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the have nots

Ezekiel 11:14-21 (JDV)

Ezekiel 11:14 The word of Yahveh happened to me again:
Ezekiel 11:15 “Son of Adam, your own relatives, those who have the right to redeem your property, along with the entire house of Israel – all of them – are those to whom the residents of Jerusalem have said, ‘You are far from Yahveh; this land has been given to us as a possession.’
Ezekiel 11:16 “Therefore say, ‘This is what the Lord Yahveh says: Though I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.’
Ezekiel 11:17 “Therefore say, ‘This is what the Lord Yahveh says: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.’
Ezekiel 11:18 “When they arrive there, they will remove all its repulsive acts and repulsive practices from it.
Ezekiel 11:19 I will give them integrity of heart and put a new breath within them; I will remove their heart of stone from their bodies and give them a heart of flesh,
Ezekiel 11:20 so that they will follow my prescriptions, keep my rules, and practice them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.
Ezekiel 11:21 But as for those whose hearts pursue their desire for repulsive acts and repulsive practices, I will bring their conduct down on their own heads.” This is the declaration of the Lord Yahveh.

the have nots

Those already sent into exile were the have nots. The ones fortunate enough to avoid that fate were the haves. But God was about to change things. The fortunate ones will be punished for their idolatry. Some of the refugees will return and once again be God’s people in God’s land.

Maybe we are haves today, or maybe have nots. The sure thing is that God is watching. He does not blame us for our unfortunate status. But he will hold us accountable for what we do with our blessings.

LORD, make us consistently committed to being faithful to you.