The prophet Ezekiel encouraged the people in exile with an idealized vision of the future. They would be brought back to the land from wherever they were scattered; they would be one nation under one king, a descendant of King David; they would offer true worship in the restored sanctuary; they would live in peace. “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” No doubt people loved hearing that but when they did return from exile it didn’t live up to the billing. Our own idealized vision of what marriage should be like, or having children, or being church doesn’t last long either once you experience it. God is not found in ideals but in reality, even when that means the cross.
