Most biblical scholars hold to the idea that the Spirit of God gave direction to the wheels through direct knowledge of and access to the will of God. The mobility of the wheels suggests the omnipresence of God; the eyes, His omniscience; and the elevated position, His omnipotence.

This vision appeared to Ezekiel as a powerful imagery of movement and action, demonstrating the characteristics of God’s divine nature. It presented God as being on a chariot-like throne, His glory both supreme and immanent, existing in and extending into all the created universe. As such, the whole revelation by God in this vision to Ezekiel, i.e., the cherubim, the chariot, the Spirit, and the wheels, emphasized their unity and coordination.”

 

From our Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Ezekiel in Babylon

 

 

Ezekiel 1 1-14

 

October 19, 2023

 

Ezekiel in Babylon

 In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as was among the exiles by the Chebar canal, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. On the fifth day of the month (it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin),  the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Chebar canal, and the hand of the Lord was upon him there.

The Glory of the Lord

As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were, gleaming metal.  And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness, but each had four faces, and each of them had four wings.  Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf's foot. And they sparkled like burnished bronze.  Under their wings, on their four sides, they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus:  their wings touched one another. Each one of them went straight forward, without turning as they went.  As for the likeness of their faces, each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle.  Such were their faces. And their wings were spread out above. Each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies.  And each went straight forward. Wherever the spirit would go, they went, without turning as they went.  As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches moving to and fro among the living creatures. And the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.  And the living creatures darted to and fro, like the appearance of a flash of lightning.

 

It sounds like something Disney would come up with, but if you look at chapter 10:5, it becomes clear that these four living creatures were Cherubim.  In fact, the Temple and the Holy of Holies had their image.  In Exodus 25:17-22, God is instructing Moses on where to put the images.

 

 “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth.   And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat.  Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be.  And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark, you shall put the testimony that I shall give you.  There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.”

 

In Genesis 3:24, we see them as enforcers of divine judgment: “He drove out the man, and to the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.”

 

One of the dangers of reading Scripture is allowing unbelief to enter your mind.  How could that be true, and all you had to do was tell God, Will you allow me to understand this truth.  Sometimes it requires a good study Bible, and others just need to read and study the Scriptures.  But there are places in the Scripture that we will not fully understand, and we must always believe God cannot lie, so even if it is not clear, I will believe it is the truth.  As a created being of God, so are the angels and all the heavenly beings.  Faith is an amazing thing. Often, when getting on a plane, I never see the pilot; I do not know if he is of sound mind, I just put faith in what is unseen, with no fact that he is qualified to fly that plane.  But when it comes to God, Paul the apostle makes clear in Romans 1:19-20, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So, they are without excuse.”

 

From our Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Glory of the Lord

 

 

Exodus 40:34-38

 

November 25, 2024

 

The Glory of the Lord

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.  And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.  Throughout all their journeys,  whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out.  But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up.  For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.

Does the Church, that is not a building but all who by faith in the finished work of the Cross, put their trust in that the blood of Jesus Christ has covered their sins, past and present?  We do not have a cloud that covers us; no, it is so much better, we have the Holy Spirit living in us to guide us in our calling.

 

The problem is that many who go by the title of Christian have no access to Him because they are attempting to bypass the Cross with their goodness.  Big problem, Scripture is clear, no one but God is good, and He looks at our good works as filthy rags.

 

The leaders, both teachers and preachers, do not teach how one can look to and listen to the Holy Spirit.  Often, people go by their own feelings and instincts, doing what they believe is right.  Once more we err in such, for once more we find in the Scriptures that the heart is wicked, who can understand it?

 

Blaise Pascal, who lived in the sixteen hundred, said, “Human beings must be known to be loved; but Divine beings must be loved to be known.”  A key quote from Pascal, that is the key to cutting out the noise and hearing from the Holy Spirit, is this.  “All human evil comes from a single cause, man's inability to sit still in a room.”  I would add a quiet room, with no TV or radio, just you and the Holy Spirit, and listen for His voice.

 

Be like the young man Samuel in the Bible,  one must say Lord, I’m listening, lead me in the way of righteousness.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice 

Setting thing in the Way God told Moses

 

Exodus 40:22-33

 

November 22, 2024

 

 He put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil, and arranged the bread on it before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.  He put the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle,  and set up the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.  He put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the veil,  and burned fragrant incense on it, as the Lord had commanded Moses.  He put in place the screen for the door of the tabernacle.  And he set the altar of burnt offering at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as the Lord had commanded Moses.  He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing,  with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet.  When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, as the Lord commanded Moses.  And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So, Moses finished the work.

 

What if we, who are followers of Christ, were obedient to what the Lord has commanded us to do as those workmen and women in obedient to what the Lord had commanded Moses?  Would the Church see the Wind of the Spirit of God moving in their lives?  Would our neighbors see that we put their interests as important as ours?  

 

What if we, the followers of Christ, examined ourselves and asked the Holy Spirit to guide us as He did? Moses and the people who were obedient to what God had told them. We do not need the water in a basin to wash our hands and feet, but just ask, and knock, and the door to our ministry will be open.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Making the Priestly Garments

 

Exodus 40:1-21

 

November 21, 2024

 

Making the Priestly Garments

From the blue and purple and scarlet yarns, they made finely woven garments, for ministering in the Holy Place. They made the holy garments for Aaron, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

He made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.  And they hammered out gold leaf, and he cut it into threads to work into the blue and purple and the scarlet yarns, and into the fine twined linen, in skilled design.  They made for the ephod attaching shoulder pieces, joined to it at its two edges.  And the skillfully woven band on it was of one piece with it and made like it, of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

They made the onyx stones, enclosed in settings of gold filigree, and engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel.  And he set them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod to be stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

He made the breast piece, in skilled work, in the style of the ephod, of gold, blue and purple, and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.  It was square. They made the breast piece doubled, a span its length and a span its breadth when doubled.  And they set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle was the first row;  and the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond;  and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;  and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in settings of gold filigree.  There were twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They were like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes.  And they made on the breast piece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold.  And they made two settings of gold filigree and two gold rings and put the two rings on the two edges of the breast piece.  And they put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breast piece.  They attached the two ends of the two cords to the two settings of filigree. Thus, they attached it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod.  Then they made two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breast piece, on its inside edge next to the ephod.  And they made two rings of gold, and attached them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the skillfully woven band of the ephod.  And they bound the breast piece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it should lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breast piece should not come loose from the ephod, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

 

As a Gentile and a follower of Christ, I often need help with the when and whys, and often the whys are just because it pleased God to do so.  But in the case of the priestly Garments, it was a reminder to Aaron and the people of Israel of the promises of God to Abraham, Isaiah, and Jacob.  A reminder of the sons of Israel and the twelve tribes. 

 

One of my when was the wearing of the priestly garments, and I found this answer on the internet: “that he wore them whenever he performed priestly duties in the tabernacle; essentially, whenever he was ministering to God on behalf of the Israelites.“

 

These garments set aside Aaron and his sons as special in their duty to God and his chosen people, and to show them honor and respect.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Dsh

 

 

The Dash

 

Back on December 22, 2018, at my friend Buddy Neubauer's memorial service, this poem was given to each person, and since I had not worn that suit very often, I found it in my coat pocket.  It began in this way;

 

I read of a man who stood to speak at a funeral.  He referred to the date on the tombstone from the beginning … to the end.

 

He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.

 

The dash represents all the time they spent alive on earth, and how only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.

 

For it matters not how much we own, the cars… the house… the cash.  What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.

 

So, think about this long and hard; are there things you’d like to change?  For you never know how much time is left that still can be rearranged.

 

To be less quick to anger and show appreciation more, and love the people in our lives as we’ve never loved before.

 

If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile… remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.

 

So, when your eulogy is being read,  with your life’s actions to rehash, would you be proud of the things they say about how you lived your dash?

 

                                                                                        Author Linda Ellis

 

My life was richer in knowing Buddy since Junior High school, and still good friends with his bride, Debbie.

 

 

The Dash without Jesus

But it is the poem that has got my full attention, the Dash.  This thought came into my mind it from the Scripture a quote from Jesus;  ^“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26) The poem ask that question, What does it matter, what you are worth, or what you have, it all left behind.  But an eternity without Jesus is not a good choice; in fact, it is just plain stupid.  Being a kind and nice person will not earn you heaven, nor being religious; it requires a personal relationship with Jesus.  I believe Romans 10:9-10 gives you and me the way to have such a relationship.   ^“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart, one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

One night many years ago in Victoria, Texas, in a motel room about 10 pm, as I put the key in the door, I heard this voice in my mind, “This is the last night my Spirit is going to deal with you.  I've been trying to make a deal with God for about 5 months, and it was like talking to a wall.  But that night, it was not about a deal; it was very clear, God was giving me an ultimatum.  I could not get to the hotel Bible fast enough, and it opened to Romans 10, and my eyes went to verses 9-10.  As I read that I knew it was true, I also knew I was a sinner, and I told the Lord, I have not one thing to offer you, but You have everything I need.  And by an act of faith that God gave me, I ask Him into my life.  He changed my dash that night.  It took a lot of unlearning how to get my needs met outside of Jesus. It was not a quick lesson, I’m still learning, but this I know, my Father in Heaven is the God who spoke the world into being, and formed man out of the dust of the earth.

But, there is much that is beyond my limited understanding, God's love is one of them.  Why, before He spoke the world into being, He knew that He would have to send Jesus to buy me and you out of the control of sin.  This I know without doubt, He did, and God gave us the ability to choose or not choose the gift of His Son. I sure hope you chose Jesus.  In Matthew 16:27, “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”  What he/she has done with Jesus.

At the memorial service, it's nice that people will say he/she was a good person, but that's not what's important; does God call you His son​/daughter?  One of the saddest verses in the Bible is found in Matthew 7:21-23: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’  And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”

​Let me share one more thing that Jesus said, it recorded in  John 14:6,  ^“Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  Many believe that being moral and good to others is all you need; others try to do good religious acts, but they will be the ones verse 23 is referring to.

The best quote I ever heard to explain the difference between religions and a personal relationship with Christ is: Religion is about doing, and a relationship with Christ is about being done.  Jesus did it all on the Cross, and He said it is finished.  So, we are told to choose this day, whom we will serve, or what will you give in exchange for your soul?

From our Back Porch,

Bob Rice