Day 477: Ezekiel 14- A More Righteous Representative

Then certain of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. 2 And the word of the Lord came to me:3 “Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them? 4 Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols, 5 that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols.
6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations. 7 For any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel, who separates himself from me, taking his idols into his heart and putting the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to a prophet to consult me through him, I the Lord will answer him myself.8 And I will set my face against that man; I will make him a sign and a byword and cut him off from the midst of my people, and you shall know that I am the Lord. 9 And if the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, the Lord, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. 10 And they shall bear their punishment—the punishment of the prophet and the punishment of the inquirer shall be alike— 11 that the house of Israel may no more go astray from me, nor defile themselves anymore with all their transgressions, but that they may be my people and I may be their God, declares the Lord God.”
Jerusalem Will Not Be Spared12 And the word of the Lord came to me: 13 “Son of man, when a land sins against me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it and break its supply of bread and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast, 14 even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord God.
15 “If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they ravage it, and it be made desolate, so that no one may pass through because of the beasts, 16 even if these three men were in it, as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters. They alone would be delivered, but the land would be desolate.
17 “Or if I bring a sword upon that land and say, Let a sword pass through the land, and I cut off from it man and beast, 18 though these three men were in it, as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they alone would be delivered.
19 “Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out my wrath upon it with blood, to cut off from it man and beast,20 even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither son nor daughter. They would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness.
21 “For thus says the Lord God: How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment, sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast! 22 But behold, some survivors will be left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out; behold, when they come out to you, and you see their ways and their deeds, you will be consoled for the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, for all that I have brought upon it. 23 They will console you, when you see their ways and their deeds, and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, declares the Lord God.”
 
Meditation
Do you remember the story of David and Goliath? David was a champion, representing Israel in battle. When David won, the whole army celebrated victory. Jesus is a greater representative of God’s people who defeated death and gives total victory to all who believe.
 
Jerusalem needed a representative, one who was greater than “Noah, Daniel, and Job” (14, 20). The righteousness of those three men combined could not save the rebels in Jerusalem.  The Old Testament is a story in search of a more righteous representative.
 
How bad was the rebellion? The repetition of condemnation (1-7) reveals the heart of the matter: God’s people were holding idols in their hearts. They would not repent and turn away from their idols and they would not stop listening to false prophets who helped justify their rebellion.
 
Jesus Christ is a representative for God’s people who gives complete victory (Romans 5:20-21). Jesus took on the rebellion of humanity to give righteousness to all who believe (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Jesus lived the perfect life we can never live and died the death we deserve so He can fully represent all who trust Him as our representative. In Christ justice is satisfied. Mercy is offered. Victory is accomplished.
 
King David represented Israel in a military victory. Jesus represents all who believe in total victory over sin, death, and the devil. The grace of God in Christ is the only power through which we are freed to walk in a newness of life.
 
Let’s respond to God’s grace and live in the victory Christ offers!
 
Richly Dwelling
-Do you see your need for a representative before God, identifying with the heart idolatry of Israel?
 
-You are a sinner yet Christ was sinless. You deserve to die yet Christ died in your place. This is amazing grace! Take some time to thank God for this representative reality.
 
-Christ offers total victory. Are you living in the victory Christ offers? In Jesus there is victory over the penalty and power of sin! How can you live a more victorious life?
 
Key Verse
14 even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord God. (& verse 20)