The Vision of the Measuring Line (Ezekiel 40:1-4)
“Then I lifted up my eyes and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. “Where are you going?” I asked. “To measure Jerusalem,” he replied, “and to determine its width and length.” Then the angel who was speaking with me went out, and another angel came out to meet him and said to him, “Run and tell that young man: ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the multitude of men and livestock within it. For I will be a wall of fire around it, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory within it.’”
The Redemption of Zion (Hosea 3:1-5)
“Get up! Get up! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the LORD, “for I have scattered you like the four winds of heaven,” declares the LORD. “Get up, O Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the Daughter of Babylon!”
For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “After His Glory has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye— I will surely wave My hand over them, so that they will become plunder for their own servants. Then you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me.”
“Shout for joy and be glad, O Daughter of Zion, for I am coming to dwell among you,” declares the LORD. “On that day many nations will join themselves to the LORD, and they will become My people. I will dwell among you, and you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me to you. And the LORD will take possession of Judah as His portion in the Holy Land, and He will once again choose Jerusalem. Be silent before the LORD, all people, for He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling.”
Why is God sending a man to measure Jerusalem? In the future, God promises, “Run and tell that young man: ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the multitude of men and livestock within it. For I will be a wall of fire around it, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory within it.’” Even though the Romans will attempt to destroy Jerusalem, in 70 A.D., Jerusalem will survive. Today Jerusalem truly is a city without walls because the population is so great.
Now God is calling to the Jewish exiles who have been scattered throughout the world. ““Get up! Get up! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the LORD, “for I have scattered you like the four winds of heaven,” declares the LORD. “Get up, O Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the Daughter of Babylon!”
For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “After His Glory has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye— I will surely wave My hand over them, so that they will become plunder for their own servants. Then you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me.”
Jewish exiles return at the behest of King Cyrus; however, that return will be dwarfed by the return of Jews from around the world after World War II. After the horrors of Hitler’s concentration camps, many of the Jews who survive will emigrate to Israel, determined to establish it as a Jewish state.
What does God mean when He says, “whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye,”? The apple of the eye is the pupil. Here God is promising that He will care for the Jews as tenderly as a man or woman would protect his/her eyes.
How will the citizens of Jerusalem know that Zechariah is truly speaking for God? “I will surely wave My hand over them, so that they will become plunder for their own servants. Then you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me.” The very nations that have plundered Jerusalem will be plundered by those who have been serving them.
APPLICATION: What does this chapter mean for us? If we are serving the One True Living God, we can trust God to be a wall of fire around us and to exhibit His glory among us. “But,” you ask, ‘’what about believers in North Korea and Nigeria who are being slaughtered for their faith? Why isn’t God protecting them? There are all kinds of protection. Most of us assume that if God protects us, we will never suffer persecution or loss. Wrong! Jesus warned his disciples, “In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer! I have overcome the world.” We may have to suffer a lot and we might even have to die for our faith. But God can give us strength and courage to face any trial. God can glorify Himself even in the midst of persecution. One of the fundamental affirmations of Judaism is the Shema Yisrael, pronounced “sheh MAH.” This affirmation comes from Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel. The Lord, your God, the Lord is One.” Professor of classical rabbinic literature at Brandeis University, Reuven Kimelman said the Shema summons Jews to feel “an all-consuming love of God.”
“It’s a love that is unreserved, all-demanding, at all times, in all places and in all circumstances,” he said. “Nothing is excluded. Thoughts are to be focused, words are to be spoken, and deeds are to be done.” When believing Jews were being murdered in concentration camps, it was the Shema that these people were repeating as they went to their deaths. Even though these people were martyred, God gave them the courage to acknowledge His sovereignty even as they were dying horribly.
Are you stuck in a miserable situation with no way out? Do you feel trapped? Ask God to show Himself to you in the midst of your problems. The same God who has given believers the courage to persevere and die if necessary can be a wall of fire for you. God can still glorify Himself even in the midst of your problems.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, many of us find ourselves in troubles that are not of our own creation. We feel we have no way out. Lord, be a wall of fire against Satan’s discouragements! Glorify Yourself even in the midst or our problems. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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