It was my observation while reading Ezekiel 12 that God had employed an assortment of themes to get the attention of the careless Hebrews to understand the Judgement that was at the doorstep. They needed to focus, repent and walk away from their crazy ways to halt the judgement. Unfortunately, they resolved to stand behind their stone safeguard, stand behind the walls of the city to protect them; they were adamant, the one true living God was not going to protect them.
Instead, they kept reassuring each other they were on the right path. Elohim was an ancient relic, no longer relevant to their modern thinking and ideas. Elohim was not coming. Ezekiel was just another soothsayer trying to make a living peddling bad news. They wondered out loud, where is this God, he is not so tough. He hides behind hacks and mystics. He had no real power. Then God says — Enough!
Ezekiel 12: 22-25 says — Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel: The days go by and every vision comes to nothing? Say to them, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to put an end to this proverb, and they will no longer quote it in Israel. Say to them, the days are near when every vision will be fulfilled. For there will be no more false visions or flattering divinations among the people of Israel. But I the Lord will speak what I will, and it shall be fulfilled without delay. For in your days, you rebellious people, I will fulfill whatever I say, declares the Sovereign Lord [NIV].
Goodness, how these Hebrews have made a mess out of things. There is a remnant present, but the leadership and most of the community are rebellious. They have no real belief that God is a God of his word. They use what they want from his message but refuse the full counsel of Scripture and his teachers. They make up new proverbs to support their position. Enough, says God! Enough! Yet, they continue in their rebellion. Even if they were remotely aware of the message, they feel the end was a long way down the road. Therefore, they need not be troubled by the threat or prepare for the threat. More than likely, they will die of natural causes from old age in honor and peace rather than some kind of threat to the city walls. But this turned out to be a massive mistake on their part. God was putting his foot down. He was done with the preparations. The time was now!
Their quaint sayings had morphed into proverbs, it was as if they had been on the evening news day after day until they became accepted as truth and spoke by all at the dinner table and at the workplace. I think this demonstration of degeneracy by the Hebrews revealed the depth of corruption in their heart. This thing became a tricky artifice used by Lucifer to reinforce the corruption in our heart and make us feel like we are in safe ground. Yet, it is a clear tool of the woke Hebrew community, a clear tool creating prejudice against the way of God. This progressive idea ‘woke up’ the Hebrews to a false reality. They move in their woke state and deliver a great offence to the one true living God.
The deeper truth – when our life and message demonstrate the truth of heaven and paints a contrast between heaven and hell; we are a persuader. We are being used by God. He provides opportunities to answer the questions, he provides the answers. We simply become available. It is not our place to view them as infidels, even if they rail against God’s plan. We are to love them with everything inside of us. We are to be patient with them as they struggle to walk away from the old ways and embrace the new.
Some decide that the cost is too great. For them, we still love them. Why? Because we may be the last person who speaks Jesus into them. We may be the last time they hear God speak to them through another human. We do not know. Just love them. Our message must always be one of life with Jesus and death without Jesus. Our compassion and mercy must reflect the gravity of their poor decisions. For even if the return of Jesus is more than a few weeks away, it is near, very near indeed. I choose Jesus.