KNOWING GOD THROUGH HIS JUDGMENTS

"So I will make My holy name known among My people Israel and will no longer allow it to be profaned. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel." Ezek 39:7

"Then they will know that I am the Lord." This statement occurs more than 60 times in the book of Ezekiel. Usually it follows the threat of judgment. God says that after He pours out his wrath on a nation -- THEN, they will know that He is the Lord.

Isn't it sad that the nations (including our own) don't know God by His goodness and kindness, nor by His grace and mercy? He has showered blessing after blessing on us -- the beauty and bounty of nature, all the fresh air we want at no charge, food and clothing and shelter, family and friends, the joys of labor and liesure -- not to mention the spiritual blessings available to us in Christ. Yet the nations thumb their nose at Him. Worse, they ignore Him. Once they knew Him, but they intentionally ignored Him, and now they don't even know His name (Romans 1:21).

So God says, since they won't acknowledge Him through His goodness, He will wake them up through His judgments. "THEN, they will know that I am the Lord." The prophet Isaiah makes this even more clear:

"When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness. Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the Lord" (Isaiah 26:9-10).

God's judgment is a terrible thing. Hebrews 10:31 says, "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Yet, even in His judgments, God remembers mercy (Habakkuk 3:2). His purpose is ultimately redemptive. He wants to get people's attention so they may know Him, for knowing Him is life eternal (John 17:3).

Don't misunderstand. I'm not welcoming judgment on our nation. Judgment could not come without also affecting God's people in some way. Yet, I do want to see people learn righteousness. So, if judgment comes, let's remember the ultimate purpose of it and pray for a sweeping revival in the midst of it.