In Ezekiel 6, we
have a message concerning divine judgment. Note the emphasis - “you
(they) will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 6:7,13-14). If we are to
appreciate the greatness of God’s salvation, we must see the greatness
of our sin and the greatness of the judgment from which we are delivered
through God’s mighty work of salvation.
Thursday 22 August 2019
Ezekiel 7
“The end is coming” - We
read these words five times in Ezekiel 7:1-6. These are words of
judgment. Ezekiel 7 ends with the words, “Then they will know that I am
the Lord” (Ezekiel 7:27). In His judgment, the Lord is known as the holy
God. If the people refuse to return to the Lord, there will be
judgment. This is the word of warning. It comes as a call to repentance,
a call to walk with God in obedience.
Ezekiel 8-9
In Ezekiel 8, we have a
description of sin - “very disgusting things”, even more disgusting
things” (Ezekiel 8:6,9,13,17). When we read such “bad news”, we wonder,
“Is there good news?” The answer of God’s Word is “Yes”! God does not
leave us in our sin. He sends His Son to be our Saviour. This is the
Good News, for which the prophets paved the way. Their ministry exposed
sin, so that sinners might see their need of the Saviour.
If
holiness is to be preserved, there must be a divine judgment upon sin (Ezekiel 9.
We cannot grow in our love for God, if we continue to have love, in our
hearts, for the ways of the world. “Abba, Father, let me be Yours and
Yours alone” (Dave Bilbrough, Mission Praise, 3).
Ezekiel 10-12
“The Lord’s
glory rose from the angels” (Ezekiel 10:4); “The Spirit lifted me”
(Ezekiel 11:1 - These prophecies of Ezekiel bring us into the presence
of God. “The sound of the Almighty God when He speaks” (Ezekiel 10:5);
“The Lord’s Spirit came to me and told me to say” (Ezekiel 11:5) - When
we are in the Lord’s presence, He speaks His Word to us. He speaks to
us, so that we might speak for Him. “The Spirit lifted me up” (Ezekiel
11:24); “The Lord spoke His Word to me” (Ezekiel 12:1) - The Word and
the Spirit belong together. The Spirit inspires the Word. The Word
expresses the mind of the Spirit. “This is the divine revelation”
(Ezekiel 12:10); “This is what the Almighty Lord says, Everything that I
say will no longer be delayed. Whatever I say will happen, declares the
Almighty Lord” (Ezekiel 12:28). Through His Word and His Spirit, the
Almighty Lord is leading us on to His future. He is lifting us up to
glory - His heavenly and eternal glory.
Ezekiel 13-15
“Listen to the Word of the
Lord” (Ezekiel 13:2). We must not “follow our own ideas” (Ezekiel
13:3). “Change the way you think and act” (Ezekiel 14:6). We are
changed, as we pay attention to what the Lord has to say to us. What is
the alternative to turning to the Lord, listening to Him and being
changed by Him? We turn from Him, and our lives become a “wasteland”
(Ezekiel 15:8). The message of the prophet, Ezekiel, comes as a call to
choose - Turn to the Lord and be saved, or turn from Him and be lost.
Sin and Salvation (Ezekiel 16:63 ... 20:40-44)
Speaking
through the prophet, God uses very colourful sexual imagery to describe
Israel’s relationship with Himself and her revolt against Him. The last
word, in Ezekiel 16, is not, however, a word concerning the rebellion
of Israel against the Lord. It is the message of redemption - the
forgiveness of sins (Ezekiel 16:63).
“I am the Lord ... I, the
Lord, have spoken, and I will do it” (Ezekiel 17:24). In His Word, God
tells us who He is and what He has done for us. He is the God who loves
us. He has shown us His love in the death of His Son, our Saviour, Jesus
Christ.
What a contrast there is between God’s salvation and
man’s sin. God brought His people out of Egypt and into the promised
land. They rebelled against Him and refused to listen to Him (Ezekiel
20:6-8). God had not given up on His people. He would draw them to
Himself. He would make them His instrument of blessing to the nations
(Ezekiel 20:40-44).
Ezekiel 21-22
In Ezekiel 21 - 22, words concerning God’s
holy judgment against sin are awesome. He does not take sin lightly. He
takes sin very seriously. As we realize the seriousness with which He
looks upon sin, we are called to repentance. We are called to return to
the Lord, in sincerity and truth.
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