Ezekiel 6:11-14 – The consequence of dishonoring God

 In Ezekiel 6, God’s one intention in judging the house of Israel was to reinforce to them that He alone was the Lord, the true God.  In contrast to Him, the gods that the nations venerated and which the house of Israel foolishly adopted were false. God called their abomination. In verse 11 God instructed Ezekiel to clap his hands and stamp his feet and exclaimed Alas! Why the instruction? It was to show His disgust and contempt and scorning their foolishness. Unwittingly, they had set themselves up for destruction.  God announced that the judgment on them would come in three ways – famine, sword, and pestilence.  

Those who were taken into exile would die by pestilence. They would die of sicknesses and diseases. Those who were within the vicinity of the battle would die by the sword. In other words, they would die resisting their attackers, in this case, the Babylonians. Those who remained in the city would die of famine. For there would be a lack of food supplies.  That would be the intensity of God’s judgment. Only in the destruction would His fury of God be spent.

From the devastation, it would be known with certainty that the Lord had been and would always be the only true God. Prostating before the altars of those idols, whether on hills, mountains, or green or oak trees would lie slain bodies. Instead of a sweet and pleasing aroma, there would be the foul stench of the decomposed dead bodies. Besides God would also make their land desolate, from the wilderness to as far as Riblah. The last line of this chapter again re-enforced the intention of God in His judgment: Then they (Israel) will know that I am the Lord.

It is important to God that we honor alone. In replacing Him in our lives, we will be lifting His protecting hedges from our lives. We will be subjected to needless problems. God allows that to happen not because He enjoys it but to let us know that He alone is God and deserves our allegiance. We must honor God not only with our lips but with our hearts and our deeds!  

 

 

Ezekiel 6:8-10 – Life's most appropriate response

In Lamentation 3:31-33, the Prophet Jeremiah reminds us of God’s graciousness and mercy with the following words saying:  

For the Lord will not

    cast off forever,
but, though he causes grief, he will have compassion
    according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
for he does not afflict from his heart
    or grieve the children of men.

In Ezekiel 6:8-10, God affirmed that though as nation, the house of Israel had disappointed and hurt Him. They rejected His gracious overtures yet in His mercy, He would not destroy everyone. He would spare some and preserve a remnant. Though they would be scattered among the nations and dealt with severely, there would be some that he would deal graciously whom he would spare the sword. These would come to their senses and realize how deeply they had hurt the heart of God. Their “adultery” had caused them to wander away from God and in their waywardness had hurt Him deeply. As these who experienced His grace, would soon realize their folly, and would even loathe themselves for what they did to God with their abominable acts.  This was by way of saying that they had repented from their wicked ways.  Most importantly, they would come to realize that their God is indeed the Lord and One who keeps His word.  

God showered His grace on us in Christ. It is undeniable that if God did not initiate our rescue, none of us would be saved. Like what He did for the remnant, He has chosen to look beyond our faults and meet our needs. There is only one appropriate response in the light of His great mercy. Paul in Romans 12:1-2 urged us to surrender all that we are to Him – our bodies, our minds, our all. Yes, love so amazing so divine that it demands our soul, our lives our all. 

Ezekiel 6:1-7 – To know the LORD alone!

Ezekiel 6 is the prophet’s second discourse after the silent dramatization described in chapter 4. The first discourse is found in chapter 5, where he elaborated on what made God’s judgment on the house of Israel necessary and the three impacts it made. In the second discourse in Ezekiel 6, we cannot get away from God’s one desire – “that you shall know that I am the Lord.”  

The people of Israel had broken the commandment to honor Him as their only God. They had allowed themselves to be influenced by the nations. They participated in the idols of the foreign nations and worshipped them. Upon the mountains, the hills, the ravines and the valleys, Israel had venerated idols and worshipped false gods in their high places. Alongside God, they venerated other gods in their high places.  So, the Prophet Ezekiel was instructed to call out their sin of idolatry. During King Josiah’s godly reform, he had gotten rid of them but soon after his death, the worship of the gods at these high places mushroomed.  Here through Ezekiel, God declared what He was about to do to these high places. He was asked to set his “face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them.” God was going to “bring a sword” against them, to punish them.  

Verses 4-7 detailed what God was going to do. Altars shall become desolate, incense altars shall be broken, the slain cast down before the idols. Dead bodies of Israel would be strewn before their idols and their bones scattered before those altars. Verse 6 says, “Wherever you dwell, the cities shall be waste, and the high places ruined, so that your altars will be waste and ruined, your idols broken and destroyed, your incense altars cut down, and your works wiped out.” God’s one purpose was so that they would know that He is the Lord.  

God alone deserves worship. Like the People of Israel then, if we are not careful to guard our relationship with Him, we may be influenced to worship other things alongside Him. When that happen, depravity will set in. Overtaken by depravity we will become senseless and illogical. We must always remember that the first of the Westminster statements of faith states: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” We must worship God alone and enjoy Him forever.

Ezekiel 5:13-17 – How we live matters.

In Ezekiel 5:5-12, we saw three reasons that made God’s judgment on Israel necessary. The three reasons were: their failure to keep His standards, their abominable acts, and their desecration of His sanctuary. Just as these three things brought the judgment, they also made three impacts. God described them in verses 13-17.

The first impact that the judgment made was on God Himself. The judgement confirmed His sovereignty. Just as His mighty acts of deliverance affirm it, so also would His judgment. There would be no mistaking that the calamities that Jerusalem and His people experienced came from His hand. They were intended to vindicate God’s own holy nature and demonstrate that He is zealous for truth and against evil. As a result of what God had done, there would be a deepened appreciation of His sovereignty as well as His holy and just nature.    

The second impact would be on the nations.  God would desolate Jerusalem and make her a reproach to and scorn of the nations. Her ruin would be a warning to the nations that what happened to her could be the nations’ experience too. The truth that God controls history would not be mistaken.   

The third impact would be on the people of Jerusalem.   God would shower calamities on them. They would experience famine and be destroyed. The famine would become increasingly greater and greater until their food supply was totally cut off. As if this was not bad enough, God would send them wild beasts to rob them of their children. Plagues, death, and war would ravage the land and the people. The “sword” that God would bring upon them would come from the Babylonians to destroy them.   

The conduct of the people, whom Ezekiel was addressing, left much to be desired.  They did not live up to the responsibilities God expected of them. Not doing so had impacted their relationship with and their witness to God. Consequences always follow irresponsible living, and they were made to bear with them.  What about us? Our calling as Christians demands that we live responsibly for God. We must find out what’s His will for us and seek to live it out. Responsible living begins with finding out what God wants us to do and then obeying Him. Only when we take accountability for our lives can we fulfill our God-designed destiny! 

  

Ezekiel 5:5-12 – Be determined to be God’s shinning witnesses.

Ezekiel 5 provides some answers to his silent dramatized messages in the previous chapter. Here we get the explanation for why God needed to judge Judah and Jerusalem and what would be the outcome of His judgment. Verse 5 set out by showing the privilege God had granted to Jerusalem. She was the centre of countries surrounding her. Strategically, Jerusalem had been situated right smack in the centre of the world. Conscious of it or not, she was and still is God’s undisputed capital city of the world. She was to model God’s standards. Unfortunately, she had failed to live up to God’s expected billing of her. So here in eight verses, from Ezekiel 5:5-12, God gave three reasons that necessitated the siege of Jerusalem.

Firstly, it was for her rejection of the divine standards God required of her. This was how He assessed Jerusalem. “She has rebelled against my rules by doing wickedness more than the nations, and against my statutes more than the countries all around her; for they have rejected my rules and have not walked in my statutes.” Jerusalem had displayed her rebelliousness by not keeping and walking according to God’s rules and statutes required of her.  In so doing they ended in spiritual turmoil and chaos. This was the first reason for God’s hostility toward her in the midst pf the nations.  

Secondly, verse 9-10 said it was for her abomination. God clearly stated in the commandments that they should never have and no other gods before Him. Yet they had brought in all kinds of gods and idolatrous stuff and worship them besides the true God. So, in His fury, He was going to do something to them that He had never been done before and would never again do something like it again.  God singled out two things that would happen to His people - cannibalism and depopulation.

Thirdly, it was because they had defiled His sanctuary. They had filled God’s temple with it all their detestable things and abominations” till God recoiled and departed from them. By having all these detestable idolatrous paraphernalia in God’s temple, they were in effect renouncing their relationship with Him. And God was not tolerating their waywardness and would show not pity nor withhold His dealing with them. Three things dramatized by the shaved hair and beard would happen. One third of them would die by famine and disease; another third to die by war; and the other third would be scattered and not be spared divine retribution even in foreign lands.

Being God’s instrument in the world is a privilege and a responsibility. It behoves us to do our best to maintain our witness and to never flirt with the world. James reminds us that friendship with the world is enmity with God. We must not do what they world is doing. Our position in Christ should make us more conscious and desirous to live responsibly for Him.  So let us live right and be His glorious witnesses!    

Ezekiel 5:1-4 – To disobey God is to court trouble

Ezekiel’s messages to the nation of Israel were not given in a series of oral presentation but in a series of dramatizations. The prophet literally acted out his messages to Israel. In the first dramatization, he used a brick and created a model to depict the siege of Jerusalem. He also took a metal grill and put it between him and the model to symbolize the separation between God and them. This was to say that their plea for divine intervention would be pointless for God would not hear them.

The second dramatization was when he was made to lie down for a total 430 days. He was to lie on the left for 390 days and on the right for 40 days. These 430 days signify the duration in terms of years for what the people of Israel would have to go through in God’s judgment. Three hundred and ninety years in severe judgment and 40 years in prepare to get them ready to re-enter the promised land.

The third dramatization was to show the scarcity of food and drink as they were undergoing siege. Food that Ezekiel was to eat was meager. The picture was to show that not only would this deprivation happen in the siege but also when they were taken into exile. Besides the scarcity of food, they would also be made to eat unclean food.

In Ezekiel 5:1-4, we come to the fourth dramatization depicting the message of the horrific outcome that awaited them in the siege. Here, Ezekiel was instructed to take a sword and used it as a razor to shave off his hair and beard. While the nations would customarily shave their heard and beard to mourn the dead, but this was not a custom practice by the priest. Besides, no one uses a sword to shave, yet the prophet was asked to do so. This was to signify God’s judgment.  

Ezekiel was then asked to use a weighing scale and divide the shaved hairs into three equal parts. A third of it would be burn in the model to depict that one third of the people would die in the city, either through famine or diseases.  The second third he would take it and strike it with around the city to portray that many would be slaughtered in battle around the city.  The final third portion would be tossed and scattered in the wind to show that they would be taken captives by nations. Even then the sword will be wielded to ruthlessly kill those attempting to escape.  

As a prophetic message contain an element of hope, Ezekiel was asked to take some of the shaved hairs and bucked them in the hem of his robe.  This was to indicate the preservation of a remnant.  Yet even among the remnant some would also eventually perish.

While God is patient, prolong resistance to His patience can wear thin His gracious overtures. When that happens, His irresistible judgment will descend like a sharp unexpected razor. God’s dealing with us are never rash but carefully and rationally weighted. Don’t test the patience of God. When we discern the voice of God, respond to Him immediately unhesitatingly.       

 

Ezekiel 4:9-17 – God is faithful to His Word

The first scene Ezekiel acted out in the first eight verses of chapter 4 shows the siege of Jerusalem. The purpose of the siege was to deprive the inhabitants of the city of provisions so that they would be weakened and left with no strength to resist. God gave instruction to Ezekiel in verses 9-17 to act out another scene to portray what would happen to a people under siege.  

He was to eat a meager diet to depict what happened during their time of famine and starvation. Ezekiel was to dramatize the scarcity of food supply and water. Rationing of food and water became a necessity. Verse 9 shows that even baking bread Ezekiel had to “take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and emmer, and put them into a single vessel and make bread from them.” In other words, to have enough to bake bread, ingredients would be scrapped from leftover meals. This was to show how miserable the condition of the city under siege would be.

Besides, Ezekiel was to cook his food using human excrement as fuel. This was to show that the inhabitants would be forced to partake of unclean meals.  Not only would this happen to the people during their siege but also when they were taken into exile.  For a person raised as a priest, Ezekiel had never defiled himself this way by eating unclean food. It was unthinkable for him to violate the requirement and to partake of food baked with human faeces. So, he protested.  God then granted him to use cow dung to bake it as a concession. This tells us that even in judgment, God would still consider the plea of those who had been obedient to Him.  

In the enactment of Ezekiel, God was even showing His faithfulness to the covenant. In the covenant, it was stipulated that when His people obey Him, they would be blessed. But when they disobey, they would experience a curse. And He was now enforcing the curse because of their disobedience.  God meant every word that He said and would keep it.   

It is foolishness to expect a blessed life when one chooses to walk in disobedience. The law of cause and effect always takes place. When we obey God and live according to divine principles, we will reap His peace, protection, and provision. When we choose to violate His word, we must expect to have negative consequences. Whatever, our experience in life may be, whether smooth or rough, God’s desire is for a right relationship with us. Relate with Him rightly each moment of life!      

Ezekiel 4:4-8 – God will never condone sin.

Ezekiel’s prophetic message to the house of Israel in chapter 4 was not given in verbal presentation but in dramatization. He was to build a model representing the siege of Jerusalem. Having built the model of the city of Jerusalem under siege, the prophet was asked to place a metal grill between the model and himself. In that act, Ezekiel was playing the role of God, judging His people. The grill was to indicate a barrier between them and God preventing their call for intervention from reaching Him.

In Ezekiel 4:4-8, the prophet was instructed to lie for a total of about 430 days as a period they had to bear the punishment for their sin. Of the total number of days, he was to lie on his left for 390 days, and on his right, for 40 days. It is difficult to interpret these symbolic acts exactly. One thing is clear, each day is taken to represent a year. It was thought that the 390 days referred to God’s dealing with the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the 40 days His dealing with Judah the southern Kingdom. This view considers the division of Israel into two kingdoms - the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. While it is tempting to see the see house of Israel as referring to the northern Kingdom and the house of Judah as the Southern Kingdom, Ezekiel in this book refers to these terms interchangeably. He was looking at God’s dealing with the nation of Israel as a whole.  

Interestingly, in God’s early dealing with His people, Exodus 12:40-41 said that it took 430 years before God brought the people out of Egypt. In other words, they were in Egypt for 43o years till God took them out. Now in the book of Ezekiel, it is not wrong to say that 430 years would be the duration of God’s dealing with the whole nation. The 390 years would represent the time from the building of the first temple in Jerusalem to its destruction in 586 BC. That duration of 390 years of punishment was an indictment of the nation’s worship of other gods alongside the worship of the Lord in the temple. They had a long history of idolatry and God was judging them for this.  

There’s another interesting fact as we consider the duration of 40 days representing 40 years that Ezekiel laid on his right. God took 40 years to deal with the children of Israel in the wilderness before taking them into the promised land. It would not be overstretching to say that God was signaling through Ezekiel’s 40 days that He would be taking 40 years to deal with the people of Israel to purify and get them ready to return to the promised land.

From these five verses, we learn that God knows His people and their sins. For every sin committed, He will bring them into judgment. The cords that were placed around Ezekiel show that there will be no escaping the judgment of God for any unrepented sin. God’s judgement of sin is inevitable for He does not condone a sin. Judgment will come as long as the sinner refuses to repent and change. But God is gracious, His dealings are given opportunities to repent, change, and be restored.   

 

Ezekiel 4:1-3 – Sin will erect a barrier between us and God

Remember, the book of Ezekiel has three broad segments. Firstly, would be Ezekiel’s messages on the judgment on Judah and Jerusalem. Secondly would be the messages of judgement of the nations and finally would be the messages on the restoration of Judah and the temple in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem was the heart of Judah and represented the glory of the nation. It was the center of activities of her life, especially her religious life. Now it had become the center of sin and had to be judged. For all that she represents, for her to be judged was unthinkable. Yet it had to happen because of the nation’s unfaithfulness and waywardness. Here Ezekiel was debunking the deceptive notions pedalled by false prophets that the city was sacred and would not fall.

Ezekiel's message on God’s judgment on Judah began by picturing the siege of Jerusalem. Apart from orally proclaiming God’s message, prophets would at times dramatically act out the message. So, in Ezekiel 4, we see the prophet being instructed by God to present the message of the siege of Jerusalem by acting out the siege of the city.  

Addressing Ezekiel with the title son of man, a term that he was commonly referred to in this book, God told him what he was to do. He was to “…take a brick and lay it before you, and engrave on it a city, even Jerusalem. And put siegeworks against it, and build a siege wall against it, and cast up a mound against it. Set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it all around.”  He was to present a model of the city of Jerusalem being sieged.  Besides, Ezekiel was also asked to take a piece of metal grill used for a cooking stove and set it up as a barrier between him and the besieged city depicted by the model.  From behind the grill Ezekiel was to show menacing gestures against the model to dramatize a city being besieged.  

The metal grill was a symbol of the barrier between God and them. Because of their waywardness, there was now a barrier between them at God that would cut off their cry to Him.  Sin always erects barriers between God and us. Unless we repent in contrition and return to God, it will be the hindrance that will prevent Him from hearing and answering our cries.  As we journey with God, we must remind ourselves of what was said in Isaiah 59:1-2:

 

Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,
    or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;
but your iniquities have made a separation
    between you and your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you
    so that he does not hear.

Ezekiel 3:22-27 - God’s instrument must be well prepared.

The last six verses of Ezekiel 3 describe the experience Ezekiel had before he launched into his ministry. Apparently, the Lord laid hold of him and commanded him saying, “Arise, go out into the valley, and there I will speak with you.” He obediently followed the instruction and went out into the plain. There, he again saw the vision of the glory of the Lord, which he saw earlier at Chebar River in chapter 1. Like how he responded then, he fell facedown again.  The response of Ezekiel when he saw the vision reminds us never to take the glory of God for granted. There must not come a time when we treat the presence of God casually or nonchalantly. We must always give God the due reverence He deserves.

Then the Spirit had a hold of him and set him on his feet and first told him to shut himself within his house. The prophet was to imprison himself in his house.  A period of solitude and quietly waiting before the Lord is so needful to know more clearly what God wants to be said. Any person who desires to be used effectively must take time away from the hustle and bustle of life to make preparations.

Ezekiel was further told what would happen to him. He would be restrained and bound by cord and immobilized and not allowed to go among the people.  This could be seen as a symbol of God imposing on him a period of waiting and silence. What he had experienced was to demonstrate that he was to be bound to the Word of God rather than be imprisoned by the desires of his hostile hearers.  

In verse 26 God told Ezekiel, “And I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and unable to reprove them, for they are a rebellious house.” Literally, this would mean that God would render his speech apparatus incapable of function and unable to rebuke the rebellious people. And what God wanted the rebellious people to hear, He would speak to Ezekiel to enable him to speak so that the prophet could speak to them. However, it would be up to the rebellious people to make up their own minds to respond rightly to God or not.

In Ezekiel 3, we can trace four clear things Ezekiel was called to do. Firstly, he was told to go and speak. Secondly, he was asked to go sit and be attentive to listen to God. Thirdly he was asked to watch then lastly he was told to wait. The experiences Ezekiel had were the preparation he needed before he launched into the ministry.  Moses had his period of preparation. Jesus also had his time of 40 days of preparation in the wilderness.

We need to know the importance of exercising the spiritual disciplines of solitude and silence to hear from God to know Him. If we are to speak for God, we need to know exactly what He wants us to say. We are not free to speak our own whims and fancy. There must be a time of waiting for us to know what and how to say what God wants said. We need to wait on God no matter how busy life may be.

Ezekiel 3:16-21 – we are our brothers’ keepers.

Earlier God had called Ezekiel to be His spokesman to the house of Israel. He was asked to speak to them. Having been assigned, the prophet was directed to sit and observe. A period of observation and evaluation was required of him. So, for seven days, Ezekiel was at Tel-abib by the Chebar canal and quietly assessing God’s people and the situation. He was probably appalled by the deplorable spiritual condition so much so that Ezekiel 3:15 said that he felt overwhelmed.

After the seven days of observation, verse 16 said that the word of God came to him and specifically appointed him as a watchman over the people of Israel. Now he was to watch. What’s a watchman? Simply put, a watchman is a guard or a sentry. In ancient cities, one or more sentries would be stationed on a tower or high wall to be lookouts. They would watch out for any threat or impending attack of enemies and alert the city so that its citizens could be prepared for any dangers. Ezekiel was called to be Israel’s spiritual watchman. Just as a watchman would warn the people in a city of impending dangers, Ezekiel was to watch over Israel, alert the people of what God said, and then warn them concerning their waywardness.  

Ezekiel was to confront two categories of people. He was expected to address the wicked as well as the righteous. God knew there were those who would have no or careless regard for His ways but there would also be those who strived to keep His standards. The former would be the wicked, and the latter, the righteous. For those in the former group who were downright sinful, he was to warn them to turn away from their sin and wicked ways so that they could be saved. For those righteous, there was the possibility for them to slip and stray into sin and encounter a stumbling block such as a trail or a difficulty, Ezekiel was to warn them of the consequence of straying from the path. And if they would not return to God’s way after the warning, the prophet would have done his duty.  

In these verses, God was stating what he required His watchman to do. The primary purpose of being so specific in detail about what the prophet had to do was to ensure that he carried out his assignments committedly. For both groups, if Ezekiel failed to do what was required of him to do, God would hold him accountable for the outcome. And he would have to share their punishment. But if he did his duty and warned the hearers, and they still would not listen and respond appropriately, then he would be absolved of their guilt. Here God was expecting the best from His servants. They must be responsible and accountable workers for God.

In the home, the church, and the society, God has placed us there as His watchmen. In a sense, we are all responsible for making an impact on the lives of the people within our sphere of influence. Our diligence or negligence in living responsibly can either influence them to acknowledge God or repel them from trusting in Him.  By speech or by deeds, let us live as God’s watchmen and help draw people closer to God.  

Ezekiel 3:12-15 – Appraise before ministering.

The cherubim, the expanse, the chariot, the throne, the manifestation of God, and His glory described earlier were all far too magnificent an experience. Hence, it is not difficult to imagine how reluctant it was for Ezekiel to leave the experience of that wonderful encounter with the presence of God. So amazing was his experience, that he was not too anxious to start his prophetic assignment immediately. He would rather linger in God’s presence a little longer. But we know that if he had to speak to the house of Israel, he had to go to them.  

So, in Ezekiel 3:12-15, the prophet felt jostled and taken away by the Spirit of God from His presence. This signals the end of his vision. As he was being lifted away from God’s presence, he heard the voice of a great earthquake proclaiming, “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from this place!” The sound of the great earthquake came as the chariot was taking off. It was produced by the touching of the wings of the cherubim bearing it and the vibrating of the wheels.  

Verse 14 tells us that as the Spirit lifted him from that wonderful experience of the presence, he felt embittered as the strong hand of the Lord was upon him. This was to say how he felt about the sinful condition of the house of Israel. In Isaiah’s case when he saw the vision, he saw how wretched he was with all his failings. In Ezekiel’s case, he saw the wretchedness of the people of God he was sent to preach.  No one who had caught a glimpse of the glorious presence of God could deny the wretchedness of his or her sinful self and the circumstances surrounding him or her.

From the lofty experience, Ezekiel now came among the exile in Tel-abib by the Chebar canal. There he sat among the exiles quietly observing the situation for seven days and felt overwhelmed. These seven days of observation could be a time for Ezekiel to appraise and be apprised of the condition. It was perhaps also a time to develop empathy for the people. No one can be effective without having a clear perspective and condition of the people he would be ministering to. Ezekiel also needed to see the people from God’s perspective.  Those seven days of observation must have deepened his compassion and fuelled his passion to fulfil the responsibility entrusted to him.

As God’s redemptive agents sent to reach a fallen world, we too need to have a good appraisal of the condition. Knowing God’s heart is an important starting point. But we need also to be acquainted with the needs of the people. When we can see how far short, they have fallen from God’s desires for them, it will fire us up to play our part to reach them for God. We can only know where to start when we have a good assessment and evaluation of the situation.     

Ezekiel 3:10-11 – Be God’s uncompromising instrument.

In Ezekiel 3:4, we learned that Ezekiel was called to go and preach to the house of Israel. To do so effectively, God told the prophet in verse 10 that he was required first to be attentive to God’s words. He needed to adopt a posture that would encourage receptivity. God required him “to receive with his heart and listen with his ears.” Any true messenger of God must first be attentive and listen to know what God wants him to communicate. How else would he be able to know what message God wants him to say to His people?

In speaking to the people of Israel, Ezekiel was to be aware of these personal tendencies. So, God told him firmly in verse 11, “…go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ whether they hear or refuse to hear.” Not only was Ezekiel required to be receptive to God he was also expected to speak boldly and fearlessly the message God wanted to be communicated.

Realise it or not, there are three desires all of us craze for, Ezekiel included. We all want to be accepted, approved and appreciated.  There is nothing wrong with them except that these desires can cause us to become overly self-absorbed. If we do not realize that the only acceptance, approval, and appreciation that truly matter is God’s, we will become self-centered. Wanting to be accepted can cause us as God’s messengers to adopt a compromising stun just to be accepted into the in-group. As a result, our message may be customized and rendered blunt and incapable of addressing the issue at hand.

It is important to know that our first and primary objective in life is to please God. Like Paul, we are God’s letter to the people we are a part of. While we want the world’s approval, acceptance, and appreciation, we must not compromise our standing and our message as children of God. Realize that we are first and foremost citizens of God’s Kingdom before we are citizens of the country we belong to. Hear afresh what Jesus said in John 15:19-20. “…If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world…. Remember ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.” 

Ezekiel 3:4-9 – God will equip us for the task

Much like Isaiah, Ezekiel was commissioned after the vision that called him into the prophetic ministry.  In Ezekiel 3:4-9 God then reveals to him the first of the tasks of that commission. He was to go and preach the word of God to the house of Israel, a people who shared a common language as he. He was not being sent to people who spoke different and hard languages he could not understand. Why was God so precise concerning whom he was first to speak to? This was in consideration that among the people of Israel in exile there would also be people from other nations that Babylon had held captives.  God’s target for Ezekiel at this point was for the house of Israel.  

While he was being sent to people who shared a similar language as he did, he should not think that this would be an easy assignment. Though he spoke a similar language as them, they would not heed what he would say to them. They were not only hard in their heads but also hard in their hearts. For these were not only stubborn but also obstinate people. However, Ezekiel was not to take their rejection personally for they were not rejecting him but God. 

Hence, he was not to be intimidated by their resistance and caved in. For God would empower him with the wherewithal to deal with the hardened people. He would be equipped with a great fortitude that would toughen him to face the rebellious people. He would be given a resoluteness that was harder than flint and a fearless attitude that would not back down.  Ezekiel, God urged, was not to be intimidated by his audience.  

As God’s redemptive agents, we know that our task in evangelizing people closest to us is often the toughest.  But we are not to be discouraged but to persist. We must not take any rejection personally and lose our will to reach them.  Besides, we must not be intimidated just because they stoutly and fiercely take it out on us personally. Know that God will equip us to face the toughness of the task. His grace will be sufficient for us. Like a diamond, our God-empowered resolve will be harder than flint.  

Annie Johnson Flint has yet another poem that should encourage us in our life and service to God. Especially when life and assignments seem tough.

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added afflictions, He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

 

      

 

Ezekiel 2:8-3:3 – Our experience of God’s word must precede our sharing of it

Attitude matters in serving God. He expects His ministers to have total and complete obedience even when the assigned task is challenging, and the message is unpleasant. Such was the attitude God expected Ezekiel to adopt as he ministered to the people in a very trying circumstance.

In Ezekiel 2:8-10, the prophet was instructed not to be rebellious like the people but to open his mouth and eat what he would be given. In other words, the prophet was to first partake fully of the message he was to bear, no matter how woeful or challenging it would be. For emphasis, the prophet saw a hand stretching out to him with part of the scroll of a book. We are not told whose hand it was, but we are told that the scroll was spread before him, and on both its front and back, he saw words of “lamentation, mourning, and woes.”

To be fully engaged in the message was a necessity if Ezekiel was to be God’s effective mouthpiece. He was to make the message of God a personal experience before he gave it to others. God knew that a message that a minister had not first personally experienced himself would not be as impactful. So, Ezekiel was told to eat it before he gave it to others. In Ezekiel 3:1-3 God instructed him to eat the scroll, and then go and speak to the house of Israel. Obediently, he opened his mouth and was given the scroll to eat. So Ezekiel filled his belly with it. As he ate the scroll, though they were words of woeful lamentation, Ezekiel found a sweet and satisfying taste and experience.

What is God saying to us in this passage? If we are to be effective carriers of God’s message to the world, we must first experience the message ourselves. People are more receptive to a message when we the sharers have had a first-hand experience of it personally. Sharing a message that one has not experienced would be mere hollow words. While God’s word has many comfortable words, there are also plenty of uncomfortable words. As carriers of God’s message, we must not only share those soothing and comforting ones, but we must also share the uncomfortable and challenging words of the Lord. There is a need to share the whole counsel of God.

 

 

Ezekiel 2:1-7 - The call to persist responsibly in service

Ezekiel chapter 1 describes the spectacular heavenly visions Ezekiel saw at the age of 30. As a priest, at that age, he should have begun serving in the temple in Jerusalem. But he was in exile and was living among fellow exiles in the region of Chebar River in Babylon. With no temple of Yahweh in captivity, God took steps to reassign him to the prophetic ministry. The visions of the four living creatures identified as cherubim, the chariot, the throne, the manifestation, and the glory of God were all parts of his call and initiation into the prophetic ministry. Ezekiel 1:28 said that when he saw the glory of God, he fell facedown and then heard a voice coming from the throne of God.

Here in Ezekiel 2, he then narrates what he heard. Addressing him as the Son of man, God ordered him to stand up on his feet as He spoke to him. As he heard the command, God’s Spirit came upon him and set him up on his feet. The Hebrew term “Son of man,” which is used regularly in this book to address Ezekiel, simply means “mortal man”. God wanted to use him, a mortal man, to speak His message to His rebellious people in exile.  Verse 3 reveals to us how God assessed the people of Israel as well as those of the nations. They were alike in that they were people who “…have rebelled against me (God). They and their fathers have transgressed against me (God) to this very day.” Like them their descendants continued to rebel against God. Hence, He described them as “impudent and stubborn.”

Ezekiel was to proclaim God's message to the people he was sent to speak, regardless of whether they were willing to hear it or not. Ezekiel's presence among them was to signal to them that God had sent him as a prophet among them.  However, Ezekiel was warned of the wayward people and circumstances he would be facing. God warned him to anticipate cruel treatment at their hands for these were rebellious people.  Despite the anticipated harsh and cruel treatment, Ezekiel was to endure, persevere, and not give up. God expressly urged him not to be “…afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you, and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.” Ezekiel was to persist regardless of whether they would listen to him or not.

Serving God, whether full-time or not, is a privilege. Ministry must be carried out responsibly despite the difficulties and toughness one will encounter while serving Him. We are expected to persist with God even in the face of resistance. Faithfulness, consistency, and persistence are all critical elements in serving Him. In whatever capacity we are serving God, may the following words of Annie Johnson Flint be our constant encouragement.

God has not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;
God has not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

God has not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
He has not told us we shall not bear
Many a burden, many a care.

God has not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain rocky and steep,
Never a river turbid and deep.
 
But God has promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing kindness, undying love.

Ezekiel 1:25-28 – Only the best for God

In Ezekiel 1:25-27, the prophet’s vision was on what was above the expanse bore by the four living creatures. He heard a voice coming from there. Above the expanse, he saw a majestic throne of lapis lazuli, a bright blue sapphire-like crystal. It was the throne of God that he saw. Ezekiel then went on to say what he saw on the throne was one with the appearance of a man believed to be Theophany, a manifestation of God in human form. What Ezekiel saw on the throne was so dazzling that defied description. No one ever saw God but only His manifestation. The person that came closest to seeing God was Moses. Even then what he saw was only His aftermath and not God Himself. Exodus 33:20 asserted that no one could see God and remain alive.  

Above the waist of the one he saw on the throne looked like “glowing metal” full of fire. And beneath his waist, Ezekiel saw only fire. Surrounding the throne was a brilliant multi-colored rainbow-like light. What is the significance of the rainbow? When God promised never to destroy the earth again after the great flood, he sealed it with a rainbow. It was a reminder to Noah of the gracious promise of God. Rainbows always  remind us of God and His gracious promise.

The radiance Ezekiel experience was not only awesome but was also beyond description. What he had described in these verses was the glory of God. Anyone who has such an encounter could remain arrogant. As Ezekiel saw the glory of God, he was humbled. So, in verse 28 he said “…When I saw it, I fell facedown….” And as he was facing downward, he “…heard the voice of one speaking.”

What Ezekiel saw in chapter one was the dramatic call of God to his assignment. The sight was not only dazzling but spectacular. It was an awesome privilege to be given a glimpse of God’s throne, His chariot bore by cherubim, dazzling light and fire, and His glory. The calling of God is a high calling. What he saw would forever be a reminder of the awesome God he served. 

Knowing and serving God is a tremendous privilege. We dare not offer to Him anything less than a hundred percent commitment. Anything less would not be a befitting response to the rich overtures of God in our lives. Here is a good reminder:

Give your best to the Master;
Give Him first place in your heart;
Give Him first place in your service;
Consecrate every part.
Give, and to you will be given;
God His beloved Son gave;
Gratefully seeking to serve Him,
Give Him the best that you have.

Ezekiel 1:22-24 – God’s voice is discernible

Over the heads of the four living creatures, Ezekiel 1:22 describes a doom expanse spreading over them. The ESV Bible translated the expanse as a vault. It was actually a beautiful and awesome platform that sparkled like crystal. It was on this platform that verse 26 tells us that the throne of God rested. However, Ezekiel 1:23 reveals that this platform rested on four pairs of outspread wings of the four living creatures. Remember each creature had four wings. And with the remaining pair of wings, they each used them to cover their bodies.

When the four living creatures were in motion, their wings produced a great rustling sound. Ezekiel said the sound, firstly, was like the roar of rushing waters. If you have ever been to a waterfall, you would have a sample of how loud the sound could be that it would drown out all the surrounding sounds. Interestingly, in Revelation 1:15, the Apostle John also said that the voice of Jesus, the Son of Man was like the roars of many waters. Secondly, Ezekiel said, it was like the voice sound of the Almighty. Thirdly, he said it was like the sound of the marching mighty army.

The roar of many waters and the tumultuous sound of the marching of a mighty army in battle symbolically denote God's powerful and authoritative voice. So loud and clear that it would shut out all competing and non-essential voices. It is undeniable that competing with God for our attention are so many voices from the world.  But if we pay attention, the voice of God can be heard above them all.

Whose voice would we rather hear? When God speaks, His voice is discernible. No matter how compelling and loud the voice of the world may be, God’s voice will be louder and can be discerned above them all. We must learn to listen to them with deep devotion. We must not let the surrounding competing noises drown out what God wants to say to us. When God speaks, He is calling for our attention. He expects us to listen closely and attentively.  Remember what Jesus said? My sheep hears my voice.  

 

 

 

 

Ezekiel 1:15-21 – God is with us

In the vision of the four living creatures, the Prophet Ezekiel also saw four wheels one each beside each of the living creatures. Obviously, these were the wheels of the chariot that the living creatures were bearing. Ezekiel 1:15-21 then proceeds to describe the uniqueness of the wheels. Each wheel was said to sparkle brilliantly like topaz. Every wheel looked as if it had another within it, intersecting it at a right angle. To be exact, these four wheels were more like four castors that could swivel to enable easy mobility and instant maneuvering. These wheels enabled the chariots to move in any direction anytime without having to turn around. In verse 18 we are told that the rims of the wheels were awesome and full of eyes all around. As the easy mobility of the wheels indicates the “everywhere-presence” of divinity, the rims full of eyes speak of His “all-seeing” ability. God is not only omnipresent but also omniscient.    

Verses 19-21 tell us that the movement of the wheels was synchronized with the movement of the four living creatures. Whenever the four living creatures moved, the wheels would follow. Like the creatures, the wheels were apparently controlled by the spirit. This spirit we surmise could be none other than the Spirit of God.  These symbo0ls indicate that though they were far away from home, they were not far away from God, whose presence was with them.

The wings of the living creatures and the wheels of the chariots are symbols of the mobility of God’s throne. These symbols are important to this book and to us, to know that we do not have a nonchalant God who is seated on high unconcerned about His people’s plight. Besides God cannot be confined to only a particular locale. As he was with them in Jerusalem, He was also with the exiles in their captivity. For us, we need to know to be assured that God is everywhere present and sees everything. Wherever we are, whatever we are experiencing, and whenever we need Him, He is available. All we need is to build on the relationship with have with Him and be sure to be walking and living in His will and purpose.     

Ezekiel 1:5-14 – God is in sovereign control

Ezekiel 1:5-14 tells us that from the midst of the stormy wind, Ezekiel saw four living creatures. These ten verses describe the features of these four creatures. In Ezekiel 10:20 the prophet referred to them as cherubim. They are angelic beings first mentioned in Genesis 3:24. There we are told that after Adam had sinned, God placed cherubim on the east side of the Garden of Eden with a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the Tree of life. This was only one role that cherubim played. However, in all the passages that talked about cherubim, their obvious role was to magnify God’s sovereignty and His righteousness. They would guard the holiness of God.

These cherubim all four of them in these verses have the same unique features. They were all human-like. Unlike Revelation 4, these living beings only had four wings instead of six. Each had four wings and four faces in different directions. These described in Ezekiel only needed four wings because they were underneath the platform of God’s throne and had no need for their eyes to be covered and shielded from looking at God. 

Each of the living creatures had four faces. One with the face of a man, one with the face of a lion, one with the face of an ox, and one with the face of an eagle. They were all representatives of God’s total creation. It is a symbol of His control over the different spheres of life. Whether on earth, in the wild, in domestic, or in the sky, God is above all ruling in His awesome sovereignty.

The four cherubim stood in four corners. Each with two outspread wings touching the tips of that of the next living being to form a hollow square. Then with the other two wings, they each cover themselves. This was to show both modesty in being and unity in purpose. Underneath the wings were undisclosed numbers of hands, probably two in number. Like humans, they each had two legs which were said to be straight and without joints but with hoofs glistening like polished brass.

Verse 12 said that when they moved, they would go straight forward. In other words, they did not turn to change direction speaking of being focused on fulfilling a common purpose and demonstrating dedication in their assignment. Their movements were said to be as instant as a flash of lightning i.e., they were not only spontaneous but instantaneous. They would act swiftly and implement the will of God as directed by the Spirit.

Verse 13 says that the appearance of these living creatures was like burning coal of fire. This implies that they were reflecting the glory of God because of their proximity to Him. Remember Moses? How his face glistened brightly after spending much time in God’s presence. Perhaps this was why the cherubim having constantly been in God’s presence were said to have faces like burning coals.

These four living beings made up of part angel, part human, and part animal were fitting representatives of the whole created order of God. Their service to God points us to the sovereignty of God over all creation. What Ezekiel saw was vital. They helped him and the exiles, and even us to know that God is sovereign. And that He is still on the throne. And no matter how trying the circumstances we encounter may be, God is in control. He knows everything that we are going through. And it is comforting to know that in all things, He is working out for the good of those who love him and are called according to His purpose.

Ezekiel 1:4 – God wants to purify His people

Ezekiel means God strengthens. For effectiveness and faithfulness in life and ministry, every one of us needs His strengthening. Ezekiel certainly needed it. The pertinent question to ask then is: How can we find strength to run and serve with Him? This is what God says to us in Isaiah 40:29-31:    

He gives power to the faint,
    and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
    and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint.

 

A quick glance at the book of Ezekiel will help us to see that his writing is neatly divided into several phases of God’s dealing with His people. In Ezekiel 1-3, we see the Ezekiel’s re-assignment. He was a priest redeployed to do the work of a prophet. In chapters 4-24, the message would center on God’s judgments on Judah and Jerusalem. From chapters 25-32 would be God’s vengeance on the nations before the exiles return from the Babylonian captivity in chapters 33-39. Since prophetic messages always include a message of hope, in Ezekiel 40-48 we see the restoration of the temple in Jerusalem.

The reassignment of Ezekiel from being a priest to a prophet kicked off with a series of visions. We will deliberate on the visions one at a time. We will start by looking at what he saw in Ezekiel 1:4. Here he said, “As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming metal (ESV).” 

What Ezekiel first saw was a stormy wind, much like a typhoon, approaching from the north. He saw was a great upheaval of nature. The scene is attended to by a great cloud, gleaming bright reflection from the light thrown by the peals of thunders in the dark thunderstorm. Amid the scene, Ezekiel saw fire bring a glow that reflected like shiny bronze. It was God’s way of calling for his attention. This remarkable scene was the manifestation of God. Just like the burning bush to Moses. Like when He came down to the people at the foot of Mount Sinai, He came with lightning, smoke, and fire.  Like when He guided the people in their exodus, He provided the pillar of fire by night and the cloud by day. What Ezekiel saw in the thunderstorm was a representation of the coming Babylonian invasion of Judah and Jerusalem.  

On deeper reflection, we cannot get away from the fact that what Ezekiel saw here was a storm of immense intensity. The fire not only represents the presence of God but that He, the all-consuming fire was coming to refine and purify.  Those whom God loves; He chastens. He loves us too much to leave us as we are and allow us to be destroyed. Hence. We must discern God’s purpose and learn to rejoice not only in hope but also in times of tribulation.  

Ezekiel 1:1-3 – Being an effective messenger of God

Like Jeremiah, the prophet Ezekiel who wrote this book was a priest. He was deported to Babylon at age 25 along with youths such as Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego. Ezekiel was the son of Buzi. This passage tells us that he was living among the Jewish exile that had settled by the Chebar River.

The open heaven that he experienced on the 5^th day of the 4^th month in the 30^th year reveals to us the time the Lord moved him into the prophetic role. This would be some five years after he was brought to Babylon. As indicated by Numbers 4:2-3, a priest would have begun his priestly ministry in the temple of Jerusalem at age 30. The phrase, “the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel…” was an indication that he was called into the prophetic work. As there was no temple for him to serve in Babylon, it was quite natural that he should be redirected into the prophetic role. His calling to this prophet role also coincided with King Jehoiachin’s 5^th year in exile. Verse 3 clearly said that the hand of the Lord came upon him. In other words, he became the divine messenger by the Lord’s clear touch.

Here in these three verses, we are given some characteristics of a prophet. They are also what we need to be God's effective communicators:

Firstly, like Ezekiel, we must be a person who has personally encountered God. Notice how Ezekiel spoke of His experiences using the first-person pronouns in these verses. Our effectiveness as God’s spokesman must be born out of a personal encounter with Him.

Secondly, like Ezekiel, we need to operate under an open heaven. This means that God is the source of our message. Only with an open heaven can we have a clear line of communication with God. The Bible is clear that if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. If we are to be effective communicators of the truth of God, it is important that we are closely connected to God, by diligently spending Him regularly and consistently.  

Thirdly, like Ezekiel who saw the visions of God, we His redemptive agents also need to impart visions of God. How can we do it unless we ourselves have received visions of God? We can never have visions of God unless we take time to be with Him. Bear in mind that we are not here to display our eloquence or cleverness. We are here to speak of the goodness of God so that our audience will know who He truly is and what He is like. 

Fourthly, like Ezekiel, we need His hand to be upon us. How can we be a true blessing if God's hands are not upon us? Psalm 127:1 tells us that unless the Lord builds the house, we by our own effort will labor in vain. We need His hand upon us as we do HIs work. Without God, we cannot but without us, God will not. We need to co-labor as hands in gloves if we are to be effective.  

We are called to be God’s effective workers. So we need to be sure that we first have a personal encounter with Him and are walking under an open heaven. We need a heart that is ready and receptive to hear from Him. Know that we can only impart accurate visions of God when we have first heard and received from Him. To be effective, be sure also to prayerfully ask that His hand will always be upon us as we seek to serve Him.