The Wall of Iron
Today’s Verse:
Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city: and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel. ~Ezekiel 4:3
Ezekiel was commanded by God make a mound of tile that pictured Jerusalem. Next to it, he was to build a fort against it that represented the siege that Babylon made against the city. Then, he was commanded to take an iron baking pan and set it as an iron wall between him and Jerusalem. That iron wall symbolized a barrier that kept him from going to Jerusalem and kept the people of Jerusalem from going to him. This wall symbolized an impregnable barrier: a barrier that could not be scaled, toppled, or removed. This morning, let us see barriers that we should be concerned about.
We see the barrier to Heaven.
“And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence” (Luke 16:26). What a frightening reality! There is a great gulf between Heaven and Hell. When an unsaved person dies, there are no more opportunities to be saved. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Every sinner is condemned to Hell the moment he is born into this world. The only way of escape is repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t let unbelief in salvation through Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the dead be the barrier that seals your fate in Hell. Don’t let procrastination be the barrier that keeps you from being saved today.
We see the barrier to harmony.
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). A lack of peace is indicative of anxiety, fear, heartache, restlessness, and worry. We complain, fret, toss and turn, and are agitated when there is a lack of peace. The barrier to harmony is our inability to commit our anxieties, burdens, cares, fears, and problems to God and trust Him completely for the outcome. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart.” God promises His peace which passeth all understanding when we let our requests be made known to Him. It’s not enough to bring God into our anxieties and worries: we must turn them over to Him and let go. When we have done that, He gives us His peace that surpasses all our understanding.
We see the barriers to the harvest.
“Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (John 4:35). Harvest time is upon us. It not an event that is coming, but an opportunity that is waiting for laborers to capitalize on. The first barrier to the harvest is our will. We must be willing to enter and work the harvest. When our will clashes with God’s will, it is a barrier from souls being won to Christ. The second barrier to the harvest is our wait. We see the fields white unto harvest and agree that we need to work it. However, we wait and put off working the harvest. We are unfocused and misalign our priorities. “Go” in the Great Commission means “now.”
A wall of iron symbolized that the sins of the Jews put a wall between them and God. It is a reminder that sin is a barrier to holiness, answered prayer, and a fruitful Christian life. Is there a wall of iron that is keeping you from living a life of abundance, fruitfulness, and joy? Humble yourself to God, confess your sin, and seek God’s will to be done in your life.
Have a wall-free God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Nahum-Habakkuk