31 Then He said to me, "Son of man , eat what you find ; eat this scroll , and go , speak to the house of Israel ." 2 So I opened my mouth , and He fed me this scroll . 3 He said to me, "Son of man , feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you." Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth . 4 Then He said to me, "Son of man , go e to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. 5 "For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language , but to the house of Israel , 6 nor to many peoples of unintelligible speech or difficult language , whose words you cannot understand . But I have sent you to them who should listen to you; 7 yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, since they are not willing to listen to Me. Surely the whole house of Israel is stubborn e and obstinate e . 8 "Behold , I have made your face as hard as their faces and your forehead as hard as their foreheads . 9 "Like emery harder than flint I have made your forehead . Do not be afraid of them or be dismayed before e them, though they are a rebellious house ." 10 Moreover, He said to me, "Son of man , take into your heart all My words which I will speak to you and listen closely . 11 "Go to the exiles , to the sons of your people , and speak to them and tell them, whether they listen or not, 'Thus says the Lord GOD .' " 12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me, "Blessed be the glory of the Lord in His place ." 13 And I heard the sound of the wings of the living beings touching one another and the sound of the wheels beside them, even a great rumbling sound . 14 So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away; and I went embittered in the rage of my spirit , and the hand of the Lord was strong on me. 15 Then I came to the exiles who lived beside the river Chebar at Tel-abib , and I sat there seven days where they were living , causing consternation among them.
16 At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me, saying , 17 "Son of man , I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel ; whenever you hear a word from My mouth , warn them from Me. 18 "When I say to the wicked , 'You will surely die ,' and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live , that wicked man shall die in his iniquity , but his blood I will require at your hand . 19 "Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way , he shall die in his iniquity ; but you have delivered yourself . 20 "Again, when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity , and I place an obstacle before him, he will die ; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin , and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered ; but his blood I will require at your hand . 21 "However, if you have warned the righteous man that the righteous should not sin and he does not sin , he shall surely live because he took warning ; and you have delivered yourself ."
22 The hand of the Lord was on me there , and He said to me, "Get up, go out to the plain , and there I will speak to you." 23 So I got up and went out to the plain ; and behold , the glory of the Lord was standing there , like the glory which I saw by the river Chebar , and I fell on my face . 24 The Spirit then entered me and made me stand on my feet , and He spoke with me and said to me, "Go , shut yourself up in your house . 25 "As for you, son of man , they will put ropes on you and bind you with them so that you cannot go out among them. 26 "Moreover, I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be mute and cannot be a man who rebukes them, for they are a rebellious house . 27 "But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you will say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD .' He who hears , let him hear ; and he who refuses , let him refuse ; for they are a rebellious house .
41 "Now you son of man , get yourself a brick , place it before you and inscribe a city on it, Jerusalem . 2 "Then lay siege against it, build a siege wall , raise up a ramp , pitch camps and place battering rams against it all around . 3 "Then get yourself an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between you and the city , and set your face toward it so that it is under siege , and besiege e it. This is a sign to the house of Israel . 4 "As for you, lie down on your left side and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel on it; you shall bear their iniquity for the number of days that you lie on it. 5 "For I have assigned you a number of days corresponding to the years of their iniquity , three hundred and ninety days ; thus you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel . 6 "When you have completed these , you shall lie down a second time , but on your right side and bear the iniquity of the house of Judah ; I have assigned it to you for forty days , a day for each year . 7 "Then you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared and prophesy against it. 8 "Now behold , I will put ropes on you so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have completed the days of your siege .
9 "But as for you, take wheat , barley , beans , lentils , millet and spelt , put them in one vessel and make them into bread for yourself; you shall eat it according to the number of the days that you lie on your side , three hundred and ninety days . 10 "Your food which you eat shall be twenty shekels a day by weight ; you shall eat it from time to time . 11 "The water you drink shall be the sixth part of a hin by measure ; you shall drink it from time to time . 12 "You shall eat it as a barley cake , having baked it in their sight over human dung e ." 13 Then the Lord said , "Thus will the sons of Israel eat their bread unclean among the nations where e I will banish them." 14 But I said , " Ah , Lord GOD ! Behold , I have never been defiled ; for from my youth until now I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts , nor has any unclean meat ever entered my mouth ." 15 Then He said to me, "See , I will give you cow's dung in place of human dung over which you will prepare your bread ." 16 Moreover, He said to me, "Son of man , behold , I am going to break the staff of bread in Jerusalem , and they will eat bread by weight and with anxiety , and drink water by measure and in horror , 17 because bread and water will be scarce ; and they will be appalled with one another and waste away in their iniquity .
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau , even regarding things to come . 21 By faith Jacob , as he was dying , blessed each of the sons of Joseph , and worshiped , leaning on the top of his staff . 22 By faith Joseph , when he was dying , made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel , and gave orders concerning his bones . 23 By faith Moses , when he was born , was hidden for three months by his parents , because they saw he was a beautiful child ; and they were not afraid of the king's edict . 24 By faith Moses , when he had grown e up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter , 25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin , 26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt ; for he was looking to the reward . 27 By faith he left Egypt , not fearing the wrath of the king ; for he endured , as seeing Him who is unseen . 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood , so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. 29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land ; and the Egyptians , when they attempted e it, were drowned . 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days . 31 By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient , after she had welcomed the spies in peace .
32 And what more shall I say ? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon , Barak , Samson , Jephthah , of David and Samuel and the prophets , 33 who by faith conquered kingdoms , performed acts of righteousness , obtained promises , shut the mouths of lions , 34 quenched the power of fire , escaped the edge of the sword , from weakness were made strong , became mighty in war , put foreign armies to flight . 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection ; and others were tortured , not accepting their release , so that they might obtain a better resurrection ; 36 and others experienced e mockings and scourgings , yes , also chains and imprisonment . 37 They were stoned , they were sawn in two , they were tempted , they were put to death e e with the sword ; they went about in sheepskins , in goatskins e , being destitute , afflicted , ill-treated 38 (men of whom the world was not worthy ), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground . 39 And all these , having gained approval through their faith , did not receive what was promised , 40 because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect .
(Read Hebrews 11:20-31)
Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, concerning things to come. Things present are not the best things; no man knoweth love or hatred by having them or wanting them. Jacob lived by faith, and he died by faith, and in faith. Though the grace of faith is of use always through our whole lives, it is especially so when we come to die. Faith has a great work to do at last, to help the believer to die to the Lord, so as to honour him, by patience, hope, and joy. Joseph was tried by temptations to sin, by persecution for keeping his integrity; and he was tried by honours and power in the court of Pharaoh, yet his faith carried him through. It is a great mercy to be free from wicked laws and edicts; but when we are not so, we must use all lawful means for our security. In this faith of Moses' parents there was a mixture of unbelief, but God was pleased to overlook it. Faith gives strength against the sinful, slavish fear of men; it sets God before the soul, shows the vanity of the creature, and that all must give way to the will and power of God. The pleasures of sin are, and will be, but short; they must end either in speedy repentance or in speedy ruin. The pleasures of this world are for the most part the pleasures of sin; they are always so when we cannot enjoy them without deserting God and his people. Suffering is to be chosen rather than sin; there being more evil in the least sin, than there can be in the greatest suffering. God's people are, and always have been, a reproached people. Christ accounts himself reproached in their reproaches; and thus they become greater riches than the treasures of the richest empire in the world. Moses made his choice when ripe for judgment and enjoyment, able to know what he did, and why he did it. It is needful for persons to be seriously religious; to despise the world, when most capable of relishing and enjoying it. Believers may and ought to have respect to the recompence of reward. By faith we may be fully sure of God's providence, and of his gracious and powerful presence with us. Such a sight of God will enable believers to keep on to the end, whatever they may meet in the way. It is not owing to our own righteousness, or best performances, that we are saved from the wrath of God; but to the blood of Christ, and his imputed righteousness. True faith makes sin bitter to the soul, even while it receives the pardon and atonement. All our spiritual privileges on earth, should quicken us in our way to heaven. The Lord will make even Babylon fall before the faith of his people, and when he has some great thing to do for them, he raises up great and strong faith in them. A true believer is desirous, not only to be in covenant with God, but in communion with the people of God; and is willing to fare as they fare. By her works Rahab declared herself to be just. That she was not justified by her works appears plainly; because the work she did was faulty in the manner, and not perfectly good, therefore it could not be answerable to the perfect justice or righteousness of God.
(Read Hebrews 11:32-38)
After all our searches into the Scriptures, there is more to be learned from them. We should be pleased to think, how great the number of believers was under the Old Testament, and how strong their faith, though the objects of it were not then so fully made known as now. And we should lament that now, in gospel times, when the rule of faith is more clear and perfect, the number of believers should be so small, and their faith so weak. It is the excellence of the grace of faith, that, while it helps men to do great things, like Gideon, it keeps from high and great thoughts of themselves. Faith, like Barak's, has recourse unto God in all dangers and difficulties, and then makes grateful returns to God for all mercies and deliverances. By faith, the servants of God shall overcome even the roaring lion that goeth about seeking whom he may devour. The believer's faith endures to the end, and, in dying, gives him victory over death and all his deadly enemies, like Samson. The grace of God often fixes upon very undeserving and ill-deserving persons, to do great things for them and by them. But the grace of faith, wherever it is, will put men upon acknowledging God in all their ways, as Jephthah. It will make men bold and courageous in a good cause. Few ever met with greater trials, few ever showed more lively faith, than David, and he has left a testimony as to the trials and acts of faith, in the book of Psalms, which has been, and ever will be, of great value to the people of God. Those are likely to grow up to be distinguished for faith, who begin betimes, like Samuel, to exercise it. And faith will enable a man to serve God and his generation, in whatever way he may be employed. The interests and powers of kings and kingdoms, are often opposed to God and his people; but God can easily subdue all that set themselves against him. It is a greater honour and happiness to work righteousness than to work miracles. By faith we have comfort of the promises; and by faith we are prepared to wait for the promises, and in due time to receive them. And though we do not hope to have our dead relatives or friends restored to life in this world, yet faith will support under the loss of them, and direct to the hope of a better resurrection. Shall we be most amazed at the wickedness of human nature, that it is capable of such awful cruelties to fellow-creatures, or at the excellence of Divine grace, that is able to bear up the faithful under such cruelties, and to carry them safely through all? What a difference between God's judgement of a saint, and man's judgment! The world is not worthy of those scorned, persecuted saints, whom their persecutors reckon unworthy to live. They are not worthy of their company, example, counsel, or other benefits. For they know not what a saint is, nor the worth of a saint, nor how to use him; they hate, and drive such away, as they do the offer of Christ and his grace.
(Read Hebrews 11:39-40)
The world considers that the righteous are not worthy to live in the world, and God declares the world is not worthy of them. Though the righteous and the worldlings widely differ in their judgment, they agree in this, it is not fit that good men should have their rest in this world. Therefore God receives them out of it. The apostle tells the Hebrews, that God had provided some better things for them, therefore they might be sure that he expected as good things from them. As our advantages, with the better things God has provided for us, are so much beyond theirs, so should our obedience of faith, patience of hope, and labour of love, be greater. And unless we get true faith as these believers had, they will rise up to condemn us at the last day. Let us then pray continually for the increase of our faith, that we may follow these bright examples, and be, with them, at length made perfect in holiness and happiness, and shine like the sun in the kingdom of our Father for evermore.
