relationships (Ezekiel 6:1-14) Knowing vs Knowing and Loving

(Ezekiel 6:1-14)   

Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them  3 and say, ‘Mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Lord God! This is what the Lord God says to the mountains, the hills, the ravines, and the valleys: “Behold, I Myself am going to bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places. 4 So your altars will become deserted and your incense altars will be smashed; and I will make your slain fall in front of your idols. 5 I will also lay the dead bodies of the sons of Israel in front of their idols; and I will scatter your bones around your altars. 6 Everywhere you live, cities will be in ruins and the high places will be deserted, so that your altars will be in ruins and deserted, your idols will be broken and brought to an end, your incense altars will be cut down, and your works wiped out. 7 The slain will fall among you, and you will know that I am the Lord.

8 “However, I will leave a remnant, in that you will have those who escaped the sword among the nations when you are scattered among the countries. 9 Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations to which they will be taken captive, how I have been hurt by their adulterous hearts which turned away from Me, and by their eyes which committed infidelity with their idols; and they will loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed, for all their abominations. 10 Then they will know that I am the Lord; I have not said in vain that I would inflict this disaster on them.”’

11 “This is what the Lord God says: ‘Clap your hands, stamp your foot and say, “Woe, because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel, which will fall by the sword, famine, and plague! 12 Anyone who is far away will die by the plague, anyone who is near will fall by the sword, and anyone who remains and is spared from these will die by the famine. So I will expend My wrath on them. 13 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when their dead are among their idols around their altars, on every high hill, on all the tops of the mountains, under every leafy tree and under every massive oak with thick branches—the places where they offered a soothing aroma to all their idols. 14 So through all their dwelling places I will stretch out My hand against them and make the land more desolate and waste than the wilderness toward Diblah; so they will know that I am the Lord.”’”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Whoever or whatever we embrace and deem as our high place, if it isn't the Lord Jesus Christ, then it will be torn down.  Everything that has been created is temporary, feeble and fallible.  Everyone is born into sin, and goes through life as a "dead-man-walking"... a person who is basically already dead... someone who is destined for eternal death.  At some point in time, everyone will KNOW that Jesus is the Lord!  It is one thing to know and realize this, it is quite another to know and embrace the Lord in a personal relationship, where we choose to love Him back!

The Lord God, the Creator of all things, is sovereign and above all.  He is eternal, omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent.  He is the only One who can stand.  By putting Him first in our lives, we are able to stand with Him, because in His salvation, He forgives us and we are set free from sin and death.  In His salvation, because of His righteousness, we receive eternal life.  And in His salvation, because of His grace, we are secure in our relationship with Him.  In His salvation, we can know and understand the Lord's love, and love and know the Lord personally.