June 26, 2024
Passage Read: Ezekiel 20-23
Meditation Verses: 20:33-38
Thought
God is so frustrated by His people. They continually go astray. They continually turn away from Him and embrace idols and go their own wicked way. They have profaned Him and His house again and again. They never seem to learn. So He promises that with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, He will gather them and enter into judgment against them and purge the rebellious from them and rule over them. He will be King over them and they will walk in obedience to Him; He will force them to obey. He will have His way with them. This sounds less like their return from Babylon and more like the return of Christ. They will suffer the wrath of men like never before, and they will live through God's wrath poured out on the nations, and Jesus will eventually reign as King over them and over all the nations, and He will rule with an iron scepter. All the nations will fear Him and honor Him, and He will force them to obey by punishing every sin without delay, and He will force them to walk in His ways and do what is good and right, for their own good. And they will prosper and enjoy great blessing. He will be King, whether the people like it or not. And when the time comes, they will mount one final rebellion and He will destroy all the sinners from the land, and only those who love Him will remain.
Application
Up till this promised point, God has extended mercy again and again, holding back the full measure of His anger. Time and again He has been provoked to the point of destroying His people, but time and again He held back for the sake of His name. But there is a limit to His grace and mercy and niceness. The day is coming, and we have not yet seem it, when He will take control of this earth and everyone in it, and He will rule with a rod of iron. He will no longer tolerate the wicked, but every man who sins will be rebuked and punished immediately, so all take warning, as it was supposed to be under the Law given to Israel. With mighty hand and outstretched arm and wrath poured out, He will rule His people and all nations. That is a warning to me: Bow the knee now, kiss the Son while I can still choose to do so, willingly humble myself before Him and live as His servant, then it will go well for me, as one who has loved Him and is a joy to lead, a friend and not an enemy.