Todays Devotion (Ezekiel 17-19)... If we walk in the Light, as He is in the Light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin (I John 1:7). Yet ye say, The way of the LORD is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not My way equal? are not your ways unequal (Ezek. 18:25)? During the final days before Jerusalem was destroyed and the Israelites were taken as slaves to Babylon, the people endured much suffering. Judah was one of the foremost powerful nations of that day, and Jerusalem was the most spectacular capital ever built. Consequently, the Israelites were bitter, and they accused God of being unjust in allowing them to be disgraced and defeated by Nebuchadnezzar. They felt they had been betrayed by the fact that God didnt come to their rescue as He had so many times in the past. However, because the Israelites had stubbornly refused to turn from their sins, the Holy God of righteousness could not bless and protect them. Instead, Nebuchadnezzar became Gods instrument for executing judgment upon them. Only later, after Gods wrath against His chosen people had been spent, did His judgment fall upon the powerful and wicked Babylonians, erasing them from the face of the earth. (Is. 13:17-20; Jer. 50:1-3). The Kingdom of Judah complained that Gods ways were not equal, meaning not fair. However, their distress was the direct result of their sins. As God pointed out, that was the ultimate definition of fairness. Through Ezekiel, He clarified the solemn fact of individual accountability: The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him (Ezek. 18:20). This was not a new concept. God had spoken this truth to Cain in the very beginning. If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him (Gen. 4:7). It is this principle upon which every person will stand before God. If the ways of God appear unfair, then the deceptive evils of sin have not been recognized. By permitting seemingly unfair trials and circumstances to occur, God often tests the strength of our faith in His Word. If we fall apart at the first sign of opposition and turn to the world rather than to God, then we need to reevaluate our relationship with Him. We cannot willfully sin and expect to enjoy His blessings. God, in perfect wisdom and perfect love, has given us His Holy Spirit to guide and support us. Without reservation, by faith, He asks us to believe in Him. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28). He asks this of us not necessarily for our own personal self‑interest, but for His eternal purpose for our lives. The highest calling we have been charged with by Christ is that we make Him known to others (Matt. 28:19-20). The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up (II Pet. 3:9-10). Excerpts from SBC / BiblePathway / Delaney Baptist Church
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 17:12:36 +0000
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