v1 God speaks to Ezekiel. He tells him to stand on his feet, and he will speak to him. Why would God have us stand on our feet when He wants to speak to us? Is it so that we are listening better or is there some correlation between worshipping on our face and that activity vs. listening attentitively to God and standing? Does one posture mean one thing and the other yet another thing?
v2 “Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet, and I heard Him who spoke to me.”
Again, standing. This time the Spirit enters and sets Ezekiel on his feet. When God speaks to us, it puts us back on our feet – when we come from that place of worship.
v3 Ezekiel gets his call.
“I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me.”
This is the verse that Karen wanted me to get when she told me to study the first three chapters of Ezekiel. She had said that God was going to send me all over the place. She must have gotten this and then didnt want to say it specifically. I will ask her about this.
The question is whether God is sending me to Israel or what. And when, naturally. Lord?
“they and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day.”
v4 “For they are impudent and stubborn children” Impudent = stiff faced and hard-hearted.
“I AM SENDING YOU to them…” Once again, it’s about what God is doing, not us. Lord, send me. Give me beautiful feet. You keep brining that up. My feet are not sent. When YOU are ready, here I AM.
He tells Ezekiel to say, “…and you shall say to them, Thus says the LORD GOD.” Is this what you will have me say, Lord?
v5 “As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse – for they are a rebellious house – yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.”
v6 DO NOT BE AFRAID
1) do NOT be AFRAID of them nor be afraid of their words
“though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions”
2) do NOT be AFRAID of their words or DISMAYED by their looks
“though they are a rebellious house.”
v7 “You SHALL SPEAK My words to them, WHETHER they HEAR or WHETHER they REFUSE, for they are rebellious.”
v8 “But you son of man, hear what I say to you. DO NOT BE REBELLIOUS like that rebellious house; open your mouth and ‘eat what I give you’.”
Jesus said that His food was to do the will of the Father. Also, man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. It is God’s Word that keeps us alive. Our daily bread, manna, can comprise those words that He gives us to speak to His children, rebellious or not, hearing or not. His Word spoken, releases life and the seed for the Spirit of God to operate.
This is why it does not matter whether they receive the Word or not. Its release is what God desires. This is also why God cautions Ezekiel not to rebel. Disobedience is rebellion. God wants His word spoken – not matter how scary the circumstance looks to be.
v9 “Now when I looked, there was a hand stretched out to me; and behold, a scroll of a book was in it.”
v10 “Then He spread it before me; and there was writing on the inside and on the outside, and written on it were lamentations and mourning and woe.”
1) God’s hand delivered the message.
2) God spread the Word – on all sides.
3) The news was bad, but it was God’s news to be delivered.
Tough circumstance for Ezekiel. Rebellious crowd, harsh things to say. Warned by God, he had to deliver the message.