Ezekiel is still in the vision that began in chapter 8, and he sees the four creatures from chapter 1, realizing they are the same four creatures. He describes them, God joins them, and they move around accompanied by wheels.
God, thank you for a short break. Thank you for a focus on something other than man’s depravity. It is good to remember how glorious You are. You are a good God. Amen.
God is still showing Ezekiel around “Christmas Carol” style, and this time, Ezekiel sees the death of what seems like most of Israel. God has a guy go out and put a mark on everyone who is grieving over their sin. God also has six other guys follow the marking guy. These six are told to kill everyone that doesn’t get a mark.
As Ezekiel sees the massive bloodshed, he weeps over the dead, wondering if any will be spared. God simply replies, “…I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but will bring down on their own heads what they have done” (v. 10).
This is one more reminder of how serious God is about sin, but this time there is a new side of God we see. God honors and protects the repentant heart. He sees those who truly mourn over their sin and has compassion on them.
This ties in exactly to what we’re going to be talking about on Sunday! We’re talking about the Last Supper when Jesus foretells the sins of Peter and Judas. One of the big differences in these stories is the aftermath of their sin. Peter realizes his mistake, repents, and becomes a cornerstone of the church. Judas realizes his mistake and thinks so little of himself that he commits suicide.
How repentant am I over sin? Do I grieve over my mistakes, or do I simply let them slide? God, break my heart over my sin. Give me a heart that grieves and aches. Amen.
After Ezekiel’s year-plus of lying on his side, God shows him another vision. In this vision, he is taken around Jerusalem and shown detestable things that Israelites are doing. Each time he is shown something, God tells him that he will see something even more detestable. At the end of the journey, God tells Ezekiel that He will not listen to them and will deal with them in anger.
This is just another reminder of how seriously God views sin. Each of the detestable things these people are doing are focused around worshipping false gods or idols. God has no patience with people that worship things other than Him. In this day and age, it is too easy to slip into idol worship – putting something before God.
God, please don’t help me fall into this trap. Help me to put you first today and every day. Amen.
God has already made it clear that sin is no laughing matter with Him. In this passage, He talks about Israel receiving their punishment for the things they have done (their punishment being death). He talks in detail of how they will die and that they will be repaid for their conduct. But…
The one thing that struck me in this passage was the repetition of the phrase, “Then you/they will know that I am the LORD.” This phrase always followed a detailed description of the punishment that was going to befall the Israelites, and every time I read it, I thought to myself, “It took that much for them to figure out who God is?”
How much will it take for you to really understand God? Do you know how serious He is about sin? Do you know He wants your whole life? Or are you just playing the game because you know how to act “Christian?” I played the game for a long time. I still catch myself playing the game every now and then. This was a good reminder that I don’t want to need a wake up call like the one the Israelites got.
God, help me know You. Help me be passionate for You. Help me remember to pursue You with my whole heart so I may not fall away like the Israelites of Ezekiel’s day. Amen.
God uses Ezekiel to symbolically show Israel’s destruction. He has Ezekiel lie on his side a day for every year of Israel and Judah’s sin – 40 days/years for Judah, and 390 days/years for Israel! Not only did Ezekiel have to lie on his side for over a year for Israel’s sin, but Israel was living in rebellion for almost 400 years! God also has Ezekiel build a mini-Jerusalem, play out a mini-siege, and use his hair (off of his now-shaved head) to symbolize how the Israelites are going to die.
What stands out to me in all of this is how seriously God takes Israel’s sin. Not only is He ready to wipe them out for their sin, but He uses them as an example to the surrounding nations. I think He has Ezekiel go through all of the symbolism to grasp the gravity of Israel’s rebellion.
This God that took Israel’s sin that seriously is the same God of today. He is the God we pray to, the God we worship, and the God we serve. Is He still forgiving? Yes. Is there still room for grace? Yes. But along with all of that is an anger that God has against sin. I think Paul said it best:
“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” –Romans 6:1-2
Too often I’m quick to shower myself with God’s grace. When I sin, I tell myself that it’s ok and that God will forgive me. Though this is true, I shouldn’t take my sin so lightly. God sees it as a serious issue, and so should I.
So should you.
Yesterday I was anxious to hear what God was going to say to Ezekiel. Today I got to read His words, and they were good.
God is preparing Ezekiel for the ministry he is about to do. He tells Ezekiel a little bit about the people he’s going to be speaking to – they are Israelite exiles that are rebellious and hard-hearted to God.
God clearly knows this is going to be difficult for Ezekiel, so He gives Ezekiel what he’s going to need. God makes him just as unyielding and hardened as they are, He encourages Ezekiel that his only job is to get God’s word out, He keeps Ezekiel from saying anything but God’s words, and He shows Ezekiel His glory again.
I was struck by two things – how well God prepares Ezekiel for ministry and how obedient Ezekiel is to God’s call on his life. Whenever God asks Ezekiel to do something, Ezekiel follows, and he is always blessed by being obedient.
I’ve tried to be in tune to God’s call and direction for my life, but I have a hard time listening on a daily basis. I know that I will be blessed if I’m obedient – I’ve already been blessed by being obedient and reading His word. But often I’m not obedient in other areas. I need to be. I want to be blessed. Don’t you?
About 5 or 6 years ago, I tried to tackle a difficult task – studying the book of Ezekiel. I did a surface study, never plunging in too deep, and I never finished it.
I now aim to dive a little deeper, understand a little more, and bask in God’s presence a little more. I invite you to join me on my quest.
The first chapter has a very similar feel to Revelation – it begins with a vision Ezekiel sees. He first sees four living creatures (Rev. 4:6). He goes on to describe their radiance, including their adornments, their physical makeup, wheels under them, and their wings over them. He uses the phrase “Wherever the spirit would go, they would go” twice (vv. 12, 20), and talks of them and the wheels going straight ahead (vv. 9, 12, 17), as if they had one objective and one focus, as should we.
All this felt like it was building to something. The climax begins in verse 25, where Ezekiel describes a throne and a man sitting on it that looks like fire. The last verse of the chapter sums up the beauty of this description, and it displays Ezekiel’s poetic imagery:
“Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around Him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.”
As I read this, two things came to mind. First of all, I’m DYING to know what the voice says. I know the answer is just on the next page, but I’m purposely waiting until tomorrow to keep my suspense up, build my anticipation, and keep me excited about diving into the Bible.
Second, I am reminded of how glorious our God is. I love that Ezekiel uses the image of a rainbow because I love rainbows. They are beautiful, breathtaking, and hard to take your eyes off of.
I definitely do not fall facedown before my God enough. I am more accustomed to viewing him as my friend than I am as the glorious and awesome God He is. I am thankful He loves me and thankful He wants to be my friend, but He would be nothing without His glory. I am blessed by the reminder I received today of His glory and radiance. He deserves to be WORSHIPPED and ADORED.
God, help me to give You the glory, worship, and adoration You’re due. Thank you for loving me in spite of me, and thank you for drawing me to you. Amen.
please pray. i’ve been procrastinating for too long, and now i have a lot of school work to do in a short amount of time. i have a hard time sitting down and working, as i would just rather hang out with people.
also please pray as laura and i could possibly be moving within the week! this process is all happening faster than i’d like, but it looks like a good location and a good situation for us.
thanks!
