There are some people whose job it is to give others warnings of dangerous conditions ahead or that are coming. Meteorologists are one such group of people. Part of their job is to warn the public when a storm is approaching, such as a hurricane, a tornado, or a blizzard. Where I live our community tornado siren will go off at least once a year, warning that a tornado has been sighted. If we don’t take cover there could be serious danger. Police put up warning signs when something dangerous is up ahead on the road, perhaps a bridge being out. Officials put out warnings if it’s dangerous to swim in the ocean due to rip currents or perhaps even a shark. To disobey that could cost one their life. It is important to heed the warnings, and it is equally important for those in charge to faithfully give the needed warnings. If they fail in their responsibilities, it could cost many people their lives. In our Scripture today, we read of the charge that the Lord gave the prophet Ezekiel to give His message to the people of Israel, and to not be afraid or hesitate, because the message was important.
As our Scripture opens, the Lord told Ezekiel to get up, to stand on his feet (vs. 1). The prophet had fallen upon his face in reverence, awe, and worship when he was blessed to see a vision of, not only a heavenly being (Ezekiel 1:4-25), but also of the pre-incarnate Lord Jesus (vs. 26-28). Naturally, such a vision would bring one to prostrate themselves. The Lord had a very important message to give the prophet for him to deliver to the people, so He told him to get up. This vision had so affected Ezekiel that the Holy Spirit had to give him the power to arise (vs. 2). God never gives us a command that He doesn’t also give us the ability to fulfill. He never calls us to a task without also enabling us to complete it.
The Lord gave Ezekiel a message he was supposed to bring to the children of Israel. His ministry was to the people during the Babylonian captivity, and though one might think that now their hearts would be tender to the Lord, that was not the case for many of them. The Lord called them a rebellious nation, calling them impudent and stubborn (vs. 3-4). Ezekiel was to give them God’s message, and whether they accepted it or not, they would know that a prophet, God’s messenger, had been among them (vs. 5).
The words that Ezekiel then spoke to the people were not his words, but were actually God’s words. If the people rejected him, they, in truth, were rejecting the Lord God. The measure of Ezekiel’s success would not be on how well the people responded to him, but was on how well he, himself, obeyed God. God's truth does not depend on how people respond. God’s truth, His Word, stands true whether people believe it and obey or they do not. God will not judge us for how well others respond to our mission, but for how faithful we have been.
The unsaved, those who are rebellious and whose hearts have been hardened against the Lord are not pleased when someone comes, bringing God’s Word. God’s messengers are very often not welcome, and their reception can often be outright hostile. Ezekiel must have felt some fear in being sent to deliver the message, as he knew how they would likely receive him. They were like briers, thorns, and scorpions (vs. 6). No one wants to walk through a brier patch, nor to be among poisonous scorpions! These were the descriptions that the Lord gave for the people whose obstinate rejection of His Word were like the barbs of thorns and the stings of scorpions. However, God sent Ezekiel to speak to the nation. It would not be an easy job, but God was with him. He did not need to fear.
The great 19th century British preacher Charles Spurgeon once said, “Never, for fear of feeble man, restrain your witness.” We should never be so afraid of getting a negative response from someone, or a group of people, that we hold back and not bring the Word of God, the Gospel to them. God wants us to bring His message whether they listen or not (vs. 7). Wherever the Lord has placed us today, faithfully be His witness. People today are like those who are just idly going about their lives while a huge storm is heading their way and they ought to be seeking shelter. People today are unprepared, both those inside and outside of the Church, for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to share His message with someone today!
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