“ALL FLESH SHALL KNOW”
Our Ezekiel chapter (21) starts with Ezekiel being told to “Prophecy against the land of Israel” and that the LORD “will cut off from you both righteous and wicked … and all flesh shall know that I am the LORD” [v.2,4,5] In effect God is now saying, ‘I mean what I say.’ The fascinating part of the chapter is the long term prophecy Ezekiel then receives from the LORD, “… O profane wicked prince of Israel … thus says the LORD …. take off the crown. Things shall not remain …A ruin, ruin, ruin I will make it … until he comes, the one to whom judgment belongs, and I will give it to him.” [v.25-27]
This is what happened, we await the completion of the prophecy. The last proper king in Jerusalem is killed, the Jews have not had a king since. Kings Herod and Agrippa in the New Testament era were Idumean’s appointed by the Romans. The Jewish leaders in the days of Jesus were proud of their heritage, but they said they had “no king but Caesar.” Their pride was self-centred, they had no meaningful concept of the God they claimed to worship – let us make sure that we do have!
In today’s chapter 18 in Luke we particularly noticed the words of Jesus portraying the contrasting attitudes of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector as they went into the Temple to pray. The Pharisee suffered from ‘I’ trouble. He “standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes ….” [v.11,12] In contrast, the Tax Collector humbly asked, “Lord be merciful to me a sinner.” The Lord makes the point, “the one who humbles himself will be exalted” [v.14] May we fully absorb the point the so that we may be there, and be among the “exalted” when “all flesh shall know” there is a God, an all-knowing, all seeing Creator.
Our Ezekiel chapter (21) starts with Ezekiel being told to “Prophecy against the land of Israel” and that the LORD “will cut off from you both righteous and wicked … and all flesh shall know that I am the LORD” [v.2,4,5] In effect God is now saying, ‘I mean what I say.’ The fascinating part of the chapter is the long term prophecy Ezekiel then receives from the LORD, “… O profane wicked prince of Israel … thus says the LORD …. take off the crown. Things shall not remain …A ruin, ruin, ruin I will make it … until he comes, the one to whom judgment belongs, and I will give it to him.” [v.25-27]
This is what happened, we await the completion of the prophecy. The last proper king in Jerusalem is killed, the Jews have not had a king since. Kings Herod and Agrippa in the New Testament era were Idumean’s appointed by the Romans. The Jewish leaders in the days of Jesus were proud of their heritage, but they said they had “no king but Caesar.” Their pride was self-centred, they had no meaningful concept of the God they claimed to worship – let us make sure that we do have!
In today’s chapter 18 in Luke we particularly noticed the words of Jesus portraying the contrasting attitudes of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector as they went into the Temple to pray. The Pharisee suffered from ‘I’ trouble. He “standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes ….” [v.11,12] In contrast, the Tax Collector humbly asked, “Lord be merciful to me a sinner.” The Lord makes the point, “the one who humbles himself will be exalted” [v.14] May we fully absorb the point the so that we may be there, and be among the “exalted” when “all flesh shall know” there is a God, an all-knowing, all seeing Creator.
The
prophets became totally conscious of this, this is how they were able
to endure in all their difficult surroundings: how difficult are our
times going to become? Remember what we read in Jeremiah a few weeks
back, "O LORD of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause." [20 v.12] May we be there at that incredible time when “all flesh shall know” there is a Creator. Let us pray now that our Lord will be merciful to us.
No comments:
Post a Comment