Ezekiel 7:1-9:11
Hebrews 5:1-14
Psalm 105:1-15
Proverbs 26:28
I am struck by the contrasting images we have of our Lord God. In the reading from Ezekiel, God is filled with righteous anger and judgement against a people that have rejected Him and rebelled against Him; the description of what happens to sinners is pretty horrible. How different from the high priest we have in Jesus, who is "able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since He Himself is subject to weakness." We are reminded that Jesus, like us, was able to feel worry and fear, and had to be obedient - in the same way we are called to be obedient.
I don't know about anyone else reading this, but I struggle with persistent sins - sins I thought I'd overcome a long time ago, habits I'd broken, only to find myself falling back into their painful embrace in a moment of weakness, weakness exacerbated by the frustration the accompanies recidivism. I then understand what Adam and Even must have felt - if I don't admit to my nakedness, if I hide it, maybe no one will notice. The truth I try to deny is that God sees and knows, and He will "repay [me] for [my] conduct and for the detestable practices..."
Such punishment is nothing more than I deserve. How wonderful, then, to have a priest able to intercede in my behalf with the Father who understands what I am going through, who has taken upon His shoulders the burden I was supposed to carry. May I always "give praise to the Lord...make known among the nations what He has done...and look to the Lord and His strength, and seek His face always."
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