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Ezekiel 12 (ESV)
21 And the word of the Lord came to me: 22 “Son of man, what is this proverb that you have about the land of Israel, saying, ‘The days grow long, and every vision comes to nothing’? 23 Tell them therefore, ‘Thus says the Lord God: I will put an end to this proverb, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel.’ But say to them, The days are near, and the fulfillment of every vision. 24 For there shall be no more any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel. 25 For I am the Lord; I will speak the word that I will speak, and it will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, but in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it, declares the Lord God.”
26 And the word of the Lord came to me: 27 “Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, ‘The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off.’ 28 Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord God: None of my words will be delayed any longer, but the word that I speak will be performed, declares the Lord God.”
REFLECTION:
Zedekiah was the last king of Judah (597-586 BC). He reigned in Jerusalem when Ezekiel delivered the message of God’s will. Ezekiel told the people what was going to happen to Zedekiah: Jerusalem would be destroyed again, and Zedekiah would join the exile to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar would gouge out Zedekiah’s eyes and make him blind (cf. 2 Kings 25:3-7; Jeremiah 52:10-11). According to God’s stern message, Ezekiel warned the people that what God said will soon be fulfilled! In less than six years, Jerusalem will be destroyed. But people are still skeptical. Unbelief and a false sense of security make them not believe that such a thing will happen. “‘The days grow long, and every vision comes to nothing” (v.22), refers to the passing of time and nothing changed, everything seems to be peaceful. The prophets have predicted the judgment for more than 900 years since the Exodus, but it has never come. Therefore, some people think that “all visions are lost”, and even turn this sentence into a well-known joke and “slang”. The warnings that satirize the prophet are just clichés. The apostle Peter also encountered this kind of problem in the church (see 2 Peter 3:9). It is very dangerous to say that Christ will not come again, or to think that the Lord’s return is in the distant future and has nothing to do with today. Everything God says will happen!
PRAYER:
Pray for God to enlighten you and make you understand more deeply that the Lord’s return is not something that has nothing to do with you today. Pray for God to give you more vigilance and godliness so that you will no longer be lazy and procrastinate, but work hard in daily life. Be regular and restrained, read the Bible, practice daily devotion, pray every day, and stand firm in the turbulent currents of the world.
HYMN:
Number Of My Days – youtu.be/-2oul9dn0JU
