December 6-11
Ezekiel 35-46
GodSpeak readings for each day are listed below. Click the link to read the section and/or listen online. A discussion question is listed below for you to use in your GodSpeak group session or for discussion with others who are reading along.
Monday, December 6 Ezekiel 35-36 Read & Listen Online Ezekiel 35, Read & Listen Online Ezekiel 36 (Click “Audio” link to listen)
1. Why did God punish Israel with defeat and exile? Why did He punish the countries around Israel? What did God really want of these people? Use Ezekiel 35-36 to formulate answers to these questions? Then discuss this question: What does God want of us and our nation? How can we contribute to that goal as individuals and as Christian congregations?
Tuesday, December 7 Ezekiel 37-39 Read & Listen Online Ezekiel 37, Read & Listen Online Ezekiel 38, Read & Listen Online Ezekiel 39 (Click “Audio” link to listen)
2. As you read Ezekiel 37-39, describe some of the punishing actions that God took to cleanse the land and preserve His people in safety (Ezekiel 38:22; 39:3-6, 11, 17-20). God took out His punishment for our sins on His own Son. Describe His sufferings for us (Isaiah 53). Then praise God for His sacrificial love for us and all people. You may want to use the words of the hymn “Christ, the Life of All the Living” (LW 94) to conclude your time together.
Wednesday, December 8 Ezekiel 40-42 Read & Listen Online Ezekiel 40, Read & Listen Online Ezekiel 41, Read & Listen Online Ezekiel 42 (Click “Audio” link to listen)
3. On the day before Easter how does your congregation prepare your church for Easter worship? How do you prepare your home for Easter celebration? All the careful measuring that Ezekiel observed indicates the life and splendor of the new community of His people that God wanted to bring into being. They would be a people ashamed of their sins (Look ahead to Ezekiel 43:10) and be faithful to God (Ezekiel 43:11) in their lives. What kind of community does the resurrection of Jesus bring into being today (1 Corinthians 15:20-28, 42-44, 56-58)?
Thursday, December 9 Ezekiel 43 Read & Listen Online (Click “Audio” link to listen)
4. In Ezekiel 43 God describes for Ezekiel the various sacrifices that would be made for seven days just to cleanse the altar so that the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings of the people could be acceptable to the Lord (Ezekiel 43:25-27). How did Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself differ from this and what were its blessings (Hebrews 10:9-10, 12, 15-22)? Close by singing verse 5 of “Lord of Glory, You Have Bought Us” (LW 402).
Friday, December 10 Ezekiel 44 Read & Listen Online (Click “Audio” link to listen)
5. Ezekiel was told by his guide that the east door of the temple was to remain shut because the Lord had entered through this door and only the prince himself could go through the door (Ezekiel 44:1-3; 43:1-2). Who does the prince represent? How might this situation be a picture of our own road to salvation (John 10:7-10)?
Saturday, December 11 Ezekiel 45-46 Read & Listen Online Ezekiel 45, Read & Listen Online Ezekiel 46 (Click “Audio” link to listen)
6. In the division of the land, the provisions for the priests and the prince (Ezekiel 45:1-8), the mandate of standards for the various measures (Ezekiel 45:9-12), the description of what the offerings are to be (Ezekiel 45:13-25), and the descriptions of the festivals (Ezekiel 46:1-15), what is the concern of the Lord (Ezekiel 45:9; 46:18)?
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