Daily Radio Bible - September 1st, 21

The Prophet is struggling to find a weighty enough comparison to describe the rebellion and waywardness of God's people. So he spins this strange story that mixes metaphors from that of an orphan child who grows up to disgrace their parent, a parent who loved and rescued them. And that of an adulterous wife, who's betrayed her husband. It's almost like one example is not enough to describe the depths of betrayal that God has experienced. So the Prophet combines them both, as one monstrous example. Over and over again, God describes his heart toward us like that of a parent who has been humiliated and disrespected, and that of a husband, who has been repeatedly betrayed by his wife Ezekiel doesn't allow us to see God as a faceless, feelingless detached, unseen entity. No Ezekiel says that God's heart breaks for us like a husband, or a parent who has been betrayed and humiliated, whose affections and loyalty have been usurped by idols. So Ezekiel tells us that God is going to do all he can to restore this love. Is it any wonder that the culminating image of the Bible is that of a wedding feast, God's going to claim his wayward bride back, he's going to re marry her, she will be new, the world will be new. God is making all things knew. This is a passionate love story. And God lets his children tell the story. And sometimes that language is unsettling and disturbing. But Ezekiel is wrestling for a way to shake his listeners up, to break through the deafness, so that they can hear, to feel, to take note of, to wake up and see... that God is like a parent. God is like a loving husband, who's doing everything he can to restore what was lost. Let's live awakened today to the deep love of God revealed to us in Jesus. He has shown us a far better picture. He has shown us the very face of God. Where Ezekiel comes short. Jesus has given us the perfect example of what God's love truly is. And Jesus has gone to every length possible to restore humanity to himself and to make all things new. Jesus said, Behold, I make all things new. And the prayer of my own heart today is that I will see it, that my heart will be awakened to what really is. That's the prayer that I have for my own soul. That's the prayer that I have for my family for my wife. My daughter's my son. And that's the prayer that I have for you. May it be so

You are loved!