All Nations Are Subject To Our Sovereign God! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Ezekiel 32:31-32,

"Pharaoh—he and all his army—will see them and he will be consoled for all his hordes that were killed by the sword, declares the Sovereign Lord. Although I had him spread terror in the land of the living, Pharaoh and all his hordes will be laid among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword, declares the Sovereign Lord."

As showcased in this passage, as well as throughout the book of Ezekiel, the Lord's transcendent sovereignty is on display. Not mentioned in these two verses but certainly throughout the book is the oft repeated phrase, "Then they will know I am the Lord!"

Whether in the fortunes of Israel, Assyria, Egypt or Babylon, the Lord reigns supreme. All mankind, no matter how lofty, how accomplished, how advanced, is only clay in the Potter's hands.

This is a message lost in our world today. Today is a day which cries out a desperate need to behold the glory of the Lord, a sight which will yield the heart of any man to humble worship, fear and adoration.

That day is coming! A day when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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The Lord Builds Up Nations; The Lord Tears Down Nations - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Ezekiel 31:3-9,

"Consider Assyria, once a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches overshadowing the forest; it towered on high, its top above the thick foliage. The waters nourished it, deep springs made it grow tall; their streams flowed all around its base and sent their channels to all the trees of the field. So it towered higher than all the trees of the field; its boughs increased and its branches grew long, spreading because of abundant waters. All the birds of the air nested in its boughs, all the beasts of the field gave birth under its branches; all the great nations lived in its shade. It was majestic in beauty, with its spreading boughs, for its roots went down to abundant waters. The cedars in the garden of God could not rival it, nor could the pine trees equal its boughs, nor could the plane trees compare with its branches— no tree in the garden of God could match its beauty. I made it beautiful with abundant branches, the envy of all the trees of Eden in the garden of God."

As the Lord taunts Pharaoh of Egypt, he offers Assyria as a nation to look at in comparison to Egypt. Beautiful, lofty, rich in resources, health and strength, he uses the metaphor of a cedar to describe it. Assyria was beyond comparison, "no tree in the garden of God could match its beauty." His point to Pharaoh is that just as he brought down Assyria, likewise he will bring down Egypt.

What catches my eye this morning is a small comment with tremendous insight. It is the Lord's comment about Assyria in verse 9, "I made it beautiful…" Assyria, a Gentile nation, not a party to covenant with God - not God's chosen people - was created and shaped into the world power it was in her day by the Lord himself. He takes credit for making Assyria what she was. He also takes credit for Assyria's demise.

While we look at indicators as to what it takes to create and sustain a world power, (and lesser powers as well), gross national product, productivity and work ethic, military strength, etc. they all may only be a reflection of what the Lord has done in the national life of any country.

I am reminded the Lord both builds countries up and tears them down. Blessed is the nation who's god is the Lord!!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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The Lord: Breathtaking! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Ezekiel 30:25,

"I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will fall limp. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he brandishes it against Egypt."

After the events of 9/11 and our country's engagement of the war on terror, our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, I recall reading literature on what might be considered a "just war". I'm speaking of discussion on war as a principle here, not specifically Iraq or Afghanistan or any war particularly.

Should we be engaging in war as a country? What conditions might make it just? Can it ever be just? Some of what I read were documents prepared by certain Christian denominations, some were articles in Christian as well as secular periodicals. Some of the discussion centered around "what would Jesus do", "turn the other cheek", all war is immoral and wrong. Principles drawn from the teachings of our Lord on our individual personal behavior extrapolated (in ridiculous fashion!) to apply to the theater of international events, etc.

Something that seemed to get lost in a lot of what I read was how the Lord actually reveals himself in the pages of Scripture. Plenty of "proof texts" given, little in the way of context offered, and very little on passages that have direct bearing on the subject. Here in this passage we read that the Lord clearly provoked war, aided one side, and fulfilled his purposes through it.
 
As this text demonstrates, as in many other places in Scripture, the Lord engages in war to fulfill his purposes and to accomplish his desires. Where there may be plenty to discuss relative to the wisdom to go to war given a specific occasion, any discussion on the abstract concept of war leaves me somewhat perplexed. Doesn't anyone read their Bibles anymore? And if there are so many groups, many respectable groups at that, who claim to know God and are so befuddled over what God might think of war per se, leaves me wondering about a lot.

If the many good folks (educated folks!) I have read seem so fuzzy about a perspective God may have, particularly something as relevant as war in the affairs of mankind, I suspect I have my own issues with being "fuzzy" and unclear about some of the differing aspects of God. I really find much room here for humility and caution for myself and feel an utter dependence on the Scriptures to keep me clear on just how the Lord reveals himself. I feel very confident about some of the things I know of the Lord, his love for us, his kindness and mercy, his anger, jealousy and judgment. But I also lack much that brings plenty of ground for humility in my knowledge of him. But, I will say, what I do know takes my breath away…

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.

All Nations Bow To The Will And Purposes Of The Lord! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Ezekiel 29:12-14,

"I will make the land of Egypt desolate among devastated lands, and her cities will lie desolate forty years among ruined cities. And I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries. Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the nations where they were scattered. I will bring them back from captivity and return them to Upper Egypt, the land of their ancestry. There they will be a lowly kingdom."

Egypt comes under the judgment of the Lord in this chapter of Ezekiel. She is a major power in the world and is told she will be made desolate and lose her status among the nations. Following forty years, the dispersed Egyptians will be returned to the upper Nile region but only as a minor player on the world stage.

This, as well as all the prophecies given that impact Israel and her neighbors, demonstrate the sovereignty of God, his purposes in world affairs, and the outworking of his will. As putty in the hands of the Almighty, the world, with its nations, no matter how big or strong, how wealthy or technologically advanced, bows to the will and purposes of the Lord.

Mankind, absent a view of the glory of God, puffs himself up in a spiritual vacuum and loses sight that the Creator of the cosmos supersedes anyone else's agenda, purpose or will.

All bow to him!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.

The Glory Of God Is Coming Our Way! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Ezekiel 28:22,

"This is what the Sovereign Lord says: 'I am against you, O Sidon, and I will gain glory within you. They will know that I am the Lord, when I inflict punishment on her and show myself holy within her.'"

The Lord delivers a prophecy against Sidon, one of Israel's neighbors. He is going to "gain glory within" her.

We learn from Scripture that the glory of God far exceeds a repute or acknowledgement of someone that is wonderful and awesome. God's glory is the radiance of the perfections of his being. It is both an objectively seen presence in a radiance that was witnessed by the Israelites at the tent of meeting and in the temple. It was seen as a reflection in Moses' face after he had spent time with the Lord on Mt. Sinai. His glory is also a subjective experience that takes place in the hearts and minds of his creatures as they behold his majestic splendor; one who creates a sense of overwhelming awe, adoration as well as a sense of fear and terror.

I see this last sense of God's glory at play in this prophecy against Sidon. The Lord goes on to say that he will gain this glory as he sends both plague and sword against Sidon. He says, "I will send a plague upon her and make blood flow in her streets. The slain will fall within her, with the sword against her on every side. Then they will know that I am the Lord." He gives as his reason for this judgment against Sidon, "No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns." And, the outcome he will achieve, "Then they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord."

Scripture speaks of God's glory often. I long for it. I think we all do – all mankind. My feeling is that we were designed to experience his glory, to embrace his glory and to exult in his glory. I wonder if the emptiness and absence we at times experience or feel in our lives is due to the removal of God's glory from our lives as a part of his judgment against mankind for our sin and rebellion. Those of us who have become God's children by embracing him in faith see glimpses and small snatches of God's glory and we long for more – I know I do. As we read of the resurrection this longing becomes our hope as we know we will behold God in all his glory and have the opportunity to exult in it forever.

And then again, as I read of what the Sidonians beheld as God's glory, as I read of the fear and trembling of Moses as he had his encounter with the Lord, as I read of Peter, James and John and the fear they experienced on the Mount of Transfiguration, I think there are aspects of God's glory that must be far beyond just "sobering". Something fearful that I can only imagine…

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.