“Your Work is Not in Vain”

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

"Yet behold, there shall be left in it a remnant who will be brought out, both sons and daughters; surely they will come out to you, and you will see their ways and their doings. Then you will be comforted concerning the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, all that I have brought upon it. (Ezekiel 14:22)

Imagine looking in the “help wanted” section of your local newspaper and finding an opening that read: “needed, a watchman sent to the exiles of Judah.”  In this job description you are told that your audience will be a stubborn people who will refuse to apply the message.  Your mission will include predictions of a heathen nation that will totally destroy their cities and homes.  Many of them would be exiled to a faraway land.  Would you take the job?

These prophecies of doom would have been discouraging.  Ezekiel must have contemplated the futility of preaching to those who would not listen.  The faithful ones would have been frightened with the prospect of losing their homes and shrines of religious tradition.  Therefore, God gave them a glimpse of the future to incite comfort.

There is consolation in knowing God is just.  The Judge of all the earth will do right. (Genesis 18:25)  God has a righteous object in all of his actions.  A God-fearing remnant would be spared, and the wicked would be ultimately punished.

There is consolation in knowing that God is merciful.  The ultimate effect of the coming judgment would be to purge Israel of evil.  A child cannot always see the end results of the discipline of his parents, but hopefully one day they will look back with appreciation for the good character they have developed.  The disciplines of God are designed to make us into a special people!

If God’s ways seem hidden, wait patiently for one day you will see it has all been good.

by George Slover

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