Glorification In The New Year #2

“In that day I will cause the horn of the house of Israel to spring forth, and I will open your mouth to speak in their midst. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.”
Ezekiel 29:21

Our verse today comes at the very end of the text we considered last week.  We saw in v. 17-20 that Ezekiel received word on New Year’s Day that God would reward Nebuchadnezzar and his army for their seemingly fruitless labor for 13 years against Tyre.  God said He would give them the land of Egypt because “they worked for Me”.  We compared this long warfare to the believers labor in service to God which is often unnoticed and may have very little evidence of visible fruit, but we were encouraged in Gal 6:9 to “not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart”!  That ultimate reward and fruit of our labor will be fully revealed at the coming of the Lord Jesus when the steadfast and obedient laborers are glorified and hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant…Enter into the joy of your lord.”

With those thoughts in mind, our text today may seem a little out of place.  What does Eze 29:21 have to do with the saints’ faithful service to their God?  Absolutely everything!  To see this more clearly, we need to understand what (or rather Who) the horn of the house of Israel is.  The Septuagint, the oldest Greek version of the Old Testament, uses the same Greek word for “horn” in our text as is used in Luk 1:69.  Here, there can be no mistake Who this Horn represents.  John the Baptist’s father, Zacharias, is full of the Holy Ghost and praises God that He “has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David.”  This Horn of salvation that descended from the natural lineage of David is none other than the Lord Jesus!  As our text in Ezekiel reveals, “In that day,” i.e. the day of the saints’ glorification, “I will cause the horn of the house of Israel to spring forth”.  To understand this springing forth, we again look at the Septuagint to find that the Greek word translated “to spring forth” is rendered “rises” in 2Pe 1:19.  eter is writing to believers in this letter–“those who have obtained like precious faith with us” in v. 1–so when he encourages them to be faithful and look toward that future time in v. 19 “until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,” He is speaking of the day of the Lord’s second coming!

What will happen in that day when the horn of the house of Israel springs forth?  Our text continues, “I will open your mouth to speak in their midst.  Then they shall know that I am the LORD.”  In the day of the Lord’s return, though the saints will be rewarded, that will not be the focus.  Php 2:10-11 says “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  You see, the emphasis of the saints being crowned is not the crowns themselves any more than the emphasis of Nebuchadnezzar being rewarded for his labor is the reward.  Though the saints will receive a “crown of righteousness” (2Ti 4:8), only one head will remain crowned when the Lord is revealed.  In that day, the twenty-four elders (who represent the church throughout all ages) will “fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne”. (Rev 4:10) Though we labor in the Lord, the faithful servants testify “We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.” (Luk 17:10) The Lord receives all the glory even when we are rewarded for our labor!

May we never lose sight of that truth, dear Christian.  Paul acknowledged in 1Co 3:8 that he and Apollos had labored and would therefore be rewarded: “Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.”  But in the previous two verses, he reveals his heart in the matter: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.  So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.”  We say with the apostle–we are what we are by the grace of God! (1Co 15:10) In closing, I want to share a quote from Joe Stowell of which the founder of this Bible study group, Chuck Burleson, frequently reminded us:

“If Christianity is dull and boring, if it is a burden and not a blessing, then most likely we are involved in a project, not a Person – a system, not a Saviour, rules rather than relationship.  Followership is not a religious thing, a list of rules, a host of rituals, a philosophy of life, or the best choice among other possible lifestyle. Authentic followers do not live for liturgy or liberation. Following is not a celebration. It is not contemporary or traditional. It is not jubilant dance or compelling drama. It is not preaching. It is not praising. It is not obeying or conforming.  It is Christ, and Christ alone.  All the rest is because of Christ and for Christ.”

Love in Christ,
Jamie

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