The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
Ezekiel 45-48
Act 2: God’s Covenant People
Scene 8: Exile: God Disciplines His People
Background Information: Ezekiel 45-48
Ezekiel’s vision of the new Temple and the restored land is a combination of symbolism and realism. There are details of geographic dimensions and rules for worship. The details remind us that God’s will is specific, and his worship is orderly. God has revealed his will and his ways in his Word. We are not to add to or subtract from it. From the mass of details, suddenly Ezekiel sees a river that flows out of the Temple down to the Dead Sea. It brings life all along its course, and it even brings the Dead Sea itself to life. The actual Dead Sea has an inflow, the Jordan River, but being at such a low elevation, it has no outflow. Over the years it has become increasingly dense with salt and other chemicals as the water evaporates off. This vision of a Dead Sea teaming with life means that something remarkable has happened. It points to the future reality where God has returned to his people and life flows from him to the world. Like the vision of the valley of dead bodies returning to life, here a body of water is made alive. As Ezekiel languishes in Babylon, God is giving him a panoramic vision of a future restoration. All these details remind Israel of what should have been, what could have been, and what will yet be. God will dwell, as he has always desired to do, with his people, and his people will live in obedient relationship with him. It is, once again, not merely a return to the demolished Temple, but a return to lost Eden. The city has a new name, and it is not new Jerusalem. It is now called “The Lord is there.” (Ezekiel 48:35). This vision is about a time when God will permanently dwell with his people. Whenever people try to describe or understand heaven, whether it is biblical writers or others, words fail them. They often resort to some mixture of symbolism and reality. They use analogy, “It is like this gold,” but analogy only takes them so far because it is unlike anything else. Thus, Ezekiel ends with the most important fact of all regarding this future restored Temple and city: it will forever be called, “The Lord is there.” Children will frequently ask questions like, “Will there be dogs in heaven?” “Will MY dog be in heaven?” “How old will I be in heaven?” These are great questions because they show that they are thinking in terms of heaven being a real place. In the end, we must only say, “Good question, but we don’t know.” Here is what we do know (and this is all we really need to know): the Lord is there, and we will forever be there with him.
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Ask God for his hand to be on the work of Youth Horizons. Pray for the girls home, the boys ranch, and the mentoring program. Ask God to bless their ministry and encourage their staff.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.