The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Ezekiel 20:1-8, “Now it came about in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and sat before me.

2 And the word of the LORD came to me saying,

3 ‘Son of man, do you come to inquire of Me? As I live,’ declares the Lord God, “I will not be inquired of by you.”

4 “Will you judge them, will you judge them, son of man? Make them know the abominations of their fathers;

5 and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “On the day when I chose Israel and swore to the descendants of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I swore to them, saying, I am the LORD your God,

6 on that day I swore to them, to bring them out from the land of Egypt into a land that I had selected for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands.

7 “And I said to them, ‘Cast away, each of you, the detestable things of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.’

8 “But they rebelled against Me and were not willing to listen to Me; they did not cast away the detestable things of their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I resolved to pour out My wrath on them, to accomplish My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.”

This is not the first time Israel has been warned to rid herself of things that are detestable to the LORD God. Moses warned the nation, “But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23).

Why is it so much easier to do wrong than to do right? The answer to that question is multiple. For one thing, it’s only “easier” when we do it the first time. Subsequent wrongdoings only “seem” easier for the moment. Yet, the conscience that the LORD has built within us all screams the warning that “we can’t do wrong and get by!” There is a “payday someday.”

Further, anything and everything that goes wrong, subsequent to our sin, will be attributed to our stubborn resistance to the LORD’s warning. What’s the answer to all of this? How do we extricate ourselves from the consequences of our sin? Only by the grace of Almighty God can it be done! He is unquestionably in charge. And He “pins us down” until we cry “uncle!!” “Wrong” screams at us 12 times from Genesis 44 to Revelation 22. When will we listen? When will we learn?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom