Covenanter Witness Vol. 54 - Rparchives.org

uin."
you."
place."
evil"
the vessels that Solomon had made for
the temple and the other furnishings
that were of gold. All the strong and
rich were carried with them to Baby
lon. Ezekiel was taken in this captivity.
One more king, Zedekiah,
was allowed
to come to the throne,
strong
but he was not
enough to support his rebellion
against Nebuchadnezzar,
treated most cruelly
and he was
and all but the
weak and poor of the land were carried
to Babylon,
as we shall see next week.
Ezekiel in Babylon, Ezekiel 2:1, 2
Carried to Babyon in the second cap
tivity, Ezekiel seems to have been treat
ed quite well. In fact, it seems that
these captives were not abused if they
were obedient. Favoritism was shown
to Daniel which caused jealousy and
stirred up plots against his life. Then
hatred for Mordecai because of his
prominence led Haman to plot the masacre
of all the Jews. These plots are an
evidence that the captives were, as a
rule, treated in a way
that gave them
an incentive and a fair chance to win
favor. Of course those captives that
showed a rebellious disposition would
receive no mercy. Any slavery is oppres
sive, but we read of no such cruelty be
ing practiced on the captives as a group
as was practiced in Egypt.
It seemed to be the purpose of Nebu
chadnezzar to carry away the leaders
so as to disorganize the nation, and the
strong so as to weaken it. Then he
sought out those skilled in industry and
the arts that he might have their serv
ices, and learn from them.
After five years of captivity, Ezekiel
received his commission from the Lord,
and was given his message to deliver
to the captives. The narrative of our
lesson is taken from 2 Kings, 24th chap
ter. Then some scattered verses from
chapters 1, 3, 11 and 18 of Ezekiel. In
the first chapter is Ezekiel's vision of
the Living Creatures, and the wheels.
These visions came as a preparation
for the message that was to follow.
Both the vision and the message are hard
to understand. Let us pass them with
this suggestion: These visions proclaim
ed the Mystery, Knowledge, Power and
Glory of the Author of the message he
was to deliver. Everyone who faces the
job of being
vision.
a Christian needs such a
The Character of the People,
Ezekiel 2:3, 4.
Here we have God's evaluation of the
Children of Judah in captivity. It was
probably very different from the way
they judged themselves. A young man
just through school took a job in his
father's mills. In a few days he re
ported to his father a very harsh opinion
of his overseer. Indeed he advised his
June 29. 1955
father to discharge him. His father re
plied, "I am more interested in what
your overseer thinks of you than in
what you think of him." We need the
power to see ourselves as God sees us.
The Masons, with their "Compass and
Square,"
might build the Leaning Tower
of Pisa. The Masons, like the Israelites,
neglected the one essential instrument,
the plumb line, which points straight up,
to God.
Ezekiel was sent to a people who re
belled, transgressed and were stiff-neck
ed. He was to say to them, "Thus saith
the Lord." That's the Plumb Line. "To
know, obey and submit to God's will on
Heaven."
Earth, as the angels do in
Ezekiel's Sustaining Vision,
Ezekiel 3:11-15
The message was to be delivered to
the people,
"Whether they
will hear
or whether they will forbear." An easy
task if they will hear, what if they for
bear For the Prophet's encouragement,
the Spirit took him up, and he heard a
voice behind him, saying, "Blessed be
the Glory of the Lord from this
With the consciousness of this backing
he feared not the face of man. This
is the secret of the Christian's cour
age in all ages.
God's Plan, Ezekiel 18:30
"There will I judge God's plan
is not for our condemnation, but for
our salvation; for immediately he says,
"Repent ye, and turn yourselves from
your transgressions; so iniquity shall
not be your
Why does not God send a prophet to
us as he did to Israel He does. It is
probable that very few of the captives
had the opportunity to see Ezekiel or
hear him speak. There would be very
few if any copies of his message, and
very few of the people could read. We
may each have a copy
of His message
today and we are able to read it, and
study it and measure it's truth by its
fulfillment in the lives of men and na
tions from that day to this. If we will
not hear Moses and the prophets, why
send another But God, in His infinite
mercy has sent another. Christ came
not to condemn the world, but to give
life. And to prove His power, He even
rose from the dead,
Satan offers sin, the destruction of
nations as well as of men. God offers
repentance and obedience for the peace
and prosperity of the world. If warn
ings seem harsh, they are accompanied
by
gracious promises.
Our Part in Salvation
I may be lost and my country saved.
My country may be lost, while I am
saved. But how can I be saved if I have
no interest in the salvation of my coun
try and the world The Law of Sal
vation requires love for both ourself
and our neighbor. Righteousness in
national life is an aid to all those with
in the nation who would live righteously.
And the character of the nation is de
termined by the people who live in it
The people to whom Ezekiel was sent
were in captivity in Egypt, because they
were spiritually disobedient. Our Nation
has never been in bondage to any other
nation, but what about bondage of sin
Ezekiel was in bondage to Neubuchadnezzer,
but his spirit was free. Nebu
chadnezzer held nations in bondage, but
was himself in bondage to sin and death
and ripe for destruction.
Psalms :
PRAYER MEETING TOPIC
July 20, 1955
THE RICH FOOL
Luke 12:16-21
Rev. W. C. McClurkin
49:4-9, page 123
49:11-13, page 126
39:3, 4, page 100
37:30-33; page 94
References: Exod. 20:17 Prov. 28:20;
Psalm 119:36; Eccl. 4:8; Isa. 5:8;
Ezek. 33:31; Micah 2:2; Hab. 2:9, 10;
I Cor. 5:11; Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5; I Tim.
6:9, 10; Heb. 13:5; I Peter 2:3.
In this parable of the Rich Fool is
moral medicine prescribed by the Great
Physician for the covetous. It is here
administered at His direction by Dr.
Luke. A dose of it would be good for
what ails every one, or is likely to : cov
etousness.
Though it makes the covetous wince,
those healed by it find it pleasant to
take as a preventative against further
trouble. Some (Job 23:12) esteem it
more than their necesary food. They
find it to be not only medicine, but food,
good food for thought and life. In the
fellowship of the saints, such as our
prayer meetings, testimonies of its ef
fectiveness and blessing are often heard.
In many of the Psalms of their worship
the Lord is praised for His treatment
and healing
of the covetous.
A COMMON SIN
Covetousness is very prevalent. The
malady is not peculiar to the rich. The
poor also have it. Those of the middle
class are not immune from it. It is an
innate corruption in every one since the
Fall, though in varying degrees.
Covetousness is just as aggravating in
the picket lines of ordinary laborers on
the sidewalks as in the offices of mana
gers higher up.
Covetousnes is very prolific. Among
the many ills flesh is heir to, this one is
basic, being "a root of all kinds of
and productive of "many
hurtful
lusts"
foolish and
(I Tim. 6:9, 10, R.V.).
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