Read Ezekiel 11:1-13
Ezekiel’s temple vision continues as he is shown what will come of twenty-five prominent citizens of Jerusalem. Apparently, these men were not part of the first wave of those leaders and officials taken away to Babylon. Instead, they were the ones left behind, making evil choices in Jerusalem leading the people astray.
You can imagine how angry God was with them. God’s plans were to destroy them, but first Ezekiel would prophesy to them about their impending doom. Why did God want to do that?
It seems God wanted those wayward souls to know their demise was God’s idea. The message was this: “You will be slaughtered all the way to the borders of Israel. I will execute judgment on you, and you will know that I am the LORD.” God wanted to be known. God wanted to make sure they understood their punishment.
Many times as willful, disobedient children, we are put in time out with no explanation. Children can’t learn from their mistakes if they are only punished for no reason. In this case, God had every reason to be upset with his defiant children. This wasn’t the first attempt that had been made by his messengers to reveal the annihilation to come.
The people were in denial. They thought Jerusalem was “like an iron pot” where they were safe inside, “like meat in a pot.” Their beliefs were misguided and completely wrong. Just as God’s message confirmed when he told them, “I will soon drag you from this pot. I will bring on you the sword of war you so greatly fear.”
How many times have we made wrong assumptions about God? It’s never wise to try and put words in God’s mouth or second guess what God may be trying to accomplish. Instead, remembering that God’s timing is always perfect, and that his will for his faithful ones is so much greater than we could ever imagine.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 brilliantly describes God’s timing saying, “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” We don’t need to see the future. We need only trust God will meet us there.
We can fall into the trap of being misguided or mistaken when we take God’s word out of context or ignore it all together. God has given us great gifts in the messages contained in his word, as well as sending the Holy Spirit to guide and enlighten us. We need only trust and obey to avoid foolish thinking. If we’re ever in doubt, we simply need to ask God for help in understanding.
Let’s pray. LORD, it blesses me so much that I can come to you and ask you anything. When my heart is heavy or confused, you are there. When I am joyful and confident, you are there. Forgive me for the times I have let misguided beliefs confuse or distract me. Thank you that your Word illuminates my path and helps me see the messages you have for me each day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
