It is a heavy responsibility laid upon Ezekiel. He has the responsibility to speak all the
Lord speaks to him faithfully. If the
Lord speaks to him about someone and he fails to deliver the word of warning or
rebuke and the person falls into sin, Ezekiel is jointly responsible. It seems simple but does anyone really enjoy
doing that? In the age of the spirit
being poured out on all flesh do we have similar responsibilities? We all have blind spots and we need those
around us to speak into our lives to call our attention to those things in our
lives that are sin but that we have grown so accustomed to that we no longer
even see them as such. Especially given
the situation of Israel as the nation in exile, the prophet’s job is a
difficult one. Who wants to continue to
convict people who are going through such difficult times? The work begins by the prophet being bound by
cords, unable to talk, as a sign to the rebellious nation. The people would have been anxious to hear a
word from the prophet, waiting expectantly.
We have no idea how long this season of time lasted but it was
apparently quite lengthy.
What is it that keeps us from speaking the truth? Fear.
It might be fear that relationships will be affected or even ended but
it also might be the fear of being wrong even when we know we aren’t. Not a single one of us receives criticism
perfectly. Some may receive it better than others but none of us receives it
without feeling the sting and developing some level of resentment. It may not last forever but it happens, we
want to defend ourselves, we don’t want to be that transparent, that naked,
that accountable. Ultimately we are that
accountable, we are accountable to God and we are indeed naked before Him,
either unashamed or ashamed. This is
Jesus’ reminder to us that fear isn’t bad, it is part of the package of being
created in His image, that we have a responsibility first to Him, then to our
fellow man.
“And you were dead…”
Not dying, not drowning, dead in trespasses and sin. Dead requires not resuscitation or rescue but
resurrection. The most important words
for us are, “But God…” If I accept that
I was dead in trespass and sin and an object of wrath, could I have anything to
do with my own salvation? Dead people
cannot help themselves can they? God
acted from mercy based in love on your behalf to give you life. He did so only on the basis of His love for
those created in His image, and He did so that we might, in the coming ages, be
shown “the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ
Jesus.” What awaits us is even greater
than we can imagine. We owe everything
to Him who has given us life and all this is gift, something we did not and
cannot earn, but that does not mean that works have no place in our lives. We were “created in Christ Jesus for good
works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” They are response to what He has done for us.
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