READ: Ezekiel 1
Verses
chosen for meditation: Ezekiel 1:28
28 Like the appearance
of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance
of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness
of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face,
and I heard the voice of one speaking.
REFLECT
Ezekiel’s
call to be a prophet came with a remarkable vision of God when he was in exile
in Babylon. Such an experience was important as it was a point of strengthening,
leading to much needed conviction for the prophet’s task ahead. Ezekiel came to
an awareness of such a call, to bear the burden of saying the necessary that
would arouse opposition.
The
prophets (as with Isaiah and Jeremiah) had to speak against the tide of popular
opinion and would face abuse, betrayal, ridicule and constant rejection. They
spoke against government policies, and against the widespread feel that God
would always look after the nation’s interests, despite their obvious
shortcomings. They wanted to hear from a prophet who shares this popular view
without interfering with national affairs. God was expected to serve the
people, instead of people serving God.
Remembering
and recording this divine experience was then crucial, as it justified Ezekiel’s
activity and made him resolute in the face of strong opposition. Eventually,
the audience of the book would come to know the integrity of the prophet, that
his words were authentically from God, though hard to hear. It also proved God still
cared for them. This was essential as the audience Ezekiel was called to
minister to were the exiles in Babylon, far from the temple in Jerusalem.
The
people seemed to have developed an exclusive nationalism that tied God to
Israel. This was observed when Jonah fled Israel to escape from the presence of
God, indicating the perceived tie between God and the land. It’s not a surprise
then that the exiles felt that God had abandoned them, being uprooted from their
home that “God resides in”, without access to the temple in Jerusalem. To
counter such despair, Ezekiel’s reveal of the grand vision of the glory of God served
to reawaken hope and faith.
RELATE
This
vision affirmed a few truths about God, summarised in v28. Firstly, it
reaffirmed the nature of God as holy, powerful and majestic. Ezekiel fell on
his face when he saw this splendour. The idea of our God being one of splendour
is nothing new, but we often neglect this fact and fail to give the reverence His
majesty deserves. The same neglect happened in the days of spiritual decline prior
to the fall of Jerusalem. Without realising, they expected God to serve them
when they should revere Him. We should constantly reflect whether we worship
from a heart of gratitude, with awe and wanting to serve Him, or worship with a desire to
be served in return.
Secondly,
the rainbow was a reminder of God’s nature as a promise keeper. It gave hope
that God was there to help, even if their preconceived notions told them that
God was far away. The vision confirmed God’s continued concern for the exiles,
and that He was not done with them.
Thirdly,
the vision was an assurance that nothing could separate them from God, much
less geographical location. We live in an age where the spirit is in us and
that our worship is not bounded by specific locations. In Christ, we have easy access
to God. Hence, we may find this idea of God tied to country dated and
irrelevant. However, we may have other preconceived notions that make us think
God is far away, preventing us from going to Him.
Satan
also often preys on our vulnerable minds, lying that God is done with us
because of how we are. It is common then that we sometimes think God is too
disappointed in us, or ran out of patience with our constant excuses or lack of
repentance over repeated offences. But once in union with Christ, nothing can
separate us from God. This assurance is grounded in God’s own heart towards us,
always wanting us to go to Him.
REST
We tend to think that the further we fall, the more
God will be sick of us. However, it’s the exact opposite! The further we fall,
the more He is hurting with us, the more He wants to comfort us, the more He
wants us to just go to Him. When our friends and family tire of us. When even
we tire of ourselves, God will still not tire of us. Go to Jesus, and he will
give us rest for our souls. His yoke is easy and his burden is light.
Chris Chong
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