Judgment and Mercy

I love the book of Ezekiel. I am currently reading through it as my daily Bible reading and it is one of the deepest and most meaningful books of the Old Testament to me. There are many aspects that impact me, but one recurring theme we see is the contrast between Israel’s (and our) unfaithfulness and God’s faithfulness. The majority of the book focuses on God’s judgment of Israel and how they will be punished for their betrayal of God. Yet constantly mixed in with this judgment is a promise that God will preserve a remnant that He will bring out of captivity and restore.

I like that the book doesn’t try to separate these aspects of God by having one section on judgment and another on the redemption of Israel. It causes us to have to deal simultaneously with God’s righteousness and His mercy. They are impossible to separate, even though some Christians seem to focus more on one or the other. Ezekiel helps me remember to be sorrowful over my many sins and realize that I deserve judgment, while at the same time, reminds me of the mercy and grace I have through Christ.

Take a closer look at Ezekiel – I think we all have a lot to learn about the nature of God from this book.