One long last look back

The setting is Babylon. Judah is a vassal state following the first Babylonian siege of Jerusalem which resulted in the exile of their royal, noble, educated, and upper classes to Babylon. One of those exiles is Ezekiel. About five years into his exile, God calls Ezekiel to prophesy to the Jews remaining in Jerusalem. They are under the Babylon-installed governor, Zedekiah, who is now refusing to pay “protection money” back to Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon.
 
In the meantime, the Jewish people have fallen further into idolatry. Solomon’s temple and its courts have been re-purposed for burnt offerings to the false gods of their neighbors, including child sacrifices to a demon diety known as Moloch. A second siege of Jerusalem in response to Zedekiah’s rebellion will create a food shortage so severe that the people will resort to cannibalism.
 
And the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the Lord. And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.  –Ezekiel 10:4-5 (ESV)
 
It is in this context that Ezekiel receives a vision from YHWH. The manifestation of the presence of God is awe-inspiring, but it’s what happens next that breaks me: God is leaving the temple. He “pulls up” at the south gate, then enters the temple court, then the building itself, appearing much as He did to Moses on Mount Sinai, much as He had at the dedication of the temple when it first opened.
 
Sizing up the current state of affairs, He gives instructions to a destroyer who will soon oversee the utter ruin of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. Then He leaves through the front door, the east gate, facing toward Babylon. That will be His next stop – He will join His people in exile and bring them back at the proper time. But He doesn’t head that way immediately. Before leaving, He lingers a bit. I picture a tear rolling down His cheek as He pauses to remember and considers what is about to happen….
 
Then the glory of the Lord went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim. And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth before my eyes as they went out, with the wheels beside them. And they stood at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the Lord, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.  –Ezekiel 10:18-19 (ESV)
 
God is sovereign. He is all-knowing. He is not surprised by anything. His justice calls for accountability, even as His mercy works toward redemption. But that does not mean His heart isn’t broken when His children choose to walk away. Some see God as a harsh and vindictive judge. They’re wrong. The God of Scripture is patient and loving. He is the Father of forgiveness and second chances. He invites and pursues, but He won’t force His way in.
 
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.  –Revelation 3:20 (ESV)