Ezekiel 10:1-22
Wednesday, 07 December 2022
Then the glory of the LORD went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim. And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth before my eyes as they went out, with the wheels beside them. And they stood at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the LORD, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them. -Ezekiel 10:18-19
The previous day we were reading of the cloud leading the people of God or in other words His presence was leading them on their entire journey. When in the Promised Land they built the temple, the presence of God filled the place. The glorious manifestation of the Living God is recorded throughout the Word of God. Prophet Ezekiel gives an account of the vision he saw in the temple of God, where the prophet was led by the Spirit of God (Ezekiel 8:3). On reading the book of Ezekiel, the Prophet as instructed by the Lord spoke to the people by enacting in quaint ways, several of the messages which were object lessons for them. These were all forewarnings God sent to His rebellious people- And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house. (Ezekiel 2:7).
In our reading, we see the glory of God move from the dwelling place, two times. Our key verse cites the second when the glory was about to depart and the first is written in Vs.3-4: “Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the house, when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court. And the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD.” For the children of God, it was a personal pride that the temple of God was in their midst and they thought they were fully secure because the dwelling of the living God was in the midst of them. But in reality, the glory of God is about to depart. This shows the end of a relationship that had existed for centuries.
Our Lord is kind and merciful! In His mercy, the Lord sent many servants/ prophets to His people to repent and return; but instead of repentance they rebelled and sinned against the Lord. “Therefore I will act in wrath. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”(Ezek.8:18). But Lord is always Just and generous, He separated those who didn’t sin, from the total destruction which is recorded in Chapt.9. And the LORD said to him, "Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it." (Ezek.9:4).
Today let us look into ourselves: are we living in constant rebellion to the Lord? Have we rejected His Word and His servants who have warned us? Our Heavenly Father’s heart is full of mercy, still sending His servants to the rebellious, giving them a chance to return to Him. Would you turn back to Him? It is also the duty of God’s children to witness and plead for others that many will be saved and heaven will be joyful (Luke15:10). To them who walk away from His presence willfully, the judgment is clearly spoken- “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”(John 3:19-20).
For the one who repents and returns to Him, surely with Fatherly Love HE accepts us!
To Act on: “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.” -Lamentations 3:40
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