Punishment, destruction, condemnation, guilt, sin, the sword, and death. All words that we have become familiar with in our reading of Ezekiel. Words that are dark and hard to hear. Words that burn behind our eyes as we try to fathom how far Israel has fallen in her relationship with God. Let me encourage you to see more than the words that sting. Let me encourage you to see Jesus in the Book of Ezekiel. More than 90 times, Ezekiel is called the “son of man.” I think it shows us the connection that Ezekiel has to the people among whom he prophesies. It shows how he walks among them, calling them to see God, to turn from sin, and to surrender wholeheartedly. Matthew uses the same phrase approximately 29 times and Luke uses it about 25 times. In the Book of Ezekiel, it refers to the prophet. In the Gospels, it points to Jesus. It shows us how Jesus walked among us, as one of us, in the world. Jesus, too, has called us to wholehearted surrender. Jesus has made a way through sin and guilt, through destruction and judgement to offer us hope and life.
| Date | Reading |
| September 28 | Ezekiel 19 |
| September 29 | Ezekiel 20 |
| September 30 | Ezekiel 21 |
| October 1 | Ezekiel 22 |
| October 2 | Ezekiel 23 |
| October 3 | Ezekiel 24 |
| October 4 | Ezekiel 25 |
| October 5 | Ezekiel 26 |