Ezekiel 7:1-9

Wow - what a follow-up to Mark's posting last week.

I think this passage must set a record for number of exclamation points used in 9 short verses. God is quite angry, and the end is upon us all.

Not only is there no relief in this chapter, no relenting of God's anger...but God explicitly says "I will not show pity, I will not spare you." (v. 4) And reading the rest of the chapter does nothing but continue this strain...there is no relenting. God is angry.

A few weeks ago I gave a student a 0 because she did not follow the rule "full name or no credit." I figure by the time they're 14 years old, they need to know that last names are expected on their work. She protested - It's not fair! And she was right - she's a poor student who had put in real effort on the assignment and had done a great job. Her highest grade of the term was being turned into a 0. I ended up revoking the 0, but not before letting her spend a day living with it...living with the reality of what I had stated as the rule.

We need a few lessons like that student. Unless we live with our sin, we do not learn our lessons. Too often we run to grace without first truly confessing or contemplating how we have failed. We need our "time outs," our "consequences," and even our punishments. Growth requires acknowledging our shortcomings. And, yes, that can involve a little self-flagellation.

Sometimes God's love is found in being "judged according to our conduct." (v. 3 and v. 8)