Ezekiel 38
COMMENTARY:
: 3 And say, Thus says the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal (1463 “Gog” [Gowg] means the prophetic prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, mountain, comes from the extreme north with great forces, or leader of a northern nation.)
DEVOTION: Hopefully you have never heard this phrase used against you personally. It is never fun to have someone tell you that they are your enemy.
Here we have God telling a nation that HE is their enemy. HE is going to defeat them. HE is going to bless the nation of Israel.
The LORD is the one who gives us blessings or cursing. HE blesses those who honor HIM and curses those who think that they can live their lives without HIM. HE wants the world to know the simple fact that they need HIM.
Some realize this fact while they are still alive. Others don’t care to become one of HIS followers. All will meet HIM one day.
HE will say to some “Depart.” HE will say to other “COME.” The ones departing will have met HIM and finally realized that HE was the ONE they were supposed to be worshiping but didn’t take the time.
The LORD is the final judge and HE is going to deal with nations that fought against HIS people. In this chapter it is the children of Israel. Today it is the church. Not the building but the people who are genuine followers of the LORD. They are presently being persecuted or killed for their beliefs because the nations they are living in have another religion that is false. These individuals are killing those who have a genuine faith in Jesus Christ. They will answer for their actions.
God is longsuffering but the Day of Judgment is coming. The nations and individuals who have mistreated HIS people will face the consequences of their actions in a literal place called hell or lake of fire for eternity.
CHALLENGE: We need to come today to HIM and make sure we have a proper relationship with HIM or if we find we don’t – GET ONE!!
: 16 And thou shalt come up against my people Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O God, before their eyes. (6942 “sanctified” [qadash] means hallow, holy, dedicate, consecrate, purified, separated, to show oneself sacred and majestic, to be treated sacred, be set apart, or show oneself holy.)
DEVOTION: When we read through the book of Ezekiel there is a phrase that appears to give us the reason for everything that is happening in the days of Ezekiel. The reason is that the LORD wants the nations to know that HE is Sovereign over the world.
HE expresses this teaching by stating that HE wants them to “KNOW that I AM the LORD.”
Everything seems to center around this statement. HE wants the nations to realize that when they go against the people of God they go against HIM. The nation of Israel’s enemies is also the LORD’S enemies. It is never good to be against the LORD.
This is all going to happen in the latter days. When are the “latter days?” The Bible seems to define the latter days as a period of time when the LORD is going to either give out judgment from heaven or return to the earth in all HIS glory.
When these events take place it will show the world that the LORD is holy. It will show the world that they need to treat the LORD as someone who is sacred. HE is SOMEONE to be worshipped.
HE wants the world to understand that HE is the only ONE TRUE GOD. All other gods are fakes. All other gods will disappoint those who believe in them. They are just made by the hands of man out of wood or stone or precious metals but still inanimate objects that really can’t do anything at all to help those who worship them.
CHALLENGE: Sing the song “Majesty” and mean it. Our daily worship should always be only toward the LORD. Worship HIS Majesty.
: 19 For in MY jealousy and in the fire of MY wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel (7068 “jealousy” [qin’ah] means zeal, an appropriate desire for what a person has a right to, envy, ardent love, or enmity.)
DEVOTION: Here we are given a prophesy into the future when Israel will be attacked and the army will seem too great to defeat. However, we know that the LORD can defeat any enemy that any believer might fight in his battle to live a life that is pleasing to the LORD.
In the end times which is still in the future we will see the work of the LORD for Israel and for all believers. HE cares for HIS people. HE loves HIS people and wants them to trust HIM both now and forever.
There are many people who want to say they know it all about the future but only the LORD knows it all and we need to realize that HE has a plan and is working HIS plan even today in our lives.
We need to trust HIM to take care of HIS children as HE has done for the children of Israel in the Old Testament and is also doing for New Testament saints today.
The future is coming and the Scriptures will be fulfilled. Our trust in the LORD and our spreading the message of salvation is necessary each day because we don’t know the day or the hour of the return of the LORD.
CHALLENGE: We need to honestly answer the question as to what we are doing right now to trust the LORD to take care of our future and hope. HE wants us to trust HIM enough to share HIS message to those we know. HE is coming again!
: 23 Thus will I magnify myself and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD. (1431 “magnify” [gadal] means to grow, become great or important, promote, make powerful, praise, or do great things.)
DEVOTION: Here we have two chapters that inform us regarding a nation in the north that is going to go to war with Israel. It is thought to be a reference to a nation that is powerful that is located above the Caspian Sea. Some think it is Russia. This nation is going to go to war with Israel in the distant future. The time period is in question when this battle will take place. Also there is a reference in the New Testament to a second battle with this nation against Israel. This battle is thought to take place near the middle of the Tribulation period. The second battle is thought to take place at the end of the Millennium.
However, for our purposes we want to see that the LORD is promising to protect HIS people against these nations that will attack them in the future. The LORD has never given up on the nation of Israel. Throughout the Word of God we find them referred to as HIS people.
There are nations out there that some young people think are better than the nation they are presently living in. There are people in Africa who think that it would be better for them if they lived in the United States. But God wants them in Africa. There are others in Russia that think their life would be better if they lived in America. But the LORD wants them in Russia.
We are where the LORD wants us at the present time. We are to be content with our present circumstances. The LORD wants all HIS children to learn contentment.
The children of Israel were not content to worship the LORD in HIS Promised Land. They thought other places were better. They chose to worship the false gods of other lands because they thought they had it better than they did.
The LORD finally stated that HE was going to magnify HIMSELF even if those who knew about HIM didn’t magnify HIM in their lives. HE was going to sanctify HIMSELF if those who knew about HIM didn’t set HIM apart as the ONLY TRUE GOD of the UNIVERSE.
Every nation is going to bow down before HIM one day. We need to learn to bow down before HIM today.
During this present time we have the Gentiles being reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The church is reaching the Jews and Gentiles today. The nation of Israel seems to be set-aside for a time period. The Tribulation time period is called the time of Jacob’s trouble or the seventieth week of Daniel.
There are going be heathen nations coming against Israel in the latter days. The latter days are not yet here but they seem to be getting closer. When the LORD defeats the heathen, they will know that HE is sovereign over all the earth. They will know that there is only one LORD named Jehovah in the world. Their false gods will not be able to help them. The only one who can promote the LORD is HIMSELF. The only one that can sanctify or show that HE is HOLY is the LORD HIMSELF.
When we realize that everywhere we go and everything we do is going to be a reflection of the LORD in our lives, would we be doing things differently? We can make people think less of Christians because of our actions but it doesn’t lessen the LORD’S greatness.
Let’s honor the LORD each day that HE gives us to serve HIM. Let us bring glory to HIS name. HE is going to show the world how magnificent HE is in the future, just like, HE showed HIS love through the life and death of Jesus Christ for our sins.
CHALLENGE: Our daily walk with HIM should convey to us that we are worshiping the ONLY True God of the universe. HE should become the most important person in our lives. There should be no one who has a closer relationship with us.
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