Would God do something he doesn’t want to do?

Ezekiel can be a hard book to read. He is one of the Old Testament prophets that seems to be always predicting gloom and doom for the Jewish community as they were going to exile in Babylon. It’s a rough read in places. But is this really what God wants?

Ezekiel tells us that God doesn’t want to bring the judgment and punishment:

 “Therefore, I will judge each of you, O people of Israel, according to your actions, says the Sovereign Lord. Repent, and turn from your sins. Don’t let them destroy you! Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O people of Israel? I don’t want you to die, says the Sovereign Lord. Turn back and live!” (Ezekiel 18:30-32 NLT).

God says, I don’t want you to die. Yet he is willing to bring judgment. 

Why would a loving God do that?

Because God is just. God wants to make things right. He wants his chosen people to represent him well and they were doing the opposite. They were in a covenant with God and he is faithful to keep his promises. Judgment was needed to give Israel a fresh start and “purify the land” from all the sin of the people.

Do you see God’s heart here? God wants his people to live! He wants them to thrive, and he knows that the only way for them to do that is by seeking him. Instead, they have hardened their hearts and sought other gods. He has reminded them over and over and still, they rebel. 

God shows us this same heart in the New Testament. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”

God doesn’t want to destroy anyone, but we have a choice. He invites us to leave our sin and repent. God is so serious about this that he sent Jesus to show us how much he loves us and reveal his heart of love for us. Jesus took our punishment and now offers us the gift of righteousness if we’ll accept it. He came to invite us to turn from our sin and live.

I’m comforted by this because it reminds me that God wants what is best for me. I see his heart of love, even through the difficult sections of the Old Testament. Like Jesus, his desire is that we have life to the full! It’s also comforting to know he is a God of justice. One day, God will make all things right and again purify the land. May we all return to him and truly live.

From Peter's Blog: https://peterbales.substack.com.