DEPARTURE OF THE GLORY OF GOD

“And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain, which is on the east side of the city” (Ezek. 11:23 NKJV).

Our verse mentions the departure of the “glory of the Lord.” We want to note three things about this departure - the significance of the departure, the stages of the departure, and the sin for the departure.

Significance of the departure – “The glory of the Lord.” Israel’s great spiritual privilege and blessing was to have the God dwell with them, and yet they lost it. The loss of “the glory of the Lord” is the greatest loss that a nation or people can experience. Our spiritual privileges are our greatest blessings. Lose them and you have incurred the greatest loss.

Stages of the departure – “Went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain.” In 9:3 the glory went up from the ark in the Holy of Holies in the Temple to the threshold of the Temple, then from the threshold to above the Temple (10:18). Now in our verse it goes up from the midst of the city of Jerusalem to Mount Olivet outside the city. The lesson here is that of gradual step-by-step departure. This is the way we decline: step by step. Therefore, we need to nip sin in the bud before we end up in some great sin and wondering how we got in such a mess.

Sin for the departure - It was sin that caused the departure. Israel had despised the Word of God, departed from the way of God, and defiled the worship of God. Does that sound familiar? This describes many churches today. We do not preach the Word of God, lowered our standards in departing from the way of God, and one look at our worship services say we have defiled the worship of God. No wonder God has left us.

(Adapted from Butler's Daily Bible Reading 3)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Our high and privileged calling is to do the will of God in the power of God for the glory of God!”

James Innell Packer (1926 – 2020)

English-born Canadian Evangelical Theologian and Author

Word Study

Dust

In Acts 22:23 we read, “Then, as they cried out and tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air” (NKJV).

Dust is the Greek word koniortós (κονιορτός = kon-ee-or-tos'). It is made up of two words: “konía” which means dust and “órnumi” which means to stir up, excite, raise. Thus the word refers to the fine particles of matter usually of the dirt of the earth; hence dust. In classical Greek koniortós the word pictures raised dust or clouds of dust. In the Septuagint koniortós carries the idea of dust in the air. In the New Testament koniortós is also used to convey the idea of dust in the air. Here in Acts 22:23 the temple mob threw “dust into the air” to show their anger in response to Paul’s witness.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah would be greeted with rejoicing in Jerusalem (Zech. 9:9).

New Testament Fulfillment – Matt. 21:8-10.

Did You Know…

The One the Israelites looked on as “The Rock” (Deut. 32:4; Psalm 18:2) is actually the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus is “The Rock” of the Old Testament (1 Cor. 10:1-4).

Bible Quiz

What kind of clothing was Elijah known to wear?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: According to the Psalmist David, what is “sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb?” God’s law (Psalms 19:10).

Names For God Found in the Bible

“Yahweh Eloheka”

"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage” (Exodus 20:2).

1. Meaning – Yahweh Eloheka “The Lord your God” speaks of God’s identity and His unique relationship with His people.

2. Insights – In context, the Lord is identifying Himself as the One bringing Israel out of Egyptian bondage. Since He did this for them and proved His supremacy, they were to make Him their God. There was no place for any competitor. All other gods were false. He is not to be the chief God; He is to be the only God.

Did You Know...Christian History

Edward Baierlein was born September 6, 1849 in Poland. He was a German missionary to the Chippewa Indians in America.

Baierlein was originally born Edward von Valseck into a Catholic family in Poland. However, after he converted to Christianity, his father was outraged and disowned him from their family, forbidding him to carry their family name any longer. That is when Edward von Valseck became Edward Baierlein, (Baierlein means “Little Bavarian”).

Because of a sickness, Baierlein was unable to go to India to do mission work as planned. Instead, he was ordained and installed a missionary to the Chippewa Indians in America. Upon meeting the Indians for the first time on their home ground, Baierlein (whom the Indians called Black Coat), he promised them two things: to teach the tribe about eternal life and teach their children reading, writing and arithmetic, so they could read the Bible for themselves and so that they could keep accounts and no longer be cheated by traders. He also asked two things: that they send their children to his school and that they appear in church each Sunday. The Indians thought about it and agreed, shaking his hand so long and hard that his arm ached for days afterward!

Unlike most missionaries, Baierlein and his wife didn’t expect the Indians to adopt white ways. Instead, the couple went to live in a bark hut with the Indians. They ate the Indians’ food and shared their own supplies with the red men. Baierlein’s idea was that if he lived with the Indians, he could demonstrate firsthand what it meant to be a Christian. This approach was different from the normal white snobbishness. As a result, they were deeply loved by the Indians, who inducted them as members of their tribe.

Baierlein quickly learned Chippewa and translated and printed parts of the Lutheran catechism in the language. He also taught the Indians practical skills, such as how to build log cabins. He cleared land at a place he named Bethany, and built a cabin, but it had only one room to live in; the other room was for church use. He set part of the cleared land as “God’s acre.”

Michigan’s harsh climate took a toll on Baierlein’s health. After working with the Indians for five and a half years, Baierlein left and went to sunny India, where he labored for many years, fulfilling his original plan. The man who replaced Baierlein had little sympathy for Indian ways. He made his home ten miles from the tribe which was suffering a great deal because of hard times. And unlike Baierlein, he did not share his resources with them, saying they were just “bread Christians” (people who pretended to be Christians just to get food). The tribe had to scatter to hunt for food and many died. The mission work closed.

Baierlein wrote an informative little book titled In the Wilderness with the Red Indians. He died in a retirement home in France on October 12, 1901.

A Little Humor

A bishop visited a church in his diocese. Only three people turned up to hear him peach. He asked the Vicar, “Did you give notice of my visit?” “No,” replied the vicar, “but word seems to have got round anyway.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“God can take the place of anything, but nothing can take the place of God!”