Ezekiel 48:35 – “The distance around the entire city will be 6 miles. And from that day the name of the city will be ‘The Lord Is There.’”
If you’ve been reading Ezekiel every day throughout this series, congratulations!! Join me in feeling accomplished for having explored a really complex book in the Old Testament. It is my prayer that you have reflected more deeply on God’s character throughout the past month and a half. (And if you missed any days, you can always go back and search by category to re-read any past series.)
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Ezekiel’s end is boring and anticlimactic. It’s a whole bunch of measurements and divisions of land, and it reads a bit like a surveyor’s report. Keep in mind, however, that wars have been fought and are being fought over the land in Israel, so perhaps we shouldn’t gloss over the dimensions and boundary lines. I will bring this series to a close with the last words of the last verse in this final chapter: The Lord Is There.
Here’s your freedom for today:
God’s is actively involved in the world.
With all the suffering and evil in the world, we might look around and ask, “Where is God, anyway?” The answer: The Lord is There. Think back on all the suffering, oppression, and evil God obliterated in the book of Ezekiel. In the end, he brought his people back to himself, foretold of a future time in which a special prince and priests will lead the people towards the heart of God, and revealed that his presence will be the last word. When you get discouraged by all the bad news around you, read Ezekiel again. Remember how God deals with evil and suffering. Remember that he holds oppressive rulers and abusers accountable. Remember that he never abandons his people. He is actively involved in bringing things to right, in your life and in the world. Take heart, he is overcoming and has already overcome.
Invite your friends to join us tomorrow as we start a new series!