November 2, 2020: Day 72 – Ezekiel 20

We find ourselves with a bit of a history lesson here.  Ezekiel is approached by the elders who find themselves in captivity along with Ezekiel and they ask for an audience with him ostensibly so that he would prophecy that good things are about to come.  But he sends them on a history lesson.  They have come to consult with him.  But God tells Ezekiel to remind them of the “abominations” that their ancestors committed, which in turn, as we saw in the last chapter, they committed as well.  We know that their children will not automatically suffer the same fate as they have, because they will not be punished for the abominations of their ancestors, but only if they commit the same abominations themselves.

There is a repetition in this history lesson where we hear: “Then I thought I would pour out my wrath upon them…but I acts for the sake of my name, so that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations.”  God holds back his wrath, God holds back his anger and his discipline against his own people because he basically did not want to embarrass them in front of the other nations.  You know how they say that families shouldn’t air out their dirty laundry in front of other people.  This is why God hesitated to bring wrath down.  

This cycle repeats itself.  God provides a covenant filled with grace and the people turn their back on it and commit abominations.  God wants to destroy the people, but changes his mind and provides another grace filled covenant.  I think it is time for another grace filled covenant.  What Jesus did for us by providing a covenant based solely upon his sacrifice and his resurrection is enough to save all of humanity.  But we have refused and we have turned our back on that.  It is time for another one since we have long since committed numerous abominations.