Psalm 97, 99; Ezek. 7:10-15,23b-27; Heb. 6:13-20; Luke 10:1-17
The fulfillment of the prophetic word is imminent and the destruction will be complete. When Ezekiel speaks of buyers and sellers here he is speaking of transactions involving land. Recall that land itself belongs to God and the owners received it as inheritance from Him not as title to property but the right to the productive use of the land. Sales were not then of property but of a series of crops until either the next Sabbath or Jubilee year when the land reverted to the control of the original “owner.” One of the complaints the Lord made against His people was that they failed to observe the Sabbath and Jubilee years, practices which were commanded and which would have set the people apart from the rest of the world in faith that God would provide. Here, Ezekiel says that neither buyer nor seller will reclaim the land within their lifetimes. Forging a chain is an image that bespeaks the slavery and exile they will experience. This is not simply a siege, it will end with the nation leaving the Promised Land in chains.
Jesus sends out the 72 disciples two-by-two ahead of Him to announce by word and sign that the kingdom of God is coming. They are to find a person of peace with whom they may stay while in the city and if they receive no welcome in a place they are to pronounce a curse against that city. Jesus speaks woe to two particular cities, Chorazin and Bethsaida. These towns were near Capernaum where Jesus concentrated His Galilean ministry and they would, therefore have had ample opportunity to observe Jesus and come to a conclusion that He was indeed the Messiah and yet seem to have rejected that conclusion. Recall that yesterday we were told that He was moving towards Jerusalem towards His date with destiny, these cities have had all the opportunity they will receive to accept Him. As I write this, there is great controversy in the evangelical world concerning God’s judgment and whether love wins in the end. Jesus never shied away from speaking of judgment and we should indeed be aware that His judgment is all too real.
Have we set all our hope in Jesus? When God promised Abraham, He promised on Himself, there was no assurance other than His own faithfulness. In the first lesson I mentioned the Sabbath and Jubilee years and observance of those years of allowing the land to lie fallow and depend on the super abundance of the prior year’s harvest was an act of faith in the faithfulness of God to provide and to see if the people valued Him and His commandments above their desire for material things, more of this life. We know that with respect to eternity Jesus is our hope but is He the foundation of all our hopes, for this world and the next? The people of the two towns near Capernaum weren’t satisfied with what they had seen of Jesus, they wanted either something more or something different. Let us allow Him to give us the desires in our hearts that we may experience the wonder of being given the desires of our hearts.
Alleluia! bread of angels, Thou on earth our food, our stay;
Alleluia! here the sinful flee to Thee from day to day:
Intercessor, Friend of sinners, Earth’s Redeemer, plead for me,
Where the songs of all the sinless sweep across the crystal sea.
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