Word & the Wild

[00:00:00] This is Word and the Wild. It's a one year Bible adventure with friends. My name is Owen. Happy to be your host and guide coming together with you on this 12 month journey as a podcast plus community where we read the Bible for ourselves, but not by ourselves. Hey, it is Week 34 Gang. And it's time to turn it up.

This week, it's all about Jerusalem, a sad song in stereo. As the last threads of Israelite resistance unravel and God hits the chorus of this old country tune one more time.

So hello and welcome in. And a special welcome to our Word and the Wild Plus Community members. It's their support of this nonprofit endeavor that [00:01:00] makes space for all of us here on this Bible Reading Adventure as part of the Word and the Wild Plus tribe.

They enjoy access to our private, safe online space. Where no honest question is a dumb question along with weekly livestream, q and as, bonus content, like articles, interactions more and even some livestream teaching gatherings with yours truly, Hey, I gotta say Jesus is coming soon. And by that I mean we're gonna be hitting the New Testament before we know it just. A few weeks away.

So if you've been craving a way to dive into the Bible. Understand what it's all about. Now is a great time to put on that scuba mask and jump in. Check out the show notes for how to become a member yourself. All the details over at wordandthewild.com with the story of Jesus and the aftermath on the horizon, now's the time.

Jump in, check the show notes. Become a member of the Word of the Wild Plus Community for [00:02:00] yourself. You can get all the details once again in the show notes or over at wordandthewild.com. Well now let's, shuffle on over to the jukebox drop in a quarter and hit play on a sad old country song.

Well, if the downward spiral of the Israelites were a sad old country song. This week we're gonna hit the chorus one more time, and this week the chorus is in stereo. Now, we got Jeremiah over in our left ear. he's revealing the downfall of Israel's national sovereignty embedded inside Jerusalem and all around the very tiny nation of Judah or what's left of it.

And then we get Ezekiel in our right ear as he blares out why it's all happening and what God is going to do about it. In the short [00:03:00] term and the long term. And so Jeremiah and Ezekiel left ear and right ear all together. It's like God calls out "One more time!" as the band hits the chorus again. It is a sad song.

Yes. but there are notes of hope in this song this week. on one hand, yeah, Jerusalem is lost. We're gonna see it happen, and it's not pretty. The temple is destroyed, pulled apart, literally by the forces of Babylon, and we're gonna see the people, of course, fall into despair. While all that's going on, we are also at the same time, gonna get these, surprising, beautiful insights into God, his heart, his desires, his expectations for his people, his hopes for their future.

It's this bittersweet melody on repeat one more time. it's [00:04:00] really a scandal. In stereo, and if it comes up in the story this week, then you're gonna wanna remember it. You're gonna know that this is a part of the sad story that God wants to make sure. We notice and don't leave this, we don't leave the jukebox without remembering it.

This is the essential stuff. Okay? So instead of thinking, I've seen all this before in kind of a whole ham way. Instead think to yourself, I'm seeing this again, so it must be important. So take note of what you think you've heard before and, look for a few new things too. 'cause after all, I mean these are the final moments of autonomy for the freedom loving Israelites as a nation, before the lights go dark for some time, right?

And so you know that God's parting words to the [00:05:00] nation must carry a lot of meaning. And so the question is of course, what will we hear the final chorus of this sad song as it plays? Well, they, there are repeated warnings to be sure repeated warnings. Repeated grievances, the relationship between God and his people has been rocky to say the least, and now it's fallen completely apart.

So you're gonna, you're gonna see anger, pain. Jealousy. I mean, this is a sad country song. After all. There's gonna be drama. Hey, but don't fall asleep on these warnings and grievances. because as we, we make the turn here soon toward the New Testament, it's these warnings and grievances that in many ways form the problems.

That the events of the New Testament look to solve. I mean, Jesus, you've heard of him. I'm sure all that happens, [00:06:00] with his arrival and the environment of it, and then all that happens after him. it doesn't occur in a vacuum. Of course, there's a reason behind it. There's a backstory and a purpose for it.

And believe it or not, the troubled relationship between God and the people that we are seeing on repeat. On repeat in the refrain this week forms a really, a good part of the backstory and purpose for the New Testament. so once again, don't fall asleep on 'em. Pay attention to the lyrics and hum along with the tune.

There are also, along with these repeated, warnings and grievances, there are also repeated assurances promises. Hopes plans for the future. And those are part of the backstory for the New Testament as well. And there are a number of those, these little [00:07:00] gems of hope, a promise assurance. So as though keep your eyes peeled for them and keep your ears, tuned in.

but one of the very, one of the most interesting to me, set of key promises, very important set, has to do with something that both. Jeremiah and Ezekiel call the new. Covenant. It sounds like insider language a little bit, but you've got what you need to be able to understand this, this new covenant, this week we're gonna see Ezekiel, give us a, curious preview.

On an A coming update to the way God relates to his people. We've heard this from Jeremiah before. It was in Jeremiah like chapter 31, among other places in the last week or so. This week it's Ezekiel who picks up the refrain. and we're about to see from Ezekiel that. The ground rules for the [00:08:00] relationship between God and His people are gonna change.

Those ground rules have been set for something like a thousand years, before the time we are in the story right now. Did you realize that, by the way, it's been a thousand years of story time since we stood at the Mountain Mount Sinai. Remember all this. Remember when through Moses, God made a statement to the fledgling nation of Israel that right at their very start, remember this, you probably do.

This comes from gen, from, Exodus rather, Exodus 19. This is what God said to the people through Moses. He said, you have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on Eagle's wings and brought you to myself Now, if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my special treasure from among all the [00:09:00] peoples of the earth.

For all the earth belongs to me. Exodus 19, four through five, all the way back on page one 50 of our chrono bibles. Now this covenant, this, contract. That was, initiated at Cyan. I, it's a conditional covenant, a conditional contract. If the Israelites obey, then God will care for them and protect them, and they will be his people.

That's the nature of the relationship. That's the covenant. But now in our story, a thousand years later, oh man, that, that blows my mind. Here we are. as the nation of Israel, are, both hearing from Jeremiah and Ezekiel hearing them speak of a new covenant. What it [00:10:00] means to be one of God's people.

What it means to have and maintain a relationship with God in good standing is about to change in the future in some fundamental ways, some powerful ways, some hopeful and amazing ways. Ezekiel gives us a window into that change in the future. so take a look at this. It's an Ezekiel 16, it says. Now this is what the sovereign Lord says.

I will give you what you deserve for you have taken your solemn vows lightly by breaking your covenant. Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were young, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. Then you'll remember with shame, all the evil you've done. And I will make your sisters Samaria and Sodom to be your daughters, even [00:11:00] though they are not part of our covenant.

And I will reaffirm my covenant with you and you will know that I am the Lord. You will remember your sins and cover your mouth and silent shame when I forgive you of all that you have done. Ezekiel 1659 through 63. Now, did you catch that? Yeah. God, of course, remembers the covenant he made at Sinai with the Israelites.

Hey, they've broken that contract and the consequences of that breach of contract will soon have to be paid. Jerusalem will fall. Times will get hard, but that's not the end of this. No. Did you see the updates in a new covenant that's coming? Did you notice that? Well, one of the key updates will be in the nature of the relationship between God and His people.

and it's gonna be the kind of [00:12:00] contract that this relationship will be. and another will be in the duration of the contract. But first, the kind of contract. All right, the cyan covenant. Well, it was bilateral, that's the word. It was a two-way agreement. Well, the next covenant is gonna be unilateral.

It's gonna rest completely on God. God's people won't be able to break this new covenant because it won't be theirs to keep, and that changes the duration of the covenant. The Sinai covenant expired when the Israelites broke the agreement, but this new covenant, oh, it's gonna go on forever. It's an everlasting covenant.

And not only will the nature of the relationship change, the nature of the people will change to see instead of God's people showing their family resemblance to rebellious Samaria. So Ezekiel mentioned [00:13:00] Samaria, that's the capital of the just disastrous northern kingdom of Israel, the ones that the Assyrians wiped out a couple hundred years ago in story time from where we are now.

well, God's people have a family resemblance, or, even an, a family resemblance to that despicable old city of Sodom. Remember the city God had to destroy back in Genesis with, Lot and Abraham and, all that episode? Well, there will come a day. Ezekiel is saying here, when God will use his people, get this to give birth to a future.

Where wayward Jewish people and gentiles alike will enjoy the benefits of a family relationship with God, and, the family resemblance of God's people to rebellious Samaria and despicable old Sodom. Well, that family [00:14:00] resemblance. it's gonna change. And, instead of God's people being siblings with all that scandal.

God's people are gonna give birth to a new future, a new family, a new kind of relationship between, people and God. and Ezekiel explains God's true people. At a time in the future, it's gonna happen. God's True People will recognize their own rebellious ways, abandon them and embrace the forgiveness of their God.

Wow. That's the new covenant. I mean, talk about new and improved, right? So that's the hopeful note in the Saddle Country song as we hit the refrain. Once again, so this week as we hit the trail, hey, keep your ears open. [00:15:00] Keep your eyes open too. Anytime you see the word new. Or hints of a positive change coming in the future between God and his people and their relationship.

Hey, look for those, because what's new is giving fresh hope and giving us clues about the kind of problems the events of the Old Testament set up and the events of the New Testament look to solve.

Well, there you go. Enjoy the journey this week, my friend. Hey, how is it going for you so far? I would love to hear from you. Hit me up on Facebook if you're not already part of the word and the wild Facebook group. Search for it and join us. Hey, or look for us on Insta. Look for the wild US on Insta, or search Word in the wild.

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