Today’s readings: Ezekiel 19-21, Psalm 84.
Ezekiel 20:39-44
“As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord GOD: Go serve every one of you his idols, now and hereafter, if you will not listen to me; but my holy name you shall no more profane with your gifts and your idols.
40 “For on my holy mountain, the mountain height of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, there all the house of Israel, all of them, shall serve me in the land. There I will accept them, and there I will require your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your sacred offerings. 41 As a pleasing aroma I will accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. And I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations. 42 And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the country that I swore to give to your fathers. 43 And there you shall remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you shall loathe yourselves for all the evils that you have committed. 44 And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I deal with you for my name’s sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD.”
Apparently those stiff-necked Israelites just didn’t get it. It won’t do for Ezekiel to confront them only once. Nor just twice. Nor three, four, five, or 19 times. He’s still going on and on about how faithless Israel had been. This time their faithlessness is contrasted with God’s grace, initiative of love toward them, and his faithfulness to them. He recounts again and again how God had chosen them, brought them to the Promised Land, and conquered their enemies – only to see them abandon his ways and fail to keep his laws.
Ezekiel makes the point that they didn’t merely fail to keep his laws and commandments; they didn’t just fail to thank God for the blessings he had given. They entered into abominable pagan practices—including infant sacrifices and the worship of idols. Again and again God called them back. Again and again they turned away.
We might wonder how many times God has to say the same thing before they finally get it. But perhaps that’s not the best question. How many times does God have to say the same thing to us?
In fact he does say the same thing to us again and again. He’s doing it through this reading program. Unless we treat these words as mere Old Testament history, we must hear God speaking to us – not just a rebellious nation of stiff-necked people.
So what would God remind you of? His mercy in averting destructive consequences of foolish behaviors of your college years? His answer to a prayer that rose from your broken and needy heart? The way he has provided for you in ways far beyond mere necessity? The countless ways he has protected you from ruin, danger, or destruction of which you are not even aware? The sins he has forgiven? The manner by which he has drawn the lines for you in pleasant places? His abiding presence and peace in the face of suffering and angst? The incredible suffering Jesus endured for your forgiveness and salvation?
And yet we need daily reminders to repent. As Luther so clearly put it, the significance of our baptizing with water is that the Old Adam in us should be drown by daily repentance and daily a new person should come forth to live with God in righteousness. Daily. We need this reminder daily, and we need to repent daily. As I like to say, “We never outgrow the need for the cross.”
Perhaps Ezekiel’s repetition isn’t merely evidence of Israel’s stubbornness. It is also evidence of God’s astonishing patience. Every renewed warning is another call to turn back. God keeps speaking because he has not given up on his people. That’s not only true of Israel. It’s true for us. And when we are reminded of our failures – through his word or a sudden pang of conscience – let’s be also reminded of God’s desire to have us return to him.
So God keeps calling us back. Daily. Not because he delights in reminding us how badly we have failed, but because he delights in forgiving, restoring, and claiming us as his own. We never outgrow the need for the cross because we never outgrow our need for Jesus. And thankfully, we never outgrow his grace.
Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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