Ezekiel 3:1–15 / Empowered Messengers
📘 Scripture
1 And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.”
2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.
3 Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.
4 He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them.
5 You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language, but to the people of Israel—
6 not to many peoples of obscure speech and strange language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you.
7 But the people of Israel are not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for all the Israelites are hardened and obstinate.
8 But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are.
9 I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.”
10 And he said to me, “Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you.
11 Go now to your people in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,’ whether they listen or fail to listen.”
12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound as the glory of the Lord rose from the place where it was standing.
13 It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound.
14 The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord on me.
15 I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kebar River. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days—deeply distressed.
🔍 Scripture Summary
God tells Ezekiel to eat the scroll and speak to Israel. The scroll tastes sweet as honey. The Lord then tells Ezekiel to go to the rebellious people of Israel and speak His words to them. Though they will not listen, Ezekiel must speak and not be afraid. The Spirit lifts Ezekiel up and takes him away. He arrives among the exiles in Tel Aviv and sits among them for seven days, deeply distressed.
💬 Reflection
Hardened Hearts Fail to Listen (3:1–7)
God tells Ezekiel that, had he been sent to a foreign people instead of to the Israelites, he would have found more success. The Israelites have become hardened and refuse to hear God’s simple message even when it is presented to them openly. The people are unwilling to listen to God’s messenger because they are unwilling to listen to God. If we are set in our own ways, we can easily become hardened when God sends us the same message over and over. Like the Israelites, we fail to listen even though God’s message is clearly presented to us. God continually sends messengers to speak His Word to His people. The Holy Spirit warns us, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Heb. 3:8a).
Who are the people who speak God’s truth into your life? Thank God for them and ask for a teachable heart to listen to Him.
Unyielding in Truth (3:8–15)
The people’s stubbornness does not intimidate God; He decides to be just as unyielding. He empowers Ezekiel to stand firm before the obstinate Israelites and strengthens him to confront a rebellious people. The strength God supplies enables Ezekiel to speak the truth to the Israelites, regardless of their response. This, however, does not spare Ezekiel the discomfort of the message he must speak. When God sends us into the world, He does not send us in our own strength. He has given us the Holy Spirit, whose power enables us to live and speak as His witnesses. We will sometimes find it uncomfortable to speak a message many do not want to hear. However, we can take courage in the fact that God will supply the strength and perseverance we need.
What difficulties have you been facing lately as God’s messenger living in the world? Ask God for the strength and perseverance to continue telling people about Him.
💡 Today’s Inspiration
“When a puny man risen from the dust speaks in God’s name, at this point we best evidence our piety and obedience toward God if we show ourselves teachable toward his minister, although he excels us in nothing.”
– John Calvin
🙏 Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word and for sending obedient messengers who continually remind Your people of Your eternal truth. Soften my heart to receive Your correction and help me honor those You have placed in authority to share Your Word with me. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
✍ Essay
Fear of the Pulpit
I grew up critical of all preachers, always finding some rhetorical or theological flaw in their messages. Then I preached my first sermon. It took me two weeks to read, research, and find the right anecdotes. And as I preached, I heard my inner critic making the same judgments I had made years before. After that first sermon, I spent a long time in prayer and repentance, and apologized to every pastor I had judged internally.
Today, I preach weekly, and students often ask how I come up with material every week. I find it hard to answer that question. Every pastor knows how essential it is to constantly read, watch, and study for material, but a sermon is not solely dependent on those things. A sermon is not a motivational speech or a lecture; it is God’s Word proclaimed to God’s people. Sermon preparation is as much a spiritual exercise as it is an intellectual one. The goal is not to say something interesting or new, but to ask: What does God want to say to His church this week? How is this Bible passage relevant to our congregation?
While I have become better at preparing and writing sermons, I still approach the pulpit with reverential fear and a heart of repentance. I still hear my inner judgmental voice, but I have learned that this voice is not who I’m preaching to. My job is to faithfully preach the message God has entrusted to me and entrust the rest to Him.
Written by John Bak
📖 Memory Verse
Ezekiel 2:8 | “But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”