Ponderings on Ezekiel and Charles Spurgeon - Truth, the Glory of God and Judgement

 

My yearly Bible plan I've been reading has me in Ezekiel.  Tonight, I've been reading from my Charles Spurgeon study Bible which is the Christian Standard Version.  Different from what I usually read...I guess I read different translations day to day now that I think about it.  I have the NKJV at work, switch between ESV and NKJV on my phone, and I carry my NIV around with me in my purse, then in my living room by my couch is the NLT.  I'm well versed!  (get it).  

It's hard for me to speak well on a book such as Ezekiel along with Spiritual giants and fathers of the church such as Spurgeon.  I have been moved by what I have read tonight that I had to include an entry on my blog.  I've not kept up as well as I have wanted to this year in my readings or postings, as I've said in my few posts its been a trying year.

Charles Spurgeon says of Ezekiel and being a watchman that we must: 

“Study the Bible with diligence. Go to that fountain of truth, and never be satisfied with a secondhand version of it. Search the inspired book and desire to know everything it teaches.”

How can we warn the generation of today and tomorrow if we do not know what God truly has said? How can we know the truth and proclaim the truth if we don’t go to the source?! Not an app, snack devotionals, or Sundays sermon from the pastor will be enough.  We have to intentionally set out to map the Bible, and dig for the treasure it holds.  The Psalmist, Ezekiel, and John the Revelator all come to the conclusion that His Word tastes sweet as honey.

We are no different from that of Judah and Jerusalem of lifting idols and false prophets in our day who proclaim Jesus and not know Him at all, yet we salivate over them and lift them as a crowned jewel. Rapper "Ye" (Kanye) dropped a "Christian" album, now Kid Rock and Eminem have proclaimed Christianity.  Football players say "glory to God."  But is there life change?

The Lord said in Ezekiel there were false prophets in that day running around saying the same message but with a twist. This is what Jesus meant when He said “Not all who say to me “LORD LORD” will enter the Kingdom.” Anyone can run around and proclaim “Jesus is King.” Those who read the scripture and house the Holy Spirit will live it. And as the Lord says “You will know a prophet (truth teller) has been among you.” You will know when a true believer is in your midst…you don’t even have to be saved to know.

Read the scriptures and see the power and glory of God, and the promise of hope in dark days. (Ezekiel 1:28)

It's scary to encounter and live counter culturally in a world where true believers tend to be treated harshly.  Ezekiel's mission was to point out Israel's rebellion and tell them the truth of what God says.  Very few Christians are speaking what God says in this day and age as not to offend those that offend God.  God tells Ezekiel over and over in Chapter 2 don't be afraid of those rebellious, prideful people.  Don't be afraid of their words.  Don't be discouraged by how they look at you.  Standing in the truth takes courage.  

Moving forward to chapter 8 God shows Ezekiel the pagan practices that had taken over the church, inside and out!  Offensive statues outside the gate, pagan gods engraved on the walls of the church, graven images, and carved idols, shrines, and women weeping for the god of gardens to make their crops grow.  The elders were burning incense to unknown gods, and saying things such as the LORD doesn't see us, and has abandoned us in this land.  There were others worshipping the sun god bowing to the east.  God was angry at all this and he let all hell break loose calling "loudly" the executioners of the city, six of them, to come and slaughter in judgement those who abhor the LORD, but leave those whose hearts groan over the lawlessness and wickedness.

Spurgeon says: "Despised mercy has always been succeeded by deserved wrath and so must it be at the end of all things."

This is heavy.  People don't like this version of God.  But when we see his longsuffering, and patience and warning over and over and over and over, there comes a point when He must drop the hammer.  I recently made this point in patience.  People tell me be patient!  And I have been patient!  Patient to a point were there is an expectation of results by now.  Hours, days, and weeks.  I have painfully learned patience almost to a fault now.  Just yesterday I thought an task was being handled at work, and I didn't follow up even when my attorney followed up with me because I was trying to be patient.  Come to find out the task fell through the cracks and wasn't being handled at all!  That's neither here nor there.  The point is GOD IS JUST and HE WILL lift the balances of it.

We look back of all the past Old Testament pictures of future prophecies and New Testament scripture.  Divine vengeance is the LORDS and there is a coming judgement even more overwhelming when once and for all sin, unrepentant sinners, and Satan are thrown into judgement forever.  But, let's also look back to a few of the past judgements we see listed in the Bible because this builds to an uncomfortable climax and we realize just how disgusting we really are, and how serious sin really is to God.

Examples of Biblical Justices:

Satan thrown from Heaven - Satan wanted to be like God and worshipped.

Banishment from the Garden of Eden - disobeyed God's command "do not eat."

Cain banished from his family - killed his brother

The Flood killed everyone but Noah and his family with animals - the people were so wicked, God was sorry He made them to begin with.  Noah preached to the people to repent and turn from wickedness.

Tower of Babel - prideful act and defiance of command to scatter and fill the earth.

Sodom and Gomorrah - wicked, prideful, sexual perversion, there were fewer than 10 righteous people.

Plagues of Egypt - God said let my people go!

Leviticus - the initiation of the law and atonement sacrifice

Judges

......

then we come to this person

JESUS - humanity can't get it together and keeps sinning very badly

It doesn't even feel just and right to place HIS name on this list.  But He took the full wrath of God on Himself and opened the era of grace.  He took the judgement and wrath that belonged to Allison (me) being on this list, and I am washed in the blood.  But many still "despise his mercy" as Spurgeon said, and their name will be on this list.  They refuse the voice of Jesus calling to them to turn from their ways.  He's sent friends and family to tell them, strangers even, and they won't listen.  There is rejection of the truth.  That in itself is mercy as Spurgeon points out.

When we come face to face with the glorious God of scripture, when we read passages that describe what God looks like and is; when we face the gospel truth of Jesus Christ of what He did on the cross; when we weave the crimson thread of grace and atonement of our abhorrent, offensive, gross, shameful ways we should want to repent and turn to this merciful Savior who approaches us in divine love and kindness to be His friend and heir to His Kingdom.  The Creator who has all authority to blast us off the face of the earth in total depravity and darkness, approaches us in light and truth and offers life eternal with Him.

We read in chapter 10 after the slaughtering of the unrepentant throughout Jerusalem that God's glory leaves the Temple and Jerusalem.  What a devastating thing to happen, that the glory of God can be driven away and out of what was once a dwelling place for Him among His people.  He basically was told in their acts of paganism and betrayal that He was not welcome among them.  

Things do get better....600 years later....it's been rough for Jerusalem.  But God does give them promises that there will be restoration, and that they were still His possession to the 1,000 generations.  He made a covenant with Abraham that He cannot break.  He says, "I'll give them a new heart of flesh and not hardened that wants to obey."  God keeps meeting them, He keeps meeting me with grace, and extending a way that He will provide, the people don't even have to come up with a way to Him, they just have to love Him.

In all of this I pray we are sensitive to things we let in the church, the things we say in the church.  Further, the things we let around ourselves and what we say.  I pray we will cast down our idols, and desire a clean heart before God.  I pray we will spend time in the Word of God and allow it to teach us and guide us.  There is so much to pray, and work to do for the Kingdom by the Power of His hand on us.  Amen.