Scripture Passage
Scripture Focus
“Therefore, tell the exiles, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Although I have scattered you in the countries of the world, I will be a sanctuary to you during your time in exile. I, the Sovereign LORD, will gather you back from the nations where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel once again.’ (Ezekiel 11:16-17 NLT)
Observation
These are harsh, difficult chapters filled with word after word of divine judgment. Though Ezekiel is in exile in Babylon, he lives with a supernatural awareness of activities in Jerusalem, including a vision in which the presence of God Himself rises and departs from the Temple!
Remember Moses’ prayer to God in the wilderness?
"If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" (Exodus 33:15-16 NIV)
What Moses so rightly feared has now come to pass! The single most significant defining characteristic of the people of God—the Presence of God among them—has departed from among them. They are no longer unlike any other people on the face of the earth. They have become quite ordinary.
But even these moments are not without promise. While the inhabitants of Jerusalem continue blindly without God’s presence, God makes a promise to those in Babylonian exile:
“Although I have scattered you in the countries of the world, I will be a sanctuary to you during your time in exile. I, the Sovereign LORD, will gather you back from the nations where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel once again.” (Ezekiel 11:16-17 NLT)
This is a remarkable promise of restoration, but my heart is captured today by the promise of God’s continuing covering even as His people await the fulfillment of His promise. Today I am an exile of sorts—waiting in a strange land for the full restoration of my place and privileges as a child of God. And God has not only promised that restoration, but He has promised His abiding presence in the interim. He remains my sanctuary until His promise is fulfilled!
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I had a couple of questions regarding today's reading come in via email. With permission, I'm posting the questions and my responses below.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1: In Ezekiel 10:14, what do these 4 faces mean (angel, human, lion, eagle)?
Response: I like the suggestion that these four "faces" represent the utter dominance of the Lord. The lion dominates the wild animals, the ox dominates the domestic animals, the eagle dominates the birds of the air and the man dominates creation in general. The fact that these cherubim reflect all four of these spheres of dominance but themselves serve and are subject to God Almighty speaks to His Lordship over all these realms and more.
If you want to read a brief article on how this (possibly) relates to the four gospels, go to http://www.mystae.com and scroll down to the article titled "The Riddle of the Four Faces: Solving an 1800-Year-Old Mystery." I thought it was interesting reading.
Question 2: Ezekiel 11:1-4 -- East gate, 25 men again (just as in EZ 8:16)-- God said these men “draw up blueprints for sin…oppose them…preach against them”. Are these Muslims or perhaps another religion who face east several times a day on the ground?
Response: The two groups of twenty-five are most likely two different groups. The "twenty-five prominent men" in Ezekiel 11 seem to be political leaders, while the "about twenty-five men" in Ezekiel 8 may have been priests (perhaps one representative of each of the 24 courses of the priest + the high priest--cf 1 Ch 23). Clearly the men in chapter 8 were involved in the idolatrous worship of the sun. I don't believe there's any connection to the Muslim faith which, of course, didn't even exist until after 600 AD and--as a monotheistic faith--would itself prohibit worship of the sun.