God’s Gracious Visitation
Text: Ezekiel 28:20-26
“Thus saith the Lord God; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob” (Ezekiel 28:25).
Among one of the first glimpses we get of God is that of a seeker: “Adam… where art thou?” (Genesis 3:9). Someone said to a young minister, you can never be a preacher if you read the question “where art thou?” in the tone of a policeman, as if God were seeking a fugitive for justice. You must read it as though God is a broken-hearted Father looking for a lost child.
God demonstrated unalloyed concern for the plight of Israel. This ushered in a turning point in the history of the children of Israel. The graciousness of God came in two different ways for the house of Israel. First, the visitation of His great anger on Zidon: “I am against thee O Zidon”. Zidon that once served as instrument of chastisement in the hand of God to afflict Israel is now being visited with pestilence and torture. “For I will send unto her pestilence, and blood into the streets; and the wounded shall be judged in the midst of her by the sword...”. Zidon represents the system of corruption, idolatry, evil and general departure from God that are prevalent in the world today. Sinners will face the wrath of God if they fail to repent.
Secondly, God fought Zidon so that “there shall be no more pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor a grieving thorn of all that are around them….” He did this so as to ensure that the blessings He will give to His returning children will remain unchallenged by the enemies. “And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses and plant vineyards; yea ,they shall dwell with confidence….”
God is daily seeking for the lost sinners to bring them back to Himself. Repentance leads to pardon and forgiveness. Forgiveness leads to restoration of all lost privileges and opportunities.
Thought for today: Repentance leads to restoration.