Don’t you love it when you see something in Scripture you’ve never paid attention to before?
No one I know eagerly chooses the book of Ezekiel to read at the beach. It’s not a relaxing, easy read. It’s hard to understand from start to finish without help. Ezekiel’s prophecies were also difficult for the Israelites to hear and perhaps even more challenging for him to deliver. It’s tempting to think it was the stress of Ezekiel’s Babylonian captivity that caused him to perform such strange and unusual dramas. After all, while building a model of Jerusalem under siege, he resembled a young boy playing with toy soldiers. We might even wonder if he was smoking something when he saw all those strange creatures. Maybe he sat chewing on a bad weed while penning his book and describing his visions. I lightheartedly considered those things the first few times I read through Ezekiel. However, this time (with the help of my ESV Study Bible), I’ve come to appreciate God’s persistence in trying to persuade His people to repent and turn back to Him. He gave them such a variety of opportunities to turn away from their idols, worship the one true God, and reclaim their citizenship in the Promised Land, but they would not listen! I appreciate even more the unexpected lesson Ezekiel taught me this week.
Ezekiel came from a priestly family. Priests were installed for service at the age of thirty. Unfortunately, he and a host of others were in the first group of captives sent to Babylon when Ezekiel was only 25. Yet, in his 30th year, his priestly year, God called him to become a significant prophet!
As the curtain on Ezekiel’s book rises, we find the 30-year-old man sitting on the banks of an irrigation canal. God gives him a vision of His glory, including a storm cloud, strange creatures, wheels inside wheels, and bright light. Then, something amazing happened! God’s Spirit entered Ezekiel, and he heard Him speaking.
Ezekiel heard his mission. He was to proclaim God’s words to his fellow Israelites. However, he would be mute until God put specific words in his mouth for him to speak. (Ezekiel 3:26-27) His muteness likely raised eyebrows and stimulated thought-provoking conversations. Throughout chapters 4 through 33, Ezekiel could ONLY say what he heard from God. Somehow, I always missed that profound tidbit of information.
What if we could only say the words the Spirit whispered to us? Are we quiet enough to hear Him? Do we pay attention when we do hear Him? Do we say things that are not necessary or better left unsaid? It is tough to listen when we enjoy hearing ourselves talk. It’s even harder to hear two voices at once. Satan would like nothing better than for us to turn our ears his way.
Then again, do our actions proclaim what we believe? God asked Ezekiel to do some crazy things. Who wants to lay on their side for hours every day for over a year and cook their bread over poop to demonstrate Jerusalem being under siege? Not me. But those crazy things got some folks’ attention, guaranteeing that a remnant of God’s people remained. Ezekiel obeyed everything God told him to say and do – even when it didn’t make sense. Unfortunately, I can’t always say that. Sometimes, I have no idea why God wants me to do what He asks me to do. But I can say thank you, Jesus, for the grace you shower over me when I don’t listen and obey. Thank you for giving us a second, third, and kazillionth chance to improve. Thank you for rattling our dry bones back to life and filling us with a Spirit that empowers us to listen and obey your words.
I love that Ezekiel ends his book by sharing the hope we have for a better future:
“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” (Ezekiel 36:25-27)
