Jan. 12 - Ezekiel Came for Me

From the First Lesson for this day - Ezekiel 2:3-3:11

One of the ways we know that the Bible is certainly and entirely true is that its words are living words and as spiritually vital now as they were when they were written.

Amazing. Over 600 years before Christ, God called Ezekiel to send a message to me in 2011 AD. He sent Ezekiel to the rebellious children of Israel... He still speaks to His rebellious child in Roann.

Here is what he's telling me:
- "They and their fathers have transgressed against me." Don't I know it. It seems that at every turn I see a sign directing me God's way and I, intentionally, turn the other way.

- "thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD." It is so easy for me to argue with God. Do you really mean this, Lord? This is surely for someone else? You don't understand what I'm going through, God. None of this provides escape from God's clear "this saith the Lord." When I'm under conviction, I "know that there hath been a prophet among them."

Like me, Ezekiel was a preacher. He was given God's word and told to preach it. "Behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe."

God gave Ezekiel an unusual command - to "eat" the scroll presented to him. It is not far-fetched to understand that God wanted the scroll to be entirely consumed by the Prophet. By 'eating' the scroll (which I believe Ezekiel did literally), God was representing to Ezekiel that he must be consumed with God's message.

How far short of this I fall. I try to be faithful to the Bible and what it says. I try not to fudge on items that are clear. I try to be prophetic with God's Word while being kind and gracious at the same time. It is a very strong temptation to move away from being 'consumed' by God's Word and to preach that which will "tickle itching ears" (II Tim. 4:3).

With the scroll in his belly, Ezekiel is given God's command: "Go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them. For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel; Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand... But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee..."

God hasn't called me to a foreign mission or different culture. He has called me to preach His Word to people who aren't a whole lot different than I am. I don't know how hard-hearted they are, but I know how hard-hearted I can be. I don't need strange speech or eloquence to get to my heart - I need a direct, incisive application of the Holy Spirit speaking through the Bible.

Finally, God tells Ezekiel that He will "shall speak unto thee" and that Ezekiel was to "receive in [his] heart, and hear with [his] ears."

For all the training I have, for all the books I've read, for all the conferences, seminars, camps and workshops I've attended, I can only really preach what God spoken unto me, what I have received from God in my heart, what I have heard from Him with my ears. Anything less than that is really only interesting lecture material or engaging social commentary. That's not what I'm called to do.

Like Ezekiel, I'm called to give a message to God's people at Peoria. Lord, help me to consume Thy Word that I may speak it to the people of our congregation. Please. Amen.