Saturday December 9
Ezekiel 3:1-11 Call to prophecy
He said to me, O mortal, eat
what is offered to you; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.
So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. He said to me, Mortal,
eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it. Then I ate it;
and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey.
He said to me: Mortal, go to
the house of Israel and speak my very words to them. For you are not sent to a
people of obscure speech and difficult language, but to the house of Israel—
not to many peoples of obscure speech and difficult language, whose words you
cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to them, they would listen to you. But
the house of Israel will not listen to you, for they are not willing to listen
to me; because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn
heart. See, I have made your face hard against their faces, and your forehead
hard against their foreheads. Like the hardest stone, harder than flint, I have
made your forehead; do not fear them or be dismayed at their looks, for they
are a rebellious house. He said to me: Mortal, all my words that I shall speak
to you receive in your heart and hear with your ears; then go to the exiles, to
your people, and speak to them. Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God’; whether they hear or refuse to hear.
****
Sent by God to the people of Jerusalem, Ezekiel was a prophet who
warned them about their coming destruction and exile if they didn’t change
their ways and heed God’s warning. The city of Jerusalem was still standing,
but was inhabited by a head strong people who had turned away from God. God decided to give them a warning of their
upcoming doom if they didn’t start listening to Him. In a vision He appears on a throne in a human
like form to Ezekiel. He gives Ezekiel a
scroll containing God’s word and tells him to eat it. As Ezekiel does so he finds Gods words sweet
as honey. God warns Ezekiel that his
people are hard headed and will not listen to him or Him. But He has given Ezekiel an even harder head
and he is to speak back God’s words that he has ingested and warn the people
whether they hear or refuse to hear.
Here is the imagery we have seen in other parts of the Bible of
God “touching” his prophet to put God’s words into his mouth. One comes away with the impression, soon to
be verified, that the people will not listen to Ezekiel. This is the too oft repeated pattern of Gods’
people turning away from Him, God punishing them and then, because of God’s
mercy, forgiving them.
It is only through the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ sacrifice and God’s
mercy that we can truly be saved. For
we, all too often, repeat this pattern ourselves of failing to listen,
suffering and then seeking God’s mercy once again.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, you sit above us
beyond our comprehension, full of mercy for your undeserving people. Please listen to our prayers asking for your
forgiveness for our turning away from your will and placing other desires ahead
you. We plead again for your boundless
compassion. Forgive us our trespasses as
we turn back to you. Amen
Don
Icken
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