“Your Work is Not in Vain”

Wednesday, May 03, 2023

"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 “want ads” of your local newspaper in the “help wanted” section and finding an opening that read: “needed, a prophet, a watchman sent to the exiles of Judah.”  In this job description you are told that your audience will be a rebellious people who will liken your sermons to a lovely song, but will refuse to apply the message.  Your mission will include predictions of a heathen nation that will totally destroy the cities, temple, and homes of these prideful Jews.  Many of them would be exiled to a faraway land.  Would you take the job?

These prophecies of doom and gloom would have been discouraging.  Ezekiel surely 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.  It would have been a dark picture indeed. Therefore, God gave them a glimpse of the future and, revealed to them his purpose.  This incite would bring them consolation.

There would be the consolation of knowing God is just.  Abraham appealed to the justice of God:  "Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25)  There is consolation in knowing that God has a righteous object in all of his actions, and that “good” will triumph over evil.  A God-fearing remnant will be spared, and the wicked will 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 lessons taught by the parents, but hopefully in time of maturity they will look back with appreciation for the special character they have developed.  Hopefully, the disciplines of life will make us into a special people – God’s people!

Let us be assured that God is just in all of his designs and deeds.  If his ways seem hidden, wait patiently for one day we will see it has all been good.

BY George Slover
 

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