Ezekiel: An intolerant God

Ezekiel speaks prophetically of God's approaching judgement upon His people, at a time where they were dangerously unconcerned about their own spiritual state and the state of their nation (and there seem to have been plenty of false prophets to give them fake reassurance). The repeated phrase 'then they will know that I am the LORD' shows that God's character, in particular His righteousness, purity and total intolerance of sin, will be revealed in the judgement that is about to be poured out upon this disobedient people.

Many baulk at the idea of an intolerant God or a God of judgement. Reading Old Testament books like Ezekiel can be hard because of the seeming harshness of the message, such as the angelic executioners who kill all idolaters young and old in the vision of chapter 9. Ezekiel himself falls to the ground and asks God if He intends to destroy everyone, in despair. God answers: “The sin of the people of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice. They say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land; the Lord does not see.’ So I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.” (v9-10). There doesn't seem to be any leeway here. But think about it: do you want a God who turns a blind eye to the massive injustices of the world? A God who ignores the plight of abused children, trafficking victims, the poor and exploited? We don't really want a God like that at all. God's consistency in His hatred of sin and His absolute moral purity and perfection are why He is worthy of our worship.

God's judgement is indeed terrifying; I would not make out that it's not. And the stunning depiction of judgement in Ezekiel makes me breathlessly in awe of God and very, very thankful that on Jesus Christ His wrath was poured out completely and I will never have to face it myself.

For all those who look around and say, 'where is God? Why does He let all this bad stuff happen?', Ezekiel's message is still relevant today. He effectively reminds us that God's character remains unchanged. He is totally intolerant of sin in any shape or form. The day is coming when He will act decisively and any doubts you have will be completely removed, but you don't want to be on the receiving end of His retribution. Run to Jesus for refuge and urge everyone around you to do the same, before it's too late.