Through A Glass Darkly

“Thus says the LORD GOD:  ‘Clap your hands, and stamp your foot, and say, Alas! because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel; for they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.  He that is far off shall die of pestilence; and he that is near shall fall by the sword; and he that is left and is preserved shall die of famine.  Thus I will spend my fury upon them.  And you shall know that I am the LORD, when their slain lie among their idols round about their altars, upon every high hill, on all the mountain tops, under every green tree, and under every leafy oak, wherever they offered pleasing odor to all their idols.  And I will stretch out my hand against them, and make the land desolate and waste, throughout all their habitations, from the wilderness to Riblah.  Then they will know that I am the LORD.“  Ezekiel 6:11-14

This is not an uncommon theme in redemptive history, namely that God demonstrates his God-ness through the judgment of some nation, people, king, etc.  We see this with His destruction of the Egyptians to be sure.  This judgment was so devasting and powerful, the Canaanites heard of it and were terrified and it caused some to turn to Him in faith (i.e. Rahab).  The point I want to make is that part of our witness as followers of Christ is that He judges.  When we shy from this, we diminish our witness and weaken the gospel.  God is who we witness to.   We don’t have the option as to what parts or actions of His that we like and choose those as our “talking points.”  Let us not draw back from his overwhelming, all demanding love or His unapproachable holiness or His passionate jealousy for His name.