"And He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.” 2 Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me. 3 And He said to me: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. 4 For they are [a]impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ 5 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." - Ezekiel 2:1-5
The Lord told Ezekiel to stand. I find that interesting. He must have been on his knees or lying down, chapter one doesn’t say. He had just received a vison from God and he saw the Glory of the Lord! I wouldn’t have wanted to stand either. Ezekiel then received the Holy Spirit. He had been a Priest and now he was made a Prophet. A Holy Spirit filled Prophet who was given a mission.
His mission required both boldness and physical strength. He was to go and tell the children of Israel that God was displeased with their false Prophets and that God was judging them.
But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted. 8 Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. 9 Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.” - Ezekiel 3:7-9
“Do not be afraid…” Again God tells his Prophets not to fear. Jeremiah was given the same charge. I personally struggle sometimes with thoughts that are not mine. I choose not to live in fear accept for the fear of the Lord who has the power to destroy both my soul and my body. But as with most followers of Christ, I have God on my side and I have come to know Him as Dad. He was there for me as a child. He has never left me, even when I walked away from Him. Although, there were times where He pulled back his hand of protection and allowed me to experience the consequences of my choices and actions. I never would wish that on anyone. I’ll just say that I find the book of Job reassuring.
There have been times where I have asked the Lord to speak to me and He lead me to Job. In a believers mind that has got to be one of the greatest compliments. He’s saying to me; “I know you are going through a difficult challenge; affecting all areas of your life right now. I know you won’t deny me. You’re going to be better on the other side of it.”
Have you ever felt like Job? I have some friends who must have at one time or another. It’s heartbreaking when one loses someone dear and it’s just not fair in my opinion. I have also watched God turn around and bless them abundantly in the things that matter. They have love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness and self-control. Those friends are heroes in my eyes. Great is their reward here and in God’s Kingdom for certain.
“Do not be afraid.” God loves you and many of His children who are called love you too. I know for a fact, because I do. I don’t know if I every could have done what Ezekiel was called to do. I’ll keep reading and hopefully write some more about it.
Thank you so very much for taking the time to read this and the other things I share. I’ll never claim to be a scholar unless I become a proper student led by those who were commended to teach.
May God’s Word come alive and live in you. Amen.
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