August 3, 2023

Today's Reading: Ezekiel 40:1-4, 48:35

Daily Lectionary: Judges 16:4-30, Galatians 4:12-31

“And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The LORD Is There.” (Ezekiel 48:35)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The words “hope” and “Old Testament prophet” don’t often go together in our minds. But the very reason the prophets are sent is because of hope. Because the Lord God wants to draw His people back to His side, into His hands, into a place set aside for them that is safe from all outside attacks.

And so it is that the prophet Ezekiel, after calling out God’s people (and many foreign nations, too) for their faithlessness and wandering, ends his book with a word of profound hope and peace. It takes him nine chapters to outline just how magnificent and glorious the New Jerusalem God promises is. He’s mostly known for dry bones, weird visions, and baking bread over manure, but all of that pales in the light of what he lays out at the end of his book.

God’s people know why they are in exile. They know why Jerusalem, their lifelong home, had been destroyed. And they wonder if God will ever return them home. They have just about given up, even though there have been many times Ezekiel has comforted them throughout his time as a prophet.

And so it is with us, too. We’ve heard God’s Law against our failures. We’ve heard his Gospel promises and assurances of our forgiveness and salvation in Jesus, but we still wonder if it is all true. If God really means it. If he will return and take us to that New Heaven and New Earth he’s promised.

And that’s the thing. He has promised it to us. Our not believing it doesn’t make it untrue, it just makes our lives more difficult. The Word of God stands whether we trust it or not, which is why Ezekiel goes to such pains to outline the gloriousness of the future.

And he doesn’t stop there. He finishes his book with the line from our reading today. That the name of this place prepared for us, the New Heaven and Earth, the place where the uncountable multitudes shall gather for all eternity, is: “The Lord is There.”

And that’s all we need to know. The Lord is there, so of course it will be magnificent beyond description. Beautiful beyond comprehension. Glorious beyond all understanding. The Lord is there, and so are we, his baptized, redeemed, and forgiven children. There forever, before his majestic glory. There is no other place to be for eternity, because He’s made it for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

God Himself is present: Let us now adore Him And with awe appear before Him. God is in His temple; All within keep silence; Humbly kneel in deepest rev’rence. He alone On His throne Is our God and Savior; Praise His name forever!  (LSB 907:1)

-Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA  and the President of Higher Things.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.

Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.