KNOWING GOD IN HIS GLORY
From A Rod To A Sword
JERRY A COLLINS
Ezekiel 21
7/8/01
SCC
P Does God
still use the ‘sword’ today?
P When
does God choose to use the ‘sword’ against his people?
P What is
the difference between the ‘rod’ and the ‘sword’?
The fall of 1976 was the first semester I attended
Bible College. I received the following letter from the Dean of Students after
completing my first year of college. Dear Jerry: I have just had the sad and disappointing
experience of looking over your academic record of two semesters. You are
making great progress in the wrong direction. In view of your probationary
status and the poor record you had this semester it would be appropriate to
dismiss you from the college for academic reasons. However, it is my hope that
with one more semester to redeem yourself you would take advantage of the
opportunity, recognize God’s leading and put everything together in a way that
would honor Him. I am recommending that you be permitted one more semester with
a maximum of nine hours. Sincerely, Chester L Halstead.
Dr. Halstead was using his rod to warn me of my
need to learn a lesson before it was too late. Instead of using his power to
deliver the full consequences I deserved he used his authority to motivate me
to change.
The Lord claims to have done the same thing with
His people, Israel. He says so in vs 10 & 13. ‘Rod’ may refer here to the
chastisement God had used to try to curb Israel’s sin and bring her back to
Himself. A rod was often used for discipline (Prov 10:13; 13:24; 23:13) and God
used ‘the rod’ to discipline His own ( 2 Sam 7:14; Job 9:34; 21:9). Israel had
despised God’s earlier attempts to use the rod to correct her. God does the
same thing today with His people (Heb 12:6). As a loving parent uses the rod
for temporary discomfort to spare the child from long-range disaster of an
undisciplined life so our Father disciplines us so we might avoid the full
consequences that path is leading us too. God has planned the use of pain and
opposition in our lives as a means of curtailing our natural inclination to
pursue our autonomy since the garden. God will bring into your life that
measure of pain He deems necessary to conform you into the image of His Son
(Rom 8:29). So our worldly comfort here will always be negotiable to our
Father as He does His work in you. But what if we refuse to correct ourselves?
What happens when the ‘rod’ of discipline does not motivate us to change? When
God’s people rejected His advice and chastisement all they could expect now was
the sword. All that is left is judgment. When someone refuses to learn from
discipline they are often only left living with the full consequences of their
rebellion. God is personified as a person unsheathing His sword to bring
judgment upon His people.
1. THE SWORD IS DRAWN AGAINST THE NATION 1-7
The first 5 verses reveal the extent of the coming
judgment. Toward Jerusalem, the land of Israel, Righteous and wicked, from
south to north. Noone in the land is going to escape the consequences. It
affected those who were in open idolatry as well as those claiming to be
followers of God. Even tho they had refused to acknowledge Ezekiels ministry
and message they would have to when this judgment happens vs 5. Ezekiel is then
told to act out the grief the people would experience when their city fell to
the sword vs 6-7. I
watched a special program that videotaped a husband negotiating with an undercover
hitman in a hotel room to kill his wife. Before he left the room the hitman
asked him if this is really what he wanted to do. He sat for a moment, pondered
and finally tilted his head with a smile saying yes. As he began to exit the
room the police entered, grabbed him, handcuffed him and then on the tape you
see this man wailing, falling to his knees, screaming that the policemen kill
him. So overwhelmed with humiliation and shame he cried and wailed like a baby
pleading for mercy with nowhere to escape. God said that is what IT
IS going to be like when the sword finally reaches the city.
2. THE SWORD IS BEING SHARPENED FOR SLAUGHTER
This section is divided into 3 stanzas. The first
in vs 8-10 tells us that this sword is being scoured to remove all rust and
give the blade a gleam for battle. The second stanza in vs 11-13 reveals the
victims against whom the sword will strike. Not only the people but the princes
of Israel, the leaders who had spurned God’s discipline. The third stanza
stresses the work of the sword. Both the prophet and God would strike their
hands as the sword moved swiftly striking again and again seeming to come from
every side relentlessly pursuing the people. It would stop only when the
judgment was complete.
3. THE SWORD IS DIRECTED TOWARD JERUSALEM 18-27
The sword is identified as King Neb of Babylon. God
directs Ezekiel to symbolize God’s supernaturally guiding Neb to Jerusalem to
overthrow that city. Ezekiel was to mark out two roads for the sword, King Neb,
to take. Jerusalem’s present rebellion coincided with two other nations, Tyre
and Ammon. When Neb reached this fork he had to decide which nation he would
attack first. He used three means to determine his course of action by casting
lots with arrows similar to drawing straws, by using idols possibly by
attempting to contact departed spirits and examining the liver of a sacrificed
animal by reading the shape and markings studied by soothsayers. By themselves
these practices could do nothing but God worked thru them to point Neb toward
Jerusalem. Since the leaders had violated their solemn oath to Neb by rebelling
against him, they would now remember this moment as they are forcibly torn from
it and the ones surviving dragged in chains to Babylon. The removal of the
turban represents the priests of Judah and the crown represents the kings of
Judah vs 26. Both will be no more. The repetition of ruin indicates the
land and throne will be absolutely desolate. There will be no valid claim until
Christ rides into Jerusalem to claim it (Zech 9:9; Matt 21:1-11) and ultimately
sits on it yet in the future.
4. THE SWORD IS DIRECTED TOWARD AMMON 28-32
The Ammonites thot they had escaped judgment. They
had even organized a coup killing Neb’s governor over them but they too would
be judged. God would also hand them over to Neb for punishment. Form a Rod to a
Sword. That is all that is left when we refuse God’s discipline in our
lives. I returned to college the
following semester with the hope that the rod would motivate me to correct
myself. Unfortunately, I received this letter during the Xmas break between
semesters ‘This is not the type of letter I enjoy writing but it is necessary
for me to inform you that you have not improved your academic record during the
fall semester. This necessitates dismissal from college. There may be a time in
the future when you will be ready to approach college again with some new goals
and renewed purpose.’
1.
God’s rod is always loving and for your greater good.
2.
God chastises us patiently just as He did with Israel.
3.
Gods purpose is to correct us from a sinful direction toward Christlikeness.
4.
God’s discipline unheeded leaves us only His judgment.
5.
Judgment ultimately at the seat/throne.