Readings for today: Ezekiel 9-12
God is clear. He will not share His glory with another. He will not share His glory with idols. He will not share His glory with false gods. He will not share His glory with sinful humanity. When the people of Israel - and especially the leaders of Israel - fill God’s Temple with their idols and pagan worship practices, the glory of God withdraws. Not because God is powerless. Not because God has been defeated and is in retreat. No, God is withdrawing His presence in judgment. He moves first from the Holy of Holies to the threshold of the Temple. Next He moves from the threshold to the east gate of the Temple. Finally, He moves from the east gate to the mountains east of Jerusalem where He joins His people in exile. This movement eastward is significant. When humanity was exiled from the Garden, they went east and settled the land. It’s a pattern in the Old Testament. One that God Himself now repeats.
It’s a fascinating and comforting depiction of the character and nature of God. Pagan gods would reign down destruction. They would force their people to obey or else. They would demand their return to the place where they once worshipped. The God of the Bible is different. He actually goes with His people into exile. He actually remains with His people while they are in exile. And, as we will see later in Ezekiel, He will return with His people from exile. At no time are His people ever abandoned or left alone. It’s a powerful statement of one of the fundamental truths about our God…He is always Immanuel. He is always God with us. And Jesus Christ is simply the culmination and fulfillment of who God has always been since the moment He first breathed the breath of life into Adam and Eve and walked with them in the Garden.
The same God who walked with Adam and Eve. The same God who went with Noah into the ark. The same God who called Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and promised to be with them. The same God who delivered His people out of slavery in Egypt. The same God who dwelt in the Tabernacle as Israel wandered through the wilderness. The same God who filled the Temple in Jerusalem. The same God who became flesh and blood in Jesus Christ. This same God is with you. This same God is with me. His glory lives inside us through the Holy Spirit. He goes where we go. He is with us every moment of every day. He is always at our side through every success and failure. Believe this! And live by His grace, love, and power!
Readings for tomorrow: Ezekiel 13-16