Ezekiel 21:8-17 – Responding rightly to trials.

In Ezekiel 21:8-17, poetically, the prophet was asked to declare a brandishing sharp, polished, and gleaming sword about to fall and execute Babylonians  on Judah. It was a dangerous sword, a sword of terror. It was specially fashioned by God to fit snugly into the executioner’s hand. The rhetorical question, (shall we rejoice, the rod of My son despising every tree?), was probably Ezkiel’s way of telling the people that this was no laughing matter but a grievous one.

The prophet was told to cry and wail and strike his thigh to demonstrate the extent of the grief to be experienced. The crying, wailing, and striking of the thigh were being used to depict the great grief and horrendous anguish coming as God’s sword was being brandished. This sword God had designed would bring judgment on all particularly the leaders of Judah. In verse 13, God’s point was that judgment was a test for them. He was using Babylon, the rod which they despised, to deal with them. He guaranteed that even when the rod had been removed, the horrible effect of the testing would be felt.

Ezekiel was then told to clap his hands three times. The claps signify the summoning of God’s sword of judgment. At the third summon the sword would be doubled. These claps represent the three invasions Nebuchadnezzar carried out on Judah. The third invasion would be the worst of the three invasions. Judah and the city of Jerusalem would be surrounded by the besieging army. Great constellation and petrification would seize the people as the sword was poised to strike a lightning speed. God Himself would join in the clap in verse 17, signaling that it was with His approval.  Ultimately when we rightly respond to God during times of discipline, His wrath would be appeased.

 

Every decision and action will bring about an outcome. When we obey God’s commandments, we enjoy His blessings as an outcome. When we disobey them, we will have to suffer the consequences our disobedience brings. This is the law of cause and effect that God has set in motion. Trials are God’s spiritual refining process. They are signaling for us to identify the root cause and deal with it. Don’t turn a deaf ear to those moments.  So when the heat in the fire of our trials is turned up, pause and seek to identify the cause. Then quickly repent and reconnect with God.