The Berean Pursuit
In the eleventh year, on the first day of the third month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude:
'Who can be compared
to your greatness?
Look at Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon,
with beautiful branches that shaded the forest.
It towered on high;
its top was among the clouds.
The waters made it grow;
the deep springs made it tall,
directing their streams all around its base
and sending their channels to all the trees of the field.
Therefore it towered higher
than all the trees of the field.
Its branches multiplied,
and its boughs grew long
as it spread them out
because of the abundant waters.
All the birds of the air
nested in its branches,
and all the beasts of the field
gave birth beneath its boughs;
all the great nations
lived in its shade.
It was beautiful in its greatness,
in the length of its limbs,
for its roots extended
to abundant waters.
The cedars in the garden of God
could not rival it;
the cypresses could not compare with its branches,
nor the plane trees match its boughs.
No tree in the garden of God
could compare with its beauty.
I made it beautiful with its many branches,
the envy of all the trees of Eden,
which were in the garden of God.'
Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Since it became great in height and set its top among the clouds, and it grew proud on account of its height, I delivered it into the hand of the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with it according to its wickedness. I have banished it.
Foreigners, the most ruthless of the nations, cut it down and left it. Its branches have fallen on the mountains and in every valley; its boughs lay broken in all the earth's ravines. And all the peoples of the earth left its shade and abandoned it.
All the birds of the air nested on its fallen trunk, and all the beasts of the field lived among its boughs. This happened so that no other trees by the waters would become great in height and set their tops among the clouds, and no other well-watered trees would reach them in height. For they have all been consigned to death, to the depths of the earth, among the mortals who descend to the Pit.'
This is what the Lord GOD says: 'On the day it was brought down to Sheol, I caused mourning. I covered the deep because of it; I held back its rivers; its abundant waters were restrained. I made Lebanon mourn for it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it. I made the nations quake at the sound of its downfall, when I cast it down to Sheol with those who descend to the Pit.
Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, all the well-watered trees, were consoled in the earth below. They too descended with it to Sheol, to those slain by the sword. As its allies they had lived in its shade among the nations.
Who then is like you in glory and greatness among the trees of Eden? You also will be brought down to the depths of the earth to be with the trees of Eden. You will lie among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord GOD.'?"
In the twelfth year, on the first day of the twelfth month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Son of man, take up a lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:
'You are like a lion among the nations;
you are like a monster in the seas.
You thrash about in your rivers,
churning up the waters with your feet
and muddying the streams.'
This is what the Lord GOD says:
'I will spread My net over you
with a company of many peoples,
and they will draw you up in My net.
I will abandon you on the land
and hurl you into the open field.
I will cause all the birds of the air
to settle upon you,
and all the beasts of the earth
to eat their fill of you.
I will put your flesh on the mountains
and fill the valleys with your remains.
I will drench the land
with the flow of your blood,
all the way to the mountains-
the ravines will be filled.
When I extinguish you,
I will cover the heavens
and darken their stars.
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
and the moon will not give its light.
All the shining lights in the heavens
I will darken over you,
and I will bring darkness
upon your land,'
declares the Lord GOD.
'I will trouble the hearts of many peoples,
when I bring about your destruction among the nations,
in countries you do not know.
I will cause many peoples
to be appalled over you,
and their kings will shudder in horror because of you
when I brandish My sword before them.
On the day of your downfall
each of them will tremble
every moment for his life.'
For this is what the Lord GOD says:
'The sword of the king of Babylon
will come against you!
I will make your hordes fall
by the swords of the mighty,
the most ruthless of all nations.
They will ravage the pride of Egypt
and all her multitudes will be destroyed.
I will slaughter all her cattle
beside the abundant waters.
No human foot will muddy them again,
and no cattle hooves will disturb them.
Then I will let her waters settle
and will make her rivers flow like oil,'
declares the Lord GOD.
'When I make the land of Egypt a desolation
and empty it of all that filled it,
when I strike down all who live there,
then they will know that I am the LORD.'
This is the lament they will chant for her; the daughters of the nations will chant it. Over Egypt and all her multitudes they will chant it, declares the Lord GOD."
In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Son of man, wail for the multitudes of Egypt, and consign her and the daughters of the mighty nations to the depths of the earth with those who descend to the Pit:
Whom do you surpass in beauty?
Go down and be placed with the uncircumcised!
They will fall among those slain by the sword.
The sword is appointed!
Let them drag her away
along with all her multitudes.
Mighty chiefs will speak from the midst of Sheol
about Egypt and her allies:
'They have come down and lie with the uncircumcised,
with those slain by the sword.'
Assyria is there with her whole company;
her graves are all around her.
All of them are slain,
fallen by the sword.
Her graves are set in the depths of the Pit,
and her company is all around her grave.
All of them are slain,
fallen by the sword-
those who once spread terror
in the land of the living.
Elam is there
with all her multitudes around her grave.
All of them are slain,
fallen by the sword-
those who went down uncircumcised
to the earth below,
who once spread their terror
in the land of the living.
They bear their disgrace
with those who descend to the Pit.
Among the slain they prepare
a resting place for Elam
with all her hordes,
with her graves all around her.
All of them are uncircumcised,
slain by the sword,
although their terror was once spread
in the land of the living.
They bear their disgrace
with those who descend to the Pit.
They are placed among the slain.
Meshech and Tubal are there
with all their multitudes,
with their graves all around them.
All of them are uncircumcised,
slain by the sword,
because they spread their terror
in the land of the living.
They do not lie down
with the fallen warriors of old,
who went down to Sheol
with their weapons of war,
whose swords were placed under their heads,
whose shields rested on their bones,
although the terror of the mighty
was once in the land of the living.
But you too will be shattered
and lie down among the uncircumcised,
with those slain by the sword.
Edom is there,
and all her kings and princes,
who despite their might
are laid among those slain by the sword.
They lie down with the uncircumcised,
with those who descend to the Pit.
All the leaders of the north
and all the Sidonians are there;
they went down in disgrace with the slain,
despite the terror of their might.
They lie uncircumcised
with those slain by the sword
and bear their shame
with those who descend to the Pit.
Pharaoh will see them
and be comforted over all his multitude-
Pharaoh and all his army,
slain by the sword,
declares the Lord GOD.
For I will spread My terror
in the land of the living,
so that Pharaoh and all his multitude
will be laid to rest among the uncircumcised,
with those slain by the sword,
declares the Lord GOD."
Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Son of man, speak to your people and tell them: 'Suppose I bring the sword against a land, and the people of that land choose a man from among them, appointing him as their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against that land and blows the ram's horn to warn the people.
Then if anyone hears the sound of the horn but fails to heed the warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head. Since he heard the sound of the horn but failed to heed the warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had heeded the warning, he would have saved his life.
But if the watchman sees the sword coming and fails to blow the horn to warn the people, and the sword comes and takes away a life, then that one will be taken away in his iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.'
As for you, O son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word from My mouth and give them the warning from Me. If I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' but you do not speak out to dissuade him from his way, then that wicked man will die in his iniquity, yet I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you warn the wicked man to turn from his way, and he does not turn from it, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.
Now as for you, son of man, tell the house of Israel that this is what they have said: 'Our transgressions and our sins are heavy upon us, and we are wasting away because of them! How can we live?'
Say to them: 'As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?'
Therefore, son of man, say to your people: 'The righteousness of the righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression; neither will the wickedness of the wicked man cause him to stumble on the day he turns from his wickedness. Nor will the righteous man be able to survive by his righteousness on the day he sins.'
If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but he then trusts in his righteousness and commits iniquity, then none of his righteous works will be remembered; he will die because of the iniquity he has committed.
But if I tell the wicked man, 'You will surely die,' and he turns from his sin and does what is just and right- if he restores a pledge, makes restitution for what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without practicing iniquity-then he will surely live; he will not die. None of the sins he has committed will be held against him. He has done what is just and right; he will surely live.
Yet your people say, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' But it is their way that is not just. If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he will die for it. But if a wicked man turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live because of this.
Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' But I will judge each of you according to his ways, O house of Israel."
In the twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth day of the tenth month, a fugitive from Jerusalem came to me and reported, "The city has been taken!"
Now the evening before the fugitive arrived, the hand of the LORD was upon me, and He opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer mute.
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Son of man, those living in the ruins in the land of Israel are saying, 'Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as a possession.'
Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: 'You eat meat with the blood in it, lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood. Should you then possess the land? You have relied on your swords, you have committed detestable acts, and each of you has defiled his neighbor's wife. Should you then possess the land?'
Tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: 'As surely as I live, those in the ruins will fall by the sword, those in the open field I will give to be devoured by wild animals, and those in the strongholds and caves will die by plague. I will make the land a desolate waste, and the pride of her strength will come to an end. The mountains of Israel will become desolate, so that no one will pass through. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land a desolate waste because of all the abominations they have committed.'
As for you, son of man, your people are talking about you near the city walls and in the doorways of their houses. One speaks to another, each saying to his brother, 'Come and hear the message that has come from the LORD!'
So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest gain. Indeed, you are to them like a singer of love songs with a beautiful voice, who skillfully plays an instrument. They hear your words but do not put them into practice. So when it comes to pass-and surely it will come-then they will know that a prophet has been among them."
At this time a man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (Mary, whose brother Lazarus was sick, was to anoint the Lord with perfume and wipe His feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one You love is sick."
When Jesus heard this, He said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So on hearing that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was for two days, and then He said to the disciples, "Let us go back to Judea."
"Rabbi," they replied, "the Jews just tried to stone You, and You are going back there?"
Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? If anyone walks in the daytime, he will not stumble, because he sees by the light of this world. But if anyone walks at night, he will stumble, because he has no light."
After He had said this, He told them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him up."
His disciples replied, "Lord, if he is sleeping, he will get better." They thought that Jesus was talking about actual sleep, but He was speaking about the death of Lazarus.
So Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."
Then Thomas called Didymus said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, so that we may die with Him."
When Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had already spent four days in the tomb. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, a little less than two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them in the loss of their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him; but Mary stayed at home.
Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give You whatever You ask of Him."
"Your brother will rise again," Jesus told her.
Martha replied, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?"
"Yes, Lord," she answered, "I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."
After Martha had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside to tell her, "The Teacher is here and is asking for you." And when Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to Him.
Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met Him. When the Jews who were in the house consoling Mary saw how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. When Mary came to Jesus and saw Him, she fell at His feet and said, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. "Where have you put him?" He asked.
"Come and see, Lord," they answered.
Jesus wept.
Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"
But some of them asked, "Could not this man who opened the eyes of the blind also have kept Lazarus from dying?"
Jesus, once again deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. "Take away the stone," Jesus said.
"Lord, by now he stinks," said Martha, the sister of the dead man. "It has already been four days."
Jesus replied, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
So they took away the stone. Then Jesus lifted His eyes upward and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me, but I say this for the benefit of the people standing here, so they may believe that You sent Me."
After Jesus had said this, He called out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"
The man who had been dead came out with his hands and feet bound in strips of linen, and his face wrapped in a cloth.
"Unwrap him and let him go," Jesus told them.
Therefore many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in Him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.
Then the chief priests and Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, "What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, everyone will believe in Him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."
But one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish."
Caiaphas did not say this on his own. Instead, as high priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus would die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also for the scattered children of God, to gather them together into one.
So from that day on they plotted to kill Him. As a result, Jesus no longer went about publicly among the Jews, but He withdrew to a town called Ephraim in an area near the wilderness. And He stayed there with the disciples.
Now the Jewish Passover was near, and many people went up from the country to Jerusalem to purify themselves before the Passover. They kept looking for Jesus and asking one another as they stood in the temple courts, "What do you think? Will He come to the feast at all?" But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where He was must report it, so that they could arrest Him.