On Signs and Symbols

Scripture: Moreover, I will make you a desolation and an object of reproach among the nations all around you and in the sight of all who pass by. You shall be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and a horror, to the nations all around you, when I execute judgments on you in anger and fury, and with furious rebukes—I am the Lord; I have spoken. Ezekiel 5:14-15

Observation: In dealing with Israel, the Lord continually announces that their purpose is as being a sign and symbol. This begins with the promise to the patriarchs, continues with the exodus, proceeds through the establishment of their nation under the judges, includes promises to David and Solomon, and culminates with prophesies from several of the major and minor prophets to the kings of Israel and Judah. However, obviously the tone of that message changes over time. At first, Israel is blessed to show the blessing of God, then delivered to show the authority of God, then protected to show the love of God, and eventually destroyed to show the judgment of God.

I have observed this before, but through all of this the nations around Israel do, in fact, understand the message, and many accept Yahweh as God. We see many examples of those nations - either as full nations or small tribes - embracing the Lord or at the very least agreeing to honor the Lord. Several nations that interact with Israel adopt the Lord as their God, and worship him (though they do not appear to adopt Jewish practices). In other words, there is a cycle:

-- God acts with regards to Israel as a sign to others
-- Others acknowledge the sign and move closer to a relationship with God
-- Israel rejects God's signs and move further away from their relationship with him

Application: If the Church is now Israel and adopted into the promise of God's people, then we are also a symbol to others in how God interacts with us. So what is God doing today in the church - our local church, and the global Church - that is a sign to non-believers? We may not like the honest answers to that question ...

The answers we WANT to give are: He is growing the church; He is moving in great power in places like China and Russia to miraculously reach people groups that have long rejected God; He is creating great works in places like Africa to aid the poor; He is granting favor upon faithful congregations.

The answers we wish to ignore: He is bringing public disgrace on large numbers of sinful priests; He is allowing rogue pastors to very publicly proclaim strange versions of the gospel; He is visibly pulling apart major denominations that adopt unsound doctrine; He permits temptation of individual pastors to tear apart local churches.

And here is the issue for our church ... we need to have a message about ALL of this so that the world can see the mighty hand of God at work on a global scale, and like the nations all around Israel begin some level of belief in the Lord. As the church in the U.S. crumbles due to the adoption of political correctness and feel-good theology - and the church in the Far East rises due to a pure understanding of love and the need for salvation through Jesus - we need to call out BOTH of these facts as evidence of our mighty God. He is at work everywhere, in powerful ways, and not pointing this out to others wastes an opportunity.

Prayer: Lord, as a resident of the U.S., I know that the collapse of your church here will hurt. We are headed into a time of persecution and sacrifice. Like the remnant of Jerusalem, we will suffer. Guide us in glorifying you during that suffering. Help us to reveal your glory to our detractors, so that even those who attack acknowledge your might and learn of you. I pray that we may be blessed to be a blessing ... but if we are judged to show your mercy may we praise you continually and openly. Amen.