Today we read these verses in the One Year Bible:
Ezekiel 16:42-17:24
Hebrews 8:1-13
Psalm 106:13-31
Proverbs 27:7-9
And looking at Ezekiel, we see that tonight's reading is brought to us by Monty Python. Let's get to that first, and then we'll look at what's important and meaningful in tonight's reading. We find THIS phrase in the reading today: "Your mother was a Hittite, and your father an Amorite." Which sounds like something the French guy on the wall (pictured above) might say.
But the deeper meaning is that God "gets angry" at the people to whom this passage is addressed. But right at the beginning, we see His character - that God is always looking for reasons to forgive us. It says, "Then my wrath will subside and my jealous anger will turn away from you. I will be calm and no longer angry." Let's talk about that word "jealous" first, though. I've often heard people complain that it's not fair that God can be jealous but we can't. Why is OK for Him to be jealous, but it's a sin if we do it?
Well, to understand that, we need to understand what "jealous" actually means. It doesn't mean wanting something that someone else has. That's envy. God isn't envious. He's not sitting in heaven wishing He had our stuff. Jealousy means protecting something (or someone) that we DO have from someone else who is trying to steal it away from us. And God very much jealously protects us from the enemy who tries to steal us away.
But He also wants to forgive us. He longs for us to turn away from the stupidity and silly sinfulness that pulls us away from Him, so that He can forgive us and give us such an amazing and fulfilling life that we can't even imagine it.
God, thanks for reminding us how much You love us and want to forgive us.
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