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God Is With His People - Ezekiel 10
God Is With His People - Ezekiel 10
“I am with you” is one of the greatest promises God has made, and He has repeated such promise to many people over many generations. This phrase first appears with God promising such to Isaac (Gen. 26:24) and Jacob (Gen. 28:15).
Concerning the RETURN after Babylon, it given to assure Israel: (Isa. 41:10; 43:5).
Jeremiah was promise this: Jer. 1:8, 19; 15:20. In Jeremiah, the promise is also made, like in Isaiah, towards the future of Israel after Babylon (Jer. 30:11, 42:11; 46:28).
At the rebuilding of the temple in Haggai, God again promises Israel (Haggai 1:13) and Zerubbabel (Haggai 2:4).
When God sent Moses to bring Israel out of Egypt, this was His promise was “I will be with you” (Exod. 3:12). See also Joshua (Josh. 1:5; 3:7), Gideon (Jud. 6:16)
When they finished the Tabernacle, the glory of the LORD came and ‘resided’ in the Tabernacle and all of Israel could know that God was with them.
When they dedicated the Temple during Solomon’s time, the glory of the LORD filled the temple even as it had the tabernacle.
BUT, God had warned by His holiness that He would not dwell with those who are ungodly (cp. Psa. 5). At this point in history (Ezekiel’s day), the northern 10 tribes had been destroyed by Assyria (721 b.c.), Jerusalem had been placed under authority to the king of Babylon (606 b.c.). YET, the people that remained continued in their ungodliness and unfaithfulness unto God. Thus, this vision of God’s glory and presence departing from the city and the temple (Ezek. 10). He is NOT WITH THEM but against them! God left the temple and thus left it for judgment!
But remember His promises – later, under the Messiah, He WOULD BE WITH THEM. Jesus is Immanuel – “God with us”. He became flesh and ‘tabernacled among us’ John 1:14. After His resurrection, He promised the apostles that He would ‘be with them always’ (Matt. 28:20).
WE are now the NEW TEMPLE, built together for ‘a dwelling of God in the Spirit’ (Eph. 2:22). To the church at Corinth, Paul stated “you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you” (1Cor. 3:16). We have this great promise that God is with us! Thus, “31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? (Romans 8:31). This is one of the great blessings of being a disciple of Christ, God is With US! Are you a disciple? Are you walking with Him?
Hugh DeLong
