S. O. A. P.
Here’s Your 90 second AM Devotional!
S-cripture:
Ezekiel 5:17c
I the Lord have spoken.
O-bservation:
I know that I’ve started with a strange line for today’s SOAP devotional. I confess that the entire book of Ezekiel is very difficult to accurately interpret. But this particular chapter has always been difficult for me to explain and to preach from. God was so angry at the sins of his people that through the prophet Ezekiel, he prophesied such doom to come that, “It’s Hard To Explain.” Ezekiel was to shave his head and divide his hair into bundles of thirds. Each bundle represented another punishment God would lay upon Israel as judgment for her wrongs. But the intensity of judgment is hard for me to talk about and, “It’s Hard To Explain.”
A-pplication:
Our God is represented fully in this chapter, but this side of God we seldom talk about because we are living in the New Testament dispensation known as “GRACE.” Consequently, “It’s Hard To Explain,” because it’s just hard to talk about. We can’t fathom the anger of the living, loving God we know and trust because we have never seen this side of Him in our lifetime here in the west. At least when tragedy strikes a nation or a group of people, or a family, or an individual, we seldom would say, “Well, that was the judgement of God. There’s no doubt they had made God angry.” Perhaps there are people who make calls like that, but I just never have. But that doesn’t make this chapter less true than the other pages of the Bible. If you’ve read the Revelation, you know that judgment truly is coming to this world. Until then, when it comes to God’s judgment, “It’s Hard To Explain.”
P-rayer:
Dear Jesus,
Whenever I read Ezekiel 17, I always feel like I should tiptoe out of my prayer closet. I know your love, your blessing, and your favor. But I am grateful that I have never had to endure your anger and judgment upon my life. I will never take that for granted. After these many years of serving you, I know who you are. Thank you for loving me. Amen
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