Read Ezekiel 20
Verse chosen for meditation: Ezekiel 20: 3 ESV: Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God, Is it to inquire of me that you come? As I live, declares the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.
Reflection
It's never easy to handle rejections from anyone, least of all from someone whom we wish to be close to. In this case, do you think it was a tit for tat from God? Does God even
respond in such retaliatory manner?
There's always an urgency whether it be a request or a hear - me - out when we decide to seek an audience with God. What could the people have wanted from God that they would seek an audience with him in such a manner? Do you think that God was the first and only person they turned to?
There's a time for everything under the heavens, we're told. Perhaps, this includes a time to be heard as well as a time not to be heard. Was this one of those times that they
would go unheard? If so, what could be the reason for it?
Relate
The bible says that God is not a man that he should either lie or repent (Numbers 23: 19). Sometimes, we think that God is like us and, therefore, acts like us. But that's not the case at all.
By him not choosing to entertain his people's inquiry is not pettiness on his part. As God, he would already know what's on their mind. He didn't think that it merited an immediate attention. There were far greater issues at hand, notably their continued disobedience, which was leading them astray. This point is made unmistakably clear in the passage.
On the people's part, however, we can only second - guess the reason for their insistence on having an audience with God. Whatever it was, it seemed urgent enough. Most probably, they would have wanted to make an urgent request on a matter or seek an explanation for what had happened or was going to happen.
There was definitely no thanksgiving and no confession on their mind. It was all just about themselves and their entitlements as a people of God. Only at times like this did they remember that they were a people of God, with entitlements and privileges due to them. It was as though God owed them an explanation, a request or a living.
They would use this ticket and other means as well to get what they want, not precluding consulting with other gods. It just shows a breakdown in the special relationship between them and God, which had become no longer a covenant, but a transaction. With any breakdown in relationship, there is also a breakdown in communication. Along with that, trust becomes increasingly an issue. And without trust, there would be no obedience to speak of. So goes the song, ‘Trust and obey for there is no other way’.
But we also need to remember that God is not like us. His love will never fail. Everything he does is guided by love, even his wrath, though it is hard to understand most times. For that reason, he reminds us constantly, sounding almost like a broken record, that we are the ones who have failed to keep our part of the covenant. If only we could detect the hint of his love, a love that pines for the lost and the wayward. And if only we would respond at such times like the prodigal son in the parable, we would know that he still loves us very much.
In the course of time, I have learned that there is a time for everything. And that we can't behold the rainbow if we don't endure the rainstorm. The times when we don't get an answer from God for what our hearts desire do not necessarily mean that God does not listen or that he's gone against his very own word in Psalm 37: 4. I've learned this hard lesson with the benefit of hindsight and insight.
For unknown to me, during those difficult 'silent' periods when I thought God was not listening to my prayers, my heart was actually going through a remodelling process. It was not an overnight process as it took some years to remodel a self - seeking heart to a God - seeking one. The remodelling itself was not without the attendant pain, frustration and doubts. But the returns have far outweighed them all. The biggest change is the change in my perspective on the way God deals with me as I get to know his heart better and gear towards becoming a man after his heart.
So, when it seems that God doesn't hear us, we should be hearing him more instead, for our own good. For therein lies the answer. And more than that, it restores the relationship to what it should be.
Rest
Lord, you are a God who neither sleeps nor slumbers. Your eye is constantly on us even though we may not realise it, especially when we don't hear from you. You are always close to the broken-hearted and to those who call on you in truth. Change us, Lord, not just our circumstances, as we turn back to you that we may know you are God and that you hear us.
Naville Chia
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