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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“Yet the people of Israel rebelled against
me in the wilderness. They did not follow My decrees but rejected My laws—by
which the person who obeys them will live—and they utterly desecrated My Sabbaths.
So I said I would pour out My wrath on them and destroy them in the wilderness.
But for the sake of My name I did what would keep it from
being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them
out. Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not
bring them into the land I had given them—a land flowing with milk and honey,
the most beautiful of all lands— because they rejected My laws and did not
follow My decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths. For their hearts were devoted to
their idols. Yet I looked on them with pity and did not destroy them or put an
end to them in the wilderness. I said to their children in the wilderness, “Do
not follow the statutes of your parents or keep their laws or defile yourselves
with their idols. I am the Lord your God; follow My decrees and be careful to
keep My laws. Keep My Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then
you will know that I am the Lord your God.”
Ezekiel 20:13-20
This ends today’s
reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Yesterday, we looked at the first devotion in this series on
how God redeems His people, even when they have rebelled against Him. In part
one, God specifically covered the time that His people were oppressed and held
captive in Egypt. Today, He picks up where He left off and discusses the state
of His relationship with the Israelites during their exodus to the Promised
Land, an exodus that took them through the wilderness. Look again at His words
here:
“Yet the people of
Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not follow My decrees
but rejected My laws—by which the person who obeys them will live—and they
utterly desecrated My Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out My wrath on them and
destroy them in the wilderness. But for the sake of My name I
did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose
sight I had brought them out. Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the
wilderness that I would not bring them into the land I had given them—a land
flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands— because they
rejected My laws and did not follow My decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths. For
their hearts were devoted to their idols. Yet I looked on them with pity and
did not destroy them or put an end to them in the wilderness. I said to their
children in the wilderness, “Do not follow the statutes of your parents or keep
their laws or defile yourselves with their idols. I am the Lord your God;
follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws. Keep My Sabbaths holy, that
they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.”
Ezekiel 20:13-20
Now you would think that God’s people would have learned from
the mistakes of their past, refusing to be viewed by God as rebellious again.
You would expect that they would display a renewed sense of loyalty and
dedication after God delivered them from hardship.
You would expect that would happen but that’s not what the
Israelites did. Rather, God’s word tells us that they rebelled against Him in
the wilderness, choosing to reject His laws and not follow His decrees. Additionally,
the people of God decided to desecrate and dishonor God by not keeping His
Sabbaths holy, days where they were supposed to reserve to devote themselves to
Him and Him alone. All this after God had done so much for them.
Well, as you would imagine, God was less than pleased with
His people and by His own admission wanted to pour out His wrath and destroy
the Israelites in the wilderness. They deserved whatever punishment He would
choose to bring after their sinful rebelling.
But just as God had decided to withdraw the full measure of
His judgment on the Israelites and redeem them when they were in Egypt, so too
would God do it while they were in the wilderness. He said as much with these
words:
“But for the sake of
My name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations
in whose sight I had brought them out. Also with uplifted hand I swore to them
in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land I had given them—a
land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands— because they
rejected My laws and did not follow My decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths. For
their hearts were devoted to their idols. Yet I looked on them with pity and
did not destroy them or put an end to them in the wilderness.”
Note that even though God had pity on His people, He didn’t
withdraw all consequences from them. He didn’t destroy them and end their lives
in the wilderness after their idolatry but He did at least momentarily refrain from
bringing them to Canaan, the land He described as being “the most beautiful of
lands”, a “land flowing with milk and honey”. Such was the redemptive nature of
God, a God who was, is, and will always be good and just and merciful and
loving, even after His people have rebelled in sin against Him.
But note that God was not only redemptive but instructive in
His words to His people. Again, go back to again to His words:
“I said to their
children in the wilderness, “Do not follow the statutes of your parents or keep
their laws or defile yourselves with their idols. I am the Lord your God;
follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws. Keep My Sabbaths holy, that
they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.”
Their parents may have chosen to disrespect God through
their disobedience and sinful idolatry but that didn’t mean the next generation
of Israelites had to and these were the people, the children, who God
specifically was addressing.
His message was simple: “Don’t repeat the wickedness of the
past.”
Their parents had not followed the Lord’s statutes. The
children were to follow them.
Their parents had not kept God’s laws. The children were to
keep them.
Their parents had desecrated the Sabbaths. The children were
to observe the Sabbaths and keep them holy.
Their parents defiled themselves with idols. The children
were to worship God and God alone.
As long as the children did all these things, dedicating themselves
fully to God, then He would once again be their God and they would be His
people, a people who once again lived in righteousness and thus garnered God’s
favor and blessing.
Question: Is there someplace in your life where you have
rebelled against God, a place where you have been disobedient to Hid word,
will, and way?
If so, today is the day to change all that, to cast off that
sin and return to a God who ready to not only receive you back but to also show
you the amazing power of His redemptive love.
Amen
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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