TOPIC: FURY ON REBELS

TEXT: Ezekiel 20:1-9
1. And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to enquire of the LORD, and sat before me.

2. Then came the word of the LORD unto me, saying,

3. Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.

4. Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers;

5. And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I am the LORD your God;

6. In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands;

7. Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.

8. But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me; they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt; then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

9. But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.

KEY VERSE:
“But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.” – (Ezekiel 20:8).

MESSAGE 

According to Charles R. Swindoll, “When a man refuses to yield himself to God, he creates certain conditions, not only for himself but for others as well, which God has ordained for harm… The absence of God is destructive to human life. That absence is God’s wrath. And God cannot withhold it. He sets man’s sin and His wrath in the same frame.”

Certain elders of Israel, in our text, came to Prophet Ezekiel to inquire from the Lord of the affliction they were going through. The Lord, through the prophet, informed them that they did not need to inquire of Him but to cast off their abominations and forsake the idol of Egypt. The Lord had given Israel this warning whilst they were in the wilderness but they rebelled and would not hearken unto Him. Though the Lord promised to pour out His fury upon them to accomplish His anger, He restrained Himself because of His name’s sake that it should not be polluted among the heathen.

This shows the merciful nature of the God we serve. But the problem with man is that he always misconstrues this merciful characteristic of God. He forgets that He is a consuming fire and that He is able to unleash judgment upon the rebellious in accordance with their deeds. Wrongdoers, if they fail to repent, will taste of God’s fury.

It is imperative that we heed God’s warnings and steer clear of abominations and idolatry. Failure to do so will lead to condemnation and judgment. We must avoid the mistakes of the nation of Israel, who pretended to seek God’s will while they practically disobeyed it. God loves sincerity. Hypocrites cannot abide in His presence. We need to seek Him with a genuine heart and motive before we can find Him.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Rebellious and unrepentant sinners will taste God’s fury.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Numbers 11 – 13

DCLM Daily Manna 13th September 2022 | Fury On Rebels