Rejection is never pleasant. Nobody wants to have their words rejected and cast aside, especially if the message is important. If those who we are talking to reject us, especially if it is done with some anger or even threats of violence, we are likely to just quit talking, give up, and walk away. This is the situation that the prophet Ezekiel found himself in. In our Scripture passage for today, we will read what the Lord had to say to the prophet when his message was angrily rejected by the people.
Ezekiel was a prophet of the Lord during the time of the people of Judah’s captivity and exile in Babylon. As we read in the Old Testament, the people of the southern Kingdom of Judah went into captivity and exile in Babylon because of their persistent idolatry and worship of false gods, along with their disobedience to God’s Law. The northern Kingdom of Israel had already been exiled and taken captive by the Assyrians because of their sins and idolatry over a hundred years earlier, as well.
God had a message for the people of Judah, now in captivity, and He sent His servant, Ezekiel to deliver it. In the previous chapter, Ezekiel had seen an amazing vision of the glory of the Lord God. It caused him to fall face down and prostrate himself. Now God told Ezekiel to get on his feet (vs. 1-2). The Holy Spirit helped him to get up, as the glory of his vision might have left him without much strength. God will never tell us to do something except that He gives us the ability to do it. When we obey Him, God will provide for our needs to do what He asks.
God gave Ezekiel the Holy Spirit for power to do the difficult job ahead, giving His message to a rebellious people. One would think that after such a horrible judgment as being sent into exile, far away from their homeland, from their beloved capital Jerusalem, sent to a foreign land speaking a language most didn’t know, that they would repent and forsake their sins. However, shocking as it may seem, so many of the people remained in rebellion against God, their hearts hardened. It was to these people that God sent Ezekiel with His message.
The people didn’t want Ezekiel’s message. They didn’t want to be told that they were sinners, that they needed to repent. They were self-righteous, just as they were during the time of earlier prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah, and they would be later during the days of Jesus. These people were obstinate and stubborn, despite having gone into captivity in Babylon (vs. 4-5). They refused to admit their sin, to repent and return to God. They turned away from the truth.
As I mentioned above, no one enjoys giving a message to those who don’t want it, to those who oppose us. If the people are angry, if they start to become threatening, we might become afraid and turn away, staying quiet, and keeping the message to ourselves. God knew this. He knew that Ezekiel’s safety was possibly in danger, yet He told the prophet to not be afraid (vs. 6). God encouraged Ezekiel to fulfill the mission that He had given him to complete. And despite the harsh opposition from a disobedient people, Ezekiel obeyed God, and he gave His message.
The response of the people of Israel to Ezekiel’s message was like briars, thorns, and scorpions. There was nothing but stinging rejection from these people. Such was their response to God’s Word. Yet Ezekiel was told not to fear them. He was called to give God’s message to the people whether they would listen or not. The measure of Ezekiel’s success was not how well the people responded, but how well he obeyed God, and fulfilled His mission.
God also wants us to share the Gospel message to people whether they will accept it or not, whether it is convenient or not (II Timothy 4:2). With the Holy Spirit in us, we can put away our fears of rejection or ridicule when telling others the Gospel message. God’s strength is powerful enough to help us obey Him, even under heavy criticism. Wherever the Lord has you today, faithfully be His witness. Never, out of fear of man, hold back your witness for the Lord Jesus.
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