Ever ask God why?

Ezekiel 4 is an interesting chapter. Why did God have Ezekiel lie on his left side and then place the sins of Israel on him for 390 days? He had to lay on his side one day for every year of their sin. Then Ezekiel had to spend another 40 days for 40 years of sin that Judah committed. There is probably a lot of significant reasons God did this and without further study I don't have the immediate answer. However, from purely a New Testament perspective, this certainly points to Jesus and the atonement for our sins.

But there is much more here than just that. God ties him up and he puts him on a rather meager diet. He pleads with the Lord over a defilement issue of using human dung vs. cow dung and the Lord hears his request and grants it.

Bottom line is this, sin hurts. The nations had defiled themselves by turning their backs on God. Sin requires some kind of payment. There must be an atonement for sin. The symbolism is obvious to me. The reality of the suffering for sin is difficult for any one.

So what is the practical lesson for you and me. Love God! Love Him with all of our heart and do not turn from Him. The consequences of turning away from our God are significant and they hurt.

JOY