Then They Will Know (Ezekiel 39:14-40:16)
What struck me in this section was the repeated refrain in chapter 39 (and throughout the book) “then they will know that I am the Lord.”
It is the Lord’s will to be known by His people, and it was their failure to know Him rightly that led to His judgment upon them. But what does it mean to know the Lord? Through the exile the Lord intended for them to know that He is a good of righteousness and justice, and that they had fallen woefully short of the standard to which they had been called. But that is not a complete picture of the Lord.
When do they really know that He is the Lord? When He restores them. When He brings them back from Israel and renews them as His people.
Much of the rest of the book is a picture of that restoration. The restoration is depicted as a perfectly constructed temple. Keep in mind that in the worship of the people of Israel, the temple served as the icon of the Lord’s gracious presence. The central feature of the exile was the destruction of the temple. Now the chief feature of their restoration is the arrival of a perfect temple, meticulously laid out and measured.
The Lord is with His people. He has restored them. This is who He is, a God who restores and brings back to life.
So again I am praying for those who need an infusion of hope. Our God is a God of hope who wants to be known chiefly as a God who restores what is broken. I am praying that all of us may find peace, comfort and hope in His presence today.
What is the Word leading you to pray about today?
To subscribe to Abide Daily Devotion e-mail please click here
Leave a Reply