Day 246 – Ezekiel 23-24

Talking Points

• God uses a parable of two sisters to represent Israel and Judah. Both are condemned for their unfaithfulness to God. They committed adultery with false gods and the neighboring nations, carrying out obscene and wicked acts. Desiring the things of the world, God’s own people made light of sin, fancied it, deliberately seeking it out. God warns them that their judgment is coming. They will face terrible consequences.
• In these verses, we see, again, that God desires obedience more than a sacrifice. Our love, devotion, and faith are revealed by lives lived out in obedience.
• Ezekiel gives another parable, this time of a boiling pot, on the very day the siege of Jerusalem begins. God is merciful, however His mercy is not a license to continue in sin. He does and will judge sin and sinners. Today, while we do face the earthly consequences of our sins, praise the Lord that in Christ, we do not bear the penalty eternally!

Thoughts

Reading this account of God’s heartbreak and hatred for sin, I wonder about myself. You see, it’s easy to read this and numbly move quickly by or even make some pious judgment of their sins of long ago. I wonder about me, about us. Are we broken, truly broken over sin? I wonder how many times I have made light of it, even laughing at it as if it were some form of entertainment.

On a trip to the Creation Museum in Kentucky, I was struck by the scene of the first death required to cover Adam and Eve’s sin. The look of regretful grief in their faces, knowing this innocent animal was killed because of their disobedience, was striking. You could feel the sadness and terror as they realized, “I did this. I am responsible.” I walked out thinking about how calloused I can become to sin and its consequences of pain, suffering, and death.

Today, as we live on this side of the Cross, as we know the Innocent blood that was shed for our sins, may we flee far from sin and run to our Savior Jesus, the Remedy for sinners!