Son of man, when a land sins against me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it…even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord God. Ezekiel 14:13,14 (ESV)

 Background  

  In Ezekiel 14, the Lord is pronouncing four judgments on Jerusalem for their idolatry. The Lord announces “four disastrous acts of judgment, sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from [Jerusalem] man and beast!” With each one as He declares the pending doom, He states that even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the city, they would save only themselves.

          We certainly see how seriously the Lord takes idolatry, especially from His people who are blessed with His promises, law, and presence. Through hundreds of years, the Lord has been patient. He has sent His prophets to declare His words and to call His people back to Him. But the hearts of the people were like stone. They refused to make any lasting change in their behavior and devotion.

          One observation is that they deluded themselves by thinking that they could give lip service to the Lord. Like in any group or nation, there were those who rejected the Lord, there were those who maintained loyalty to the Lord, and there were those who tried to have it both ways. They gave lip service to the Jehovah, but their hearts had turned away. The annual feasts were put on the shelf. It is only during the reigns of Hezekiah and Josiah that any reference is made to the Passover during the rule of the Kings after the death of Solomon.

          Now the Lord is taking action and sending His people into Babylonian captivity until their hearts of stone become hearts of flesh. He was going to let them see what life was like under the rule of the Kings who worshipped the idols they adopted into their lives.

          The downfall began with Israel wanting to be like other nations in having a King to rule over them. To lead them into battle. It ended with them desiring to worship the gods of those nations that continue to occupy the land. Those nations were left to test their hearts, and they failed the test. God’s patience has come to an end, and He is acting. He acts through natural events, famine, pestilence, wild beasts and war.

 Noah, Daniel and Job

As these judgments are pronounced, the Lord makes reference to three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, saying, even if they lived at this time, they would save only themselves. Why these three?

          First, it is interesting that many dismiss Noah and Job as fictional characters. I believe the Lord points to them, along with Daniel, to show they were real men facing real circumstances.

          Each of these faced severe hardships. Each maintained their faith and devotion to the Lord. Noah obeyed the Lord and risked ridicule, so did Daniel and Job. Our faith must stand in the face of opposition and ridicule in the world,

          Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV)

          Noah, Daniel, and Job distinguished themselves in their devotion to the Lord. Noah was declared righteous in his generation. Daniel refused to compromise by eating the king’s food and refusing to pray to the golden image of the king. Job was known as a righteous man, and his three comforters used his sufferings to cause more torment, trying to make him believe his suffering was due to his sin.

          All three of these received the reward of their righteousness. Noah saved his life and the lives of his family. Daniel was promoted to a position of influence in his land of captivity, and Job was rewarded at the end of his life with a double portion of blessing.

          Jesus told His disciples about all that would take place before He returns and closed the telling them, “But the one who [stays faithful] endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:13 (NIV) Several of the messages to the Churches of Asia Minor in Revelation close with the words, “To him who is victorious I will give…” (Revelation 2)

          Be like Noah, Daniel and Job. Allow the example of these three to encourage you as we live in this present age and as the coming of the Lord draws near. The old hymn, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus”, contains the words, “Though none go with me, yet I will follow…” Let’s be faithful and follow Christ fully.

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.“You shall have no other gods beforeme. Exodus 20:2-3 (ESV)

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.” Matt. 6:10 (ESV)

          There is an interesting similarity between the giving of the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer. It is seen in the structure and priority of these two well-known verses. It is seen in the focus on our vertical relationship with the Lord before our relationships with others and our own needs.

          In the Ten Commandments, our setting aside the Lord first and foremost takes place before the commands that focus on our horizontal relationships with others.

          In the Lord’s prayer, our worship and the desire for the Lord’s Kingdom and will to be done come before expressing our needs and desires. Our prayers too often begin by jumping into what we need from the Lord. It is when we begin with a focus on the Lord, His presence will guide what we ask for, and we will align our lives with the faith and will to do what we desire from Him.

          Consider this priority in other Bible passages. Psalms 16:8 (ESV) I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. In the following verses, David states that the Lord will provide safety, stability, and joy in his life.

          Consider 1 Peter 3:15 (ESV) But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. If Christ is not honored as Lord in our lives, our faith just becomes a philosophical argument. This is how Charlie Kirk approached his dialogue with college students. He was first and foremost a believer in Jesus Christ.

          It is often pointed out that a cross is the intersection of two lines. One vertical and the other horizontal. Through the cross, we are reconciled to God, and through the cross, we can be reconciled with others.

          I am reminded of the story of a father who was trying to occupy a small child. He tore a page from a magazine with a picture of the world and told the child to put it together. The child came back way sooner than the dad anticipated. “How did you do this so quickly?” he asked. The child responded, “On the back was a picture of a man. When I put the man together, the world came together.”

          Henry Varlie, a British Revivalist, once told a young D.L. Moody, “The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him. By God’s help, I aim to be that man.”

          That is a commitment to always put Christ first and foremost. It is what gives the Ten Commandments meaning, it is the foundation of the Lord’s Prayer, and it is what enables us to live our lives rightly ordered in this present age.

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,

the name of the LORD is to be praised. Psa. 113:3 NIV

          I thought of this verse that reveals the Lord’s praise across the nations last Sunday during our worship service. My pastor referred to how worship was taking place that was moving across time zones as people gathered for worship around the world.

          It made me think of the “wave” that can be viewed at football games as the crowd begins to lift their arms, section by section, and the cheers circle the stadium. What a tremendous view from the heights of heaven as God’s people worship the Lord across the international timeline and across time zones in a continual wave of praise and worship.

          This perspective is a foretaste of what is described in Revelation 7.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰ and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” ¹¹ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 7:9-12 (ESV)

          Remember, when you worship and lift your voice in praise to the Lord, you are not alone. Your church gathering is not alone. See heaven’s view of God’s people across a city, across a state, a nation, and the world, lifting their voices and hands to the Lord. So, join in and be a part of a great multitude of worshippers.