God Will Be Known! - 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 13:23b,

"I will save my people from your hands. And then you will know that I am the Lord."
 
The Lord has Ezekiel prophesy against the false prophets in chapter 13 and here specifically he singles out the women who wear magic charms on their wrists, veils of various lengths and ensnare the people through their own false prophecies. These women, as the other false prophets, will face the judgment of the Lord for what they do.

The Lord is very specific as to an outcome he is looking for as he visits his judgment on these false prophets. It is a reoccurring statement he makes as an outcome of his judgment against the rebellious people of Israel, "Then you will know that I am the Lord." This outcome, that they will recognize the Lord is a major theme of God's judgments.

Why is this such an important issue with the Lord? Why is it that he insists he will be known? Certainly these false prophets have displaced the Lord in the life of the nation of Israel. It is as if the Lord has been masked from the view of the Israelites by these false prophets in the Israelites' quest to find spiritual guidance and favor, and replaced by that which is false.

Our loving God knows we need him. He has chosen to reveal himself to us through his own prophets in the pages of Scripture and through the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Without knowing him we are all doomed to the consequences of sin: certain eternal destruction. By revealing himself he has made his gospel known to us and provides us the opportunity to respond to the gracious offer he makes to us, to become his children. Any obstacle, any person who thwarts his purpose in letting himself be known will face his judgment. Scripture is full of examples of this.

As I consider it, it tells me something about the heart of our wonderful Lord. He is not willing to allow himself to go unknown or be displaced in any way that keeps us from finding him. To me this is all a part of his reach of invitation as he pursues us. This is a further indication of his tremendous love he has for us.

On the other hand, it may be that those who sin against the Lord find in him a God of righteousness and justice, and that he wants those who rebel against him to know just who it is they have rebelled against as he judges them.

Just a couple of thoughts this morning…

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 Does Exactly What He Says - 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 12:21-25,

"The word of the Lord came to me: 'Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel: "The days go by and every vision comes to nothing"? Say to them, "This is what the Sovereign Lord says: 'I am going to put an end to this proverb, and they will no longer quote it in Israel.'" Say to them, 'The days are near when every vision will be fulfilled. For there will be no more false visions or flattering divinations among the people of Israel. But I the Lord will speak what I will, and it shall be fulfilled without delay. For in your days, you rebellious house, I will fulfill whatever I say, declares the Sovereign Lord.'"'"

Not everyone can say, "I will fulfill whatever I say". Just look at the divorce rate, look at how many politicians fulfill their campaign promises… I don't have to look any further than myself for that matter! In Proverbs 20:6b the question is asked "… a faithful man who can find?"

But not our God! As I read this passage this morning, I am reminded that our God is faithful. He will do all he says he will. When he warns of coming judgment we need look no further than this episode in Israel's history. God was faithful and he carried out all he said he would. He also told Israel that he would establish a new covenant with them… and from the standpoint of history we see he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, as our Messiah.

I can only cringe at the thought of what life might be like if God were not faithful. But he is! What he says, we can "hang our hat on"! When he says we have an inheritance in him as his children, I can only wait in eager expectation because I know it is ours! The Lord's faithfulness is one of the many wonderful character qualities of our God that sets him apart from all! All of his qualities make up a many-splendored whole… a symphony of excellent perfections that draws us as no other!

Surely this is a God who is more than worthy of all our worship!

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 Give Us An Undivided Heart And A New Spirit! - 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 11:19-20,

"I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God."

In this chapter, Ezekiel tells of the vision the Lord has given him about the judgment he is bringing to those in Jerusalem. He says, "I will drive you out of the city and hand you over to foreigners and inflict punishment on you." Verse 9.

But the Lord also has a message of hope. He will be a sanctuary for them in their captivity, and he will eventually bring the captive Jews back to "the land of Israel" again.

And there is more. As we see in our passage above, he is going to do something incredible! He is going to change their hearts from within! He will put a new spirit in them, and they will be God's people! He is going to make a change within them that will result in them no longer facing his judgment!

This is that new covenant we read about in Jeremiah 31:33, "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." The writer of Hebrews quotes this in Hebrews 8:10-12.

And, so, he sends his Son, Jesus Christ, to usher in a new age of God's favor! Our God is a God of hope!

He offers us escape from sin and his judgment it would bring. He gives us a new heart through rebirth!

What a 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.

God's Spiritual Realm Surrounds Us - 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 10:20,

"These were the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the Kebar River, and I realized that they were cherubim."

I get up in the morning, get dressed, go to work and spend my day working on various tasks. I go home; we eat dinner, enjoy our evening and call it a night. I think my days are pretty typical of a lot of folks. I enjoy them: I find life fulfilling with new opportunities that provide fun and satisfaction. I also have my share of challenges and struggle through those as well - as we all do.

And what goes by unseen, unnoticed and often unappreciated by me is the reality of a spiritual realm that surrounds me, that surrounds all of us. I am limited to perceiving my environment with the senses I have. So, as I read of angels and demons, as I read of heaven, of God's throne and others that he has created, I am sometimes taken aback and reminded that there is so much more going on around me that I don't see or sense. And yet, it is all here around me, around us, right here…

Paul speaks of "rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms", Ephesians 3:10. Shepherds in the gospel accounts speak of angels that appear. I see an awesome throne of splendor described in Revelation 4 and in Ezekiel 1. As I read of these things I sense that the physical realm I live in is just a subset of a bigger whole. It is what we call the spiritual realm, where God resides, that engulfs all of what actually exists and what I perceive is only a part of that bigger whole.

I don't have any more insight into this than anyone else. It is just that there are those times I find it good and healthy for me to ponder these realities.

It is all quite intriguing, isn't it?

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.

Having Our Name In The Book - 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 9:4-6,

"'Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.' As I [Ezekiel] listened, he [the Lord] said to the others, 'Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, the mothers and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.'"

Ezekiel's  vision extends to the slaughter of those living in Jerusalem. In the vision six deadly men with weapons come from the north upper gate of Jerusalem toward the threshold of the temple, along with a man with a clipboard and pen (a writing kit). The six are sent to kill all the old men, the young men and women, mothers and children. However, the man with the clipboard was to put a mark on the foreheads of all who "grieve and lament over all the detestable things" done in Jerusalem -  the sin and idolatry. The six deadly men killed all who did not have the mark.

I am reminded that the Lord takes note of those who are his, those who have embraced him in faith and joined his family. Just as with this slaughter in Jerusalem, the Lord will cast into hell all who do not have their names written in the lambs book of life. God knows very well each and every one who belongs to him and will ensure both their safety and his blessing on them as all others will experience his wrath.

May we all find our names written in the Lamb's book of life! Here is how we can know our names are there: "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9. Simple, yet it determines our eternal destiny! How wonderful the message of God's gospel!

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.