A Remnant

The job of a prophet is a burdensome one, and especially for one of the likes of Ezekiel. Here was a man, already in exile from his homeland due to protracted enemy invasions, and the message he kept getting from God was the inevitability of the defeat of his people.

Yet throughout the laments about his naiton, here and there we see a message that would fill Ezekiel with hope, the promise of a dedicated remnant who would be God’s people. “If the wicked will turn from all his sins,” we read, “and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live. He shall not die. All his transgressions he has committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him. In his righteousness that he has done he shall live.” (Ezekiel 18:21-22)

Throughout Ezekiel we see statements like this, that even if the nation is in dire straights spiritually, God will still honor the individual who follows him.

After one particularly dire warning, which we find in Ezekiel 14 where the promise for Jerusalem is sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence, the promise to Ezekiel is that a remnant of God’s people will come through it. And when Ezekiel sees these “sons and daughters”, "they shall comfort you when you see their ways and their doings.” (14:21-23) It will be at that point that Ezekiel would know that God had a purpose in all those trials, to bring a people to himself.

If you are going through tough times, and those wild beasts are dogging you, remember this. They will bring you closer to God. Those trials are more precious than gold and silver.