NOAH, DANIEL AND JOB
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.