“All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.” Ezekiel 18:23
With 3023 Jews taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Ezekiel now lived several hundred miles away from his beloved home (Jeremiah 52:28; Ezekiel 1:1). For centuries, God warned Israel (both the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom) about the consequences of worshiping other gods and the abominations they committed because of this worship.
Now, captives, they mourned and cried out to God (Psalm 137), yet they had much to learn before the time would come when God would bring them back to their land.
Breaking from a sinful lifestyle is difficult. It requires a change at the deepest level of the heart. While in captivity, the Jews experienced great fear as well as great peace. When Nebuchadnezzar commanded everyone to bow down to his statue, he threw three young men who refused to bow into the fiery furnace, but the Son of God was with them (Daniel 3). When the King Darius was tricked by his presidents to throw Daniel in the lions’ den, God sent an angel to close the lions’ mouths. When Naaman (see the book of Esther) plots to have the Jews destroyed, God had a plan in place to save them. After each fearful threat, God protected the Jews, revealed Himself to those involved, and brought peace.
When taken captive, the Jews did not know what the future would be. They didn’t listen to Jeremiah’s prophecies and teachings. I wonder if they even grasped why they went into captivity, initially. I think perhaps it took a great number of humbling experiences for them to fully grasp the atrocities they’d committed, the deep guilt they had, and the everlasting love of their God.
My heart hurts for people today who once knew God and had been exposed to His gift of salvation yet reject it. I fear for them. Will they go into eternity without God, an eternity in hell? Well, perhaps this is a discussion for another day. For now, I cannot give up hope they would discover in the deepest, innermost parts of their hearts that they not only need God but can turn back to Him and live a life wholly acceptable to Him.
God called Ezekiel, a priest of the line of Zadok, to not only tell the Jews of God’s judgment on them and the other nations, but to also tell them God’s plan of salvation. Throughout the book God pleads for Ezekiel to let the children of Israel know that He loved them, but they needed to turn from their wickedness.
He makes the case that He is a holy God, Creator of all, and therefore holiness and judgment and righteousness were required. Yet, He also pleads for the people to understand that He did not want them to die in their wickedness. A holy God passionately in search for hearts desiring His presence in their lives not for their own selfish reasons, but because they loved Him, their Creator.
This week, I want to explore the book of Ezekiel. Just an overview because the book overflows with information about our Great and Almighty God. Are you ready to explore with me? Let’s begin with an introspective questions:
- How well do I know God?
- Of late, have I allowed myself to passionately follow something that sets itself up contrary to God?
- Have I worshiped God outwardly only or from every chamber of my heart?
- Do I even have an inkling of the love God has for me?
For further study, read: Ezekiel 1-6.
“When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand….Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.” Ezekiel 8:18-21
