Ezekiel 2

This short chapter contains the amazing call to ministry of Ezekiel.  Any child of God would do well to meditate on these things, but especially those who speak for God in any kind of setting: behind a pulpit or lectern, over coffee, or around the dining room table.  What the Lord says to Ezekiel in this chapter is with the vision of Chapter 1 as a backdrop.

·        v2: Ezekiel was enabled by God’s Spirit.  This is especially true of believers today in whom God’s Spirit dwells.  He must fill or control us (Eph. 5:18).

·        v3a: Ezekiel was sent to the children of Israel.  So we should understand we too are sent, first into the world (Mt. 28:19-20), and then specifically to our wives and children, our neighborhood and workplace, perhaps a Bible Study group, Sunday School class or some other entity.  We need to see ourselves as responsible to God for speaking His message to those entrusted to us.

·        v4: Ezekiel was to say, “Thus says the Lord God.”  In other words, he spoke only what God said.  In his case there were times in which he was mute, unable to speak expect when God gave him specific words.  We too must understand that we are called to speak a message given to us from God in His Word.  In this sense we are “Ambassadors” (2 Cor. 5:20).

·        v3b,5: Ezekiel’s target group was described as obstinate and rebellious.  In other words, like Jeremiah who preached at a similar time in Jerusalem, Ezekiel’s ministry to the exiles in Babylon would not result in a great following.  How hard it is today for God’s servants to understand this.  We tend to equate a large following with a successful ministry.  Ezekiel knew, and we must know, that a successful ministry is one that boldly and clearly declares God’s word.  The response is God’s doing (1 Cor. 3:5-7).

·        v6-7: Therefore Ezekiel is not to fear them.  Paul told Timothy the same thing: not to be ashamed of the gospel because “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7-8).

·        v8: In addition Ezekiel is warned not to become like them.  In ministry there is a temptation to become like those we serve as we seek to identify with them and gain their trust.  We will often find ourselves adopting their same values and habits rather than being like Christ and leading by example.

·        v9-10:  This is a powerful picture, as in the vision Ezekiel receives a scroll and is told to eat this scroll (3:1-11 continues this picture).  And again, we must understand that we are called, not to create a message, but to give a message already given.  Jesus told His disciples the Spirit would help them to speak what He, Jesus, wanted said (John 16:13).  Paul told Timothy, in every possible way, to be filled with the word and to preach the word and not to be distracted by any other message (1 Tim. 4; 2 Tim. 4:1-5, etc.).  Let us, like Paul, hold back nothing of God’s word but declare the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:20-27).  Our calling demands it; people’s eternity depends on it!