S) "11 I gave them My statutes and informed them of My ordinances, by which, if a man observes them, he will live."
Ezekiel 20:11 (NASB)
O) God is not out to trick anyone. Even from the very beginning of creation, He told Adam all that was required for an eternal life in perfect communion with Him. There was only one rule: do not eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Even a simple rule like that proved too difficult to keep. Going forward all the way to Moses (which is what this verse is harkening), and God gave His people a great many rules. He started with the ten basic rules, but then He gave hundreds more to Moses, so the people would have a more keen understanding of what it meant to be in covenant relationship with Him. At the time the above verse was written, God was about to execute a final judgment against His people (final, relative to their inheritance of the promised land). So, the reason God is reminding them now, at this point, that He has always been very plain, very forthcoming about what He required, was so that they could not claim ignorance in their guilt. They could not claim to have misunderstood or not known what was required to live. He gave them every chance to be obedient. He gave them all the information they needed. Information was not the problem, obstinate hearts were the problem.
A) It is not small thing of God's grace, that we know what He requires. I am so thankful that I heard the gospel as quickly as I did. Even knowing the gospel, there was a time when I tried to live without God. But, it eventually became apparent to me, that living apart from His ways would lead to my death. This verse, like the opening of the book of Romans, reminds me that God is for His creation. Like He said only two chapters earlier, in Ezekiel 18:23, He desires for us to live. He is not making it hard for us to know what is required. He gives us every opportunity. In that sense, the verse above is a promise about His character. God does not change, so this is still His attitude. He wants us to know what is needed to serve Him; it's no secret. In the new covenant, it is written plainly in the New Testament. I don't have to figure out how to please Him, I only have to choose to do it. Indeed, God has done all the heavy lifting. He has paved the way. He has funded the project, drawn up the blueprints, and provided all the materials. I only have to agree to do what He says, and do it.
P) Father, this grace is so humbling. Every time I read about Your grace like this, I am ashamed for ever complaining about Your call to be holy. Every time I read about how You have done all the work, You have provided in every way, I am ashamed about my disobedience, laziness, and apathy. It makes me all the more thankful for Your mercy that comes with Your grace. Please forgive me for my selfishness, lately. I know what I should be doing, so let me be found doing it when my Master returns. I want to please You, Lord. I know that Your love is not dependent on my obedience, but that is all the more reason I want to obey. Let Your will be done in Your servant, today, tomorrow, and until my Master returns. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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