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!

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God's Judgment Can Come To Any Nation - 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 27:1-3,34,

"The word of the Lord came to me: 'Son of man, take up a lament concerning Tyre. Say to Tyre, situated at the gateway to the sea, merchant of peoples on many coasts, "This is what the Sovereign Lord says: 'You say, O Tyre, "I am perfect in beauty."… Now you are shattered by the sea in the depths of the waters; your wares and all your company have gone down with you."'"

Israel is not the only nation culpable before the Lord. All nations exist within the sphere of the Lord's creation and under his sovereignty: all nations answer to our Lord. Here we see Tyre, a very successful sea trading city caught up in an arrogance and conceit that is pictured as a ship in this prophecy. Fully adorned in beauty, this ship of arrogance is equipped with the best the world has to offer.

But in her arrogance she has caught the Lord's attention. She has said of Jerusalem, "Aha! The gate to the nations is broken, and its doors have swung open to me; now that she lies in ruins I will prosper." Ezekiel 26:2. For this she will suffer the judgment of the Lord as well.

As I think of it, I think of all the people within Tyre whose lives were impacted by the Lord's judgment. Not just the leaders of Tyre, not just movers and shakers were impacted but also the teachers, the shopkeepers, the children and old folks. All were impacted by the destruction of their city.

I am reminded that it is not just Israel that has faced the fury of the wrath of God Almighty, but all nations have faced that potential – certainly this nation of Tyre did. And, what of the nations of today? Do they face that same potential of the wrath of the Lord?

I am reminded again of what the writer of Hebrews says, "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." A good read of Revelation is quite sobering and sheds a great deal of light in an age where arrogance and conceit have their deceiving effects.

As Proverbs says, "Pride goes before destruction and haughty spirit before a fall." However, our Lord makes himself available to us all, "The fear of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short." Proverbs 10:27.

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 Lord: Active On The International Stage - 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 26:2-3,

"Son of man, because Tyre has said of Jerusalem, 'Aha! The gate to the nations is broken, and its doors have swung open to me; now that she lies in ruins I will prosper,' therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, O Tyre, and I will bring many nations against you, like the sea casting up its waves."

As the four nations in the previous chapter, the Lord prophecies judgment against Judah's neighbor, Tyre, for looking to take advantage of Judah's judgment. The Lord says he will bring up "many nations" against her.

The events recorded in the Old Testament contain much about the activity of the Lord in the affairs of the various nations. Certainly Israel, but also the nations surrounding her, as well as the "super-powers" of the day. We read of the interaction of the Lord in these various nations through his manipulation of the hearts of their leaders as, say, Pharaoh of Egypt, and also through such things as international military threats designed to create alliances, etc. All with a purpose of fulfilling the Lord's intentions. He has used various nations to accomplish his purposes.

That same theme does not stand out in our New Testament. Where there certainly is much in the way the Lord dealt with individuals in the Old Testament, there is much about his interaction on the national/international scene. However the New Testament's focus is mainly on individuals as opposed to international intrigue. This is certainly so following the earthly ministry of Jesus, after the birth of church, the crusade of evangelism begun and prior to the events we read of in Revelation.

So, is the Lord no longer involved with international affairs today? Is he concerned with individuals on an individual level only today? Or, do the events of our day reflect what the Lord may be doing? Does the Lord have any intentions, any purposes relative to the terrorism of the Mideast, to the famine and genocide taking place in Africa, to political movements at home and abroad? If he has, what are they?

From Scripture we know the Lord is "the same yesterday, today, and forever." There doesn't seem to be anything in the New Covenant to indicate he has retired from his involvements on the national/international stage. The focus on individuals in the New Testament prepares us to carry forward the ministry of redemption through the efforts of evangelism on an individual basis, but doesn't indicate God is done dealing with nations on a national/international level.

Because of this I attempt to interpret what I read and see in the news from this perspective. I admit I'm not good at understanding what God may be doing and why, but it is the grid through which I attempt to interpret the world around me. I see our God as a big, big God with his hands on all of the important issues of our day.

Just as he was during the day of Ezekiel!

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.

God Brings Change - 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 25:3b-4a,

"Because you said 'Aha!' over my sanctuary when it was desecrated and over the land of Israel when it was laid waste and over the people of Judah when they went into exile, therefore I am going to give you to the people of the East as a possession."

In this chapter four neighboring nations celebrated the destruction the Lord brought on Judah for her sin and rebellion against him: Ammon, Moab, Edom and Philistia. You would think the Lord would be happy with these and the other nations in their celebration over the destruction of Israel. After all, are they not cheering the Lord's action, are they not taking his side? Shouldn't they be seen as being on the "Lord's team"? But here we find they themselves face the Lord's judgment for their celebration.

The action of the Lord against each of these nations demonstrates that although they applauded the outcome of the Lord's wrath, they were far from being on the Lord's team. These surrounding nations were all enemies of Judah celebrating her destruction. As Israel's enemies, they sought the elimination of Israel from the face of the earth. The Lord took action against Judah, not as an enemy would to annihilate them but to bring about a change of the national and personal heart of the Israelites. In his judgment of Judah, it was never God's intent to destroy them completely. As Paul points out the value of Israel, "Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised!" Romans 9:4-5.

God's ultimate endgame was not to annihilate but to bring change. His judgment of the surrounding nations is a demonstration to Israel and all mankind the judgment he brought on Israel was not as an enemy seeking Israel's annihilation.

Here is what is so meaningful to me about this account: so he does with us. As believers, as we encounter hardships in this life, we may rail against the Lord as if he were our enemy, our adversary. But we should never consider him an enemy in our struggles. He says, "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent." Revelation 3:19.

Unlike our enemies, it is not his intent to destroy us but to bring about important changes in our lives.

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 Lord: Both Lover And Judge! - 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 24:14,

"I the Lord have spoken. The time has come for me to act. I will not hold back; I will not have pity, nor will I relent. You will be judged according to your conduct and your actions, declares the Sovereign Lord."

Our Lord is a Lord of mercy and forgiveness. In Ezekiel 33:11 he expresses himself this way, "As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live." And so in the gospel message we find forgiveness. In spite of the sin in our lives, our Lord offers us his forgiveness through his mercy. He pays the penalty for our sin himself.

But if we don't turn to him, if we persist in our sin and rebellion against him, we find his certain judgment. In this case Israel did. The Lord's judgment against Israel has begun and will not cease until it is complete. He will not hold back, have pity or relent. The opportunity for a change of heart for Israel has come and gone. Now they face the certain ongoing judgment of the Lord without recourse until its completion.

In the Lord I find an array of attributes: his love, mercy, kindness and forgiveness and also his righteousness, justice and judgment of all sin. As demonstrated in the national life of Israel, none of his attributes "cancels" the other. The Lord is merciful, but his mercy stops at the threshold of his judgment. It is almost as if we live in a closed moral universe. Each and every sin will be paid for whether by Jesus' death on the cross or by the sinner himself.

God's love and mercy, God's judgment… both realities that need to be faced! As for me, I take heed to the point the writer of Hebrews makes, "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

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.