Ezekiel 3:1-27
Monday, 23 May 2022
“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore, hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me” -Ezekiel 3:17
Ezekiel, the priest was among the exiles taken to Babylon and who felt discouraged and depressed. Now the Lord gave him a new role of a prophet and commanded Ezekiel to speak to the House of Israel. God knew their stubborn nature and yet He asked Ezekiel to go speak to them whether they refuse to hear or not. The Lord assured him and had made his forehead “harder than flint.” Therefore, he was not to be afraid of them or terrified at their faces. Having received God’s word, Ezekiel had to find his people, the ones to whom he would speak.
As the Spirit lifted him up, Ezekiel heard the voice of a great earthquake- Blessed be the glory of the Lord from its place! Following God's call Ezekiel stubbornly sits in silence for an entire week. He was overwhelmed with grief for the sins of his people, and overpowered by the glory of the vision he had seen. At the end of the seventh day, the Lord told the prophet He had appointed him a watchman to the house of Israel and to warn them whenever the Lord spoke.
A watchman's primary duty is to raise the alarm in case of invaders, basically thwart illegal activity. Now in his preaching, He must distinguish between the wicked and the righteous, the precious and the vile, giving everyone his portion. Ezekiel is reminded of spiritual responsibility before God for the harm that will come on others, if he did not warn them of their wickedness. If he would carry out the duty of warning and trying to dissuade them from their wicked ways, he would have the comfort of having done his duty, regardless of the outcome, but, if not, he was accountable (Verse 16 -20).
Likewise, the Lord has called each of us to be a watchman. Our responsibility is to embrace the call He has for us, to receive His Word, preach the gospel to the world whether they accept it or not— to be a watchman without hesitation. God expects us to obey His call in whatever way He has called us, knowing that He will be with us every step of the way. God’s calling on our lives are often not easy. This isn’t because God intends for us to be unhappy. It's because God wants us to trust Him, and if we simply lived in our comfort zones, we would miss the need to trust God.
When God calls a person to go on a mission, He prepares him/her for it. As one pursues the calling God has given him/her, the Lord will strengthen and establish the person. This is what happened to Ezekiel as he became God’s spokesman. We also see it in the life of Samuel where he was chosen as a messenger to the Lord and he was a trusted prophet of strong faith who always sought out what God’s calling for him was. Samuel became the leader of God's people not out of self-serving ambition but because God had given him a vision and the abilities to lead people to carry out that purpose (1 Samuel 3:10-4:1).
Once the message of salvation is entrusted to us who are called by the Lord, we are responsible and accountable to share it with those who are lost. Are you being obedient to the call of God upon your life? To travel the Christian life's narrow road is to be constantly pushed out of our comfort zones, prompted to use the gifts God has given us to serve others and His Kingdom. If you haven’t heeded to God’s call on your life, will you submit to His plan for your life?
Thought for the Day: “Don’t stay in the boat when God’s calling you to step out on the water.”~ Anonymous
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