God Goes After His People

God's fire is scattered over the city of Jerusalem in a vision Ezekiel beholds in chapter 10. The scene in the vision would be familiar to the prophet. For it is the same glorious vision of God on the wheeled chariot. 

Ezekiel 10:9–14 (ESV) And I looked, and behold, there were four wheels beside the cherubim, one beside each cherub, and the appearance of the wheels was like sparkling beryl. 10 And as for their appearance, the four had the same likeness, as if a wheel were within a wheel. 11 When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went, but in whatever direction the front wheel faced, the others followed without turning as they went. 12 And their whole body, their rims, and their spokes, their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes all around—the wheels that the four of them had. 13 As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing “the whirling wheels.” 14 And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of the cherub, and the second face was a human face, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

Ezekiel first saw this vision in Babylon as part of the first wave of exiles driven out of the land by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. Yet, in the last few chapters, Ezekiel has seen rampant idolatry among those who have not been taken. So, in a dramatic twist of fast, Ezekiel sees what no Jew could have imagined. God was leaving the Temple behind and heading east to join His people in exile. 

Ezekiel 10:18–19 (ESV) Then the glory of the LORD went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim. 19 And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth before my eyes as they went out, with the wheels beside them. And they stood at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the LORD, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.

What a tremendous vision to behold in the prophet's ministry. In moments like this, the reliability of Divine authorship of the Bible comes to life for me. For what ancient people would speak so confidently of their god LEAVING behind the temple of his people? In ancient times, your god was measured by the size and security of your temple. Moreover, your god was regional and did not move. Moreover, your god was considered defeated if your people were conquered by an enemy nation. 

But Ezekiel sees the opposite of all those considerations from ancient times. This God is angry with His people. He was instrumental in using Babylon to judge them, and now He is leaving the land to join His people, where He will send them—by the hand of Babylon—into exile OUTSIDE of their boundaries. 

What nation from ancient times would INVENT such a story? The Bible is not written by men but by the Spirit breathing into men a message only God would tell. 

That message is one of profound hope for sinners. You may have ruined your life with terrible mistakes. But God does not abandon you. You may, like Israel, have spurned His word, but God is coming after you. He is not in the church building but rather moving among the people He has called to Himself. And no matter how far we drift, He can reach us!

Sometimes, a church can be like the Temple Ezekiel sees in this prophecy. Full of worship but empty of the presence of God. They can have the accouterments of religion, but God has left! WE have many churches like that in almost every country and every denomination. They are just playing out the string of former days of glory. God had departed and gone after His own. 

In the New Testament, this God leaves heaven and comes to find us in the person of Jesus. He goes after the 1 sheep while leaving the 99. He rejoices when we hear His voice and repent. And all of heaven does as well. 

Rejoice, sinner; your God has come to save you.