Ezekiel 9-10

Read Ezekiel 9-10

Verse chosen for meditation: Ezekiel 10: 18 ESV: Then the glory of the Lord went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim.

Reflect

Do we only start to miss someone when they're gone? 

Is leaving someone an easy thing to do?

Do we even know when someone is no longer around? 

Relate

More than any of the biblical prophets, Ezekiel was most acquainted with symbolism and vision. Here is one such occasion.

The vision came to him when he was living in exile in Babylon. It could be any time after five years of being in exile. Before God would speak restoration to his people and judgement on their neighbours, he would have to deal with his people first. And deal with them he did. He chose a rather dramatic way of dealing with his people, that of destroying everyone whose heart was not committed or devoted to him (contrast this with 2 Chronicles 16: 9a), defiling the temple that was most dear to him, and finally, leaving the temple altogether.

By doing so, he was probably also telling his people that he was by no means confined to a building or place, a commonly held belief at the time. As a result of which, the people paid little heed to the warnings of the prophets to repent or Jerusalem would be destroyed. Therefore, it made sense for God to leave the temple so that destruction could be brought upon it as well as the people and the land. It was a move calculated to bring restoration back at a later date. But in the meantime, it looked harsh and was almost unthinkable the way he acted.

Have you ever felt then that God could have left your side? Below is an account of my own experience some twenty years ago.

On most fronts, it should have been a great start to a year filled with exciting opportunities and challenges. Things were looking up and any reason to feel despair would have been out of place. Except that I was not all perked up and raring to go. 

Something strange was happening to me. I was feeling extremely drained of energy as though my whole body was an over-sized sieve that had become too porous for its own good. Wherever strength was removed, weariness settled in. A certain disquiet and unhappiness hanged over like an overcast sky hiding away the sunshine.

In some of these situations, it's not immediately possible to put a finger on the cause. This was one such situation. Sure, there would always be the few plausible explanations, but no reason alone would suffice. Then again, I should have seen it coming had I been more attentive.

Why did I say that? By the grace of God, I was led to two passages in the bible that gave explicit explanations for my situation. The revelations were themselves given three weeks apart from each other. On both occasions, the truth hurt as much as it healed. 

The first alluded to my silence, or rather absence. Those of us who have served in National Service would know how it's possible to fake a picture of mental alertness when every part of us is, in fact, very much asleep. It is common understanding, too, within the Christian circle that activity or participation does not mean involvement. A man who prays may not necessarily 'be there' with God. My prayer life has from time to time behaved in much the same way, lacking the engagement and vigour of pursuit. Only this time, it took a simple passage in Psalm 32 (verses 3 & 4) to find me out. I wept from learning how much I had stayed out of His presence.

The second hit me black in the 'I' (sounds like eye) as when confronted with a blow in the face. Only the assailant was none other than myself. From Lamentations 1: 14, it was clear that the sorry state of affairs had been my own undoing. The bible can be merciless when it comes to showing the truth of the matter but it is also the true panacea for all ills. I learned a valuable lesson from that bittersweet experience, which is to heed well the warnings if I want to stay in God's presence and live well.

How about you?

Rest

Lord, forgive us for not recognising that we have drifted far from you. And that your presence is no longer with us. So, create in us a pure heart and renew a steadfast spirit within us. Do not cast us from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from us. Instead, restore to us the joy of your salvation and grant us a willing spirit to sustain us.

Naville Chia