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The mercy of the Lord is evident in the truthfulness of the message of the prophet and the execution of the events declared. In his prophetic utterances Ezekiel is portraying the future of Israel and the horrific actions which shall be taken against them. The plus side of these coming judgments is that the Lord afforded them a time in which they could repent and correct the past, present and future of Israel. The same emotions which we find in ourselves are also evident in the nature of the Lord. While ours are tainted by our sinful nature, His are righteous and perfect. In the spiritual life style of Israel we see the utter rejection of the ways of the Lord which almost appear to be deliberate. Rejection is not always easy to handle. Its consequences can result is sever retaliation. Knowing this, perhaps we can, in some measure feel the great heart and feelings of the Lord in this. Paul mentions the patience of the Lord in calling for a change of heart in Israel by the Lord having stretched out His hand all day long to them. Rom. 10:21 Jesus spoke of His patience in dealing with the church at Thyatira by affording them an opportunity and space of time for repentance. Rev. 2:21 The judgments of the Lord do not come because of Him, ìlosing His temper,î and then reacting in complete anger. Always, He shows mercy before judgment.
The prophecy of Ezekiel was accomplished by Babylon in B.C. 588.
The reason for the Lord sending His prophet and the record is to be found in 2 Kings 25:1-11. It is needful that we take note of the longsuffering of the Lord in continuously sending messengers to Israel, warning them of the impending results of their ungodly attitude and actions. 2 Chron. 36:15-20 The Lord is faithful in keeping His promises for He had given them assurance that there would be a remnant of Israel who would live through the horrors of their own causing and become a seed for the future of the nation. Jer. 39:8-10
Some will people will react only to extreme measures. Not all, but many today come to the Lord after having gone through a period of hurt and anguish in their life. Such were these who are called the remnant and were privileged to live by having escaped the destruction of their nation, though they were to be held in captivity. Eze. 6:8 Had they but listened to the voice of the Lord all that had happened to them could easily have been avoided by their repentance and the correction of their worship of idols and the gods of the people among whom they were dwelling in the days of Ezekiel. The solution would have avoided all that came upon them but stubbornness of heart kept them from the blessings of the Lord. Hmmmm, seems that here is a lesson to be learned here.