Ezekiel 5:13 “Then my anger will cease and my wrath against them will subside, and I will be avenged. And when I have spent my wrath on them, they will know that I the LORD have spoken in my zeal.
Much of life revolves around knowing and keeping secrets. You don’t have to be in one of those alphabet government agencies to know and keep secrets. A famous madame was recently caught and charged. She holds secrets that many influential people don’t want revealed.
But she is not alone. We all have secrets. Keeping secrets is part of every society. As parents we don’t tell our kids about the details our intimacy. They are kept secret from them. We keep adult things, adult things. We honor the marriage bed by keeping the sacred bond.
Many couples get in trouble when that sacred bond is broken, when others are allowed into that intimate circle. Either through sharing details, longings or desires with another person, or with participating with another person in activities that are meant for spouse-only interactions, we break the bond.
So some secrets are to be kept. But some things in life are to be broadcast. We celebrate wedding anniversaries, especially the decade milestones, as a way to testify to upholding the ideal. We celebrate when examples of faithfulness and perseverance are demonstrated before our eyes.
The opposite of keeping a secret is revealing a secret, or perhaps announcing something hidden. That is where our story picks up in Ezekiel. The LORD sets forth a series of live demonstrations of the Truth being proclaimed by the prophet Ezekiel. Each mini play tells the story the LORD wants people to hear.
Ezekiel lives laying on his side for over a year, and then flips over and does another 40 days. He eats very meager meals and rations his water. He does this at the LORD command in order to affirm His presence and so that “they will know the LORD.”
This phrase appears repeatedly in the following chapters. After each of the illustrations that Ezekiel lives, these words are repeated. He cuts his hair, divides it up, and throws it into the air and swings at it with a sword. He does this to show what will happen to the people of Israel at the hands of the enemy Babylon.
He told them about the coming food and water shortages during the siege and following captivity by living on his side and rationing both food and water. Those during the siege would do the same thing with their food and water. So the illustration that Ezekiel lived had a purpose.
And that purpose was to show Israel and the world. After they fulfillment of the message of the story the goal was that “they will know that I am the LORD.” The goal was to hold up the LORD and His ability to communicate to His people and His faithfulness to His word.
So the events of Scripture are to be used as a mirror to reflect the character of the LORD and our character. We read, study, meditate and prayerfully ponder the Scriptures because the authors conveyed to us the message so that we will know that the LORD is in charge. He determines right and wrong and has the power to enforce those standards and bless those who are faithful to them.
So whether it is prophecy pointing forward or narrative pointing backward, all Scripture points to the intervention in history by the God who intervenes in human affairs and speaks clearly to His people. All Scripture is a clarion call to return to the LORD, a pointer at the character His is and the lack of character humanity exhibits. All Scripture points in one direction ultimately. It all points to Jesus, the One who fulfilled all requirements as the second Adam, and is waiting to return and put all things right at the appointed time.
Jesus is the target of all Scripture. He is the One who reveals secrets.