September 3 – Ezekiel 23-24

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Ezekiel 23-24. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

I absolutely love the Bible. God did not hold back. God did not skirt around issues. God did not remove vulgarity to protect us. God was willing to use harsh language, scandalous illustrations, and sharp points to teach His children. That is what we experienced in Ezekiel 23. What we read there was pretty pointed and what we would consider almost X rated.

For that I am thankful. God created us in His image. That means part our creation is intelligence. He created us with the ability to understand the teachings, even if it meant doing so in ways that are not so pleasant to read.

Somehow though, we have forgotten that in the church. We do not talk about things sometimes that need to be talked about because we have considered them too taboo for church. We skip over the joys of sex because we the church feel it is too risky to preach about. God used sex to define the relationship Israel and Judah were creating with Him. We skip around church discipline, but is not that what God has been doing to Israel and Judah through our reading these last few months? Maybe it is time to begin communicating like our creator, using sharp, scandalous, and even painful points to teach truth.