Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to
OurChristianWalk@aol.com.
In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
** Follow The Christian Walk on
Twitter @ThChristianWalk
** Like posts and send friend requests
to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn
** Become a Follower of The Christian
Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“However, I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and her
daughters and of Samaria and her daughters, and your fortunes along with them, so
that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you have done in giving
them comfort. And your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her
daughters, will return to what they were before; and you and your daughters
will return to what you were before.”
“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I
will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by
breaking the covenant. Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the
days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. Then
you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your sisters, both
those who are older than you and those who are younger. I will give them to you
as daughters, but not on the basis of my covenant with you. So I will establish
my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord. Then, when I make
atonement for you for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed and
never again open your mouth because of your humiliation, declares the Sovereign
Lord.’”
Ezekiel 16:53-55,
59-63
This ends today’s
reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As we saw in yesterday’s devotion, the people of Samaria,
Sodom, and Judah had one thing in common. All had engaged in sinful idolatrous worship
practices that God considered detestable, sending His consequences upon them to
punish their actions. God referred to them as sisters but He made sure that the
Israelites knew that they had been comparatively more wicked then either of
their other “sisters”. Through God’s response to the disobedient actions of His
people, He made it clear that He was a God of judgment and would not allow
transgressions to go without correction.
As we finish studying from Ezekiel 16 today, we find the
Lord making sure His people understand that He was not just a God of punishment
but a God of redemption and restoration as well. Look again at our scripture
passage:
“However, I will
restore the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and of Samaria and her
daughters, and your fortunes along with them, so that you may bear your
disgrace and be ashamed of all you have done in giving them comfort. And your
sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return
to what they were before; and you and your daughters will return to what you
were before.”
“This
is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you as you deserve, because
you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant. Yet I will remember the
covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an
everlasting covenant with you. Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed
when you receive your sisters, both those who are older than you and those who
are younger. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on the basis of my
covenant with you. So I will establish my covenant with you, and you will know
that I am the Lord. Then, when I make atonement for you for all you have done,
you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth because of
your humiliation, declares the Sovereign Lord.’” Ezekiel 16:53-55,
59-63
God’s penalties had been harsh on Sodom, Samaria, and Judah.
Each nation had fallen from prominence and was left in shambles, a shell of its
former self left to face the humiliation of its desolation. But note the words
of assurance God was providing all of them. He would restore their fortunes and
reputation, returning them to what they were before He sent judgment. God would
once again show He was a God of deliverance, just as He had been for
generations before.
In looking at the Israelites specifically, note that God
promised to remember the covenant He had made with them in the days of their
youth, even vowing to make that covenant stronger and eternal. He would bring them
atonement for all they had done but He would not remove the shame from them for
the way they failed to keep their end of the bargain when they broke their part
of the covenant with Him. I sense God wanted them to still have a residual
bitter taste in their mouths for the way they so blatantly disrespected and
disobeyed Him. The desired effect of this would be the Israelites never wanting
to repeat the sins of their past, remembering how they dishonored God and ended
up in deep trouble with Him as a result.
In other words, there would still be a remnant of shame left
behind within the framework of restoration.
Friends, all these principles remain the same today, some
more than 2,000 years later. Unfortunately, we are still a rebellious people
who too often commit spiritual adultery against God, sins that result in God
having to send His consequences to correct us. But we also experience the truth
that those consequences don’t last forever with restoration and redemption emerging
at God’s appointed time.
How do we feel after we have been liberated from God’s
judgment?
We mostly feel great, giving thanks for our new found
liberation, but there is also a lingering trace of remorse as well, a sense
that we had failed God and forced His hand to discipline us so we might get on
the right course. I believe this can be healthy for us spiritually as long as
we don’t allow it to grow to the point where we feel we are beyond God’s mercy,
grace, and forgiveness. A healthy sense of shame for how we have failed God can
serve as an effective deterrent so we don’t repeat the same sins again. With
this, we should embrace a sense of humiliation and embarrassment for the things
we have done, proactively making whatever changes are necessary to repent and
turn from our wickedness toward God’s righteousness. For when we do this, we
can make a negative into a positive as we continue to allow God to reform us
from the inside out.
Amen
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
No comments:
Post a Comment