Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

I’m Jemima L Yeggs, a.k.a. Stinker.  Pink Lady Apple Yeggs, my landlady and my auntie, wants to read about how younger people, especially couples respond to what the Bible says.  And she wants to know how God is at work at Lily the Pink.

B.B., Fireball, and I were not in our “green room.”  We were at Michael Rowe Casey’s farm.  We were all packed into one farmhouse, twenty-five of us.  And our two hosts were going to join us.  But Easy and I had one of the few private rooms.  So, the three of us were playing with Stormie and Ethan.

I said, “Stormie, say something to Ethan.”

Stormie went to Ethan’s carrier.  Stormie asked, “What do I say?”

I said, “Anything.”

Stormie looked at Ethan and said, “Anything.”  And then a few seconds later. “Mommy, he smiled and he’s moving his arms and legs.”

I laughed, “He likes you.  Keep talking.”

B.B. said, “I think Ethan found a friend.  Look, he is looking to find Stormie as she jumps around.”  Then Ethan cooed.  “That settles it.  He cooed.  He likes Stormie for sure.”

Arabella said, “Aunt Jemima, How long before Ethan can pop the question?”

I snickered, “They are just friends, Fireball.  Let’s let them be playmates for 30-40 years first.”

Arabella smiled, “Yeah, I thought so.”

B.B. said, “Fireball, Ethan is a handsome young man.  He might have a dozen girls chasing him before too long.”

B.B. said, “I think it’s time to start the class. Let’s go.”

Arabella opened the door and bowed.  I laughed, “Arabella, Sarah is nowhere in sight.  Why the formal door person routine?”

Arabella huffed, “Somebody would tell her.  Besides, I need to keep practicing or I might forget when we get back home.”

Rev. Joseph led us in prayer and then he led us in Amazing Grace.

I said, “No Joe, that was good.  I didn’t know you could sing.”

Joseph laughed, “I have to be able to sing.  If I forget to turn the mic off when I am at the front of the church, what comes out has to sound somewhat decent.”

I said, “Sierra and Dakota are with us. and I promised them that we would not be late for church.  I also told them that this is a couples class.  So, for those who have been chasing clouds for the most part, welcome Virgil and Jeff.”

Michael Rowe Casey asked, “Where are we searching for Jesus today, Aunt Jemima?”

I laughed, “Are you filling in for Samuel?  We are looking at Ezekiel.  Arabella, do you need Mr. Dictionary?”

Arabella nodded, “If he can explain a wheel within a wheel, I would surely appreciate it.  And the usual Who, When, Where stuff.”

Easy, with eyes closed, said, “Belle, you are asking a lot, but I anticipated that.  We don’t know for sure what Ezekiel saw.  He called it a wheel within a wheel, multiples of those.  But what he actually saw was probably something that was too hard to put into words.  But here is a roller bearing.  See the inner circle?  That fits tightly around a shaft.  Then the ball bearings roll as the inner circle spins.  And the ball bearings are held in place by this outer ring which might be fit into the hub of a wheel.  So, you would then have the ‘wheel’ that is attached to the axle, the ‘wheel’ that is attached to the hub of a larger wheel, maybe with a tire installed on the wheel.  I am not saying this is what Ezekiel saw, but it is a wheel within a wheel.  I think it might be a series of cogs and gears like clockworks.  And do not look at me funny, Fireball.  Old clocks, not these digital things.”

Arabella asked, “Mr. Dictionary, did you take this wheel thingy off the Turtle?  Are we going to be going down the road and then a wheel falls off?”

Easy said, “No, Arabella.  The Turtle has sealed bearings.  I brought this along to explain how it works.  Just for you.”

Arabella giggled, “Thank you, Mr. Dictionary.  Now, who was Ezekiel?”

Easy smiled, “Who: Ezekiel was a priest that was in exile in Babylon, in the second wave of the exiles. ‘In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. On the fifth of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin—the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the Lord was on him.’ (Ezekiel 1:1-3).  Okay, this has most of our ‘W’ questions.  Priests start priestly duties at thirty years old, so Ezekiel was just barely into his priestly role when God came to him.  He was exiled at 25.  So that takes care of the When.  Where is in exile, in Babylon, along the Kebar River.  ‘He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.” As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.’ (Ezekiel 2:1-2).  As usual, the Why is because God called him.  And what he was called to do was rather strange at times.  ‘“Now, son of man, take a block of clay, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it. Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it. Then take an iron pan, place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign to the people of Israel.  “Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the people of Israel upon yourself. You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side. I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the people of Israel. “After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin of the people of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year. Turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem and with bared arm prophesy against her. I will tie you up with ropes so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have finished the days of your siege.’ (Ezekiel 4:1-8).  And the How is that the Holy Spirit worked through him.”

Arabella smiled, “Thank you, Mr. Dictionary.”

I said, “The experts do not agree whether there are any Christophanies in Ezekiel.  He sees a lot of weird things.  He is taken up in the spirit.  That means that he physically did not go there, but his spirit saw the things God wanted him to see.  So, he did not do a lot of travelling.  But we will mention the almost Christophanies, and you can make up your own mind.”

Dr. Ben (Ezekiel 1:26-28) “Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.  This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.”

Dr. Ben said,”Lapis Lazuli is often translated as sapphire.  So that was the color of the stone, like Easy mentioned, Ezekiel may not have had the words to precisely write what he saw, but he saw a figure like that of a man that was high above the throne.  He looked to be hot metal from the waist up.  He looked like fire from the waist down.  This sounds something like what John saw on the aisle of Patmos, but then the last sentence raises the question.  This was the likeness of the glory of the Lord.  So, was this a man in the flesh or something that Ezekiel saw?”

Michael said, “Dad, it seems that he said a figure like a man instead of a man, because what man looks like glowing metal?  And it could not be Jesus.  Jesus never told a lie.”

Dr. Ben asked, “And what does that mean?”

Michael shrugged, “It’s the old expression, ‘Liar!  Liar!  Pants on fire!’”

Dr. Ben shook his head, “You and Arabella are not to be studying this stuff alone.  She’s rubbing off on you.”

Dr. Ellie (Ezekiel 17:22-24) “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. All the trees of the forest will know that I the Lord bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. “‘I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.’””

Dr. Ellie said, “This is not the only place where Jesus is portrayed as a tree.  ‘A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.’ (Isaiah 11:1).  But notice how the prophecy from God speaks of all kinds of birds, not just the Hebrew birds.  And all the trees know that God brought the tall tree to them.  So, this is a metaphoric messianic prophecy.  And Jesus came for everyone, not just the Jews.”

I smiled, “Thank you.  I like it when you find a verse that I did not give you to read.”

Michael (Ezekiel 21:26-27) “this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Take off the turban, remove the crown. It will not be as it was: The lowly will be exalted and the exalted will be brought low. A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! The crown will not be restored until he to whom it rightfully belongs shall come; to him I will give it.’”

Michael said, “The turban got me confused, so Belle and I looked it up.  The turban represents the priests.  Of course, the crown represents the king.  This was during the reign of Zedekiah, even though Zedekiah was supposed to be Nebuchadnezzar’s puppet king.  So, take off the turban and the crown.  Those will be restored when the One who they rightfully belong to comes.  So, this last sentence is a messianic prophecy.  Jesus is both priest and king.  So, to him should go both the turban and the crown.  Did we do good, Aunt Jemima?”

I smiled, “That was exactly where I wanted you to go, Michael.”

Dr. Ellie smiled, “That’s my boy!”

Sierra interrupted, “Wait!  Aunt Jemima?  The maple syrup?”

I laughed, “My name is Jemima.  I was an aunt upon birth, since my Mom was my Dad’s second wife, after the first wife died.  And Aunt Jemima seems a lot more respectful than having the teenagers calling me Stinker.”

Stormie came over, “You’re Mommy.”

I looked at Stormie, “Yes, Sweetie, you go play with Joan.  I answer to Mommy on occasion, too.  Now back to Ezekiel.”

Arabella (Ezekiel 34:23-24)  ‘I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.‘

Belle said, “I am so glad I got this one.  Yes!  David had been gone for generations by the time of Ezekiel, so Ezekiel was clearly talking about one of his offspring.  And then Jesus steps up to it.  One of His ‘I AM’ statements is… ‘“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.  I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.’ (John 10:14-16).  You can go through the Bible and tell the whole salvation story just with sheep.  God loves us and He knows we will stray.  Sheep wander.  Sheep follow the wrong things.  Sheep will do dumb things.  Sheep get lost.  And the Good Shepherd will put the sheep that do not get lost in a safe place and then go after the one that gets lost.”

I laughed, “And this has nothing to do with you wanting to be a veterinarian or the fact that you help Michael with the goats and llamas on the farm?”

Belle smiled brightly, “We have cows, too.”

I smiled, “Okay, let’s move on.”

Carla (Ezekiel 36:26-27) “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

Carla said, “This idea of God giving us a heart of flesh is also in Ezekiel 11. ‘I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.’ (Ezekiel 11:19).  And we see it in 2 Corinthians.  ‘You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.’ (2 Corinthians 3:3).  The heart has four chambers.  So, our hearts are divided, but it is a muscular organ that works as one piece to get the old blood oxygenated and then pump that blood to the rest of the body.  But when Ezekiel talks about our undivided hearts, God is saying that we have a sin nature, but when we love God, that sin nature still tugs at our heartstrings.  Someday, that tug of war will be over and our desires will be totally for Jesus and His kingdom.”

I nodded, “Thank you, Carla.  That was wonderful.  And now for the big football player who cannot fit in any seat of the Turtle except for mine.  And, Goober, please don’t break it.”

Goober (Ezekiel 37:26-28) “I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.’””

Goober said, “My playing on the football field is different now that I know Jesus.  I give Him the glory, but He is my sanctuary.  Regardless of what happens, I know that I have safety in Him.  I am at peace, even if what happens ends my playing career.  But these verses talk about the millennial reign of Christ and us living with Him forever.  Jesus will be our God, and He will dwell among us.”

Brooke (Ezekiel 41:1-2) “Then the man brought me to the main hall and measured the jambs; the width of the jambs was six cubits on each side. The entrance was ten cubits wide, and the projecting walls on each side of it were five cubits wide. He also measured the main hall; it was forty cubits long and twenty cubits wide.”

Brooke laughed, “What about the next chapter.  ’Then the man led me northward into the outer court and brought me to the rooms opposite the temple courtyard and opposite the outer wall on the north side. The building whose door faced north was a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide.’’ (Ezekiel 42:1-2).  I think your Easy should have gotten these verses.  From chapter 40-48, Ezekiel follows this man around the temple, and all we know is a man with a measuring stick.”

Easy said, “That’s why I did not get those verses.  I have a mechanical engineering degree.  The surveyors work for a civil engineer.”

Brooke snickered, “Okay, okay, you are not that civil, but this could have been an angel.  Since this is measuring a temple that does not exist yet, was the man physically there?  And Aunt Jemima, as you started this lesson, when Ezekiel was carried in the spirit, God had Ezekiel see what God wanted him to see, but his body did not go there.  So, nine wonderful chapters that would be very interesting to a civil engineer, which is not like Easy at all.  But we cannot say this is a clear Christophany.”

I grumbled, “I would suggest that you and Easy kiss and make up, but he’s my husband.  And I got one couple out of turn, but now we are into the quotations.”

Brenton (Ezekiel 12:2) ““Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.”

Brenton said, “We’ve had this idea for a few weeks.  Isaiah and Jeremiah both mention it. I’ll just read a verse from Mark. ‘so that, “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”’ (Mark 4:12).  It’s what Paul talks about, that to unbelievers, the things of heaven are nonsense, and to a Christian, the things of this world are meaningless.”

Joseph (Ezekiel 17:23) “On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches.”

Joseph said, “This is part of what Dr. Ellie read earlier.  Jesus said something similar. ‘It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.”’ (Luke 13:19).  It’s in all three of the synoptic gospels.  And the mustard plant in the middle east can grow as high as 15ft.  Not as big as a cedar of Lebanon, but with it you can relate to the same concept.”

Mary (Ezekiel 37:27) “My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

Mary said, “And from Leviticus.  ‘I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people..’ (Leviticus 26:12).  God is telling the people that He wants to be part of our lives, to dwell among us.  That is what Jesus did.  Then in 2 Corinthians, ‘What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”’ (2 Corinthians 6:16).  So, being part of this family in this room, we all feel closer to God.  God is here with us.”

I nodded, “Thank you, Bestie.”

Mags (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3) “We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Mags laughed, “Am I the substitute Grannie Fannie?”

I snickered, “I suppose.”

Dakota asked, “Grannie Fannie attends your class?”

I laughed, “It started innocently, and then her boyfriend, Lancelot, became a Christian and even though they are older, they joined us.”

Brooke picked up Stormie and strapped her into the carrier.

Stormie laughed and said, “Book.  Go to church!”  Brooke leaned in close and said, “You got it, Stormie.”

Credits

I do not see a need for any Credits, but Sierra and Dakota will be properly introduced on Wednesday morning.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.