THE LORD SPOKE (November 4)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Ezekiel 1-2

Julius Caesar said, Veni, vidi, vini. “I came, I saw, I conquered.” Far different was Ezekiel’s response when he saw the glory of the Lord he said, “I saw...I fell facedown...and I heard the Voice...” (1:28b).

Far different too would be your reflex if you ever really got a glimpse of the Lord. In every such instance in Scripture, the reaction is the same - the person falls facedown in fear and the Lord has to say something like, “It is I; be not afraid.” Why? Because they’re afraid! The person’s second response is always a recognition of his sinfulness. “Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man.” was the next sentence from Peter (Lk. 5:8), from Isaiah (Is. 6:5), from Abraham (Gen. 18:27), from Job (42:6), and from any other honest person who has had such an experience.

Parenthesis: These charlatans who tell us things like they chatted with God in the mirror this morning while shaving are lying. Such tele-evangelists and other celebrities are deceivers. If they really had seen the Lord, they would also have fallen facedown in utter guilt and conviction. They certainly wouldn’t be standing before the television cameras spouting off about their spiritual experiences. Don’t you believe them. And, for sure, don’t give them any support. Be more discerning.

What was Ezekiel’s experience with God? We’re told that “the hand of the Lord was upon him” (1:3) and six more times in the book he mentions “the hand of the Lord” (3:14,22; 8:1; 33:22; 37:1; 40:1). It was an overpowering experience that stuck with him and made him strong for the task. Ezekiel’s name means “God strengthens” or “God makes hard”. After raising him to his feet (2:1-2), the Lord spoke to Ezekiel and gave him a mandate. He is told to take God’s message to the Israelites never minding their rebellion (2:3-4), never paying attention to their complacency (2:5), and never fearing their bites and stings (2:6). The temptation would be to become just like them (2:7-8) but Ezekiel was commissioned to speak the word of the Lord to them.

“Ah”, you say. “If God were to give me such a commission, I’d be glad to do it. With a direct mandate like that, I’d go.” Well, you do have just such a mandate! Christ’s parting command to every one of us was to take the Gospel to every nation (Mat. 28:18-20). Some would say that because the commission begins with a participle (“in your going”) that it doesn’t command foreign missions; that we’re just supposed to be a faithful witness right here where we are. That’s a foolish cop-out that will not stand up before the Throne! Those who say such things aren’t doing a good job right where they are either! And besides, the repetition of the Commission in Acts 1:8 demands that we be a witness both in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth - all simultaneously. It doesn’t say “take care of Jerusalem, and then you can start on Judea. If you finally get through Samaria, maybe you can get a start elsewhere too.” No, our Commander-in-Chief has given us a big job to do. If it weren’t possible, He wouldn’t have commanded us in the first place. It is up to us to tackle the job.

He has promised to make you hard, to strengthen you for the task. Are you up to it? Will you obey?


Psalms 97-98

A doctor would not succeed if he was “open-minded” and accepting of everything that comes along. He must radically cut out the cancer and destroy it if he is to preserve healthy flesh. He cannot tolerate the presence of disease or the influence of germs. They must be denied, rejected, and eradicated. He must pro-actively campaign against them or they will insinuate themselves and subtly take over.

Psalm 97:10 says, “Let those who love the Lord hate evil.” How much do you hate sin? Do you pro-actively campaign against it? You must deny, reject, and eradicate evil in all its forms. If you tolerate it, you don’t love the Lord! If you let it go, it will insinuate itself and subtly take over.

There are several other Scriptures which provide some clues as to how we can be more effective in this pursuit. Consider for example:

I Thessalonians 5:21-22 - Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.

If your hands are full of good, you don’t have any room to carry something bad. So start by filling your life with righteousness. Get involved in good things and you won’t find time for all the bad.

Job 28:28 - The fear of the Lord - that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.

To “shun evil” means to give it no space. Crowd it out. Turn your back on it. Do not smile at it or speak to it. Let it know you don’t want its company. When it comes knocking, don’t open the door.

Psalm 52:3 - You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth.

Our speech betrays us quickly. Practice speaking only the truth. It will push down the evil inside. We speak out of the abundance of our hearts but there is some truth to the ideal that a bridle on the tongue is a step towards putting a lid on what’s inside. Next step: empty the trash can.

Proverbs 8:13 - To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.

There’s that speech again. It goes hand-in-hand with evil behavior which is the result of our pride and arrogance. So, hating evil means recognizing our own sinful pride and submitting to God (“the fear of the Lord”). He is the only power bigger than our ugly self. Apart from Him, you can’t succeed.

Amos 5:15 - Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts.

The pursuit of justice is both evidence for and the means of hating evil. To live consistently by the biblical standard of right and wrong is the best means of fighting against all forms of evil.

Romans 12:9 - Hate evil, cling to what it good.

Hang on tenaciously. Don’t let it out of your grasp.