Ezekiel 14

The LORD God’s Judgment Has Purpose

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

For thus saith the Lord GOD; “How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast? Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.  And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it,” saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 14:21-23

How can I say that? That is basically what the word of God says above. He does withhold judgment from His people. In Hebrews 12:8 it is written, “But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakes, then you are illegitimate and not sons.”

The LORD always has a purpose for all that He does, and all that He allows. It is only because of His love and grace that the human race; Adam’s race has not been destroyed. It is also by His mercy and grace that evil has been kept somewhat at a level of sanity for most of us.

What was God’s purpose for judging Israel and Judah, sending them back into captivity? Are you ready for the answer? It does not take too many words to say it. For a multitude of years God continued to love them, protect, enrich them; and they reached a level of self awareness, desiring to be god themselves, making their own way, doing their own thing. God sent prophets morning and evening to the spiritual leaders warning them to turn back to God, and they would not obey. Therefore they were destroyed by sword, famine, noisome beasts, and pestilence. He delivered those who obeyed. God saved their lives.

The greatest love, mercy, and grace God has shown to all of us is when He sent His Son to die in our place. You see, none of us can obey Gods commandments without help. We all want to go our own way, but that leads to death. God provided the way through the propitiation of Jesus Christ His only begotten Son. If Jesus Christ had not taken my place and your place on the cross we would have died and burned in Hell. Christ becoming sin for us bore all the wrath of God for all our sin, died, was buried carrying our sins away, the then He rose again. Now when we come to God through Christ Jesus we have eternal life now. Call on the name of Jesus and be saved to eternal life.

Idols of the Heart

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

“Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me. And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

‘Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face. Should I be enquired of at all by them? Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols; that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from Me through their idols.’ ” Ezekiel 14:1-5 (KJB)

In the United States of America we love our cars, our houses, our freedoms, and just about anything else including sports and education. We far too often give more attention to those things than we do to the One who created us; and who has provided our eternal salvation.

Remember Ezekiel, and those “elders of Israel” who came to him were in Babylon; captives of Nebuchadnezzar. These men were coming to ask the prophet to seek God for them, but God knew their hearts.

“Should I be enquired of at all by them?” Did you catch that question from the LORD? That gets me to thinking of what prayers God will hear.

“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” Psalm 34:18

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.” Psalm 51:17

The broken heart is the one who realizes there is no help, no hope, no Savior but in the Lord. The contrite one is is one who is physically and mentally and spiritually collapsed. These are the sacrifices; the prayers God will hear.

The one’s who come to God in the pretense of worship, with feigned words and empty acts of reverence will not be heard.

Remember this. God knows your heart, and your mind. There is nothing about you that is a secret to Him.

Turn to the One [Jesus Christ] who died for your sins. Turn to the One who died on the cross, was buried and He rose again. Come to Him with a broken, contrite, and surrendering heart.