The Book of Ezekiel

Hebrew Study

Explanation

Flat on his face before the glory (1:28), Ezekiel is commanded, "Son of man, stand upon thy feet." He could not rise on his own; "the spirit entered into me... and set me upon my feet." God does not merely command; He supplies the power to obey. Then comes the commission, and it is unflinchingly honest about the audience. Ezekiel is sent "to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled," a people "impudent" (literally hard-faced) and "stiffhearted," whose rebellion, and their fathers', runs "even unto this very day."

God does not promise success. He tells Ezekiel in advance that they may "hear" or may "forbear" (refuse). What matters is that he speaks God's message, "Thus saith the Lord GOD," so that whatever their response, "they shall know that there hath been a prophet among them." This is a crucial redefinition of faithful ministry: the servant is responsible to deliver God's word truthfully, not to guarantee that hearts will turn. The results belong to God.

Gospel Focus

Two truths here shine with the gospel. First, "the spirit entered into me... and set me upon my feet." We cannot stand, serve, or obey God in our own strength; it is His Spirit who raises us up. This is the same power that Jesus promised, "ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you" (Acts 1:8), the one Spirit of the one God enabling His people. Second, the title "Son of man" points beyond Ezekiel to Jesus Christ, who took that name as His own. Ezekiel was a frail son of man sent to a rebellious house; Jesus is the true Son of man, God manifest in flesh, sent to a rebellious world, "he came unto his own, and his own received him not" (John 1:11). Like Ezekiel, He faithfully spoke the Father's words whether men would hear or forbear, and His faithfulness, not our reception, is the ground of our salvation.

Hebrew Study

Explanation

Three times God says "be not afraid." Ezekiel will live "among scorpions," surrounded by "briers and thorns," people whose words wound and whose looks intimidate. But the fear of man must not silence the word of God: "thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear." Then comes a sharp personal warning, verse 8: "Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house." The prophet sent to rebels must himself be obedient; he cannot call others to submit to God while resisting God himself.

His first act of obedience is to receive: "open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee." Before Ezekiel can speak, he must take God's word into himself. A hand extends a scroll, "written within and without," so full there is no room for the prophet's own opinions, and its message is "lamentations, and mourning, and woe." The word he must internalize is sorrowful, because it announces judgment on sin. A faithful messenger does not choose a lighter message than the one God gives; he eats what God spreads before him, and delivers it whole.

Gospel Focus

"Open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee." Before we can speak God's word to others, we must take it into ourselves until it becomes part of us. Jeremiah said the same, "Thy words were found, and I did eat them" (Jeremiah 15:16), and the Lord Jesus lived by it, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word... of God" (Matthew 4:4). The gospel is not merely to be announced but to be inwardly received and digested; only a word we have truly eaten will nourish others. And notice the courage God commands: "be not afraid of their words." The same call rests on every believer who carries the gospel into a hostile world, "God hath not given us the spirit of fear" (2 Timothy 1:7). Even when the message includes "lamentations, and mourning, and woe," the honest warning of judgment on sin, faithful love speaks it, for only those who hear the bad news will run to the good news of Christ.