Ezekiel 5:1-17, A blooming flower of compassion in the storm

Ezekiel 5:1-17, A blooming flower of compassion in the storm

 God speaks through the actions of the prophet Ezekiel. Last week, in chapter 4, He spoke of three things. 1) Jerusalem tablets(Babylon’s siege & attack), 2) Bed of suffering (390 days for Israel’s sins, 40 days for Judah’s sins), 3) Impure breads baked with cow dung & insufficient water for 390 days. Today, He adds one more prophecy of shaving. What lesson does it teach us?

1. 1-4: Prophecy of shaving hair & beard - The sword of Jehovah

 He cuts off the hair & beard with a sharp sword & divides it into three parts. This tells us that the people of Judah & Jerusalem will be miserable due to the siege & attack of Babylon. 1) 1/3: Fire - plague & famine 2) 1/3: Sword - deads in war 3) 1/3: Wind - captives

2. 5-17: God's judgment 1) Reason: Unable to fulfill the mission, further corruption(evil deeds) 2) Result: Scatter in fire, sword, and wind

3. 3-4: God blooms flowers of mercy even in the midst of terrible judgment - the remnant

*Saints, what would have happened if God had judged the world and us justly according to our sins? No one on earth would have survived. However, like a few hairs protected by Ezekiel's robe, like a flower of mercy blooming in the storm, it testifies to God's amazing mercy given even in the midst of wrath and the flow of redemption that continues without interruption. God's redemption has continued until today, and it will continue without interruption until the return of Jesus Christ. We all quietly feel the mercy of God, and we bless you to become blessed people who preach the life of Jesus & live faithfully to the Lord. Amen.

*Application question: Even in the midst of the terrible judgment, God leaves behind some people who will continue the history of redemption. Can we really be the ones left behind in God’s judgment? What are some of the hypocritical faith lives that we must cast off in order to be among that minority now? (3, Zeph 3:13, 2 Pet 1:10)