In Ezekiel chapter 3, God calls and commissions Ezekiel as a prophet to the Israelites in exile. Ezekiel is given a scroll to eat, symbolizing the words of God that he will proclaim. He is also warned that the people will not listen to him because of their stubbornness and rebellion.

The book of Ezekiel opens with a vision that the prophet had of the glory of God, which he witnessed while in exile in Babylon. The vision was filled with amazing imagery. The Holy Spirit has a figure of a man. “I looked, and I saw a FIGURE like that of a MAN. From what appeared to be HIS waist down HE was like fire, and from there up HIS APPEARANCE was as bright as glowing metal. HE stretched out what looked like a HAND and took me by the hair of my head. The SPIRIT lifted me up between earth and heaven and in visions of GOD HE took me to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court, where the idol that provokes to jealousy stood. And there before me was the GLORY of the GOD of Israel, as in the vision I had seen in the plain.” Ezekiel 8:2-4 NIV

In the second chapter of the book of Ezekiel, the prophet receives a vision from God. He sees a great storm approaching, accompanied by lightning and thunder. In the midst of this vision, God calls Ezekiel to be a prophet to the nation of Israel. Despite the challenges he will face, Ezekiel is commanded to speak God’s word to the Israelites.

In chapter 4, God gives Ezekiel a strange command to act out a siege against a model of Jerusalem. God tells Ezekiel to lie on his side for 390 days to represent the punishment that will come upon Israel, and then to lie on his other side for 40 days to represent the punishment of Judah. During this time, Ezekiel is only allowed to eat a small amount of bread that is baked over dung.

In chapter one: “This as the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.”   He saw what some scholars today believe was Jesus. The prophet fell facedown as the man spoke; “Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.” As the man spoke, the Spirit came into Ezekiel and raised him to his feet, and Ezekiel heard him clearly speak.

Ezekiel was a home missionary to the people of Israel. “You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech.”  He was a watchman. Ezekiel was careful to speak God’s Word to save souls.  He was used as a sign post that said “walk this way”.  In humble submission, Ezekiel obeyed God and lost all things and shut down his personal interests. He ate his food by weight as he sacrificed his personal appearance.

Today the words recorded in Ezekiel convict us to turn back to our first love, Jesus Christ. We too should be careful to watch, and to listen to what the Spirit is saying to us.

In all the land, the religious practices became superficial and ritualistic. The temple had been worshipped above God and so He reduced it to ashes as the people were deported to Babylon.  The same thing can happen to Christians today.  We grieve the Holy Spirit when we are unwilling to surrender our soul to encounter God. Music, sports, work or ambition can easily become an idol. The Spirit of God is limited to help us uncover sin if we refuse to examine our heart’s motives.  Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and we must crucify our personal desires so that He may rise up and work in us for God’s glory.

God sent Ezekiel to speak to a stiff necked, selfish and rebellious generation. Our Father instructed him not to be terrified while living among evil. Then God stretched out his hand and handed Ezekiel a scroll. Both sides of the scroll had words of lament and woe.  God then told Ezekiel to eat the scrolls, to digest them fully and then go and speak to the house of Israel.  Ezekiel reports that the words on the scrolls tasted sweet. Our Father warned Ezekiel that the house of Israel was not willing to listen to him because they were not willing to listen to God.  Then the Spirit lifted Ezekiel up and he heard a loud rushing sound “May the glory of the Lord be praised in His dwelling place”.

In chapter 7 we read that the end came to the four corners of Israel.“The end is now upon you and I will unleash my anger against you. I will judge you according to your conduct and repay you for all your detestable practices.” Whether or not people listen or understand, our responsibility as a believer is the same as Ezekiel’s.  We are to listen and obey, and deliver God’s message to all who have ears to hear what the Spirit of God said through His prophets and disciples.

In chapter 37 Ezekiel was given the vision of a valley filled with dry bones which represented the whole house of Israel.  It pictures the power of God to raise those who are dead and bring forth new life “in Him”. The bones are the Jews; and the graves are the nations in which they were buried. God’s promise to bring them back to their own land, and to revive His Holy City will be, according to His purpose, in His time, to fulfill all that He promised.

In chapter 38:14-23 of Ezekiel we read what God says will happen on the Day of the Lord! “Therefore son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In that day, when My people Israel are living in safety, will you not take notice of it? You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. You will advance against My people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, Gog, (a gathering of nations) I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I am proved holy through you before their eyes. In My zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. I will summon a sword against Gog on all My mountains, declares the Sovereign Lord. Every man’s sword will be against his brother. I will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. And so I will show My greatness and My holiness, and I will make Myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

The phrase ‘the Glory of God’ is repeated a dozen times in the first eleven chapters. Then in chapter 43, the glory of the Lord is grieved by the idol worship of the people. Today, even as we live under a new covenant, it is essential that we worship the Lord, and not what the world offers. If  we ignore how the Holy Spirit pricks our conscience,  the Spirit of God will be grieved. As the temple of the Holy Spirit on earth is our body, mind and soul, when we grieve the Holy Spirit, in our foolishness, we replace God for things of this world.

The writings of Ezekiel end with the earthly glory of God returning. He reports in chapter one: “Standing near the Kebar River in Babylon, the heavens opened up and God gave him an incredible vision.” Each creature in Ezekiel’s vision had the face of a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle. When the creatures  moved the wheels moved. “Wherever the spirit would go, they would go.” It is important to be led by the Spirit, and to go wherever we are moved to go. To do so we are wise to command our soul to surrender to the Spirit.  So then speak what we intuitively are given to speak. As we obey God, we are kept from being held accountable for the eternal damnation of those we are led to speak to. God instructed Ezekiel to warn Israel of their destruction.

“Whoever has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show Myself to them.” (John 14:21)

LESSON: Jesus will judge us, and He will restore those who confess their sins. We are wise to remain submitted to God. Watchman Nee.

Under Authority