August 21 - Ezekiel 20:1-22:16

Good morning everyone,

Today we begin with the elders of Israel coming to Ezekiel in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day. Don’t you just love the detail? I am a black and white kind of person and I love exact details.  Anyway, they wanted to have a sit down and discuss some difficulties they were having with the Lord. But God says, “yea ….no, I’m not hearing them and I’ve got nothing to say to them. ” (paraphrasing) but then He spends most of the rest of the chapter going over their history of rebellion, how over and over again, despite God’s pleading and warnings, they rebelled against Yahweh, hanging on to their idols, putting them before Him.

In chapter twenty-one the Lord tells Ezekiel to prophesy to Jerusalem that her destruction was a done deal and was close at hand. In my mind’s eye, when I read verse 6, “Therefore groan, son of man! Groan before them with broken heart and bitter grief.” I could see an Eeyore wandering the streets sighing eminent doom only Ezekiel’s heart was not one of “Oh no, poor me” instead in his heart was pure grief and sorrow for what the future held for the people of Jerusalem, the judgement the Lord was going to bring down on them. 

Chapter twenty-two speaks to the mockery the jews would receive, we read, “Therefore I will make you an object of scorn to the nations and a laughingstock to all the countries. Those who are near and those who are far away will mock you, you infamous city, full of turmoil.” They turned their backs on the Lord and for nearly two thousand years have paid the price. They have been attacked, persecuted, expelled, restricted, violated, exiled oh!, and then there was the holocaust of 1939 where millions were systematically exterminated, scattering those who were able to escape amongst all the nations of the world only to have anti-semitism arise again over the years. God, however, had made them an unconditional covenant when he gave them Israel so as prophecy predicted they are returning, more and more each year to the land God gave them to fulfill an even heater prophecy.

What can we take from all of this today? Well, what first comes to mind is our God is a very patient God, giving us every opportunity to live according to His commands but He is also a God of His word. His yes is yes, His no is no and at some point His patience will run out and a heavy consequence of choice will have to be paid for those who choose to live in defiance to Him. However, for those who choose to put their faith and hope in Jesus 1 Corinthians 2:9 says, “It is written: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him.’” Right? The road may get bumpy but keep looking up and keep a firm grip on your faith, God’s promise is that He is always right there for you. Paul tells us in Romans 8:35-39, “ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Friends, do you get that? There is nothing that can separate you or me or anyone from the love of Christ aside from our own poor choices. In antiquity the people of Jerusalem chose idols over Yahweh and they suffered greatly for it. I encourage you to choose Christ, as it says in Deuteronomy, “Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” Amen?

Have a good day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..