15˝‘But you trusted in your b...

15"‘But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by and your beauty became his.

16You took some of your garments to make gaudy high places, where you carried on your prostitution. You went to him, and he possessed your beauty.

- P66

22In all your detestable practices and your prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, kicking about in your blood.

23"‘Woe! Woe to you, declares the Sovereign Lord. In addition to all your other wickedness, - P66

28You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians too, because you were insatiable; and even after that, you still were not satisfied.

29Then you increased your promiscuity to include Babylonia, a land of merchants, but even with this you were not satisfied.

- P67

33All prostitutes receive gifts, but you give gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors.

34So in your prostitution you are the opposite of others; no one runs after you for your favors. You are the very opposite, for you give payment and none is given to you.

- P67

Jerusalem trusts in her beauty and becomes unfaithful. She offers her adorn-ments to idols and builds high places to engage in prostitution. She sacrificesher children and fails to remember the misery of her youth. - P67

In His anger, theLord reduces her territory and gives her over to her enemies, but she actsworse than a prostitute, paying lovers instead of receiving payment. - P67

God accuses Jerusalem of squandering His gifts to pursue adulterous relationships and, in doing so, mocking His love. Even more horrifically, she engages in child sacrifice, killing God’s own children. What makes this even more tragic is that Jerusalem is not unaware that this is sin because she was once a victim of the same abuse. She has forgotten what it was like to be mistreated, and in her forgetfulness, became the very thing she was rescued from. - P68

When we forget the depths from which God saved us, we are at risk of reverting to our sinful ways. When we begin to take His grace for granted, we may even perpetuate the very evils we once suffered. - P68

Ezekiel bluntly portrays Jerusalem as a promiscuous spouse, not merelyfor shock value, but to highlight the depth of betrayal and heartbreak Godexperiences. Marriage is meant to be a covenant of mutual self-giving, andthere is nothing more unsettling than witnessing a relationship where onepartner exploits the other‘s love. Yet we so often do so in our relationshipwith the Lord.  - P68

While God gives endlessly out of His abundant grace, weoften take His blessings and spend them trying to win the world‘s approval.
Like Ezekiel‘s prophecies, our reflection on such a betrayal should stir inus a holy discomfort at how easily we abuse the love God so freely offersus, not so we will wallow in self-condemnation, but so we will runback toGod in repentance. - P68

Faithful God, I thank you for Your unfailing love. Even though I constantly fall short and so easily get entangled by the same sins, You are a gracious Father who leads me back to You. Keep my heart so that I will always remain in Your love. In Jesus’ name, amen. - P69

8˝‘Later I passed by, and whe...

8"‘Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your naked body. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.

9"‘I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you.

10I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put sandals of fine leather on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments.

11I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck,

12and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.

13So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen.

- P63

14And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign Lord.

- P63

God tells Ezekiel to speak against the detestable practices of Jerusalem bybeginning with a parable about how He once cared for the city. He paintsa striking image of Him adopting a neglected child, speaking life into herso that she might flourish. God then describes His relationship with Jeru-salem as a marriage. He covers her nakedness, symbolizing a love rooted insincere care and protection, The city‘s riches and abundance were not herown, but gifts flowing from God‘s love and lavish generosity.  - P64

This passagereminds us that no matter our heritage or background, God adopts us intoHis family and loves us as a husband cherishes his bride. Not only doesthis parable describe God‘s covenant love for His people, but it also modelswhat God-fearing relationships should look like, marked by self-giving love. - P64

Dear Jesus, thank You for adopting us into Your family and transformingus by Your love. Help our family love others like You have loved us. In Yourname, amen. - P65

[오늘의 한문장] 리빙라이프 Living Life 2025.8 (영문판)

7I will set my face against them. Although they have come out of the fire, the fire will yet consume them. And when I set my face against them, you will know that I am the Lord.

8I will make the land desolate because they have been unfaithful, declares the Sovereign Lord."

- P57

The Lord compares Jerusalem to a useless vine. Unlike other trees, its woodcannot be used to make tools, and when burned, it is worth nothing. The Lorddeclares He will treat Jerusalem as a useless vine. They will know He is the Lordwhen He sets His face against them.  - P57

He then declares that He will make theland desolate because of their unfaithfulness. - P57

God’s message through Ezekiel elaborates on the uselessness of vines. Strong, thick wood from a tree can be used to build things; it serves a valuable purpose. However a grapevine does not provide enough wood to build useful things like tools or furniture. God explains that such wood is only good for fueling a fire, and it is poorly suited even for that purpose. In this illustration, we see that the people of Israel have become like a useless vine. - P58

Rather than being selfish and sinful, God’s people should have fulfilled the purpose for which He created them: to faithfully love and serve Him, to love and serve others, and to work diligently for His kingdom so that He may receive all the glory He deserves. - P58

God‘s people have turned away from their Lord. He has saved, protected,
and provided for them, but they have remained unfaithful and become likeuseless vines. They have become useless, not because they are unproductiveor without any talent but because their lives are spiritually futile. They donot represent the words or actions of God because they have forsaken Him.
This warning should awaken us to examine our own lives.  - P58

We should reflecton our faithfulness to God by considering what He would deem most im-portant rather than what the world would value. Let us not become uselessvines but remain diligent in our faithfulness to the Lord and encourageothers to do the same. - P58

Dear Lord, I confess that I sometimes allow worries and distractions to keep me from fulfilling Your purposes. I want to be faithful to bring You glory and honor through my words and actions. In Your name I pray, amen. - P58

God converses with us primarily through His words in Scripture.
We can also use His words to respond to Him.
Use the following guide to pray through this week‘s memory verse.
"Therefore say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent!
Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!" - Ezekiel 14:6 - P59

21˝For this is what the Sover...

21"For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments—sword and famine and wild beasts and plague—to kill its men and their animals! - P53

23You will be consoled when you see their conduct and their actions, for you will know that I have done nothing in it without cause, declares the Sovereign Lord." - P53

13"Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals,

14even if these three men—Noah, Daniel and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign Lord.

- P52

We see the extent of the people’s unfaithfulness as God reveals to Ezekiel four forms of imminent judgment: a famine, wild animals, war, and disease. - P54

In each situation, the people face the consequences for their unrighteousness. Their sinfulness is so severe that even the presence of righteous men like Noah, Daniel, and Job would not be able to save the country from its demise. - P54

The righteousness of these men is limited, but the righteousness of Jesus is able to save all who believe in Him. - P54

When we turn from sin to follow Christ, we experience the grace and mercy of salvation that is only possible because of His righteousness. May we cherish and proclaim this good news to all! - P54

Dear God, thank you that Your mercy triumphs over judgment. I am grateful for Your grace in sending Your Son as a living sacrifice to pay the penalty of the judgment I deserve. Help me to live in gratitude for this indescribable gift. In Jesus’ name, amen. - P55

The Lord speaks concerning a country that is unfaithful to Him: Even if Noah,
Daniel, and Job lived there, they could only save themselves by their righ-teousness. The Lord promises judgment against the people of Jerusalem.  - P53

Yeta remnant will survive, and their behavior will console Ezekiel Through this,
he will know that the Lord‘s judgments are not without cause. - P53

Jerusalem will face four dreadful judgments-famine, wild animals, war,
and disease-for repeated rebelliousness against the Lord. God‘s peoplehave been given ample opportunity to repent and return to Him, but be-cause they continued in their unfaithfulness, their city will be destroyed.
Despite the disasters ahead,  - P54

God also demonstrates His grace as He administers His judgment. He proclaims that a remnant of His people willsurvive, though they will become exiles in Babylon. This passage reminds usthat God is both just and gracious.  - P54

He executes His justice according to theconduct and actions of His people, but He also extends His grace, offeringa remnant of hope even while the people experience disastrous judgment. - P54

2Then the word of the Lord ca...

2Then the word of the Lord came to me:

3"Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?

- P48

Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When any of the Israelites set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet, I the Lord will answer them myself in keeping with their great idolatry.

5I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.’
- P48

6"Therefore say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices! - P49

9"‘And if the prophet is enticed to utter a prophecy, I the Lord have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel.

10They will bear their guilt—the prophet will be as guilty as the one who consults him.

11Then the people of Israel will no longer stray from me, nor will they defile themselves anymore with all their sins. They will be my people, and I will be their God, declares the

- P49

Some of the elders come to Ezekiel, and the Lord declares that those whoset up idols in their hearts and consult with a prophet will face His judgmentin keeping with their idolatry. The Lord warns that such idolaters and theprophet who is enticed to utter a prophecy will be destroyed, so that Israelwill no longer stray from the Lord. - P49

Some of the elders visit Ezekiel, hoping to hear a word from the Lord. However, God knows that these men have set up idols in their hearts. These idols are wicked stumbling blocks that affect their relationship with Him. When we allow idols to rule our hearts, these stumbling blocks can make it difficult to hear God clearly in our prayers. This does not mean that we should be discouraged from approaching God. - P50

When we humbly repent, acknowledging our sins and idolatry, and turn our hearts back to Him, our loving Father offers us the grace of forgiveness. And we will begin to have more clarity in our prayers as we are renewed and restored in our relationship with Him.
- P50

Although the Israelites have strayed from God and set up idols in theirhearts, they think that they can continue to go to a prophet for guidanceand assurance. But God declares that the Israelites and any prophet whooffers a false prophecy will bear the consequences of their sins.  - P50

We cannotcontinue to do things that we know are wrongour relationship with God. Rather than struggling with sin on our ownand expect to maintainor trying to hide it, God wants us to come to Him, confess our sins, andallow Him to help us overcome our sins through the strength He provides.
- P50

When we finally learn not to stray from Him, we demonstrate that we areHis people and that He is our God.
Wh - P50

"Praying and sinning will never live together in the same heart. Prayer will consumesin, or sin will choke prayer." -J. C. Ryle - P50

Father, thank you for the grace to come to You and receive Your forgiveness. I confess that I am sometimes tempted to set up idols in my heart. By Your strength, help me not to stray from You. In Your Son’s name I pray, amen. - P51