Why, God? Why?

 

READ: Ezekiel 20:8-13, 30-36

As a young man, I had great difficulty reconciling the God who sacrificed his only son for the sins of the world with the God who judged his chosen people through exile, slavery, rape, and execution. I much preferred the former and oft asked of the latter, “Why, God? Why?”

Why did you hand the people you created over to such cruelty and suffering? Would you do the same to me or to the people I love?

I thought he would, and perhaps justifiably so. 1 Peter 3:12 says, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 

I have done evil by breaking God’s commandments, as have my loved ones, as had God’s chosen people. In fact, Romans 3:12 says, “All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

Do we then deserve to be spared from the evil of others if we ourselves do not do good?

Perhaps, then, we should question not the God who judges, but the God who shows mercy.

Did God not drown the world in the time of Noah? Burn to ashes the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? Has he not reserved the present heavens and earth for destruction by fire? (2 Peter 2:4-6, 3:10-11)

Why, then, should Jesus come into the world that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life? (John 3:16)

Because we’re sorry? Because we repented? Because we’re going to try harder and do better?

No. The Lord says, “But for the sake of my name …” (Ezekiel 20:9)

The name (or reputation) of God. That’s why the Israelites were delivered from slavery in Egypt, that’s why they were returned from exile in Babylon, and that’s why Christ died for the sins of the world. Because God’s name is synonymous with love, mercy, and grace.

In Ephesians 2:4-5, Paul puts it like this: “Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”

Imitation Is the Sincerest Form of Holiness

READ: 1 Peter 1:13-16

BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.

The command seems so lofty. 

Me, holy? No one is righteous, not even one. I confess I am a sinner. I live by grace. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. I am unholy, sold as a slave to sin, but his grace abounds.

Now that sounds a little more like the Christians I know. 

But let us consider what the Bible says about this lofty holiness. 

The prophecy: “I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” (Ezekiel 36:27)

Christ’s promise: “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16:7)

Prophecy and promise fulfilled: “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.” (Romans 8:9)

Result: “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3)

Therefore, we are not a defeated people, powerless against our base and sinful desires, but we who have received the Holy Spirit are a redeemed and victorious people fully capable of fulfilling the command to be holy as God is holy.

Yes, we are saved by grace, but saved for a purpose: to replicate his holiness.

Ezekiel 34:20-31

The Voice of the Lord

Why do so many of us feel the need to be in control?  I have observed men, women and even children with an intense desire for control over others. These are not generally happy, content people.

The anxiety that accompanies constant attempts to govern others seems to limit ones ability to develop close relationships. If we are truly Christ followers, and believe in the Word, we must also live a life that reflects our trust and dependence upon our God.

Having a supervisory role in the workplace is an opportunity to display God's will for us as sheep. We can be relational with other employees and manage them without being controlling. As the head of a household, we can be pleasing to the Lord as we model for and direct our family in the way of the Lord without controlling them. When we do so, there will be peace within us and around us.

"You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are people, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord." Ezekiel 34:31

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." John 10:11

We have been offered many gifts from God in this world. One of them is peace.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." John 14:27

We do not have to manage the world. Scripture tells us that the Lord is our master, He is in control.

Certainly we are to manage our own behaviors and keep a check on our attitudes, but the beauty that lingers within when we let go and let God, is a peace so many will never experience because of this longing for control.

Disagreement is inevitable, but conflict, fighting, and war result when we look to ourselves to be in charge rather than our Almighty and Sovereign Lord.

Dear God, we praise you and give you thanks for the many wonders you have blessed us with. For the goodness and grace you shower us with daily, and for the peace you have instilled in the hearts of many. Father, we pray for those who feel the need to be in control. Please open their eyes and soften their hearts to the example of Jesus and the life he lived here on earth. Help them to hear your voice, put their trust in you alone, and discover the strength and beauty of your peace. In the name of your precious son Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Please Read/Listen to Ezekiel 34:20-31

If You Want Something Done Right ...

If you want something done right, do it yourself.

Although perhaps a bit cynical, that is a statement we probably have heard before. And if you are like me, you can relate to it as well.

Today’s reading is Ezekiel 34:7-16.

The Destruction of Jerusalem

God had promised to protect his people and give them everlasting life. To help keep his promise, God delegated certain responsibilities to kings and priests. The kings were the secular leaders who protected the people from invasion and administered punishment for transgressions of the law. The priests were the spiritual leaders who looked after the temple and the spiritual welfare of the Israelites.

Over time, both sets of leaders neglected their duties and put their own interests before the Lord's.

 Ezekiel lived during the Babylonian captivity. Like so many other prophets before him, he had warned Israel’s leaders that they were leading God’s people down the road of destruction. And he reminded them that their current predicament is the consequence of their lack of faith.

 Fortunately, Ezekiel had more to say.

 God loved his people so much that he was not going to let the failures of its leaders condemn them to eternal torment.

 Ezekiel reminds the Israelites that their leaders will be held accountable, but he also continues that God himself will come and “search for his sheep.” God will bring his people to their land and he will take care of his people.

Ezekiel, of course, is foretelling that Jesus will be living on earth to set up his kingdom and save his people.

Israel’s leaders were incapable of saving Israel. Men are not able to save other men. Only Jesus can save mankind from the consequences of sin. Men have failed God; God came to earth and did the job himself.

We all are guilty of not obeying God. None of us are able to save ourselves, let alone someone else.

Fortunately for us, God is in control of our ultimate destiny. He loves us: he sent his Son to die so that we will live forever.

Fortunately, God wanted something done right!

Paid in Full

This post prepared by Diane Ward, who will be posting regularly on Tuesdays.

Ezekiel 18:20 (NIV)

The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.

Our sin debt was paid in full at Calvary – According to Romans 3:25 the death of Christ applies even to those who lived before the Cross. That is, all who believed that the coming Messiah would take away their sins and give them eternal life obtained eternal life as a result of the Messiah's substitutionary work.

When Simeon saw the baby Jesus in the temple he rejoiced at having seen the salvation of Israel. He was looking for the One who would come to take away sins and give eternal life. Simeon is an example of an OT believer.

“Struggling against the legalism of simple obedience, we end by setting up the most dangerous law of all, the law of the world and the law of grace. In our effort to combat legalism, we land ourselves in the worst kind of legalism. The only way of overcoming this legalism is by real obedience to Christ when he calls us to follow him; for in Jesus the law is at once fulfilled and cancelled.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

If Ezekiel 18 is dealing with eternal life, then it teaches that eternal life can be gained and lost and gained again. For we find that God says both that if a wicked man turns from his wicked ways he will live (vv. 21-23) and that if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, he will die (v. 24).

The soul that sins shall die. To put it another way, to save your soul, your life, you must live a godly life. The more we sin, the more we invite our own deaths. While death may well not be immediate, sin clearly never pays.