44 lines
2.3 KiB
Markdown
44 lines
2.3 KiB
Markdown
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title = "Ezekiel 3:16–27"
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date = "2023-03-09"
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### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Ezekiel3.16-27)
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After a week of being overwhelmed by the vision he had seen, the Lord speaks to
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Ezekiel again to give him a warning and a charge. Whenever the word of the Lord
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comes to Ezekiel, he is to speak it to the people so that they are warned of
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the judgement that will come because of their sinful ways. The warning to
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Ezekiel is that he is like a watchman over a city, and if he does not warn the
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people of the danger he sees, he is culpable for the destruction that occurs.
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If, after he warns them, the people do not listen and they perish, Ezekiel is
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not guilty, because he did what he was supposed to do. Two scenarios are given,
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showcasing a wicked person and a righteous person hearing Ezekiel's message. In
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both cases Ezekiel's duty is clear and the person who sins is the one who is
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judged.
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The Lord then commands Ezekiel to have a face-to-face conversation in the
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valley nearby. Ezekiel again sees the glory of the Lord that he had seen
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previously, and again falls on his face. But the Lord lifts him up in order to
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tell him how his prophetic ministry shall go. Ezekiel will become a mute
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hermit, shut up in his house, only able to speak the words the Lord gives him.
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He will be unable to reprove the people beyond telling them the prophecies that
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God has declared against them. Apparently, he can't even go out among the
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people to tell them the message he has been given.
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Let this be a reminder that God's ways are higher than our ways. Most of us
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would think God would want Ezekiel to tell as many people as possible the
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things He has to say to them. Indeed, that is the strategy employed at other
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times and places, such as when Jesus sent out the twelve and seventy-two to
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proclaim the kingdom of God. This time, it seems, God's purpose is not to
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change anyone's mind with the message, but to be a proof of His holiness and
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sovereignty to future generations. The people eventually notice that Ezekiel
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doesn't come of out of his house, and he only speaks when he has a word from
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the Lord to tell them. Eventually, everyone realizes that he is a true prophet
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of God when the things he predicts come true. But of course, that means the
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judgements have fallen already.
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* * *
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Let us be faithful to the calling You have given us, and may Your Name be
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glorified.
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