(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)
““‘As for you, house of Israel, the Lord Yahweh says: “Go, everyone serve his idols, and hereafter also, if you will not listen to me; but you shall no more profane my holy name with your gifts and with your idols. For in my holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel,” says the Lord Yahweh, “there all the house of Israel, all of them, shall serve me in the land. There I will accept them, and there I will require your offerings and the first fruits of your offerings, with all your holy things. I will accept you as a pleasant aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries in which you have been scattered. I will be sanctified in you in the sight of the nations. You will know that I am Yahweh when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country which I swore to give to your fathers. There you will remember your ways, and all your deeds in which you have polluted yourselves. Then you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that you have committed. You will know that I am Yahweh, when I have dealt with you for my name’s sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, you house of Israel,” says the Lord Yahweh.’””
(Ezekiel 20:39-44)
“You brought a vine out of Egypt.
You drove out the nations, and planted it.
You cleared the ground for it.
It took deep root, and filled the land.
The mountains were covered with its shadow.
Its boughs were like God’s cedars.
It sent out its branches to the sea,
its shoots to the River.
Why have you broken down its walls,
so that all those who pass by the way pluck it?
The boar out of the wood ravages it.
The wild animals of the field feed on it.
Turn again, we beg you, God of Armies.
Look down from heaven, and see, and visit this vine,
the stock which your right hand planted,
the branch that you made strong for yourself.
It’s burned with fire.
It’s cut down.
They perish at your rebuke.
Let your hand be on the man of your right hand,
on the son of man whom you made strong for yourself.
So we will not turn away from you.
Revive us, and we will call on your name.
Turn us again, Yahweh God of Armies.
Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.”
(Psalm 80:8-19)
God was not unjust with the judgment that He was allowing to come on His children. They had spurned Him time and again. They had embraced the idolatry of the nations around them and gone deeper than their neighbours. They rejected His covenant. They forgot about what He had done for them. Where He had found them. And how He had brought them out. They were insisting on idolatry and rejecting all His messages of repentance and renewal of that covenant. God had had enough. He had been merciful. He would still in that He would not totally destroy them. He would save a remnant and He would bring it back to His holy mountain. He would let them worship Him again. He would restore relationship with them.
He was not leaving this to ‘chance’ or to their whims. Again and again they had proven untrustworthy. But He loves us and desires a relationship with us. Because of that, He took it upon Himself to make the restoration. He would bring Messiah to accomplish it. He would raise Messiah up as a branch and a strong tower. Those who chose to rely on Messiah and accept the restoration would be able to enjoy it. To walk in it. To LIVE in it. This became the cry of His people in their exile. They looked to the time when Messiah would come. When restoration would come. When they would be able to live as His people and He would be their God. It was their eager cry. It was also going to be their choice.
Summary
The mercy of the Lord has been extended through Messiah Jesus to the whole world. Jew and Gentile, we all have the same choice before us. Will we accept Jesus’ sacrifice and enter into fellowship with Him? Will we submit to the will of God and place Jesus in our life as Lord as well as Saviour? To love Him enough to listen to Him and trust Him enough to obey Him? To be His people. To enjoy the restored covenant that Jesus makes available. We have the choice. Will we submit, or will we reject? Will we accept His Way, or will we insist on ours? As always, God is not hiding anything. We have been told by Him and shown through the Word what happens and what will happen if we reject His Way. We have also been told by Him and shown through the Word what happens when we accept His Way. The choice is ours. Will we receive life or will we insist on death?
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