perspective
Perspective in our lives can only be determined when we compare our present to our past. We reflect on what we could have had, or what our life would have been like. Or we dream about who we could be today if only the past had been different.
Whether we realize it or not, we spend the majority of our lives trying to discover our purpose. Why did God place us on Earth at this very time, this very moment, with these very people? What impact are we supposed to have on the people that surround us?
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Ezekiel was a prophet that prophesied between 593 and 571 B.C. God spoke through Ezekiel to the tribe of Judah through their exile to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar II. The fate of the Israelites quite literally laid in the hands of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 3:16-21). The Spirit of the Lord appeared to Ezekiel and gave him very specific instructions for how to save the Israelites from complete destruction.
Ezekiel had quite actually witnessed the Spirit of the Lord, and he still begrudged what God asked him to do. The Lord did not call Ezekiel to an easy path. Ezekiel was mute for years at a time, he had to lay on his side for a set amount of days to bear the sin of all those who had gone before him, he had to continually prophesy against a failed nation, and from what we can tell, Ezekiel was alone. But he still dutifully carried out the expectations of the Lord. Through the Spirit of the Lord’s calling to Ezekiel He continually reminds Ezekiel, “Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.” (Ezekiel 3:9)
Throughout the next few chapters of the Book of Ezekiel, the Spirit of the Lord lays out the destruction of the tribe of Judah to Ezekiel, which had been prophesied by Isaiah and Jeremiah. The reason the Israelites are suffering this affliction is due to the disobedience of Manesseh, who is eventually taken prisoner by the king of Assyria, and exiled to Babylon (2 Chronicles 33:11). King Manesseh led the tribe of Judah to their destruction, “So Manesseh seduced Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel.” (2 Chronicles 33:9)
Although God had plans to punish the tribe of Judah for their disobedience, He had made a covenant with Noah (Genesis 9:21) that He would never again wipe out the entire population of His chosen people. So the Spirit of the Lord tells Ezekiel, “Yet I will leave a remnant, so that you may have some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered through the countries.” (Ezekiel 6:8-10)
So, why is this all important?
In the first year of Cyrus the king of Persia (559 BC), Cyrus made a proclamation that the Israelites could return home and rebuild the house of the Lord (the temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar). Zerubbabel, the grandson of Jehoiachin, the king who was sent into exile, returned to Jerusalem with the first group of the remnant. “Those who came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.” (Ezra 2:2)
Mordecai, one of the men to lead the remnant back to Jerusalem, is the same man who is the cousin of Queen Esther (Esther 2:5-6). After the death of Esther’s parents, Mordecai adopted Esther as his own. When king Xerxes took Esther as his wife, he elevated the noble Haman above the others and required the royal officials to bow down to him. When Mordecai refused to bow to Haman because of his faith in the Lord, Haman conspired to kill the entire Jewish population.
Mordecai pleads Queen Esther to save her people by revealing her true identity to Xerxes, and says to Esther, “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent, at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)
Ezekiel bore a heavy load, but his faithfulness to the Lord allowed the remnant to see that the Lord was God (Ezekiel 6:10). If Ezekiel had given up and told the Lord the task was too difficult, the strength of Mordecai would have never existed. Because of Ezekiel’s faithfulness, Mordecai the remnant was able to see the fullness of the Lord, and was able to encourage Esther in her heroic act to save the Jews.
“Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Divine perspective is quite different from the perspective we humans have. Whereas we can only see the past and the present, God sees our future. There are days where we are bitter and feel much like Ezekiel, that our load is heavy and difficult to bear. But the hand of the Lord remains strong on us to carry out His plan. Only God understands why we are placed where we are. We may not understand our purpose - but God does.
When you are feeling like Ezekiel, pray for God to provide you perspective. Your faith and persistence to what the Lord has called you to do, could change the world, even if it isn’t something you witness. Trust that God has given you purpose. He is using you for His story, even though we may not understand the big picture. Pray that God allows you to see your life through His eyes.
*Disclaimer: Any writings found on this site are personal and of my own accord, and are not in any relationship to my job or my employer.*