Today's Scripture
Ezekiel 5:5-13
5 Thus says the Lord God: This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the center of the nations, with countries all around her. 6 But she has rebelled against my ordinances and my statutes, becoming more wicked than the nations and the countries all around her, rejecting my ordinances and not following my statutes. 7 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you are more turbulent than the nations that are all around you, and have not followed my statutes or kept my ordinances, but have acted according to the ordinances of the nations that are all around you; 8 therefore thus says the Lord God: I, I myself, am coming against you; I will execute judgments among you in the sight of the nations. 9 And because of all your abominations, I will do to you what I have never yet done, and the like of which I will never do again. 10 Surely, parents shall eat their children in your midst, and children shall eat their parents; I will execute judgments on you, and any of you who survive I will scatter to every wind. 11 Therefore, as I live, says the Lord God, surely, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations—therefore I will cut you down; my eye will not spare, and I will have no pity. 12 One third of you shall die of pestilence or be consumed by famine among you; one third shall fall by the sword around you; and one third I will scatter to every wind and will unsheathe the sword after them.
13 My anger shall spend itself, and I will vent my fury on them and satisfy myself; and they shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken in my jealousy, when I spend my fury on them.
RJ's Devotion
What does the passage say?
V. 5-6 Israel was to shine among the other nations to become a blessing of God. Instead, they turned their back on God.
V. 7-8 The word ‘Therefore thus’ shows that the people of God broke the covenant, with their Lord.
V. 9-11As a result, God pours out the judgment to the people, which is so harsh to read.
V. 12-13 It was harsh, but the only way for them to recognize that God is their Lord.
What does this passage mean to me/us?
We are reading through the Book of Ezekiel, according to the One Year Bible reading challenge.
The passage that we read, today, is hard to swallow. The God we know, as a loving God, is far from loving.
It is easy to close our ears and not hear what has happend, because of the cruel words.
However, we are to understand this text beyond the words and language.
We need to see the truth of our relationship with God.
We need to see the broken human nature, constantly turning our back from God.
God is willing to have a relationship with God’s people. We see it from Jesus Christ. However, that desire to build a relationship was express before Jesus came. Actually, started from the beginning of the world.
However, our human nature continued to turn our back from God and started to rely on other gods.
That is the reason why God talks about tearing down the altar. Because the altars built for other gods prohibited the true relationship to build with the One God. Despite the continued called to come back, the people of Israel rebelled against God, and there was a statement to be made.
Prayer
Lord, help us to see what relationship you offer through your son. The relationship, which is so precious, that nothing should come between us. However, also forgive us when we turn our backs on you, but continue to convict us to come back toward you. In Christ Name, AMEN.
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