Freedom For Today

Ezekiel 14:12-14 – “Then this message came to me from the Lord: ‘Son of man, suppose the people of a country were to sin against me, and I lifted my fist to crush them, cutting off their food supply and sending a famine to destroy both people and animals. Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were there, their righteousness would save no one but themselves, says the Sovereign Lord.'”

Read the full chapter here.

If reading Ezekiel makes you feel hopeless and doomed, it’s working! Your sin is evil and wicked. The sin of our nation is evil and wicked. The people of Israel in Ezekiel’s time were evil and wicked. And even the greatest of the greats in Jewish history wouldn’t be able to save the whole nation.

Sin should concern us. We cannot be complacent or allow evil in our lives. We have the opportunity to repent and turn to God, just as God offers here in this chapter. But the hopeless feeling of the Old Testament sets the stage for Jesus, the Savior of the world. The highlighted verses today (repeated four times in this chapter for emphasis) beg the question: how can a nation, or even the whole world, be saved?

Here’s your freedom for today:

Through Jesus we no longer live in a state of despair.

Imagine if no one could save you but yourself. You’ve done things that are so evil God has to drive you out. The kingdom of God has no place for you. Not even Noah, Daniel, or Job could save you. That is a place of despair. It is in that place that we find a new kind of desperation. The prophet Jeremiah begged the same question: Is there no medicine in Gilead? Is there no hope for a nation that has gone astray? Enter Jesus. He is the one, called the perfect lamb or sacrifice, that came to rescue not just one nation, but all the nations. You never were going to be able to save yourself, and the only answer is to run towards God instead of away from him. What is the direction of your heart today?

Ezekiel 13:3 – “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: What sorrow awaits the false prophets who are following their own imaginations and have seen nothing at all!”

Read the full chapter here.

If I could sum up my worst fear it would be Ezekiel 13:3. I pray quite a lot, I would say I have heard from God, and I write down things I believe he is telling me. I’ve certainly had moments where I’ve been confused, but in my darkest moments I worry that I’m just making it all up. I’ve created an imaginary story of what God is going to do in my life and I’ve seen nothing at all. It’s devastating.

It’s easy to read condemnation into chapters like this one. “You’re wrong, you’ve never heard from God, you’re no prophet!” I think that ultimately those who do have a prophetic gift often struggle with self-doubt. We need to go back to what this chapter is really saying: false prophets make up magical spells and tell everyone that there’s no need to worry about a need for God. “Everything’s fine, you don’t need God! Turn to these other products instead!” Sound familiar?

Here’s your freedom for today:

God speaks to us today through his Spirit and his Word.

God is speaking to you. Maybe even right now. He’s stirring something in you and giving you hope for a full and blessed life. That’s what he has for you. He’s calling you to himself, inviting you through Jesus into relationship. He’s paid for all your wrongs and inadequacies. You get to just get blessings dumped on you for free. The Gospel is amazing, and to quote The Princess Bride: “Anyone who says otherwise is selling something.” Don’t fall for the gimmicks and the promises of quick fixes. Turn your eyes to Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of your faith. Yes, he is in fact working things out for you. Set aside your doubts.

Ezekiel 12:21-23 – “Again a message came to me from the Lord: ‘Son of man, you’ve heard that proverb they quote in Israel: ‘Time passes, and prophecies come to nothing.’ Tell the people, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will put an end to this proverb, and you will soon stop quoting it.’ Now give them this new proverb to replace the old one: ‘The time has come for every prophecy to be fulfilled!’”

Read the full chapter here.

God’s timing can be confusing. Prophecy can be confusing. In times of waiting for God to fulfill his promises, his followers can lose hope. Will God really bring destruction? I don’t see it. Will God really bring a Savior? I don’t see him. These were the troubling times of the Old Testament, and we still struggle with these same doubts today. Is Jesus really going to come back again? Does God really want to restore to me things that have been taken by this life?

Today’s highlighted verses remind us to watch out for complacency. God does what he says he will do. Our timeline and God’s are not the same, because God is continually aware of all of eternity and we are not. God will bring either destruction or salvation — those are his promises. Evil and all that participate in it will be destroyed. Those who follow Jesus will be led into eternal safety.

Here’s your freedom for today:

You can trust God’s words.

The Bible contains a lot of promises and prophecies. Sometimes prophecies are fulfilled multiple ways at multiple times. Jesus fulfilled a large amount of Old Testament prophecy, and said so during his time on earth. What is the direction of your doubt today? Are you doubting that God will really destroy evil, so you don’t have to worry too much about following his words? Or are you on the other side, worrying that you haven’t done enough to make God happy with you? Maybe God won’t save you or fulfill his promises to you because you’ve messed it all up. There is good news and freedom for you today: none of it depends on you. God will fulfill his promises no matter what, whether you deserve it or not. The only choice you have to make is whether you will trust him enough to follow.

Ezekiel 11:1-7 – “Then the Spirit lifted me and brought me to the east gateway of the Lord’s Temple, where I saw twenty-five prominent men of the city. Among them were Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, who were leaders among the people. The Spirit said to me, ‘Son of man, these are the men who are planning evil and giving wicked counsel in this city. They say to the people, ‘Is it not a good time to build houses? This city is like an iron pot. We are safe inside it like meat in a pot. Therefore, son of man, prophesy against them loudly and clearly.’

Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon me, and he told me to say, “This is what the Lord says to the people of Israel: I know what you are saying, for I know every thought that comes into your minds. You have murdered many in this city and filled its streets with the dead.

‘Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: This city is an iron pot all right, but the pieces of meat are the victims of your injustice. As for you, I will soon drag you from this pot.'”

Read the full chapter here.

I included a longer section today because it captures directly the people with whom God is angry. Notice that he names two specific leaders, although there is an implication that they are merely two of many. They have been ruthless leaders, murdering their own people. Their arrogance tells them they are safe, but God is going to have the last word. Their oppression has gone on long enough.

If you read the whole chapter, there is a word of hope for the people of Israel. Those who want to return to God are promised their ancient land, much of what we now know as modern day Israel. Those who had been dispersed into other lands were told they would be able to return, and they would be spared.

Here’s your freedom for today:

God is always on the side of the oppressed.

Before applying the “God’s angry at me” theme to your own life, ask yourself whether or not you have been the abuser or oppressor of others. Often, those who have been victimized by people in authority or intimate relationships believe that God is angry with them, but this stems from the conditioning of abuse and oppression. When you experience this type of evil treatment, you are taught to believe that everything is your fault. When you approach relationship with God, you might think the same thing. We are all responsible for our own sinful actions, but if you have experienced oppression, God will see to it that those who have harmed you will be brought to justice. When you encounter God’s anger, know that it is often protective of you.

Ezekiel 10:4 – “Then the glory of the Lord rose up from above the cherubim and went over to the entrance of the Temple. The Temple was filled with this cloud of glory, and the courtyard glowed brightly with the glory of the Lord.”

Read the full chapter here.

You’ve probably heard the word “glory” before, but have you ever tried to imagine God’s glory? The Bible talks about God’s glory almost as an entity unto itself. “The glory of the Lord rose up…” Somehow places can be filled with clouds of glory. It just shows me how little I truly understand about God’s glory.

“Glory” has a sense of power with it, yet it seems to occupy space as well. Light is often a theme that accompanies descriptions of glory. It is tangible, yet hard to describe. In today’s chapter, there is a ceremony of angels around a throne and God’s glory is filling the Temple.

Here’s your freedom for today:

Your imagination cannot contain God’s glory.

No matter how hard we try, we will never be able to fully imagine the glory of God. We can barely comprehend it. Even Ezekiel, who is seeing a direct vision, can hardly describe it. The fact that God is bigger than my imagination is comforting and exciting. If my brain could totally understand everything about God, he would be a small god! We are often used to placing ourselves at the center of our own universe, but today I am challenged to place myself at the foot of an enormous throne where God’s glory is surrounding me and nothing matters but him. My priorities might shift a bit if I keep that in mind.