For The Sake Of His Name
BRD REFLECTIONS:
Ezekiel 19, 20 and Psalm 149 (NIV)
(Charmaine Lim, SGM Core Team member)
READ:
Ezekiel 19, 20 and Psalm 149 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
Ezekiel 19 tells the story of lions (representing the kings of Israel), rising to dominance then falling, one after another, to the nations. In Ezekiel 20, we see Israel’s recalcitrant sin over the ages, and witness the repeated outpouring of God’s mercy upon Israel. God, in staying His mighty hand, repeats this refrain “for the sake of my name” (Ezekiel 20: 9, 14).
In Ezekiel 20, it is troubling to read Israel’s declaration: “We want to be like the nations, like the peoples of the world, who serve wood and stone.” (v32)
Through history, we have seen great empires and economies that worship material wealth rise and fall, just like the Israelite kingdoms rose and fell as depicted in Ezekiel 19 and 20.
In contrast, Psalm 149 brings great relief: it portrays the ideal state of love, praise, and protection that should exist between God and His beloved people.
APPLY:
Reading that the people of Israel had said they wanted to be “like the peoples of the world” made me realize that, as long as we worship the things of this world, rather than God, we will be doomed to this wretched cycle. What will it take for us to reach the ideal depicted in Psalm 149?
Thankfully, God has shown He is faithful to His Name: He is great and merciful and continues to love and care for us for eternity.
I wonder how much of my day is lived in worship of God, rather than navigating my job in the finance industry? Do I, like Israel of old, want to be like the people of this world serving wood and stone? Instead, how can I worship God, my protector and redeemer, through my daily
DO:
Every day, I endeavour to show the same love and care which I have personally received from my Father in Heaven, to the people I work with. . This is how I try to resist living according to the ways of this world, in which I’ve witnessed basic human values sacrificed at the altar of money and power.
It is hard to do this every day, but I must. God has shown mercy in far worse circumstances in Ezekiel.Surely I can do this too, for the sake of His Name.
PRAY:
Father, thank You for Your mercies, which are new every morning. Thank You for loving me, and for staying Your mighty hand and wrath against my fallen nature. Help me to keep loving those whom You love, for the sake of Your precious, beloved Name. Amen.
