In chapter 34 we see our loving Shepherd! The shepherds of Israel failed, but the people were not abandoned. God Himself will shepherd His people. He will send One like David (Jesus!) to feed the sheep. There will be restoration, peace, and security. There will be "showers of blessing." (I was reminded of the hymn by that name and how we plead for these showers as we believe upon His name and His Word.) God will be their God, and they will be His people. This is referring first to Israel, but praise God (I've read Romans), we Gentiles (non-Jew) have been grafted in! Such a beautiful glimpse into the New Testament to come! We have a covenant-making, covenant-keeping God who is the Savior of His people (all believers from every people all over the world)!
Chapter 35 is a prophecy against Mount Seir, and all of Moab. God will deal with the enemies of His people. It reminded me of how it is not our place to seek revenge. Vengeance belongs to the Lord.
Oh how I love chapter 36: RESTORATION! I love how the Bible is one big book about one Savior. There are many smaller books within it, but they are all connected and about a great God and His unstoppable love for His people. It talks about God's people going home. Obviously it is talking firstly about the displaced Jews returning to Israel, but I can't help but think of the story in the New Testament of the prodigal son returning to his father, about how we are sheep that have gone astray, each of us our own way, how the Father longs to welcome us "home," restoration of a sinful people to a sinless God, full of grace and mercy. Ezekiel 36:25-28 is a favorite passage of mine.
“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God.”
What an absolute beautiful picture of how our Great God and Savior cleans us and makes us new, suitable to worship Him, suitable to be His people. It was His great love that sent Jesus to Calvary. His death was for us that we might be fit to be His. His blood cleanses us. His sacrifice, death on our behalf, a sacrifice accepted by God, proven by His resurrection, makes this possible. No one comes to the Father but through Jesus, and we must be born again to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This passage is a beautiful picture of that rebirth (regeneration), our unloving hearts of stone replaced with hearts of flesh, fit to live forever, fit to truly love our God, His Spirit in us, enabling us to walk with Him. We could never on our own be good enough, but He loves us enough to step down from heaven to Himself (Jesus) give us His goodness so we can come to God. Our blessed covenant-creating, covenant-keeping Savior who exchanges our filthy rags with His robe of righteousness. Oh praise God: we are a new creation! He is our God, and we are His people!
Oh may many have faith in this great life-giving, life-saving Lord!
1 comment:
It was alway His plan to restore from the very beginning. Thanks once more for your writing Emily. Keep it up.
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