Pastor's Corner

Let's face it, when we are looking for some encouragement, hopeful promises, help in times of stress, or even motivation to get out of bed in the morning, we tend to turn to the New Testament in the Bible (often accompanied by coffee). After all, Jesus and the writings of the early Church Fathers is often inspiring and uplifting. There is so much talk about how God forgives and loves. What we don't usually do is turn to the Book of Ezekiel. The prophet Ezekiel had the unenviable task of relaying God's words to His people at a time when God was particularly angry. Nowhere else in scripture do we see so many examples of phrases like "I will destroy you and then you will know that I am the LORD". That's not exactly the message that makes me excited to get out of bed in the morning: it's the kind of thing that makes we want to hide under the covers.

Before you drop this paper to do the same, let's take a closer look. At this time, God was angry that the leaders (both religious and political) of the Israelite People had led the nation into worship of other gods, immoral acts, and flat-out crimes against one another. In response, God declares judgment and punishment with the intended purpose that the people will know that "I am the LORD". The word "lord" here is in all capitals. That is our clue that "LORD" is used as a respectful substitution for writing the personal name of God. In essence, God is saying something like, "When this is over, you will know who I am, what I am like". As consequence of knowing someone, trusting in them, we have a stronger relationship. Did you catch that? Even though God was mad, and He intended to deal with sin and evil, His deeper intention was to create a stronger bond of trust and respect!

The rest of the Book includes such promises as bringing his people back to life, purifying the national lifestyle through better teaching, and coming to live with them so that their city will be called "The LORD is there".

Even when God seems angry with you, even when the sky is falling and you want to hide under the covers, God intends to restore relationship with you! He loves, He forgives, and He plans for a future with you in it. God's response to a broken relationship is not to walk away, but to try again. What would the world look like if we all did the same? Would that get you out of bed in the morning?

Pastor Evan Elwell

Pomeroy Church of the Nazarene