Eternal Eminence

Reading of the Day: Ezekiel 15-17

Ezekiel 17:22: Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent:

The book of Ezekiel is an incredibly convicting book. That's because my heart was convicted about God's broken heart when we choose the eminence or emphasis of other things over Him. It's about how Israel was rejected of the world, in the lowliest position, not at all in a place of eminence or prominence, not recognized as special, but then God raised them up, cared for them, gave them favor...and slowly Israel began to worship the world God provided instead of worshipping the God that made them who they were. The height of their position became the focus instead of the Heavenly heights of Almighty God! Several times throughout these chapters, the word "eminent" is used. The first couple times I saw it, it referred to the eminent, or high, place that Israel had raised itself to carnally. Sadly, Israel surpassed Samaria and Sodom in sin. Israel was involved in deeper sin than they were judging the other cities for, and they didn't even realize it or care! Now I am not at all diminishing the importance of Israel, but I am highlighting a very real Bible story about how Israel diminished its own importance many times. Israel forgot that God was the reason they were made great, and in doing so, they lessened themselves (and "lessoned" themselves!). We are all Israel! We can all learn from their ups & downs in their walk with God! The last Scripture where "eminent" was used was in this above Scripture. And instead of an eminent place of worldliness & sin, God had a special eminent place He was going to place the remnant of Israel (as we discussed last time). He would take this small, tender branch off the tree of the rest of Israel & plant it in an eminent mountain place. Those roots would once again learn to sink deep into the things of God. Israel would grow once again as a prominent place of purity. The world would once again see a people favored by God. That is true eminence! And beyond that, we all have an eternal eminence as stay focused on Jesus, remembering The One Who makes us great! We all cannot forget where we came from, and we cannot take our eyes off of the eternal, eminent place of Heaven where we are going!