“Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone.’ Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.’ And when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations. And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be My people, and I will be their God.” Ezek. 11:16-20
Devotional Thought For The Day
This chapter in Ezekiel begins with description of “men who devise iniquity and who give wicked counsel in this city.” Their position, in contradiction to God’s Word that Jerusalem would be rebuilt, was that God was continuing to punish and destroy His own people and that therefore, no further progress should be made. Although such a case, given the circumstances of the exile in Babylon, could be reasonably and powerfully made, this was a denial of God’s continuing and ongoing love for His people, and denial of His plans for the future blessedness of mankind. Interestingly, one of the principle men resisting and rejecting Ezekiel’s ministry of God’s Word, a man named “Pelatiah the son of Benaiah,” suddenly died as Ezekiel was prophesying [Ezek. 11:13]. Although people often have little fear or worry when rejecting and despising God’s Word, and often think that it is nothing but “debate” and intellectual disagreement, there is grave danger in opposing the ministry of God’s Word, and God can easily and quickly bring death and other misery to people who forcefully oppose God’s prophets.
The counter-intuitive insight granted to Ezekiel, and shared with God’s people through his ministry, was that God was still very much protecting and preserving His people even in their great dispersion, and that there was still a wondrous future for repentant believers in the LORD. Though the people who had been forcibly torn away from Jerusalem and Judea must have felt that God had forsaken them, the LORD revealed the reality through Ezekiel: “Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone.” Though Solomon’s temple, that great earthly sanctuary, had been completely destroyed, God remained “sanctuary” to His people wherever they were. And although Jerusalem had been reduced to rubble and seemed to have no future at all, the LORD promised through Ezekiel: “I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.”
People today often suffer the same spiritual disease of Pelatiah. They observe the demise of the church, the wickedness that is often tolerated in her midst, and they hear people like Pelatiah speaking and spreading influence even within the church, and determine that it should be forsaken, that God needs to be “reinvented.” They devise new religions, or perhaps new strategies to “save” and “expand” the church, in rejection of God’s Word and faith in His promises. They are unspiritual and myopic, and do not see that God remains the sanctuary of His dear people of faith wherever they may be, and regardless of the social and cultural morass they have to live in. They refuse the promise of God to His faithful people that He, God Himself, will bring about restoration and renewal, that God will keep His promise: “I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh.” This promise of blessedness God fulfills even today through Baptism, His new birth and regeneration to new life, through faith in Jesus Christ. This wondrous salvation and building of the true church continues at full pace throughout the world even today – even though the “institutional” structures may be failing and corrupt.
God always calls His people to faith and optimism, even though they may have to live in the midst of moral squalor and dismal ignorance of God. He is their sanctuary and He will remove those who do great harm and damage to His people. This faith, both in His present protection and blessing, and in His promises for the future, gives us new and living hearts, and sets our direction for life in this world: “they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be My people, and I will be their God.” As such we are also compelled and committed, at least within the church, to “remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations.” This surely means conflict with all the “Pelatiahs” in our midst, and it is serious and difficult struggle. But it has always been so for those who are God’s people, those who have God as their God. So let us keep the prophecies of God – the real ones, and continue on as God’s dear people of faith, holding to His Word and looking forward to the ultimate deliverance in the return of Jesus. Christ our redemption has come, and God has gathered us together, and He has given the church back to His dear people. It is only a matter of time before all things are properly restored in His kingdom. God grant all of us strength of faith and constancy in these dark times!
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, when things seem dark to us You remain in the light, and You see all things, all of Your blessings and love, and Your good and gracious purposes being carried out and fulfilled. You have given us Your Word, Your prophecy, that we may see this light and continue in faith and faithfulness. Grant us vision, courage, and commitment to do Your will. Amen.