We will be studying Ezekiel 14 (King James Version) today, and I will only refer to the text verses throughout the piece.
God speaks to Ezekiel, and we find that He is grieved by the sins of this world. God promises judgement in verse 13, declaring that He will “stretch out mine hand upon it, and …break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it.” God is also going to bring “noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts” (verse 15). God will bring a sword upon the land (verse 17), and “send a pestilence into that land, and pour out [His] fury upon it in blood” (verse 19). Because God wants to “cut off from it [both] man and beast” (verse 21).
However God gives three examples of types of men, that He will save out of these troubled times. God states to Ezekiel that, “though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it,” they were found righteous in the sight of God(verse 14). And although they experienced captivity or troubled times they were spared, but only “their own souls,” and “by their righteousness” (verse 20). The main point that I’m concentrating on to today is that, in verse 16 God states that, “though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate.” This is an important statement, for God repeats it two more times in verses 18 and 20. Saying to us today, just because you are delivered does not mean that your children will be, or that your parents will be.
Sure, you’ll tell me in the words of Joshua that “for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15, KJV). Joshua were constantly surrounded by people who kept on returning to their old ways of serving false gods, and people not believing that God can deliver them out of the hands of the enemy. Joshua and Caleb were the only ones that believed that they could conquer the Holy land, promised to their forefathers, please read Numbers 14. Because the nation didn’t belief in God’s goodness, their generation didn’t enter into the land…
What made these three men stand out, that God will refer to them for the time of judgement? Noah, is described in the Word of God as finding grace in God’s eyes, for he “was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9, KJV). God promised here to destroy both man and beast, but to deliver Noah and his sons and daughter’s-in-law out of the judgement of the earth. They obviously stood apart from what was going on in their world, and they were faithful in building the ark, although they didn’t quite grasp what was going to happen.
Daniel, one of the princes of Judah, who went into captivity to Babylon, were described as being, of “no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace” (Daniel 1:4, KJV). Now, “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank,” therefore, keeping himself pure for the Lord (Daniel 1:8, KJV). Daniel’s heart was for the Lord, and he went through trials that would have cost him his own life, but he NEVER stopped believing in the goodness of the Lord. We see in Daniel 6:22 (KJV) that Daniel exclaimed out of the lions den, he was thrown into, “My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.” Daniel had total faith and trust in the Lord God and he was rewarded therefore. Daniel, was rewarded for his own faith and trust, not for what his father believed…
In Job we read that he “was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil” (Job 1:1, KJV). A real thorn in the evil one’s side, I would think. Satan caused Job to loose everything, his sons, daughters, livestock and everything else he owned. The purpose was to have Job curse God, but he would not. Because Job would not curse God “the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:10, KJV). In other words, what the evil one wanted to harm, God meant as a blessing. Are your faith as strong, that when trouble cross your way, you turn to God? Also, note that he lost his children, who did not follow in the Lord’s way, but was blessed with children with exceeding beauty and abundant provision.
There is a proverb stating that, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6, KJV). Are you teaching your children about God, and what Jesus came to do on this earth for us? Does your child/parent believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Do you teach your child to pray earnestly to his Heavenly Father in all things? I’m proud to say, I do… A few weeks ago we attended the parent-teacher interviews in which each of the teachers told us, ‘whatever we are doing for our son, we need to continue doing so,” for my son treats others with respect and helps other students while also working hard on his own school work. But we can’t take the credit for this, for all Glory belongs the God Most High, who are guiding my sons steps, through prayer.
To get back to Ezekiel and the promise of God, we see that in verse 22-“Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters….” 23-“And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord God .” Remnant meaning, a small minority of people who will remain faithful to God and so be saved. Our hope lies in the next generation, making it important that we need to train them in the ways of the Lord. For it is written that, “out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger” (Psalms 8:2, KJV).
Satan is attacking teachings of the Lord in the schools, and we as true Christians need to stand together against this. How are they to bring us comfort if they don’t know about what Jesus have done for us?
My prayer is that we will find mercy in the sight of God and that He will guide our children’s steps. Lord, lead them in the way they should go, even if we should fail in doing so. #GodCanDoThis
Notes:
Lightbearer's Quest 