Friday, September 2, 2016

Friday, September 2nd: 2 Kings 25:1-2, Jeremiah 39:1, Jeremiah 52:3-5, Ezekiel 24-25 ~ Conrad

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is: 2 Kings 25:1-2, Jeremiah 39:1, Jeremiah 52:3-5, Ezekiel 24-25

"Say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary—the stronghold in which you take pride, the delight of your eyes, the object of your affection. The sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword."
Ezekiel 24:21

Sin inevitably leads to judgment.  What Jeremiah prophesied to the people of Judah, Ezekiel prophesied to the exiles in Babylon.  Ezekiel knew that this judgment was imminent, and he also had words of judgment against the nations of Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, and Tyre.

Unfortunately, sin also affects others.  I do not imagine that many people liked Ezekiel.  After all, he was going out warning people of their corruption and sinful ways.  It must have been a great comfort to him knowing that at the end of each day, he had a wife to come home to who loved and cared for him.  But then he receives word from God that as a sign to the people, his wife will be taken from him,  AND, God commands Ezekiel to "not lament or weep or shed any tears.

This would be a really good scenario of a "why me Lord?" situation.  Just going through this kind of loss would leave me lost (no pun intended) where everything would feel like it was turned upside down.  But Ezekiel is able to handle this great loss and this great command by God.  Ezekiel is able to be an example to the exiles for when they realize that their sacred temple in Jerusalem along with their relatives have been lost in the siege on Jerusalem.

Three points that I was reminded of from today's reading:
1. Sin leads to judgment
2. Sin affects everyone around us
3. When God calls us to fulfill His plan, He will equip us in ways that seem unimaginable

God reigns supreme as King of kings, and Lord of lords.  All that happens is in his all powerful and loving hands.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Jeremiah 34, 21, 29, 30:20-26

1 comment:

Tammy said...

I always find this story heartbreaking every time I read it. And it doesn't make sense to us from a human perspective. Why couldn't God just have Ezekiel tell them a parable in order to get His point across? Why did Ezekiel's wife have to actually die? We don't know the answer to these questions. Our thoughts are not His thoughts. But we know that He is good. We know that He is sovereign. We know that He is just. We know that He is perfect. We know that His plan not only trumps our plan, but it is a better plan.

He sees things in light of eternity. We need to have that same focus. Eternity trumps the temporal, every time.