The Lord Has Drawn His Sword

 

Ezekiel 21:1-13

 

December 11, 2023

 

The Lord Has Drawn His Sword

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel and say to the land of Israel, Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am against you and will draw my sword from its sheath and will cut off from you both righteous and wicked.  Because I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked, therefore my sword shall be drawn from its sheath against all flesh from south to north.  And all flesh shall know that I am the Lord. I have drawn my sword from its sheath; it shall not be sheathed again.

“As for you, son of man, groan; with breaking heart and bitter grief, groan before their eyes. ⁷ And when they say to you, ‘Why do you groan?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that it is coming. Every heart will melt, and all hands will be feeble; every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming, and it will be fulfilled,’” declares the Lord God.  And the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord, say: “A sword, a sword is sharpened and also polished, sharpened for slaughter, polished to flash like lightning!

(Or shall we rejoice? You have despised the rod, my son, with everything of wood.) So the sword is given to be polished, that it may be grasped in the hand. It is sharpened and polished to be given into the hand of the slayer.  Cry out and wail, son of man, for it is against my people. It is against all the princes of Israel. They are delivered over to the sword with my people. Strike therefore upon your thigh.  For it will not be a testing—what could it do if you despise the rod?” declares the Lord God.

This is much different than the Psalm of David, where he talks about the rod and staff, he is following after God, He is seeking God, and he desires God to be his provider and protector.  The contrast between Israel and David is very clear, with David seeking after God, looking to God and worshiping God, and Israel in total rebellion, seeking after the little gods of their neighbors. 

As I read this one must wonder, when will we who have said no to God as a nation, the church have been silent as we allow the theory of God and State separation.  We the Church were quiet when they said keep God out of the government, out of our public schools, and even out of many businesses.  When will God bring the judgment against our Nation, are we seeing the beginning with the present amination?

I have once more when to “Got Question”:

Psalm 23 is a beautiful poem that uses the image of God as a shepherd. David, who penned this psalm, had been a shepherd himself and understood the parallel between the task of a shepherd caring for his sheep and of God caring for His people. Sheep are totally dependent on the shepherd for food, water, leadership, and guidance as they move from place to place, just as we are dependent upon God for all that we need. Sheep depend on the shepherd for protection from a wide range of predators and dangers, just as we look to God as our Protector and Defender. In the New Testament, Jesus reveals Himself to be the Good Shepherd of His people (John 10:11, 14), fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy that God would come to shepherd His people (Ezekiel 34:7–16, 23).

 

From the Back Porch, 

Bob Rice