Seeking peace in chaos

Throughout Ezekiel chapter 7, we’ve considered what it means to stand with and before God in the face of the judgment sin deserves. We’re seeking God and His goodness in the midst of evil on every side. Is there any peace and hope in this chaos? Only in Jesus and His mercy.

Let’s imagine, again, characters on a stage. Wicked heathens, God’s wayward people, a remnant, and the Holy One of Israel enact a drama against a banner of truth in the background:

I AM is the Lord.

“Prepare chains! For the land is full of bloodshed, and the city is full of violence. I will bring the most wicked of nations to take possession of their houses. I will put an end to the pride of the mighty, and their sanctuaries will be desecrated” (Ezekiel 7:23-24).

• God called for chains to literally and figuratively capture Israel.¹
• The land was full of bloodshed from God’s judgment and punishment by sword.
• The city was full of violence from people fighting, desperate for food in the midst of famine.
• God brought the most wicked nations, those who were absolutely evil, against His people.
• Israel’s enemies entered and defiled God’s holy place.
• The wicked foreigners violated, possessed, and conquered Israel, including their homes.
• Nothing was safe or protected.
• Their pride was attacked, cut down, and ended.
• The word here is ceased, as in stilled, the root of Interesting.
• The sanctuary was a holy place of worship.
• Their place to meet with God—if any still chose to do so—was desecrated and defiled.
• The wicked showed great disrespect and irreverence for the holy Lord.

Without confirming exact dates, I wonder if the remnant, those who chose to stand before God in repentance, trusted in and looked to God’s Word for hope:

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

*When or how are people today captured in figurative chains?

*How does sword, plague, or famine result in violence?

*When God cuts down our pride, how does this result in stillness and rest?

 “When terror comes, they will seek peace in vain” (Ezekiel 7:25).

• In the previous section, we observed Israel in terror as they experienced God’s destruction.
• Terror is intense and overwhelming fear—it’s a wonder they could do anything at all.
• Their fear led them to see peace—peace they would not find.

Today, when the wicked prevail and we see destruction and calamity all around, Jesus reminds us He offers peace.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

*What kind of peace did Israel seek?

*How would you describe the peace Jesus offers?

*How is it different from the peace the world seeks?

“Calamity upon calamity will come, and rumor upon rumor. They will go searching for a vision from the prophet, priestly instruction in the law will cease, the counsel of the elders will come to an end. The king will mourn, the prince will be clothed with despair, and the hands of the people of the land will tremble. I will deal with them according to their conduct, and by their own standards I will judge them. Then they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 7:26-27).

• Disaster piled upon disaster because of their idolatry.
• People reported to one another what they heard about what would happen.
• In the chaos, Israel sought a message from their prophet, the one who spoke the Word of the Lord to them.
• God would not speak to them at this time—they saw His Word enacted before their eyes.
• They lost “guiding communication from the Lord, [which was] often restricted when people are under judgment.”²
• They lost instruction in the law from the priest.
• They lost counsel from their community and religious leaders.
• God left them to wander around in darkness.
• God left them in silence.
• God left them without guidance.
• They had no prophet, priest, or king.
• Their leaders were corrupt and led them in evil.
• The Spirit of the Lord had withdrawn—Jesus (the angel of the Lord) did not walk in their midst.
• In response, their earthly king mourned, expecting God’s judgment.
• Other leaders were terrified, and the people trembled with dismay.
• God performed judgment based on their behavior, the way they walked through life.
• He condemned them by their own standards.

*What role do disasters and rumors play today in bringing people to a knowledge of a just and holy God?

*How does what Israel lost—guiding communication from God, instruction in His Word, and counsel from human leaders—mirror what people have lost today?

*What is the result when God leaves people to wander in silent darkness without His guiding hand?

*How can we find God and draw near to Him in a dark and fallen world?

Ezekiel reminded them of his theme:

“Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Israel would know I AM is the Lord, not only by what He has done, but by what He would do.

• I AM would never cease to exist.
• I AM is the Lord over wicked violence, terror, disaster, and judgment.
• He alone is holy and righteous.

The good news in their lost wanderings?

Any remnant who would turn to God could know Him and who He is.

Any who head the oral tradition of Isaiah’s preaching could discover God’s character.

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

Let the wicked forsake their ways the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,

and to our God, for he will freely pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7).

*What do we continue to learn about God and His character as we read Ezekiel’s message?

*How can Ezekiel’s gloomy words point us to hope in God?

*How can we apply this passage to our lives now?

 

1. Warren Baker, D.R.E., Eugene Carpenter, Ph.D. The Complete WordStudy Dictionary: Old Testament. (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2003). 1081
2. Ibid., 325