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August 29th

The bible reading for today is in Ezekiel 9-12.

So much of the first 24 chapters in Ezekiel's prophesy relates to God‘s judgment upon Judah and Israel as a whole. Today’s animated prophesies were given to the already exiled Judeans telling the message that the rest of Israel would soon be judged also.

The people mocked the prophesies....“We’ve heard all of this before...” So God spoke...“Ezekiel, son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not, for they are a rebellious house.”

‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭12:2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Ezekiel, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house. Children who have had every advantage. They had the word of God, they had the priesthood, they had the sacrificial system, they had the Temple, and they have had my prophets...yet, they have deliberately ignored me.”

I wonder sometimes if God gave this prophet eyes into the New Testament. Perhaps God would have told him what he told the apostle Paul.

Such as Paul’s testimony in Romans 7...“So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God sometimes...even most of the time...in my inner being, but I see and experience in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord...He will... So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh, I serve the law of sin.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭7:21-25‬ ‭

Yes, the prophet was mocked...“We have listened to other prophets...and they say that our loved ones back home will be delivered...that Babylon will not go back to finish the job...”

So God spoke again...“As for you, son of man, prepare for yourself an exile’s baggage, and like the theater, pretend to go into exile.

Perhaps your countrymen in exile will understand that their loved ones back in Judah will be exiled to one day. With your “make-believe” baggage you shall go out yourself at evening in your countrymen’s sight, just like those who must go into exile. And in their sight, dig through the wall, and bring your baggage out through it like you’re trying to escape the coming captivity. And put on a blindfold that you may not see the land, picturing that not even the blind will be left out of the judgment to come.

Ezekiel, I have made you a sign for the house of Israel, whether they believe or not. And the exiles mocked the prophet still...saying...“Yahweh will never do this to His people back home...”

Now we listen again to the text...“And the prince, speaking of Judah’s coward king, Zedekiah, shall go out of Jerusalem...But “I will spread my net over him” so that he can only escape exile for a while longer...and then he shall be taken in “my snare”. And “I will later” bring him to Babylon, yet he shall not see Babylon, for he will be blinded by the enemy soldiers who tracked him to Jericho...

‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭12:12-13‬ ‭

Why would God speak to his rebellious children this way? Have they not suffered enough? The real question, why have His children not repented of their hard hearts by now? Because they have not yet connected their situation with God’s glory.

Perhaps through Ezekiel, they will believe and understand now that God will have His glory whether by mercy or by justice...”

‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭12:3-6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

By the way that’s the cross friends. Jesus prayed that the Father would glorify Him and that what was about to happen on Golgatha would glorify the Father.

The Father showing us mercy and grace because His son Jesus took on justice for our sins...to the Glory of God!

Have a great day.