Ezekiel
Today we begin reading in the book of Ezekiel. I know we have not finished the book of Jeremiah and that we have not even read it in “the chapter order”, rather we have been reading the chapters and verses that apply to the kings that ruled chronologically. There were three invasions of Judah by Babylon and each time people were taken captive from Judah to Babylon. Daniel went with the first group and ended up serving in the king’s court. Ezekiel was taken in the second invasion and ministered to the people who were relocated in Babylon. Jeremiah was left behind and ministered to those who remained in Judah.
The goal of our reading chronologically is that we would get a better understanding of what the people were going through, and to try to understand what they might be thinking as they were going through the last years of Judah as a nation. Our main goal is to get a greater understanding of what God is doing, why He is doing it, and how what He is doing applies to us.
From our study it is clear that the people and the leaders had rejected God and were suffering the consequences of their actions. However, God had not rejected them, and no matter where the people were and no matter what the people had done, God had provided a prophet to be with them and to call them to turn back into a relationship with Him.
The people must have thought that the situation was hopeless, although they were hoping Egypt would come and rescue them. When the third invasion began and the walls were broken through and when they saw the temple being destroyed, they must of thought, “Well, it’s all over. We’re just going to die here along with all our hopes and dreams.” But that is not what God had planned for them.
God was relentlessly pursuing them with His grace and love. God is Love. The love of God is a benevolent love. God’s love gives that which a person needs, but that may not be what they want. They may be asking and wanting something else. They may not even know what they really need. God knew what they needed and so that is what He gave the people. This is a reflection of His love and grace.
Today, God is relentlessly pursuing us with His benevolent love, desiring to shower His grace upon us. The Bible says that God so loved the world that He gave- not what we think we need or want - but what God, in His infinite wisdom, knows we desperately need. Grace is getting what we do not deserve.
Our world is changing, and it is a scary change we are seeing and experiencing. Many fear that their hopes, dreams, and plans, are going away fast. Many fear that they might perish. The future seems so uncertain, so frightening. God does not want us to feel or think that there is no hope. He has a way that we might escape this despair. He gave His Son to take the punishment for sin, our sin. His desire is that we would not perish but that we might have life, everlasting life.
So what are we to do? We need to stop doing what we have been doing and thinking. Turn to Him. We need to quit being a follower of this world’s wisdom and become a follower of God. When we do so, we are adopted into His family and we become His child.
How do we do that? Let me give you the whole verse. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NASB
Today, God is relentlessly pursuing you! Today is the day! Now is the time! Receive His love. Receive His Grace. Receive life eternal.
Blessings
Pastor Dave