Ezekiel 3
COMMENTARY:
: 3 And HE said to me, Son of man, cause your belly to eat, and fill your bowels with this roll that I give you. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. (4966 “sweetness” [mathowq] means pleasant thing, the properly of something tasting as if it contains sugar, or agreeable.)
DEVOTION: The LORD is communicating with HIS servant a prophet to Israel. HE gives him the name of “Son of man” to show that Ezekiel is a man called of God to go to a people that needed a message from the LORD.
Ezekiel was commanded to internalize the message the LORD had for the children of Israel. He had to know what the LORD wanted to say to the people and realize that the LORD wanted the message to be agreeable with HIM. He was to only share what the LORD had given him as a message to Israel. He was not to add to it or take anything away from the message.
The prophet thought that the message was like honey to the taste. He had to realize that the LORD was sharing what needed to be said to correct the behavior of the people. There would be some that didn’t want to hear the message but there would be others who would hear what the LORD had to say and appreciate it.
Anyone who is a genuine believer wants to hear what the LORD has to say to them. We need to be listeners to the Word of God as we study and meditate on it daily. There is a difference between just reading the Word of God and internalizing it into our life. The Holy Spirit will help us internalize the message of God and make it sweet to our taste.
Sometimes when we share it with others it might seem bitter.
Our daily meals in the Word of God have to be ones that give us a full soul to worship and serve the LORD. If we don’t know that the LORD loves us it is hard to share HIS love with others. Remember that sometimes HE does give us tough love to help us mature.
CHALLENGE: Is the Word of God sweet as honey to your taste as HE allows it to correct our behavior and gives us orders to serve HIM.
: 17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. (6822 “watchman” [tsaphah] means look, espy, to view, to observe accurately, keep guard, or to peer.)
DEVOTION: Ezekiel was called of God for a purpose. He was to observe the people and inform them of the messages he received from the LORD.
He was the designated prophet in Babylon to the children of Israel. He was to hear the word of the LORD. He was to give the people warning. It seems simple but if the people are not listening to him it is hard to get his message across to them.
This is true today. There are men who are genuinely called of God to call the people of our world into a proper relationship with the LORD. They speak but very few listen to them.
Should they stop speaking? NO!!! The LORD wants those chosen by HIM to go into the world and preach the Gospel to all who will hear this message. When the death, burial and resurrection of Christ are preached on every street corner, HIS name will be glorified.
The majority don’t believe in a resurrection from the dead. Many believe that once you are death you are dead. This is a message from the devil. He knows that most of the people would rather believe a lie instead of hearing and believing the truth.
Our responsibility as a believer is to get this message out no matter what the response may be. Once the message is out there and people reject it their blood is on their own hands but if we fail to spread the message where the LORD sends us then we have to answer to the LORD.
Are we observing accurately the signs of the times? Are we warning those around us of a coming judgment? God observe all we do for HIM and what our attitudes and motives are regarding the sharing of the message of truth regarding a Savior who died for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day.
Those who reject this message will spend eternity in the lake of fire with the devil and his angels.
CHALLENGE: Pray that this message of warning will be shared with all those who claim Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.
: 19 Yet if you warn the wicked, and he turn NOT from his wickedness, Nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your soul. (5337 “delivered” [natsal] means to save oneself, to be saved, be secure, to free from harm or evil, and in some cases from imprisonment, or snatch away.)
DEVOTION: The calling of Ezekiel was to be a prophet in his time period. The LORD gave him the responsibility to warn the rest of the nation that they were headed in the wrong direction and they needed to turn back to the LORD with confession of sin and change their ways.
Ezekiel was not given an easy task. The children of Israel had lived a long time in sin and neglect of the LORD. They were enjoying what they were doing – living in sin – and they didn’t want to hear a message to turn from how they were living to the way the LORD wanted them to live.
This is true today as well. There are many people who think that they are believers but are living as they please instead of the way the LORD wants them to live. They seem to think that God will just take them into heaven they way they are and not be concerned.
This thinking is from the devil and not from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit wants us to daily confess our sins and turn from our wicked ways and follow the LORD with HIS help.
It is two different lifestyles. One is leading to heaven and the other is leading to Hell for eternity. It is sad that Ezekiel had to preach this message to his own people but the LORD told him to and he did it. Even if they didn’t want to listen.
There are many people today in our world who claim to be believers but are living in a lifestyle that is not pleasing to the LORD. Our responsibility is to warn them that they are headed in the wrong direction and need to turn and walk in the way the LORD wants them to walk.
If we are walking with the LORD and confessing our sins each day, then we can go to others with this message because they will see that we are trying to live a life that is pleasing to the LORD and want to follow HIM better.
CHALLENGE: Ezekiel set the example in his day. We need to set an example in our day.
: 21 Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also you have delivered your soul. (2094 “warn” [zahar] means to admonish, teach, shine, send out light, be light, or be shining.)
DEVOTION: Ezekiel received his commission for service to the LORD. He was to eat the Word of the LORD found on a scroll. It was sweet as honey in his mouth.
He was sent to the house of Israel. He knew their language. However, the LORD warned him that they would not listen to him. They had not listened to the LORD in the past. They had not listened to HIS prophets. He was appointed a watchman. He was called the son of man.
He had the responsibility of warning the righteous and the wicked of their actions. If they repented they would live. If they didn’t repent they would die.
However, Ezekiel was held accountable for not warning those who needed the warning. He was to be a light in a dark place. He was to be the one to teach and admonish the children of Israel regarding their actions. If he didn’t teach and admonish, their blood was going to be on his hands.
All ministers have the responsibility to teach and admonish those who they come in contact with regarding the teaching of the Word of God. They are to be warned regarding their actions.
If ministers fail to warn those who are in their world of their actions, then they will be held accountable. Ministers or watchmen are to be lights in a dark world. Let’s share the light with those who are in our world.
We are all ministers of the Word of God. We would encourage each one that receives these devotions to send them to everyone on their email list at least once before the end of this season.
There may be people on your email list who are just waiting to start having a regular time in the Word of God. Please share the light!!!!
CHALLENGE: The fear of rejection is real for those who share the truth of the Word of God with others. Remember the difference between those who can just kill the body and SOMEONE who can put the body and soul in the lake of fire for eternity.
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