Dear Readers and Listeners, Friends in Jesus Christ,
Our watchword for today is taken from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, Chapter Eleven verse Nineteen, “I will give them one heart and put a new spirit within them,” (NRSVB). The prophet, Ezekiel received a vision from the Lord promising the return of the nation of Israel and Judah to worship God according to his statutes. Israel moved away from the instructions of God’s commandments for a long time. Slowly but surely the grew accustomed to their life-style and did not even realize how far it was that they fell away from the path of righteousness. Even the nations around Israel noted their decline and were amazed that they turned their back on their Lord. However, in every group of the remnant of the Jews who were being scattered in various location as exiles, there were still a few who worshipped the Lord. They kept praying and looking for his salvation and deliverance. This remnant of people interceded for the nation of Israel and looked forward to a time when they will return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple and the cities. Their witness to God served to spread his word in the places where the exiles were living.
The Israelites were in captivity for seventy years. During this long time of absence from their land and their worship many of the scriptures were forgotten. The new generations had to be taught by faithful priests, scribes and prophets the scriptures anew. For they had to be pointed to the fulfilment of God’s promises. They realized how they were living the vision the prophet foretold. For the exiles did return and their hearts and minds did yearn to learn the statutes of the Lord. Their hearts turned and were receptive good soil for the seeds of the word of God. They renounced their wrongs and experienced the blessings of the Lord as they return to worship God as the One God, the God of Israel. Ezekiel kept on telling the vision and promises he received from God to the exiles to give them hope for a future where they would be confessing and worshipping God in the temple again and it came true.
The Jewish nation returned to Israel and rebuilt the temple and the cities. However, scholars state that during the period between the Old and New Testament, a time span of about four hundred years, there were no prophets in Israel. Then the prophet, John the Baptist appeared and people were recognizing him as a prophet of the Lord and were coming to hear his testimony regarding the coming Messiah. Israel was not in exile, but Israel was not free, for they were ruled by the Romans. Before the Romans ruled the Greek empire. In the time of the Greek occupation the Jewish Scriptures were translated in the Greek language. God works in mysterious ways to preserve and to scatter his word in the world. The Jews who lived in Greek occupied cities, started to be more fluent in Greek than Hebrew. They read the word of the Lord in the Greek translation, called the Septuagint, and so new believers in God, the God of Israel were added to the faithful. Many of the Roman rulers and governors who occupied Israel could speak and read Greek, thus the word of God and quotes from Scripture, reached a far greater group of people than only the nation of Israel. When John came he told of the coming of the Messiah. The faithful knew that these promises were written up in the Scriptures and handed down through the ages as God spoke to the prophets.
The last prophet before the Messiah, John the Baptist did not only prophesy of the coming Messiah, he pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” He died for his witness to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. After the death and resurrection of Jesus the disciples were waiting for the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit descended on the people, the disciples were empowered to witness to the Messiah despite danger and persecution. Peter explained to the great crowd of people, who heard the loud sound of the wind and the power of the storm that accompanied the gift of the fire from heaven, that this was the baptism that John the Baptist spoke about when he said: “I baptize you with water, but he who comes after me will baptize you with fire,” as we read in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 3 verse 16. The people who listened to the sermon of Peter, following the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, found their hearts were united. Despite their different languages and customs, they were all touched to the core of their hearts by the Cross of Christ and his love for the world. They received his message as he pointed to them that these words and promises were all given for them and their future generations. “For the promise of the Holy Spirit is to and for you and your children, and to and for all that are far away, even to and for as many as the Lord our God invites and bids to come to Himself,” as we read in Acts Chapter Two verse Thirty-nine, (Amplified Bible).
Father, we thank you that you have promised your Spirit to all who come to you. Through your Son you have made us part of the inheritance and promises that you gave your children through the prophets. We thank you for your word and pray that our hearts will be burning within us to share your word with those around us, Amen.