As the vision of chapters 8 and 9 continues, Ezekiel sees the mobile chariot-throne with the Lord’s glory that he had seen in chapter 1 (vv 15, 20, 22). What is significant is that the Lord’s glory is progressively moving out of the Temple.

As part of the vision (chs. 8-11), Ezekiel sees a group of twenty-five men. These men assume that they are the privileged ones who the Lord is preserving. They view themselves as “the choice meat in the cooking pot” (vv. 3, 11), in contrast to those who have already been taken into exile (v. 15).

This chapter has two parts that focus on two different subjects. Ezekiel is writing this from exile in Babylon.

In verses 1-20 Ezekiel dramatically depicts what will happen to those still living in Jerusalem: the king and the people will go into exile (vv 1-16), and those living in Jerusalem will live in fear and anxiety as they endure the Babylonian invasion (vv 17-20).

People often assume that “freedom” simply means being free to do whatever you choose, without any kind of restraint: “I can do whatever I want!” We know, however, that reality at every turn is framed by restrictions. A man cannot shoplift an iPhone just because he wants one but can’t afford it.

During my time in pastoral ministry I knew people who remarried after their spouse passed away. Because of the intimate nature of marriage, definite adjustments in lifestyle had to be made. It would be silly and even pointless for the remarried person to treat their new spouse just like the first one …

This marvelous prayer honors God for creating the cosmos and everything, human and animal, that lives in it. He has done so wisely, creating an order that not only brings life into existence, but provides for our every need.

The opening of the psalm uses Near Eastern metaphors to describe God’s creative acts.

What makes a person – a woman, a man – good and noble is their character, not how much money they have in the bank or what designer clothes they wear or even what other people say about them. Let’s let God change the way we think – then we can please him (Romans 12:2).