When man’s corruption has frustrated all efforts at purification, what is to be done? All of God’s warnings about judgment in the Old Testament, which leave us with the idea that God is wrathful and vengeful if we read only cursorily, represent God’s efforts to persuade His people to change their course – repent – and be restored to relationship with Him. Given all that we’ve read about impending judgment, that’s a lot of patient effort at persuasion. But that patience must come to an end, or God would be dealing unendingly with His people’s rebellion and corruption. When that happens, God clearly must conclude that His efforts to persuade His people to accept purification have been frustrated. What then? Judgment. Does this make God mean and vengeful? Not at all. Most of us would say of His judgment on His Old Testament people, “It’s about time.” He’s as patient with us today, but His patience also understandably has limits.
In Ezekiel’s culture, grief was expressed openly and loudly. God described Ezekiel’s wife as “the delight of your eyes” – isn’t that a lovely description of a marriage relationship? – , and yet Ezekiel was not permitted to engage in any of his culture’s customary grieving practices, as an object lesson to God’s people. In a day when God’s people were accustomed to treating His prophets disdainfully, if they paid attention to them at all, this response to such grief would be an attention-getter. His intended audience would be asking, “What does this mean?” and would be paying attention to the prophets’ response. Did God not care for His faithful servant Ezekiel or his innocent wife? Certainly He did, but that didn’t stop Him from imposing suffering and using it to get the attention of His people. Might God act the same way today? We often wonder about an explanation for our suffering; what if it is for this very reason, that it gains the attention of God’s intended audience in a way nothing else can? Are you prepared to see your suffering in that light, and allow God to use it to speak to others in a way that might lead to their repentance and reconciliation with Him?
Notice all the prophecies against the pagan peoples were because they took delight in the suffering of God’s people in their judgment. We need to learn from that and resist taking delight in anyone’s downfall. What if God still feels the same vengeance against those who want to see His people – Old or New Covenant people – destroyed? He can take action effectively to do what He says He will do. Here is photographic proof (click on the highlighted link) that the prophecy foretelling Tyre’s destruction, repeated twice in chapter 26, came true. Recall from previous posts that Tyre was like the USA of its day: as the world leader in trade, it was among the wealthiest, most influential and stable cultures of the ancient Near East. Its destruction was inconceivable. What the photo reveals makes its past prosperity inconceivable to us. Use this as a reminder that God is able to do whatever He says He will do.