Preparing to Be an Exile

Scripture: Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people. Therefore, son of man, pack your belongings for exile and in the daytime, as they watch, set out and go from where you are to another place. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious people. Ezekiel 12:2-3

Observation: The Lord continues to deliver messages through Ezekiel not just in word, but in symbolism. This time, Ezekiel is the roll play him fleeing Jerusalem and going into exile. The actions of one going into exile are this - pack, sneak out at night, and proceed without a clear idea of where you will go. Oh ... and then you get caught anyway, are captured and punished, and spend your days living in fear for hardships to be brought upon you. Israel and some of Judah was in exile, and the rest of Judah/Jerusalem soon would be.

Application: It was JUST last night, I did some personal learning about what being an exile really looks like. It looks like ... being treated like a criminal for exercising your proper faith in the Lord, to the point that you must find new ways to function on a day-by-day basis in society. You must stay firm in your faith, not giving into secular norms, yet protecting yourself as best you can from persecution and hardships. You must learn to balance society against culture, finding ways to adopt certain characteristics of society, but knowing which cultural trends to reject and avoid as they oppose God's precepts and laws.

The western Church of Jesus Christ is about to be cast into exile. Anyone who doesn't know this is deluding themselves. Followers of Christ are being actively called out by a society that views our principles as not just different, but as hostile. Laws now challenge our beliefs. I know I am a front-line victim of this ... a Christian persecuted and finding difficulty to find a place within a certain sub-section of the culture that has morphed into opposition.

Life for exiles will change. And we won't like it. Our futures won't be as pleasant as we hoped. At best, a lack of comfort lies ahead of us, like the exiles that escaped but lived in fear. My likely, true hardships will come. That is just the way of it, and it is certainly better than compromising with the culture.

Prayer: Come, Lord Jesus. Or if you day remains far away, please give us your Spirit and strength every day to do your will on earth, as it is in heaven. Amen.