EZEKIEL BREAD
Today’s Reading: Ezekiel 4-6
Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).
Bread is being cooked over a fire in Nazareth. The only recipe in the Bible is in today’s reading. Ezekiel bread can be purchased at many health food stores across the country such as “Goodness Me” in Ontario, Canada. Of course one can bake their own fresh bread with this recipe.
GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.
Key Verse: Ezekiel 4:9
Also take for yourself wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them into one vessel, and make bread of them for yourself. During the number of days that you lie on your side, three hundred and ninety days, you shall eat it.
Baking bread is the third of four visual object lessons Ezekiel was to preform in order to increase the impact of his message. Getting people to pay attention is more than half the battle in successfully communicating. Ezekiel was making sure that people who would hear him or read his words would know that the coming total destruction of Jerusalem and of the Temple of God did not take God by surprise and that God’s purpose to bring His people to repentance would become a fact in history. Following the Babylonian captivity, the Jewish people would never again fall into such evil practises which they had committed during the times of the Judges and the Kings. They learned very hard lessons! How would it be known that they had repented? Ezekiel 6:9 states that “They shall loath themselves for the evils which they have committed.” True repentance produces a loathing for sin!
Three times Nebuchadnezzar took captives to Babylon from Jerusalem. Daniel came to Babylon in the first wave, Ezekiel came eight years later. Jeremiah was still in Jerusalem during this time, and finally the prophecies of both Jeremiah and Ezekiel were fulfilled 11 years after Ezekiel was taken to Babylon. By the time of Jerusalem’s destruction, Daniel had already been in Babylon for 19 years and was well established as a leader in that empire. Jeremiah was taken by force to Egypt by some of the leaders of Judah who survived the Babylonian siege.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord God, grant me daily the grace to repent! May I have a constant sense of true repentance, so that I will loath my sin and cry out strongly to You in my repentance and pray for repentance to take place in people’s hearts everywhere. Like Daniel and others in Babylon, I get Ezekiel’s message, and I pray that You will enable me to live a holy life before You and before people. I ask this in the Name of the only One who always lived a holy life, Jesus Christ (Messiah). Amen!!!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
It was at least 25 years ago that we actually baked Ezekiel bread live on the 100 Huntley Street telecast. Rev. Val Dodd, who had at one time been the executive chef for the Holiday Inns in Toronto, had joined our staff team, and we took a page from Ezekiel’s book. Television is, of course, a visual medium of communications. We’ve never been as radical as Ezekiel in such graphic visuals to support his message (like laying on one side and then the other for many days). I think such a visual would have increased the number of people watching. In fact, the entire country would have been aware of the show. I’m not recommending this to the current leaders in Crossroads Christian Communications Inc., but I do recommend powerful visual aids wherever possible. The more people watching means that the seed of God’s Word will fall into more good soil and will produce good fruit in more precious lives. One rather conservative pastor who pastored a church nearby said in reference to the Crossroads telecast and my somewhat radical approach to communications, “We should not try to be entertaining, we should just preach the Word!” True, but if we don’t get the attention of those who would not otherwise watch, how will they hear the “Word!” I would venture to say that Ezekiel was most entertaining. His ratings were really high, probably 100% of the people along the river Chebar watched him and got the message!
Yours for communicating in such a way that many more people “Get the Message!”,
David
Oh, the harshness of this scripture for all who sinned. But we are alive in Christ and saved by His precious Blood! Amen, amen, and amen to that prayer, David!!! Yes, indeed, when we truly repent, we loathe our sin, for we have seen the way, the truth and the light and are disgusted in all that falls short of His goodness and glory. As our former sinful ways and habits are washed away, we are renewed by Him, our everlasting Saviour and Messiah, Lord Jesus Christ, the one and only Lamb, almighty! Amen to planting the seed so that it spreads and grows (and can be eaten as Ezekiel bread :D) and new saints are born alive and set free. All for the glory of God!!! Stay safe, today, saints in the Lord!
“God calls many of His most valued workers from the unknown multitude.” Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.’ Luke 14:23 NIV
Seed, Scattered and Sown, DisciplesNet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK550LBqInQ
Blessed words Beverlee, thank you…and for the Powerful song!
Yes, THE LIVING BREAD OF LIFE!!
Ezekiel like Jeremiah had a tough assignment but as you say he got the attention of the people. The Lord certainly gave the people a lot of warning through these prophets. 100 Huntley Street got my attention over the years. I remember when it was on at 8Am EST and I watched it faithfully. Trust my Facebook posting will have more of the readers’ attention as well. Good postings and prayer today. Like the song Beverlee.
I agree with you.The ‘conservative pastor’ seems to be confined to his church’s ‘interior’.How does he or any other pastor expect to reach those on the outside of their walls?That is part of the cause of the apostasy.Too many Christians speak over the heads of the nonchurched using Christianese words and phrases.We have to dumb-it-down so they can understand,then,maybe they will dwindle into the churches.His resurrection and the thousands of witnesses are the key.No writers of that time disputed His resurrection because there were too many witnesses yet this does not seem to be stressed enough.Thanks,David.God bless
Dear Heavenly Father in Your Holy Name I pray ,that everyone in the world will repent of their sins & be saved by the Grace of God, Amen!!
With God Almighty all things are possible, praise His Holy Name!!
Is there an actual recipe for Ezekiel’s bread? I do a lot of cooking and maintain a healthy, nutritious life-style. So, I would love to try and make this bread.
The old chorus says, “It’s not my brother, nor my sister; but “it’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer”. In the past few months, I have especially felt led to keep low before the Lord – to maintain a repentant attitude of heart. “Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord, to the Cross where thou has died. Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord, to Thy precious bleeding side” – “To the cross I come, Lord; there for me is room, Lord; Poor unworthy me, yes, even me. Pardon every sin, Lord, Place Thy power within, Lord, Then I from this hour will follow Thee.” “So let us come boldly to the very throne of God and stay there to receive His mercy and to find grace to help us in our times of need.” (Heb.4:16 LBP). I love this verse to “come boldly to the very throne of God” and especially the phrase “and stay there”. What a beautiful picture, with one’s attitude of heart, just maintaining this attitude and position before the Lord.
Pastor Samuel, here is the recipe for Ezekiel Bread:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup barley flour
1/4 cup finely ground broad bean (fava bean) flour
1/4 cup millet flour
1 cup durum wheat flour
1/2 cup finely ground lentil flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. “biblical leavening” as above
Instructions:
Mix dry ingredients. Add olive oil, leavening and water as needed to form dough. Knead and allow to rise for two hours in warm place. Knead again. Form into flat round loaves the size of pita bread and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Info and recipe from Food at the time of the Bible: from Adam’s Apple to the Last Supper (www.palphot.com) by Miriam Feinberg Vamosh.
The Power of prayer…agreeing in prayer Pastor David.
Our World today…is not far from what we read in God’s Word…
LORD JESUS, WE COME TO YOU WITH HEARTS OF GRATITUDE. TURNING TO YOU IN THANKSGIVING AND REPENTANCE!!!
ASKING FOR YOUR INTERVENTION ON BEHALF OF OUR CHILDREN… “YOUR KINGDOM COME, YOUR WILL BE DONE IN THIS EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN”!!! “FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM AND THE POWER AND THE GLORY, AMEN!!!
Should add “FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM AND THE POWER AND THE GLORY…FOR EVER AND EVER”!!! AMEN!!!
Please pray for my niece Marilyn…breast cancer …she is receiving kemo treatment …also is scheduled for radiation treatment.
Irene I wonder if your neice is aware of the Vitamin C drip program for cancer patients! This Vit C drip contains several other vitamins!
It is administered by a Naturopath and the treatments are 3 times a wekk for 12 weeks. I’ve known 6 gals who did this treatment, they did some chemo and the rest the Vitamin C drip and all these women are healed, back to swimming, back to living their lives and with the breast cancer they did not have the breast removed and I am overwhelmed with their good health!
some of these gals are Christians and I know all of the ladies and I’ve thanked God for their good health……just thought I would mention that treatment….
Lord may Your Will be done in Marilyn’s life! Bless her Aunt Irene! In Jesus Name we Pray AMEN