The days go by
and every vision comes to nothing (Ezekiel 12:22).
Like Isaiah before
him, Ezekiel tries to warn the people of Judah of their impending disaster, the
penalty for disobedience to the Lord God. But that disaster had not fallen on
Judah during the days of Isaiah, and as far as Ezekiel’s contemporaries are
concerned, it’s unlikely to fall in their day either.
We see a parallel
with the attitudes of those to whom Jeremiah prophesied. They have
lied about the Lord; they said, “He will do nothing! No harm will ever come to
us” (Jeremiah 5:12).
They thought God was too uncaring or impotent to intervene.
Others say that in
the event Ezekiel’s prophecies do come true, nothing will happen for years, maybe generations (12:27).
God tells Ezekiel to let them know the time is almost upon them, not years in
the future, but very, very soon.
Just because
judgment is delayed is no reason to assume judgment has been averted. The
payoff – good or bad – for present behaviors may not be realized for years to
come, but things have a way of catching up with us.
Think you’ve pulled
a fast one on God? Caught him napping? Probably not. Long term behaviors add
up. And so does the reward or the consequence.
Have you noticed how
much time and energy the prophets devoted to the subject of consequences?
TODAY’S MEDITATION
What behavior do you need
to change before it’s too late?
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