KNOWING GOD IN HIS GLORY
God Is Gone
Ezekiel 10-11
Jerry A Collins
4/29/01
SCC
¨ What is
the reason for Gods departure?
¨ What
happens to those whom God leaves?
¨ How does
this happen to us in our relationship with God today?
Back in my college days I worked for Norton
Surgical Supply delivering surgical and hospital equipment to peoples homes.
One of my most frequent deliveries was oxygen tanks to people who had emphysema
usually from excessive smoking. Amazingly most of these people when I showed up
were continuing to smoke as they lived with the extra oxygen I delivered. Even
the life threatening consequences were not enough to keep them from that which
delivered the consequences. Ezekiel similarly is being used of God to pronounce
final judgment on rebellious Israelites who refused in face of consequences of
their rebellion to change their lives and obey God. God now prepares to leave
the people in anticipation of the devastating judgment they will bring upon
themselves because of their sinful rebellion.
1. GOD IS PREPARING TO LEAVE HIS PEOPLE
God had originally come to live with His people
nearly 1000 yrs earlier. In Exodus 40:34-35 a cloud full of the glory of the
Lord descended from heaven and filled the tabernacle, the temporary facility
used by the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness 40 yrs. Nearly 500
yrs later in 1 kings 8:10-11 Gods glory and presence entered into the holy of
holies in the newly constructed temple a permanent facility of worship in the
nation. Some 500 years later Gods presence is now preparing to leave. God
could not stay with His people any longer. It was time to leave people who no
longer regarded His presence as significant or meaningful. God departs in
stages (1) to the front door of the Temple (9:3; 10:4), (2) to
the East gate by the outer wall overlooking the Kidron Valley (10:18-19). God
was mounting his throne chariot to ride out of the temple and city (3)
across the valley to the Mt of Olives from where God’s presence will leave His
people. (11:22-23). He will not return until the Millennial Kingdom (43:2-7)
even though the some Jews return to Jerusalem and partially rebuild the temple
about 500BC and again during the tribulation. This departure signals the
cities doom. It is no coincidence that Christ ascended to heaven from this
same Mt in Acts 1:9-12 and promised to return to the same Acts 1:11, Zech 14:4.
Today God has promised to never leave us or forsake
us. He has placed His HS in our lives when we believe. He remains with us all
the days of our lives. He is always available to us and we even have access
into His presence every time we pray. However, there are a number of
warnings about our leaving God. James for instance, gives 11 commands in
4:7-11 that when we obey will keep us from wandering away from God. One of
those is Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. When we ask
ourselves what it is we can get away with and still have Gods blessing verses
what is closest to the heart of God we have two completely different answers
that takes our lives in two completely different directions. The problem today
is that God is always available but we are no longer become available to Him.
When we are no longer available to God we make ourselves available to the
world, the flesh and the devil and the consequences associated with that
contact.
2. GOD IS LEAVING BECAUSE OF UNRESOLVED
SIN IN LIVES
Before leaving God pauses at the East gate while
sitting on His throne-chariot. This purpose of this pause is to give Ezekiel
another glimpse of the sins of the people of Jerusalem. (1) Sin of deception
11:1-3. These men were civil leaders of the people purposely deceiving the
people to turn away from prophets warnings and build houses instead because
they were going to be here a long time. Building houses was sign of safety and
security nothing was going to happen they were saying. Like meat in a kettle
the people were safe in the city. Then God commands Ezekiel to prophesy against
this false optimism because God knows what these are really thinking behind
their deception 4-5. These statements only masked their underlying fears of
attack and destruction for they really
feared the
sword vs 8. So Ezekiel alters the imagery of the meat/pot. He does this by
reminding these that they had murdered the righteous men in the city, probably
those who had objected to their sins. These righteous had been the cities only
hope for they could have rescued it. It is these dead righteous ones who are
the meat not the present living inhabitants. Now this pot, Jerusalem, will be
shattered in judgment and though these elders felt secure in the pot of
Jerusalem God would drive them out, giving them to foreigners smashing the pot
dragging the people away. Since they feared the sword, God will use the sword
to execute their judgment. They should have feared God as their source of
power. Unless a person is forgiven of God there is no way to avoid His
judgment. They have no idea God is even leaving. So much of what they are
doing and living for has had nothing to do with God so His leaving is not even
noticed! But His judgment will be. However, the purpose of the judgment
of God is to promote the knowledge of God (11:10, 12). Judgment is always
designed to promote knowledge whether civil, academic, military, relational or
spiritual. The message for the exiles back in Babylon is that Gods judgment
is designed to turn them away from their sin in confession and repentance and
back to God in obedience and fellowship. That is still Gods design today.
Hebrews 12 says God disciplines believers for our good that we may share in his
holiness. God disciplines and judges not because He does not love us but
because He does. It is designed to get us back on the correct path. By the way,
we practice exiling in our relationships with willfully sinning Christians for
the same reason, namely because we want them to own up to their sin
before God so we can continue to have a relationship with them. Another
reason for this judgment was compromising morally and spiritually with the
nations surrounding them. These nations had an ungodly influence upon Gods
people and they compromised themselves with God vs 12. Today in the church the
sin of acting like the nation we are living in in America is adopting a
doctrine of tolerance, homosexuality, materialism, women leadership, divorce
& remarriage, corporate vs family structure for local church. We have to constantly ask selves & asking
others to help us evaluate how are we allowing the world to compromise Gods
word in our lives. We will not persevere because we love sin too much.
3. GODS LEAVING PAVES WAY FOR JUDGMENT THO REMNANT PRESERVE
As
Ezekiel prophesied Pelatiah dies vs 13 confirming message of judgment
foreshadowing its coming. Ezekiel’s understanding of this responds by pleading
to God for mercy as in 9:8. God responds with a message of hope for the remnant
in exile 14-20 for the future. They, many his blood relatives, in exile are the
true remnant not the ones still left in Jerusalem who had assumed that these
exiles were far away from the Lord being dispossessed from the land vs 15. Isn’t
it amazing how we are blind to our own sin but can point out yours. Take
care of the speck of dust in your own eye before trying to help with the log in
anothers. Proof of Gods blessing for these is (a) what he has already done by
not abandoning them 16 and (b) what he will do when he regathers them
nationally and blesses them with a new heart and relationship in the Millenium
17-20. However, the only thing the rebellious will have is judgment vs 21.