PRINCIPLES AND VALUES
In the twenty-fifth year of our captivity, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was captured, on the very same day the hand of the Lord was upon me; and He took me there (Ezekiel 40: l).
Solomon Northup was an African-American free-born in the summer of 1808, in the small village of Minerva in the state of New York. At thirty-three years old, he was misled by a fake job offer and was kidnapped and sold as a slave in the District of Colombia. From there, he was transferred to New Orleans where he was sold to work for different masters in the region of the Mississippi river. For twelve years, he unjustly suffered all kinds of abuse. Then, with the help of an abolitionist and the support of the New York state Governor, he finally regained his freedom. His autobiography Twelve Years a Slave, published in 1855, inspired the British-American film with the same title, which was directed by Steve McQueen; it was the winner of three Academy Awards in 2013.
Not for twelve, but twenty-five years did Ezekiel and the Jewish people hive as captives under the yoke of the king of Babylon. It was not an unjust captivity since God had already announced for a long time that its freedom and prosperity were a result of their obedience to His commandments (see Deut. 30). They had stubbornly disobeyed the divine commandments, so God’s took His protection away from them. Now this privileged people were living in submission, under the rule of the gods they had chosen. The memory of the many years of slavery became clearer the day of the anniversary of the takeover of the city; fourteen years had passed since the Chaldeans had captured the Holy City. However, in the midst of the hardships and misfortunes of exile, God came before Ezekiel to took him «there.» Three times the expression of «being taken in a special place» is repeated (Ezek. 40:1-3).
Despite the difficult conditions, Ezekiel, whose name means «God is my strength,» was taken to the New Jerusalem in visions. «There,» God asked him to describe what he was seeing: a temple full of details with its walls, gates and rooms, which made the heavenly vision vivid and real.
If the circumstances of your life make you feel like a prisoner, remember that the Lord comes to you to uplift your thoughts. Just like Ezekiel, He wants you to look beyond your chains and remember that He is preparing a place for you. «Tiere» is a definite and real place, where you will enjoy eternal and absolute freedom with Him. Meditate today upon the heavenly homeland.
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Taken from: Daily Devotions for Adults 2020
“A Cheerful Heart Is Good Medicine”
From: Julian Melgoza-Laura Fidanza
Colaboradores:Ricardo Vela & Emmanuel Tapia
