Ezekiel 3 and 4
Ch 3:5 “You are not being sent to a people of obscure
speech and difficult language but to the house of Israel – 6 not to many people
of obscure speech and difficult language, whose words you cannot
understand. Surely if I had sent you to
them, they would have listened to you. 7
But the house of Israel is not willing to listen, for the whole house is
hardened and obstinate.”
The equipping.
God is sending Ezekiel to speak hard words to a hard
people.
Sending Ezekiel but not empty handed.
God feeding His Word to Ezekiel.
And God supplying Ezekiel with patience and
tolerance.
God appointing Ezekiel to be the watchman for the House
of Israel.
vs 8 “I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they
are. 9 I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than
flint. Do not be afraid of them or
terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house. “
And all the phrases that will become familiar to us. Ezekiel’s special flavor and aroma. God
calls Ezekiel “son of man” 93 times in this book, emphasizing the prophet’s
humanity as he is addressed by a transcendent God. God empowering Ezekiel with His Spirit, and
equipping him for the difficult work of bringing the Word to a people who are simply
unwilling to listen. Completely
uninterested.
I wonder if Ezekiel was feeling lost or if he had been
sitting in Babylon praying for God with expectation to use him, being open and
willing and available. And then God
showing up in all His Glory. Feeding him
a scroll. We don’t get a sense of
reluctance or hesitation in Ezekiel at all.
He is certainly no Jonah!
Ch 3:16 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the
house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.”
So curious that Ezekiel is charged with being a watchman
FOR Israel and not OVER Israel. Not so
much a shepherd as a lookout. The NIV
Notes tell us the in ancient Israel, watchmen were stationed on the highest
parts of the city wall to inform its inhabitants of the progress of a battle,
or of approaching messengers. Prophets
were spiritual watchmen, relaying the Word of God to the people. Ezekiel’s specific function as watchman was
not so much to warn the exiles of the impeding doom of Jerusalem as to teach
that God holds each one responsible for his own behaviour.
Such a subtle shift in teaching, when it feels like
previous prophets have been alerting the whole nation that it is going to hell
in a handbasket. Israel’s stubborn
refusal to take God’s Word seriously.
And last night, at our table we read Revelation 22. Another Word.
Another prophet. A different vision and message from God in another time
in history, falling on such different ears, in such a different context. The political climate changing so much from
the last word of the Old Testament ,to the first word and then to the last word
of the New Testament.
God continually sending His Words.
Expressing His desire to have relationship with us.
As the modern prophet Brennan Manning tells it, “The
furious longing of God.”
And this longing, His Words, still falling into the
middle of the world that is mostly unwilling and uninterested. The language is not obscure. It is not difficult to understand. But that leap of faith to believe and put all
your trust there, that is the hard part.
The cliff jumping part. And God
uses you and me to be His hands and feet.
To bring the fruit to the world so that it can taste and see that God is
good.
This sweet Word that we get to read everyday.
Quenching and satisfying our hearts and our thirsty
souls.
God equipping us. With His Word.
And all the tools we need for our toolbox, for the things
He calls us to.
We have to do hard things too sometimes.
In the places where the rubber hits the road.
But He never sends us empty handed either.
I love that.
Revelations 22:17 “Whoever is thirsty, let him come and
whoever wishes, let her take the free gift of the Water of Life.”
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