August 17th~The Marked Ones

Ezekiel 5:1-9:11

The Lord spoke through His prophet Ezekiel and announced the final judgment of His people. He vented His anger against the nation of the covenant. “I placed her at the center of the nations,” He said, “but she has rebelled against My regulations and has been more wicked than the surrounding nations... Since you have refused to obey My laws and have behaved worse than your neighbors, I Myself have become your enemy” (5:5-8). The Lord had Ezekiel cut off his hair and beard to demonstrate His fury.

While the leaders of Judah were in his home, Ezekiel had a vision. God took him, in the spirit, to the Temple, to show him all the abominations that were being committed both in public and in private (8:1-18). Because of these sins, the Lord was about to remove His presence. This removal occurred in phases. Today, we witnessed the first phase, “Then the glory of the God of Israel rose up from between the cherubim (in the Holy of Holies), where it had rested, and moved to the entrance of the Temple” (9:3).

God had been patient long enough. He would remove His presence from the people, and, thus, He removed their protection. Final judgment was upon them. However, in an act of mercy, the Lord sent someone to rescue His faithful remnant, “Walk through the streets of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of all those who weep and sigh because of the sins they see around them” (9:4).

Bearing this mark would rescue God’s elect from judgment. It reminded me of the blood that His people painted on their doorposts in Egypt, just before the death angel took the first born. It seems to be a consistent pattern, as He did in the days of Noah’s flood, that God rescues the faithful, His elect, from His wrath, a picture of those marked by the blood of Christ.

Daily Reflection

Are you a “marked one” of God, part of His elect? How do you know? Is there evidence in your life of the transformative work of Christ? Explain.

A characteristic that stood out to the Lord was that the “marked ones” did not participate in the sinful deeds of those around them. Instead, they were sorrowful and distraught over the sins of their neighbors. What about you? Do you take part in the world’s ways, delighting in their sins? Or are you sorrowful and distraught over the sins around you?

If the Holy Spirit is in you, you will cringe at the sight of sin. If God is at work in your life, you will be in the world but not of it, meaning you will stand apart from its wicked ways. Like a person who is moved to vomit at the smell of death, a follower of Christ cannot be comfortable in an atmosphere of debauchery. Being surrounded by the depravity of man should make your skin crawl. Like a rash or allergic reaction, it should irritate and agitate you.

Can you relate? If not, perhaps the Spirit does not reside in you. Perhaps you are not a “marked one” of God. Or perhaps you have become callous to sin and the Spirit. God’s people do not delight in sin; they disdain it. Do you?

BiAY.org | Day 229 — 136 Days to Go