Today's Video Devotion

Friday 7/26/24

The Lord's Call

📺️ Ezekiel 2 🔊

¹And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.

 ²And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.

 ³And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.

 ⁴For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD.

 ⁵And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.

 ⁶And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.

 ⁷And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.

 ⁸But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.

 ⁹And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;

 ¹⁰And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

Written By: God through Inspiration

Penned By: Ezekiel

Date Penned: (571 BC)

Overview: To Announce God's Judgement and Salvation (c 1-5)

Theme: Messages of Doom (c 1-24)

Message: God Calls Ezekiel (v 1-9)

Ezekiel 2 Commentary

(2:1) Son of Man - The immortal God addressed Ezekiel by calling him "son of man," or "son of Adam," emphasizing the distance between them. It is amazing that God chooses to work his divine will on earth through finite, imperfect beings. We are made from the dust of the ground like Adam, yet God chooses to place his life and breath within us and ask us to serve him. 

(2:2) A Vision - We can only imagine what Ezekiel must have felt as he experienced this vision. Certainly there was much he did not understand, but he knew that each part had significance because it came from God. He recorded the vision in specific detail, a technique that adds to both its wonder and authenticity. When God saw Ezekiel's open and obedient attitude, he filled Ezekiel with his Spirit and gave him power for the job ahead. God doesn't expect us to understand everything about him, but he wants us to be willing and obedient servants, faithful to what we know is true and right. 

(2:3:5) Giving God's Message - One of the ways the business world defines success is in terms of giving customers what they want. Ezekiel, however, was called to give God's message to the people, whether they would listen or not. The measure of Ezekiel's success would not be how well the people responded, but how well he obeyed God and thus fulfilled God's purpose for him. Isaiah and Jeremiah also prophesied with little positive response (see Isaiah 6:9-12; Jeremiah 1:17-19). We live in a world today where more people than ever seem hostile and unresponsive to God's truth. But his truth does not depend on how people respond. God will judge us not for how well others accept our witness to our faith but for how faithful we have been. God always gives us the strength to accomplish what he asks us to do. 

(2:4-5) Stiff Hearted - God called the people impudent and stiffhearted because they refused to admit their sin and return to him. Rebelliousness was the nation's primary characteristic at this time. Even when God pointed out their wrongdoing, the people ignored the truth. If God is pointing out some sin in your life, don't resist or try to hide it or downplay it. Confess your sin and begin to live for God. By obeying him now, you will prepare yourself to be ready for God's final review of your life (Matthew 25:31-46). 

(2:6-10) Be Not Afraid - Three times God told Ezekiel not to be afraid or discouraged. When God's Spirit is within us, we can lay aside our fears of rejection or ridicule. God's powerful strength helps us live for him even under the heaviest criticism or threats. 

(2:6-8) An Ungrateful People - God gave Ezekiel the difficult responsibility of presenting his message to ungrateful and abusive people. Sometimes we must be an example to or share our faith with people who will react with hostility toward us. The Lord told Ezekiel not to be afraid but to speak his words whether or not the people would listen. He also wants us to tell the Good News, whether or not doing so is convenient or comfortable (2 Timothy_4:2). 

(2:9-10) Scrolls - Ancient books were usually scrolls, one page (up to 30 feet long) rolled up simultaneously from both ends. Normally, scrolls had writing on only one side. But in this case, the writing overflowed to the scroll's other side, showing the full measure of judgment about to descend on Judah. No one could say God hadn't warned them.

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we continue the Book of Ezekiel with Chapter 2. In our text today we see God calls Ezekiel to go tell the people of God His Message. In making application we see that the Lord still calls His Children to tell others the Good News of Jesus-Christ and to preach or proclaim the Word of the Lord. Today, all Christians have a part in this calling as the Lord has instructed all who have been saved to tell everyone of how to be saved. How about you? Have you responded to the Call of the Lord? Let us learn from out text today and the example of Ezekiel to see that the Lord has called all of us to share the Gospel with every person in the world.