Doom, destruction, desecration, death, desolation, demolition, wrath, panic, plague, punishment, famine, fire, bloodshed, judgment --- These are just some of the words God uses to describe what He, "the Sovereign Lord" (Ezekiel 7:5), is about to do to His rebellious people in Ezekiel 5-7. We know God is a God of mercy too, but if all you read in the Bible were these three chapters, you probably would not think this to be the case. Does God really have to act this way? The answer is Yes. We can even look at these judgments as acts of mercy because God is using these acts to show his people that He "is Lord" (6:7). And perhaps once his people realize this fact, they will obey Him once again. We all need these wake up calls in our lives at times to bring us back to what should be the most important thing in our life. What was the last wake up call you received from God? Instead of getting mad at God, try thanking him for his mercy.
Today's NT passage goes right along with the above OT passage. Hebrews 12 teaches us to be grateful for God's discipline (v. 5-6). Discipline is never fun (v. 7), but it is a requirement for those who are following Christ. This discipline, although it hurts, will turn out for our good if we allow ourselves to be trained by it (v. 11). We have a choice. We can refuse God's discipline or we can be thankful for it and worship Him (v. 28). Which decision will you make?
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