MARKING THE PEOPLE

“And the LORD said to him, go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it” (Ezek. 9:4 NKJV).

Judgment was coming for the nation of Israel and Ezekiel was instructed to mark those who would be exempt from Divine judgment. Thus we want to note the parting by the mark, the people for the mark, and the purpose of the mark.

Parting by the mark - The righteous and the wicked may live side by side for a time, but eventually the time will come when they will be separated. God will part the righteous from the wicked. And only God knows who is wicked and who is righteous. He will not make any mistakes in the parting of the people.

People for the mark – “Put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.” Those to be marked were those who both “sigh “and “cry” because of the iniquity in the land. Sighing speaks of the inward concern of people. It is the heart lamenting the sin in the land. Crying is the outward complaint of the people about the sins in the land. It is important that both the sighing and the crying be present. Many folk may show an outward lamenting of the sins. But inwardly they may not sigh. Those who cry but do not sigh are hypocrites. On the other hand, those who sigh but do not cry are cowards. Those who sigh need to cry out against evil and take a strong stand against evil.

Purpose of the mark - Later on we are told about the purpose of the mark: it was to protect those given the mark from the judgment of God. In a society when there is sin and unrighteousness, the righteous may feel out of place, and may even be despised. Yet, God thinks differently about them. God favors the righteous and will protect them from Divine judgment. If God were marking people today, would you be a person to receive a mark?

(Adapted from Butler's Daily Bible Reading 3)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Mercy is not for them that sin and fear not, but for them that fear and sin not!”

Thomas Watson (1620 – 1686)

English Non-conformist Puritan Preacher and Author

Word Study

Dull

In Heb. 5:11 we read, “Of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing” (NKJV).

Dull is the Greek word nōthros (νωθρός =no-thros'). It is made up of two words: the negative “ne” which means no, and “otheo” which means to push. Thus the word means no push; hence slow, sluggish, slack, idle, lazy. In classical Greek nōthros meant leisurely or gradually falling into a deep sleep, often with reference to the mind and one’s mental responsiveness. In the Septuagint nōthros carries the idea of a failure to follow through with work or a responsibility because of being dull or slow in some aspect of life. In the New Testament nōthros is used to convey the idea of a lack or deficiency and refers to both a lack of receptivity to Christian truth and a general dullness or staleness concerning one’s faith or spiritual fervor. As believers, we need to be ever diligent for idleness is the enemy of the soul

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah would be greeted with be just (Zech. 9:9).

New Testament Fulfillment – Matt. 5:30

Did You Know…

In the Bible the Lord Jesus describes Himself as the “I AM” which is a claim to deity (John 8:58).

Bible Quiz

According to the Psalmist David, what is “sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb?”

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: According to the Lord Jesus, what type of people enter the sheepfold by some other way other than the door? Thieves and robbers (John 10:1).

Names For God Found in the Bible

“Yahweh Hoseenu”

"Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker” (Psalm 95:6).

1. Meaning – Yahweh Hoseenu “The Lord our Maker” speaks of God as our Maker and our Creator. All that exists is His possession.

2. Insights – In context, the Psalmist issues a call to worship God because He is the Creator and Sustainer of everything. The call has prostration in view as it uses language of bowing and kneeling. When we “bow down” and “kneel” we are showing proper homage and respect as we remember the purpose for which we were created. We are also acknowledging His Lordship over our lives.

Did You Know...Christian History

Obadiah Holmes was born March 8, 1606 near Manchester, England. He was an early Rhode Island settler, and a Baptist minister.

Holmes was hot tempered with a tendency to find fault. As a boy, he rebelled against his religious parents. However, when his mother died, he blamed himself and changed his ways.

At 21, Holmes married Katherine Hyde, and they had nine children. Together they ‘braved the dangers of the sea’ to come to Massachusetts in the Great Puritan Migration. In Salem, Holmes started a glassmaking business, but unable to bear the civil restrictions, moved to Rehobath. There his teaching split the local church and he became leader of a small Baptist group. The colony’s leaders ordered him “to desist, and neither to ordain officers, nor to baptize, nor to break bread together, nor yet to meet upon the first day of the week...” And so Obadiah and his wife moved to Rhode Island, setting up house for the third time since coming to America.

In Newport Holmes quickly associated with Baptist ministers John Crandall and John Clarke, a prominent advocate of religious freedom. In 1651, the three men visited an elderly Baptist man in the town of Lynn, just north of Boston. While they held a small religious service in the old man’s home, two constables burst in, arrested them and took them to jail in Boston. A court found the three men guilty of the crime of heresy. The magistrate fined Clarke 20 pounds, Crandall 5 pounds and Holmes 30 pounds. Friends of Clarke and Crandall paid their fines. Holmes refused to let them. On July 31, 1651, the magistrate sentenced Holmes to 30 lashes, one for each pound he owed.

News spread fast and far about the savage whipping and the persecution of the Baptists in Massachusetts. In the end it resulted in more, not less, religious freedom. The whipping of Obadiah Holmes also had the unintended consequence of helping to preserve Rhode Island’s independence.

In 1652, Holmes succeeded Clarke as pastor of the Newport Baptist Church. He was only the second pastor of that congregation, which was the second Baptist Church in the New World. He led them for almost exactly thirty years - until his death in 1682. To the very end, Holmes kept his eyes on the things of God.

Holmes’ testimony lived on long after the punishment was past. In Boston itself, his suffering impressed others who established a Baptist church there, regardless of the colony’s disapproval. Holmes’ Last Will and Testimony is a highly regarded piece of Baptist exhortation. His great-great-great-great-great-grandson, Abraham Lincoln, was elected the 16th president of the United States.

A Little Humor

All but of one of the Catholic Churches in town had its Mass schedule posted in front. It also announced the time weekly bingo started. A member of the nearby Baptist Church phoned the priest to complain. “My son,” he replied, “our parishioners know when we hold Mass, but we have to be sure the Protestants know when we hold bingo.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“The pleasures of sin are ‘for a season,’ but its wages are for eternity!”