Jesus throughout the Scriptures: Exilic Prophets (1) (1)
Pray Psalm 71.14-16.
But I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And Your salvation all the day,
For I do not know their limits.
I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD;
I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.
Sing Psalm 71.14-16.
(Solid Rock: My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less)
But as for me my voice I raise to sing in hope and constant praise!
With saving grace my voice will swell Your never-ending grace to tell.
Refrain
A Rock of habitation be; command Your Word to rescue me;
my Rock and Fortress ever be!
Read Ezekiel 2.1-10; meditate on vv. 7-10.
Preparation
1. What did God call Ezekiel to do?
2. What should he expect as he did this?
Meditation
The people to whom God sent Ezekiel were bitter and rebellious. They had become captive to the world around them, and this led them to become captive to the Babylonians for seventy years. But they were not sufficiently distressed by this to confess their sins and repent, turning back to the Lord. God sent Ezekiel to them, knowing they were bitter and rebellious, and that they probably would not listen to his message. His job was just to go and proclaim the Word of the Lord. That Word was one of judgment, but also one of hope.
Ezekiel’s experience thus foreshadows the ministry of Jesus among a faithfless and unbelieving generation. Though He spoke only truth and demonstrated the power of love, yet He was rejected by the rebellious people of His day who were captive to sin and the status quo.
The apostle John must have seen himself in many ways like Ezekiel, for he drew on many of the prophet’s experiences and images for the book of Revelation. Ezekiel, more than Jeremiah, held out the hope of a coming day of restoration. The people would not hear him though, and his message would be largely tolerated rather than obeyed. However, he faithfully proclaimed the Lord’s Word, and he held out the vision of a coming new day of rivers of blessing.
We must do the same. As we daily feed on the Word which God offers (vv. 8-10), we must pray that He will fill and transform us, and send us, like Ezekiel and Jesus, to bear His Word to the world by word and deed.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.
Jesus said, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper,
that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth,
Whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him;
but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” (Jn. 14.16-18).
Ezekiel experienced this:
“Then the Spirit entered me
when He spoke to me, and
set me on my feet; and
I heard Him Who spoke to me” (Ezek. 2.2).
We experience this same intimate fellowship, just as Jesus promised, each time:
we fellowship with Him in His Word,
we talk with Him in prayer,
we are confronted with Him by His creation,
and as we dwell upon Him and His glory throughout the day.
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor stands in the path of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that brings forth its fruit in its season,
whose leaf also shall not wither;
and whatever he does shall prosper” (Ps. 1.1-3).
That we may become blameless and harmless,
children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,
among whom we shine as lights in the world, holding fast the Word of life… (Phil. 2.15, 16).
Jesus, Lover of my soul, Let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll, While the tempest still is high:
Hide me, O my Savior, hide, Till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide; O receive my soul at last!
Thou, O Christ, art all I want; More than all in Thee I find;
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, Heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Just and holy is Thy Name, I am all unrighteousness;
False and full of sin I am, Thou art full of truth and grace.
Plenteous grace with Thee is found, Grace to cover all my sin;
Let the healing streams abound; Make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the fountain art, Freely let me take of Thee;
Spring Thou up within my heart, Rise to all eternity.
(Charles Wesley, 1740)
Loved like that, filled with His love and Spirit, we love Him in return.
And rejoice to be sent by Him to do His work and speak His Words (Jn. 15.16).
Reflection
1. What are we supposed to do with the Word God speaks to us?
2. What happens when we are indifferent to that Word, or neglect it, or simply choose to disobey?
3. Whom can you pray for and encourage today to stand firm in the Word and love of the Lord?
The divine voice commanded the prophet as he lay and bade him rise. But he could in no way have risen if the Spirit of the Almighty had not entered into him, because by the grace of almighty God we can indeed try to perform good works but cannot carry them through unless he who commands us helps us. Gregory the Great (540-604), Homilies on Ezekiel 1.9.2
Pray Psalm 71.17-22.
Call on the Lord to make it plain to everyone who sees and knows you today, that Jesus is alive in you and in their midst. Seek grace to show His love and speak His truth to the people around you today.
Sing Psalm 17.17-22.
(Solid Rock: My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less)
O LORD, I praise Your righteousness Who me from youth have taught and blessed.
Forsake me not when I am old, ’til I Your mercies all have told!
Refrain
A Rock of habitation be; command Your Word to rescue me;
my Rock and Fortress ever be!
Your righteous deeds are great and true. O God, there is no one like You!
Though many troubles I have seen, You will revive my soul again!
Refrain
A Rock of habitation be; command Your Word to rescue me;
my Rock and Fortress ever be!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: We continue reading excerpts from the book, Revived! in our Read Moore column. Why not listen in? Last week’s Crosfigell letter included a challenge to greater spiritual vision. And in our ReVision series, “Pray for Your Church”, we urged readers to pray that all things might be done for edification in the local church. And new in our bookstore, Let God Be True and Enjoying God, both free to download and share, and Ecclesiastes: A Matter of Perspective, also in free PDF format.
Support for Scriptorium comes from our faithful and generous God, who moves our readers to share financially in our work. If this article was helpful, please give Him thanks and praise.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
