August 16 - Ezekiel 3:16-4:17, Jeremiah 27:1-28:17, Jeremiah 51:59-64

Good morning everyone,

Today we are going to take a look at Ezekiel. I kind of wanted to do this yesterday when we started his book but the Lord had other plans, so here we are today. The main theme of Ezekiel is that God wants the people to know that He is in charge. The phrase, “then will they know that I am the Lord,” appears over sixty-five times in Ezekiel, but I am getting ahead of myself.

Now, at this time there has been two invasions of Judah where Jeremiah, is an old man by now and is still preaching there, trying to get someone, anyone to see the light while Daniel, we have already read, was with the first group of Jews deported to Babylon, and is by now well established amongst the higher echelon of Nebuchadnezzar’s court, or as we would know them today, the “.com millionaires,” right? doing God’s work. Ezekiel was with the second deportation, he will work amongst the Jews who have been taken captive and are working to clear land down by the rivers of Babylon. 

Ezekiel is 30 years old and has been in captivity for five years when he starts his ministry. The Lord comes to him in the most amazing way, giving him a vision, a miraculous revelation of God’s truth, it was very much like what John describes in the book of Revelation. I love reading about the cherubim and the description of the glory of God. I know my mind’s eye can not begin to envision just how awesome all the wonder of God is, only when I get to heaven will I see just how much more it all really is. It left Ezekiel a changed man.

Now these people who Ezekiel has been charged with giving God’s message to, the message that their captivity was for real, already had hearts of stone. They were a stubborn, hard headed people who did not listen to Jeremiah, and they did not want to listen to Ezekiel either, in fact, they were quite content to listen to the false prophets tell them that their situation was but a mistake, that the king would have a change of heart and they will be out of there in no time flat. But that is, of course, a lie. So in an effort to get them to hear the truth, God is going to have Ezekiel get creative. God gave Ezekiel a hard head and thick skin to deal with these Jews then tells Ezekiel in 3:10-11, “Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. Then go to your people in exile and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Do this whether they listen to you or not.” And Ezekiel was obedient.

You know, Ezekiel was commissioned by God to preach truth to the people, and to challenge them to turn away from their sins. He often assigns us to speak and teach His truth to those whom He knows in advance will refuse to listen. He wants those people to know that they have been warned, that they have a choice, and you or I may be the only ones who will ever speak the Gospel to them. Sometimes I am not obedient to that call, I think to myself, “Ah, please not me Lord, I am so not qualified” I fear  I will stumble over my words or my mind will go blank and be left looking fool so while I stall and contemplate “MY” self, the moment, the opportunity slips away, and instead the fool I am left feeling like a crumb. Nowadays, though, more often than not, I am courageous and boldly speak out for God when asked, and I always feel so much better when I do and I never have to worry about what I am suppose to say, because almost always God takes over. It is a great feeling to be obedient to God’s call, even if rejected.  

Ephesians 6:1 says, “Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.” So it is my prayer that we would all be sensitive and obedient to the Lord’s leading, and that like Ezekiel we would go where God wants us to go, be creative when we have to be that Yahweh would give us the words that He wants us to say. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..