Read Ezekiel 6:1-14
God’s message of judgment continues to be given to Ezekiel. This time, the audience God suggests is the mountains, hills, and valleys of Israel. While it is the people who have angered God, the land they inhabit will also take a beating from the wars and destructions.
God loves his creation. That’s what I think is another message we can take from this prophetic word. To see that God wanted to communicate his message of doom to the land itself is powerful. As if to give the mountains and valleys time to prepare in some way for the atrocities to come.
Do you sense any blame being cast on the land for not rebelling itself against the pagan shrines and evil being committed on it’s very soil? These hills and valleys have seen a lot of desecrating behavior and people living far from God, the creator of all. How the mountains must wonder how people could fall so far from the one who loves them so much.
“Proclaim this message from the Sovereign LORD against the mountains of Israel.” He says “against.” The mountains must be guilty of something.
If God didn’t love his creation so much, he wouldn’t care what it did. There would be no such thing as sinful behavior. God would be totally unconnected from his creation. Along with the absence of sin and guilt would come the lack of knowledge and rules meant to protect from harm while encouraging love and unity.
When we ignore God or fail to declare that he is the LORD of our life, we lose out on so much of that love and protection. We see in these passages the disappointment God must have felt that the people had stooped to such depths and strayed so far away. For what? Chasing happiness, wealth, success, power? Or perhaps some do it just for the thrill of being disobedient.
We are all part of God’s creation. All of us! God made us and loves us unconditionally–just like he does with his entire creation, even other people. While we can’t ever fully control anyone else or what each day may bring, we know that God is omnipotent and present eternally. He’s got our backs. We’re either here serving him, or there serving him. It’s all glorious.
Do you ever forget that you are part of God’s creation? Ezekiel wanted to remind some folks. “They will recognize how hurt I am by their unfaithful hearts and lustful eyes that long for their idols.” Is that what it feels like for God when we chase other things in our lives, too? If it bothered him once, he’s still the same God.
God wants his creation to long for him. Make David’s cry in Psalm 63:1 your prayer today.
“O God, you are my God;
I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
where there is no water.”
Let’s pray. Thank you LORD for your love and mercy. Forgive me when I stray toward idols of this world. I am so blessed to be created by you. You know every detail about me and love me still. I long to draw closer to you like the Psalm says. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
