Be God’s People

Prayer – Lord, You have given Israel a rich heritage—and yet they were worshipping idols—even while You rescued and loved them. Help us to see You as the mighty, omnipotent God that You are. No idols for us. Guide us and fill us anew each day with Your Holy Spirit. 

Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon me, and he told me to say, "This is what the LORD says to the people of Israel: I know what you are saying, for I know every thought that comes into your minds. ... "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.' "When the people return to their homeland, they will remove every trace of their vile images and detestable idols. And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God. But as for those who long for vile images and detestable idols, I will repay them fully for their sins. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!" Then the cherubim lifted their wings and rose into the air with their wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered above them. Then the glory of the LORD went up from the city and stopped above the mountain to the east. Afterward the Spirit of God carried me back again to Babylonia, to the people in exile there. And so ended the vision of my visit to Jerusalem. And I told the exiles everything the LORD had shown me. Ezekiel 11:5, 16-25

 

Meditate. Consider God’s hand on the nation of Judah (southern Israel) and Jerusalem throughout their history.

 

Can you imagine Ezekiel zipping around through space seeing those flying angels while the rest of the Israelites were in exile in Babylon? That’s what was happening. God made Ezekiel His prophet, giving him a message for the nation of Israel, telling them to get their act together. No idols. They must worship Him. If they could do that then things would be OK. He gave the message to the Jews who were refugees in Babylon. Life went on for those Jews in Babylon. They were warned through prophecies and parables of the evils of idol worship and God prepared them for their return to Jerusalem. God gave them a beautiful promise if they removed the idols when the exile was over: And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God. A new spirit within them. The Holy Spirit? Certainly, the Holy Spirit would give them a tender heart that would willingly obey their Heavenly Father. He wanted them to be His people and for Him to be their God. With so many gods wanting their attention, it must have been a hard choice. Evil portrays a delusion of victory, but the goodness of God is stronger and He will win in the end.      

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Tree growing along a river--producing shade.
Shade like a fruit of mercy on a hot day.

Ezekiel’s visions and prophecies included not only things that occurred before and after their exile, but also prophecies of the coming Millennial Kingdom. Those are visions that give us hope of the New Holy Land. Similar to Revelation’s description of Heaven with trees producing fruit monthly (Revelation 22), there are trees growing along a River of Life in Ezekiel’s prediction of the end times (Ezekiel 47-48). Read Ezekiel for yourself—dig into God’s word comparing verses with others that predict or report on historical times, particularly for God’s chosen people.

Verse of Salvation ~ "My wayward children," says the LORD, "come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts." "Yes, we're coming," the people reply, "for you are the LORD our God. Our worship of idols on the hills and our religious orgies on the mountains are a delusion. Only in the LORD our God will Israel ever find salvation. From childhood we have watched as everything our ancestors worked for--their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters—was squandered on a delusion." Jeremiah 3:22-24

 

© 2023 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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