Encounters with God.  Today, we look at the calling of Ezekiel to be a prophet of the Lord.  He was not called to be a foreign missionary, like Jonah was.  Instead, he was called to minister to people who, in his day, spoke his language.  However, that does not mean his task would be easy.  When it came to the condition of the heart, the people were definitely not on the same page as the Lord.

In Ezekiel chapter 2, verse 3, the LORD said, “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their fathers have been in revolt against me to this very day. The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn.  Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says.’ And whether they listen or fail to listen-for they are a rebellious house-they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

And then in verse 7, the LORD adds, “You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious.”

For Ezekiel, the issue was not whether or not the people would listen to him.  The issue was “what message did the LORD want to speak through Ezekiel?”  The success of Ezekiel’s mission did not depend on the response of the people.  The success of his mission depended on being faithful to the word of the LORD.  It takes courage, it takes humility, and it takes an obedient spirit to proclaim the Gospel today.
Many prophets and teachers have faced resistance before us.  Along with Ezekiel, there was Jeremiah, Moses, Stephen, the Apostle Paul, and the Lord Jesus Himself.  The call of Ezekiel reminds us of two key principles of sharing the Good News of Jesus.  “Do not go beyond what is written.” (I Corinthians 4:6) And “don’t hesitate to proclaim the whole will of God.” (Acts 20:27)