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Morning Devotion for the Season after Pentecost
August 22, 2026
Reading: Ezekiel 43:1-7
Then he brought me to the gate, the gate facing east. And there, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east; the sound was like the sound of mighty waters; and the earth shone with his glory. The vision I saw was like the vision that I had seen when he came to destroy the city, and like the vision that I had seen by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face. As the glory of the Lord entered the temple by the gate facing east, the spirit lifted me up, and brought me into the inner court; and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.
While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me out of the temple. He said to me: Mortal, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet, where I will reside among the people of Israel for ever. The house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their whoring, and by the corpses of their kings at their death.
Meditation: Jo Ann B. Jones
Ezekiel had a vision of the departure of the glory of Yahweh. Now he envisions its return. YHWH instructs Ezekiel to describe the temple arrangements and laws to the people. The return of YHWH and YHWH’s glory was believed to assume a physical position above the throne, rather than integral to it. Only the glory of YHWH appears.
What must it feel like to experience both YHWH’s departure and YHWH’s return? What does one do in the interim? I can imagine the people’s behavior runs the spectrum from panic and despair to wild imagination of wonder and joy. What a roller coaster of emotions and behavior. What will alert Israel to expect YHWH’s return?
When this comes to pass, though, the earth glowed brightly with YHWH’s glory. Now Israel, renewed and dedicated, waits for YHWH. The belief that YHWH would return stands at the heart of the Gospel. The God who redeems us is the same God who once judged us. What does this mean for judgement?
Once the people were forsaken because they were disloyal. Because of YHWH’s great love YHWH has won them back for himself. What Ezekiel understands is also at the heart of the gospel. The God who redeems us is also the very same God who judged us, but still loves us sufficiently and faithfully to reunite us for himself. God guarantees that deliverance will be final when God undertakes it. For God truly knows our worst and has not excused us from condemnation. Sin has been forgiven, therefore, there is nothing more to forgive. It does, though, bear reflection on. God’s sovereignty and majesty that are present throughout Scripture.
The glory that fills the temple is one that formerly entered it to destroy the city. What is the implication of this for the assurance that the sin of the city and temple has been reckoned with and forgiven? That is certainly unsettling. Now reflect on God’s sovereignty and majesty. This informs and influences the Book of Ezekiel. For it is YHWH’s intention that the relationship between the temple and the nation be revolutionized. The restoration of the temple will transform the land itself. The palace now assumes a subordinate relationship to the temple.
What, then, do we make of the phrase from our own Pledge of Allegiance - one nation under God…..? What a challenge that poses for this country that has included freedom of religion in the Bill of Rights. All members who practice a religion in the United States must reckon with how they might acknowledge one God and then also uphold that this nation is unified under this one God. What must each prioritize to come to such an understanding? The time to consider and reckon with this .boggle the mind. But what an undertaking and potential challenge and possibility for greater understanding of others and how that might contribute to unity and peace.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever.
Amen.
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