286. God will Bring and Gather
Ezekiel 20:34 And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.
With the same kind of righteous wrath against our Enemies the Lord will exercise His power for our salvation. Sin, Death and the Devil will be eternally judged. These Enemies have already been judged on the cross and the Victory assured in the Resurrection. The mighty hand, a stretched out arm, and fury poured out was seen in spades in the Ten Plagues against Egypt’s gods (evil spirits) and the crossing of the Red Sea. The same awesome power is glorified on the Cross and the Empty Tomb. This is God’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
The Lord’s promise through Christ to bring us out from the people and gather us out of the countries is our salvation from slavery to Sin and bondage to the World. The world is symbolized as Egypt and Babylon. Sin, Satan and Death rule the world in which we are imprisoned by our sin and guilt.Our sin condemns us to the World and the world is condemned to pass away. Jesus takes us out of this world and thus we escape judgment.
The Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies us through the Gospel and keeps us in the one true faith. We have been gathered into the Kingdom of God, which is within; and that is a safe place. The Enemy cannot touch us there. Unfortunately, we live in both worlds, each with its own Ruler. To which world will we look in good times and in bad? Some Israelites looked back wistfully to Egypt, where they had food; some Jews elected to stay in Babylon, where they grew comfortable. The world does have its attractions, but faith sees the empty promises, temporary thrills, corrupted ways, and deadly temptations therein; and faith sees a way of escape; faith holds on to the Promise. The Lord brings us out and gathers us out of every trial and trouble and problem of this world and puts us safely in His world. In His safe hands, in His kingdom, we wait for the revelation of the eternal kingdom of life with God and the absence of all evil. Jesus has the power and He is exercising that power for our good.