The Glory Departs

Read Ezekiel 8-11
 
Ezekiel 10:3-5, 18 The cherubim were standing at the south end of the Temple when the man went in, and the cloud of glory filled the inner courtyard. 4 Then the glory of the LORD rose up from above the cherubim and went over to the door of the Temple. The Temple was filled with this cloud of glory, and the courtyard glowed brightly with the glory of the LORD. 5 The moving wings of the cherubim sounded like the voice of God Almighty and could be heard even in the outer courtyard…18 Then the glory of the LORD moved out from the door of the Temple and hovered above the cherubim.
 
THESE four chapters describe the first of several remarkable visions God gave to the prophet. Ezekiel was sitting with a goup of elders in Tell-abib, Babylon when the LORD transported him about 900 miles spiritually in a vision to Jerusalem’s Temple. This is a grand view of God’s holy presence. Ezekiel’s visions and John’s visions in Revelation have many similarities. They are God’s personal interactions with his chosen messengers to show the sin of the world and to then promise his redemption.
   God’s glory is the evidence of God’s infinite power and holiness. Wherever Scripture records the appearance of God’s glory there is also the visible presence of his power through a light, a cloud, a wind, a fire or a command. Jesus did this when he said, “Be still.” to the wind and waves. (Mark 4:39) Moses encountered God’s glory many times, beginning in Exodus 3 with the unconsumed burning bush. Passages in Exodus 9, 12, 13, 19 also record the fearful and visible presence of God with the fire, the cloud and the voice of God. Solomon witnessed God’s holy presence at the Temple’s dedicaiton when the glory entered and filled the sanctuary. (1 Kings 8:11) To mankind’s sinful heart, this is a fearful power. To see God’s glory, we understand our sin, and we know the LORD is unstoppable. He will do as he desires. The LORD God Almighty determines when he will judge and when he will save. Life is his to give and to take away.  
   After the Spirit showed Judah’s sins to the prophet, Ezekiel then saw God’s glory depart the temple and the city. The glory rose from God’s resident seat between the cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant. Then God moved to the threshold of the sanctuary. Tragically for Judah, God had gotten up to leave his people. Unlike the circumstances in the exodus desert and the Temple’s construction, God’s people no longer feared God’s glory. They ignored the visible signs of his prsence through the prophets’ words and the various miracles to save them from their enemies. God went up from the Temple, not to lead his obedient people to blessing but to leave his disobedient people to sin’s curse.
   But first God paused at the threshold with one last word. He spoke final instructions, and the glory departed. Perhaps he lingered over the city because he was mourning the judgment soon to come. As a loving Father, could it be that I AM hoping they would yet repent and come to him? 
   Always evident in God’s judgment is his great love. He is the Father in heaven who offers great blessing to his people. But they have persistently refused his gifts. They have refused the glory of God, who had formed them to be his own.