November 6, 2026, Ezekial 3:12-27
November 6, 2026, Ezekial 3:12-27
12 Then the Spirit[a] lifted me up, and I
heard behind me the voice[b] of a great
earthquake: “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from its place!” 13 It
was the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one
another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and the sound of a great
earthquake. 14 The Spirit lifted me up and took me
away, and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the hand of
the Lord being strong upon me. 15 And I
came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who were dwelling by the Chebar canal, and
I sat where they were dwelling.[c] And I sat there overwhelmed
among them seven days.
16 And at the end of seven days, the
word of the Lord came to me: 17 “Son of
man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear
a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 18 If
I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no
warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his
life, that wicked person shall die for[d] his iniquity, but
his blood I will require at your hand. 19 But if
you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his
wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have
delivered your soul. 20 Again, if a righteous
person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a
stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him,
he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall
not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand. 21 But
if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall
surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”
22 And the hand of
the Lord was upon me there. And he said to me, “Arise, go out
into the valley,[e] and there I will
speak with you.” 23 So I arose and went out into
the valley, and behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, like
the glory that I had seen by the Chebar canal, and I fell on my
face. 24 But the Spirit entered into me and set me
on my feet, and he spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself within your
house. 25 And you, O son of man, behold, cords
will be placed upon you, and you shall be bound with them, so that you cannot
go out among the people. 26 And I will make your
tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and
unable to reprove them, for they are a rebellious house. 27 But
when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to
them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ He who will hear, let him hear;
and he who will refuse to hear, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious
house.
Ezekiel 3:12-27
details the prophet’s formal commissioning as a "watchman" to Israel.
It establishes his ultimate accountability for warning the wicked and
righteous, the personal cost of obedience, and the restriction of his voice
until God explicitly commanded him to speak.
The watchman
metaphor highlights a tension between warning others and the outcome
of their choices. When God places a difficult truth or warning on your heart,
are you more focused on how the recipient will react, or on simply being
faithful to deliver the message?
God restricted Ezekiel's speech so he could only deliver
the exact messages he was given. In your daily interactions and conversations,
how do you ensure that you are speaking God’s truth, rather than just sharing
your own opinions or remaining silent out of fear?
Robin Adams
Comments
Post a Comment