Ezekiel 7:1-13

content/bible_journal/ezekiel_7:1-13.md

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+title = "Ezekiel 7:1–13"
+date = "2023-03-15"
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+
+### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Ezekiel7.1-13)
+
+In case you haven't gotten the message by now (and I'm sure there were some
+Ezekiel spoke to who needed these reminders), God punishes sin. He doesn't play
+around; when it's time for judgement to be brought to bear, it is done fully
+and completely. There are some who say they follow a "God of love" who doesn't
+want to punish anyone. They aren't following the God of the Bible. No one
+actually wants to live in total anarchy where everybody does whatever they like
+with no rules to stop them. Read the last couple chapters of Judges for a
+glimpse of what that is like. Perhaps they think that wicked people should be
+"corrected" instead of "punished", but the fact remains that evil deeds incur
+consequences.
+
+There are also those who say that prophecy is confusing and not worth reading.
+I would argue that anyone could read this chapter and figure out what God is
+saying, even if they didn't know any of Israel's history. They would probably
+need to study more of the Bible to learn _why_ God is saying all this, but what
+He says is pretty clear. Fictional prophecies are always vague and easy to
+misinterpret for narrative purposes. Biblical prophecy will either have
+straightforward meanings, or the symbolism used is explained in the text
+itself. God's purpose for giving prophecies is never to be a "Gotcha!" or a
+puzzle to figure out. Instead they are clear warnings, calls to repentence, or
+sources of comfort to believers because they show that God has had everything
+planned out from the very beginning and nothing can thwart Him.
+
+* * *
+
+Change our hearts to want what You want, and not our own evil desires.