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Rev. Carl Roth, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Elgin, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 28:1-26. Ezekiel’s words against Tyre conclude by singling out the prince of Tyre. The LORD had blessed him with plenteous wisdom and wealth, but rather than receiving these gifts in thanksgiving to the true God, the prince of Tyre proudly considered himself a god. His destruction will humble his self-exaltation. As the LORD describes the downfall of the prince of Tyre, elements seem to be parallel with the fall of Satan. Ezekiel briefly turns to speak the LORD’s Word against Sidon, the sister city of Tyre, before the LORD’s promise to His people Israel breaks in. By executing His judgments upon the enemies of His people, the LORD will bring safety to His own people. “The Faithful Watchman” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Ezekiel. Just when Ezekiel should have begun his service as priest in the temple in Jerusalem, the LORD called him to be a prophet in exile in Babylo

Rev. David Boisclair, pastor at Bethesda and Faith Lutheran Churches in north St. Louis County, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 27:1-36. Ezekiel takes up a lament for the city of Tyre that begins by extolling its great wealth and economic prowess. Tyre is compared to the most wonderful of ships, both in construction and manpower. The list of Tyre’s trading activity is extensive, yet begins to reveal Tyre’s sins of pride and greed that led to sins against their neighbors as well. The LORD proclaims clearly that, although this city seemed invincible, it will fall for its idolatrous pride. The LORD calls us to repent of our own pride and idolatry and put our hope only in Christ, who is the only Savior. “The Faithful Watchman” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Ezekiel. Just when Ezekiel should have begun his service as priest in the temple in Jerusalem, the LORD called him to be a prophet in exile in Babylon. Through fantastic visions and attention-grabbing actio

Rev. Zelwyn Heide, pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Hannover, ND and Zion Lutheran Church in New Salem, ND, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 26:1-21. Ezekiel’s oracle against Tyre is lengthy, perhaps a reminder that they have ruined their once-friendly relationship with the people of God. Tyre sought to take economic advantage of Jerusalem’s overthrow, and so the LORD brings Nebuchadnezzar against the city. Nebuchadnezzar puts the city and its colonies under his control, as the LORD had spoken. The LORD’s judgment against His enemies is good news for the people of God, for it means that He is acting as their Savior from those who mean them only harm. Jesus fulfills this task by His death and resurrection. “The Faithful Watchman” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Ezekiel. Just when Ezekiel should have begun his service as priest in the temple in Jerusalem, the LORD called him to be a prophet in exile in Babylon. Through fantastic visions and attention-grab

Rev. Shawn Linnell, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Blair, NE, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 25:1-17. Ezekiel begins a series of seven oracles against Gentile nations. Though these texts might at times be difficult for modern readers, they are a helpful reminder of God’s reign over every nation and His desire to call all people to repentance and faith in Jesus. Ammon is called to account for its mockery of the fall of Jerusalem. Moab is condemned for failing to recognize the LORD’s promise to the people of Judah. Edom receives judgment for its vengeance against Judah. Philistia destroyed Judah with delight as an agent of the old evil foe, and so the LORD Himself brings the judgment against them without using any agent. In all of this, the LORD makes known who He is to the nations. “The Faithful Watchman” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Ezekiel. Just when Ezekiel should have begun his service as priest in the temple in Jerusalem, the LORD called him to be

Rev. Sean Daenzer, director of worship for the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod and chaplain for the International Center, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 24:1-27. The LORD tells Ezekiel to write down the name of the day that Nebuchadnezzar began his siege of Jerusalem as a day that the people would later observe by fasting. The prophet spoke the LORD’s parable concerning a pot filled with choice pieces of meat that boils until the water is all gone and everything is burned up. Though the people in Jerusalem think they are safe there as the prized possession of God, the LORD has seen their corruption and will cleanse them by burning everything completely. He will not spare this judgment. When Ezekiel’s wife dies, the LORD tells the prophet not to mourn as an opportunity to preach to the people their own reaction to Jerusalem’s fall. That day is coming, the LORD promises, and when Ezekiel receives that news, his mouth will be opened and he will begin to proclaim the LORD’s promise of restoration

Rev. Chris Hull, pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in Tomball, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 23:1-49. Ezekiel tells the adulterous history of Samaria and Jerusalem, the capitals of Israel and Judah. He gives them the names Oholah and Oholibah in reference to the way they mistreated the true worship of the LORD in the temple. Samaria fell into idolatry of the Assyrians and received the LORD’s judgment in her destruction at their hand. Rather than learning from the example of her older sister, Judah only built upon Israel’s idolatry, engaging in the most wicked and disgusting forms of idolatry. The LORD tells them through His prophet that their shame will be exposed as they receive judgment from His hand. Although this chapter is primarily judgment, the preaching of Ezekiel here serves his larger purpose of calling the people of God to repentance and placing their trust in the One who drank the cup of God’s wrath in their place, Jesus Christ. “The Faithful Watchman” is a mini-series on Sharp

Rev. Mark Stirdivant, pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Yucaipa, CA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 22:1-31. The LORD calls His own city Jerusalem “the bloody city,” which surely shocked the people of God. The LORD shows His judgment to be true as He identifies a long list of ways His people have broken His commandments, abusing their neighbors and abusing their God. All of these sins find their center in the way the list concludes: Israel has forgotten the LORD. The LORD will therefore treat Israel as metal within a forge; when He sets fire to the city of Jerusalem, He will find no precious metal, but only dross. The leaders of the people, prophets, priests, and princes alike, have led the people in corruption. Though the LORD looked for a righteous man in their midst, none could be found; therefore, He poured His indignation out upon them. This points us forward to the day when the LORD sent the righteous Man, Jesus Christ, the very Son of God, to stand in the breach and take His w

Rev. Matthew Tassey, pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Shawnee, OK, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 21:18-32. Nebuchadnezzar will be coming toward Canaan soon, and he will have to decide whether to attack Judah or Ammon first. The LORD tells Ezekiel to make a signpost marking the ways to the two capital cities. The LORD will use even the pagan means of divination in order to direct Nebuchadnezzar to bring the sword of the LORD against Jerusalem first. Although the people of Judah think it is impossible, the LORD will judge His rebellious city. Zedekiah has proved himself to be anything but righteous, and so he will be made low; Nebuchadnezzar will see to that. Although Ammon escapes the sword of the LORD for a time, the LORD will bring judgment upon them as well before sheathing His sword. This text calls us to repentance and points us to Christ as the One to whom judgment belongs and the One who took God’s judgment upon Himself in our place. “The Faithful Watchman” is a mini-series on S

Rev. David Fleming, associate pastor at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids, MI and Executive Director of Spiritual Care with DOXOLOGY, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 20:45-21:17. Learn more about DOXOLOGY at doxology.us. The LORD continues to speak words of judgment to His people through His prophet. Though these words may be hard to hear and read, they are an act of the LORD’s love to call His people back to Himself in repentance and faith. The LORD speaks of a fire that will burn indiscriminately as a way of picturing the way He will wield His sword against His people. Although the righteous do remain the LORD’s eternally, they will suffer in the destruction of Jerusalem alongside the wicked. From this riddle of the sword, the LORD gives Ezekiel the song of His sword. Though the poetry is difficult, the picture is plain that the LORD of hosts will use His sword to punish His people for their rebellion against Him. Though the LORD’s sword brings judgment at this moment in history, th

Rev. Sam Wirgau, pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Ossian, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 20:27-44. Ezekiel concludes his walk through Israel’s history by recounting their idolatrous time in the land before turning to address the elders in front of him. “What about you?” he asks. “Which way will you follow?” If they follow after the defilement of their fathers, they have no reason to expect that they can inquire of the LORD. Yet the LORD will be faithful to His promise. With the same might He displayed in Egypt, He will rescue His people from their idolatry in an act of judgment and salvation. He will be their true King and Shepherd, purging the idolatrous rebels and leading His people to His holy mountain. There they will worship Him truly. The LORD acts in this way not due to anything in the people; they will loathe their evils when they see what they have done. But the LORD will not act toward them according to their evil; He will act for His name’s sake and save them completely b

Rev. Peter Ill, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Millstadt, IL, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 20:1-26. Five years before the destruction of the temple, some of the elders of Israel come to Ezekiel to inquire of the LORD. In response, the LORD instructs Ezekiel to recite the history of the abominations of their fathers. Each cycle includes the LORD’s promise, the people’s rebellion, the LORD’s decision to pour out His wrath, and the LORD’s restraining of His anger for the sake of His name. The LORD traces the history of the people from their slavery in Egypt to their time at Mount Sinai into the wilderness wandering. At each time, the LORD called His people away from their worthless idols and promised to be their God. Each time, the people clung to their worthless idols all the more. It was only the LORD’s faithfulness to His character and His promises that kept Him from making a complete end of His people. Even as He brought varying degrees of judgment upon His people, He did so that the

Rev. Brian Flamme, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Roswell, NM, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 19:1-14. The LORD gives Ezekiel a lament for the princes of Israel; these wicked men do not deserve the title of king. The lament uses the images of a lion and a vine, both drawn from Jacob’s blessing to Judah in Genesis 49. The two lion cubs picture Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin, two wicked kings of Judah; the vine pictures the final kings of Judah more generally. Through their idolatrous rejection of the LORD’s Word, they proved the sharpest of contrasts with what the LORD desired for His kings. Because of their wickedness, the LORD’s judgment would fall upon them and the people of Judah. Yet the use of the imagery from Genesis 49 is a reminder that the LORD will not nullify His promise to send the Messiah. The true lion from the tribe of Judah and the living vine, Jesus Christ, has come as the promised Savior who rules His people in an everlasting kingdom of grace. “The Faithful Watchman” is a

Rev. Joel Heckmann, pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Okarche, OK, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 18:1-32. The LORD upholds His justice and righteousness in the face of His people’s false accusations against Him. He does not punish the wrong generation; the one who sins is the one who dies. From one generation to the next, the LORD causes His Word to be proclaimed to fathers, sons, and grandsons. Those who hear it in Holy Spirit-given faith are accounted righteous in His sight; those who reject it of their own wicked choice are condemned as wicked in His sight. This is also true throughout an individual’s life. The wicked man should not despair that there is no hope; instead, he should hear the Word of God, repent, believe, and live. The righteous man should not become complacent and fall from righteousness; he too should hear the Word of God, repent, believe, and live. This life is what the LORD desires for all people; this life is what He freely gives through Jesus. “The Faithful Wa

Rev. Nate Hill, pastor at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Winchester, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 17:1-24. The LORD gives Ezekiel an allegory that recites the recent history of the kings of Judah. The first great eagle breaks off the top of a cedar and plants a seed in its place. This is a picture of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon carrying King Jehoiachin of Judah into exile and replacing him with Zedekiah. The seed grows into a low spreading vine that eventually turns toward a second great eagle. This is a picture of Zedekiah’s foolish attempt to ally with Egypt for help against Babylon. As the LORD explains the allegory through Ezekiel, He makes it plain that Zedekiah’s rebellion against Babylon was actually rebellion against Him, and the LORD promises judgment for Zedekiah. However, the LORD is not done with His people. He promises that He Himself will fulfill His promise of bringing the Christ into the world. He will be the source of life for people from every nation. Jesus is the fu

Rev. Tim Koch, pastor at Emanuel Lutheran Church in Milbank, SD, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 16:35-63. The LORD has exposed His people as an unfaithful bride; now He speaks judgment upon His people for their adulterous idolatry. He will show Judah and Jerusalem how worthless their idols really are. Not only will the LORD expose His people’s “lovers” as enemies, but He will show them what it means to make Him as an enemy as He satisfies His wrath against them. Though Jerusalem thought herself better than Samaria to the north and Sodom to the south, in reality, the sins of Judah have made these two notoriously sinful places look righteous. Their comparisons to each other serve no purpose; they all stand condemned before the LORD. Yet out of His grace, He turns to them in mercy. The LORD shows Himself to be faithful to the covenant that His people broke; He promises to restore them and to atone for all they have done. He fulfills this promise by satisfying His wrath against sin in the cross o

Rev. Clint Poppe, pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Lincoln, NE, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 16:1-34. Ezekiel begins an extended sermon that centers around the image of marriage to describe the history of the LORD’s interactions with His people Israel. Israel had no reason for anyone to desire it; in fact, every nation abandoned Israel as worthless. Yet the LORD in His grace saw Israel and made her His own. He nurtured her and committed Himself to her as her husband. He lavished every gift upon her, particularly in His saving presence in the tabernacle. Yet Israel took the LORD’s gifts and used them in utter wickedness. With shocking language, Ezekiel describes the whoredom of the people of Israel with false gods and foreign nations. Their sin and idolatry was absolutely disgusting, yet Israel was never satisfied. Such vivid language shocks us to our senses to see how revolting sin truly is, so that we would turn in repentance to Jesus, who remains our gracious and faithful Brideg

Rev. Sean Kilgo, pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Lawrence, KS, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 15:1-8. Ezekiel’s sermon in this chapter is based on the familiar image of Israel as the LORD’s vineyard. He had done absolutely everything for His people by His grace, yet they had not produced the fruit of repentance that He had desired. What good is such a grape vine? The wood cannot be used to build anything; it can only be burned. That was the judgment that awaited the people of Jerusalem. The LORD would send the Babylonians to destroy the city as a judgment against their faithlessness and as a call to repentance for the people already in exile. Jesus brings this same image to mind in John 15 when He calls Himself the true vine. Where Israel had failed, Jesus did not. By His death and resurrection, He is the true source of life. All who are connected to Him by God’s grace bear the fruit of good works that He has prepared for them to do. “The Faithful Watchman” is a mini-series on Sharper

Rev. Stephen Preus, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Vinton, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 14:1-23. When certain elders of Israel appear before Ezekiel to ask him a question, the LORD reveals to His prophet the true intentions of their hearts. These men are idolaters at heart; therefore, they deserve and should not expect any answer from the LORD. Yet the LORD does speak to them through His prophet; He gives them a word that speaks judgment against their idolatry and calls them to repentance. He will have His people know that He is the LORD; He will even use deceptive prophets to His end to bring His people back to Himself. His people must know that Jerusalem will be destroyed; even the presence of three of the greatest Old Testament saints will not save the city. The LORD will prove Himself just in His actions toward Jerusalem. This serves as another call to the people to know the LORD and to return to Him in true repentance and faith before it is too late. “The Faithful Watc

Rev. David Appold, pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Paducah, KY, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 13:1-23. False prophets plague the people of God even in exile in Babylon. These false prophets are not preaching in the name of an idol. Instead, they are preaching in the name of the LORD, but they are preaching their own lying ideas rather than the truth of His Word. Their lies give the people a false sense of comfort and security. The false prophets say that there will be peace for the people of Judah apart from any repentance. They are simply whitewashing a flimsy wall that the LORD will destroy. Some women are even selling bracelets that they claim offer protection against the LORD’s wrath. Not only do they make sinners secure in their sins, but they also add unnecessary weights to the righteous. The LORD will not long tolerate such blasphemous use of His name. He promises destruction for such false prophets. To know that the LORD will see to the truth of His Word being proclaimed brin

Rev. Dr. Adam Koontz, assistant professor of exegetical theology at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 12:1-28. Ezekiel is given two more action prophecies. First, he packs his bags and digs through a wall in order to portray the coming exile of the people of Jerusalem. This will affect even King Zedekiah, whom Ezekiel refuses to acknowledge as the legitimate successor to David’s throne. Second, Ezekiel eats his bread and drinks his water with fear and anxiety, another reminder of the certainty of the disaster the LORD is bringing upon His people. The LORD wants His people to know that this disaster will happen so that they will know that He is the LORD, the One who performs His Word. Though the people even in exile harbor their doubts about Ezekiel’s preaching, the LORD proclaims that He will speak His Word and He will do what He has said without delay. This truth concerning the LORD’s Word calls us to repentance and faith right now, for today is