DAY 323

GOD DOES NOT GIVE UP

Ezekiel 11, 12 & 13 and James 1

This is one of those days of reading when I want to talk about a lot of things—but I just don’t have the space to do so. Let me try and get organized a bit. Yesterday I spent time looking circling back on Ezekiel to get our bearings, and then moving forward to where Ezekiel sees in a vision all sorts of things which culminate in the glory of God leaving the Temple—pretty dramatic stuff. That scene continues in the first half of chapter 11:1-14, and in chapter 12 and 13 (I want to circle back to 11:15-25 and in a separate post cover James).

We do not have a date on chapter 12, but there are two scenes: hastily packing and trembling while eating—both are prophesies regarding going into exile. At this point it seems as if Ezekiel’s actions are constantly being watched, and so God uses the attention shown the prophet to present more skits/scenes to the onlookers. Chapter 13 seems to me to be a straight on attack against those who are telling the people all is well, not to worry—and those who practice all sorts of evil religion.

Which brings me back to Ezekiel 11:15-25: in it we see tremendous hope. Ezekiel prophesizes that there is coming a day which will be amazing. You may remember in Jeremiah there was a prophecy where God says He will write his Law on the people’s hearts. The problem is their hearts are too hard, too stony. For the God the solution is simple—just give people new soft hearts. And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. What a wonderful promise—you have heard me write about it two other times—the Promise of the Father.

What is remarkable is that in the midst of the people completely ignoring God and doing all sorts of evil, He, God does not give up on us. I know you might think that this stuff in Ezekiel reveals an angry God. I don’t necessarily see an “angry God” but instead a God who has to discipline those whom He loves…because if He did not love us, then He would never promise a new heart…He would just walk away from this experiment called the “human project”—but He doesn’t, He does not give up on us.

How do you feel about God right now, do you think He is angry or patient? It is an important question. In prayer ask God to speak with you, to show you His love.