I am sure there have been times that if someone asked me a question, the answer they received depended on the mood I was in. Surely I am not the only one who just gets in a mood and wants to see what happens when he says what he's really thinking. (Never mind the fact this would be called honesty and can be done with class.)
Whether or not I should answer questions based on feeling, I can't help but wonder if God is doinga little of the same in Ezekiel 20. Check this out;
Whether or not I should answer questions based on feeling, I can't help but wonder if God is doinga little of the same in Ezekiel 20. Check this out;
On August 14, during the seventh year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, some of the leaders of Israel came to request a message from the Lord. They sat down in front of me to wait for his reply.2 Then this message came to me from the Lord: 3 “Son of man, tell the leaders of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: How dare you come to ask me for a message? As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I will tell you nothing!’ ~Ezekiel 20:1-3
Uh-oh, the silent treatment?
Not exactly, because what follows is probably one of the clearest sections of scripture on what is motivating God and what should motivate us.
God accounts Israel's history, noting the many times He was going to destroy them. What stopped Him? His Name.
His. Name. His. Glory.
The rest of the chapter becomes laughable as God goes on about each discretion Israel had. Remember that time you disobeyed and I wanted to destroy you? How about that other time you started worshiping other gods? You crazy rascals, you. What God basically told them was that it was His Name that kept Him from giving them exactly what they deserved. He repeats it a few times so they get the picture.
We need to get past the idea that God is so enamored with us that He couldn't possibly punish us or (gasp), use someone else.
It is God's glory that gets top billing.
God accounts Israel's history, noting the many times He was going to destroy them. What stopped Him? His Name.
But I didn’t do it, for I acted to protect the honor of my name. ~Ezekiel 20:9
His. Name. His. Glory.
The rest of the chapter becomes laughable as God goes on about each discretion Israel had. Remember that time you disobeyed and I wanted to destroy you? How about that other time you started worshiping other gods? You crazy rascals, you. What God basically told them was that it was His Name that kept Him from giving them exactly what they deserved. He repeats it a few times so they get the picture.
We need to get past the idea that God is so enamored with us that He couldn't possibly punish us or (gasp), use someone else.
It is God's glory that gets top billing.
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