In The Word
Read: Ezekiel 2:1-3:21
The Prophet’s Call
2 Then He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.”2 And as He spoke to me the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet; and I heard Him speaking to me. 3 Then He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have revolted against Me to this very day. 4 So I am sending you to those who are impudent and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says:’ 5 As for them, whether they listen or not—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 And as for you, son of man, you are not to fear them nor fear their words, though thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions; you are not to fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, since they are a rebellious house. 7 But you shall speak My words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious.
8 “Now you, son of man, listen to what I am speaking to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth wide and eat what I am giving you.”9 Then I looked, and behold, a hand was extended to me; and behold, a scroll wasin it. 10 When He spread it out before me, it was written on the front and back, and written on it were songs of mourning, sighing, and woe.
Ezekiel’s Commission
3 Then He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll.3 And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you.” Then I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.
4 Then He said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. 5 For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel, 6 nor to many peoples of unintelligible speech or difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. But I have sent you to the people who understand you; 7 yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, since they are not willing to listen to Me. The entire house of Israel certainly is stubborn and obstinate. 8 Behold, I have made your face just as hard as their faces, and your forehead just as hard as their foreheads. 9 Like emery harder than flint I have made your forehead. Do not be afraid of them or be dismayed before them, since they are a rebellious house.” 10 Moreover, He said to me, “Son of man, take into your heart all My words which I will speak to you and listen closely. 11 Go to the exiles, to the sons of your people, and speak to them and tell them, whether they listen or not, ‘This is what the Lord God says.’”
12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me: “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place!” 13 And I heard the sound of the wings of the living beings touching one another and the sound of the wheels beside them, even a great rumbling sound. 14 So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away; and I went embittered in the rage of my spirit, and the hand of the Lordwas strong on me. 15 Then I came to the exiles who lived beside the river Chebar at Tel-abib, and I sat there for seven days where they were living, causing consternation among them.
16 Now at the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 17 “Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. 18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You will certainly die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way so that he may live, that wicked person shall die for wrongdoing, but his blood I will require from your hand. 19 However if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die for wrongdoing, but you have saved yourself. 20 Again, when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits sin, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require from your hand. 21 However, if you have warned the righteous person that the righteous is not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall certainly live because he took warning; and you have saved yourself.”
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
The Lord lifted up Ezekiel to Himself and spoke to him. God gave Ezekiel a very direct command to obey Him and deliver any message that He gives to the people. God even let Ezekiel know that if he chose not to deliver the message from the Lord and the people remained in their sin, then the people’s blood would be on Ezekiel’s hands.
God’s heart is displayed here when we see that He desires for a righteous person that has turned away from Him to be brought back. That was Ezekiel’s charge and it is the same charge for us today. When we see a brother or sister in the Lord who is starting to drift and compromise, then we should warn them of their condition. Jude 1:22-23 tells us that sometimes we have to snatch some people out of the fire. We hate the sin they are involved in but not the individual. If they repent, then we have won them back. If they don’t repent, then at least we planted a seed or watered their soil.
Is there someone in your life that you are in relationship with that you have noticed a drifting from or comprising of God’s truth? If so, I encourage you to pray for that person each day and bring their name up before the Lord. Also, seek the Lord on how you could approach them in love and speak truth into their situation. Many of us have blind spots; we may not realize that we have started to wander. Be a true friend and help save someone from future destruction.