I used to think the book of Ezekiel in the Bible was rather boring....like what's all this about wheels within wheels and stuff like that!? (Ezekiel 1:16) Actually he saw some rather spectacular things besides the wheels: various living creatures and such.So what got me "into" it? When I was a captive mother, so to speak...putting the children down for a nap for instance...that is when I chose to do some Bible reading; sometimes to them till they fell asleep (perhaps they thought it was boring). My norm had been to only read a few verses or at the most, one chapter at a time. However, when the children did not fall asleep straight away, it gave opportunity for further reading. I discovered that was good. It allowed for a bigger overall picture without having to wait 24 hours for the next "episode".
When you get to chapter 2 of Ezekiel, you see that God gave a message of judgment to come, judgment due to the rebelliousness of people who do not listen (2:5).
Then Ezekiel is told in verses 7 and 8 that the people won't listen to the message but whether or not they do he must give the warning anyway. He must not be rebellious either. "Oh, boy, why me!" he may have said. Yet as we read on we see he was obedient to God.
We too have no excuse for not telling out the message of Jesus, whether or not people listen. We must do our responsibility.
You should read about all that Ezekiel endured when being obedient to God! Hard stuff, I'll tell you! Serving God won't always be a piece of cake as you'll see. Yet what propelled Ezekiel? In Ezekiel 3:15 you will see that Ezekiel was overwhelmed by the predicament Israel had gotten itself into, especially after realizing how it affected God. Maybe he even realized, except for God's grace and mercy, he himself could have been one of the rebellious ones.
When you read chapter 4 you really start to feel sorry for the guy and maybe he was getting kinda sorry for himself. Like I said, obedience to God can cost you a lot but again, God is gracious and merciful.
I was rather captivated to learn that Ezekiel had to lie on his side for a long time. How could he manage that?! Ezekiel likely wondered too. God helped by tying him up with ropes. Ezekiel was also supposed to cook for himself while tied up and lying on his side. Ezekiel requested a mercy though from God which God granted. Ezekiel didn't want to have to cook using his own excrement for the fuel. God granted him the use of animal manure. God also gave him a special diet of high fiber bread. Isn't this a caution! It's difficult enough to make bread whilst standing on one's own two feet but look at the bread making feat Ezekiel juggled.
Ezekiel certainly wasn't going to get bored.
So what was the point of all this?
Ezekiel was bearing Israel and Judah's sins! Doesn't quiet seem fair does it? He had to draw up God's battle plans or judgment plans. No doubt for the people's benefit but it would also help him to visualize, understand and feel how deeply the rebelliousness affected God's heart. I certainly believe Ezekiel must have gotten a pretty good grip on that and was able then, to express it with genuineness (Ezekiel 3:14, 15).
Can you get a feel for that too? Just think of what Jesus did for us?! Even more than Ezekiel endured! Jesus went all the way to the cross for our rebelliousness. Think on that.
I myself, having grown up in a Christian family where really bad sins were described as murder and stealing but I hadn't really gotten an idea of how much of a sinner I actually was. I didn't murder anyone nor had I stolen anything. Yes, ok, but what about lying and unforgiveness? What about sibling rivalry? These didn't sink in as being sins. I was a goodie-goodie.
I had only gotten saved out of terror of going to Hell if I died if Jesus suddenly came to take all the followers of Jesus up to Heaven with Him. I didn't want to be left behind. I certainly didn't feel the terribleness of my sins; I didn't even feel like I was a sinner despite being told repeatedly that all people are sinners, including me.
Well I grew up and then I asked God one day, to show me just how terrible my sins were. He did when a certain traumatic happening happened to one who was close to me. A sin that seem so devastating that that person should have known better about. But God admonished me, "That, my dear daughter, could have been you!" That realization totally devastated me and I broke down and cried for the better part of three days. I now knew a small bit of how God views our/my sins.
Those things which that person had done brought shame and disgrace upon the family; it even jeopardized his father's job! Yet, God was good through it all and comforted that family and me.
I'm grateful to the Lord for showing me those things. My prayer is that that person will be convicted of his sin and see how God feels about where he is and will confess to God and gain His forgiveness and purification (1 John 1:9). May we, each one of us, realize the brevity of our own sins in God's sight, be convicted and brought to full restoration in body, soul and spirit in the Lord.
There will be an accounting in time to come. May the world's sin bind us in similar manner as Ezekiel's predicament and may we each realize our own sin's abhorrence to God as well as the sins of the world. May we sincerely care and mourn for our family members, neighbors and colleagues who do not yet know Jesus as Savoir and live our lives in such a way as to bring many sons to glory for God. Ezekiel's story and our own story are not quite so boring after-all.
~ERC 2017~
Originally written July 1995; adapted for blog July 1017
welcome.
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