Ezekiel 22 and 34

     

   I searched for one man among them, a man who could build the wall and stand in the gap before Me and advocate for the land, a man who could convince Me not to destroy it; but I found no one.   

   Therefore, I will dump the fires of My fury on them, and the flames of My indignation will devour them. I will give them what they deserve. (emphasis added)

   So said the Eternal Lord.

  Ezekiel 22:30-31The Voice 

My thoughts on chapter 22 can be summed up in one phrase: You reap what you sow. The people of Israel have turned their backs on God and now He is doing the same. God, always a merciful God, even looked for a way to NOT have to punish them but He could find no one who was worthy to stand in the gap. 

  

We have someone to stand in the gap for us. Someone who is worthy. Someone who knew no sin so that in Him we could become the righteousness of God. 

They had no real shepherd, so they have scattered; the entire flock was prey for wild beasts.  My sheep drifted aimlessly through all the mountains and up and down every hill. My flock was scattered all over the world, scattered like the stars in the night sky, and not a single shepherd went looking for them. (emphasis added)

Ezekiel 34:5-6The Voice 

Again, we see that the shepherds, who were supposed to be caring for the people of God, had turned their backs on God. And again, I want to point to our Good Shepherd who is always caring for us and was willing to lay down His life for us. 

The rest of chapter 34 is a beautiful thing. God Himself is going to seek out His sheep. He is going to take care of them and give them all that they need. And in vv. 23 and 24, we see a prophecy about Jesus. 

In vv 25-31, we see a foreshadowing of the new heaven and the new earth. Although God is talking to Israel here, He is also speaking to us. Because of Jesus' death and resurrection, this is going to be our future as well. We get a glimpse of it while on earth, but there will come a time when we will see God face to face and we will be His people and He will be our God... FOREVER. 

The thought brings such joy and hope... Does it give you joy and hope too? That we have Someone to stand in the gap, that we have a Good Shepherd, that we will one day see God face to face. I pray that today you find joy, hope, and peace thinking about these wonderful truths.