Ezekiel 33 Listen Closely
God calls for His people to listen closely to what He has to say, and to DO IT. They are listening to Ezekiel, but not acting. Their blood is on their own heads.
God has been speaking through Ezekiel to His people for YEARS. Many come to hear what God has to say, but most just listen, without letting the message change their hearts or affect their walk.
God tells Ezekiel to tell the people the SAME THING that God told Ezekiel himself. “If the watchman cries out and you ignore it, your blood is on your own head. If the watchman doesn’t cry out, your blood is on his head.”
Let’s rejoin Ezekiel as he continues to bring God’s word to the people; whether they listen or not. Holy Spirit lead this journey today. I want to hear Your voice in the story. Show me where to go and what to take for my own life. I do NOT want to only hear God’s word, but DO it with ALL my heart!
♥ ♦ ♥
It is a beautiful day as Ezekiel rises to begin his daily routine. He is smiling as he goes about his morning routine. A sparrow roused him with its song this morning and is still singing. Ezekiel counts it as praises to the Lord.
The sparrow quiets it’s song when Ezekiel kneels to pray and spend time with the Lord. Or maybe the song seems quieter to Ezekiel because of his focus. Whichever it is, Ezekiel focuses his mind and heart on this time with the Lord. It isn’t but a minute after finding peace within himself, that Ezekiel hears the voice of the Lord.
“Son of man, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and make him their watchman, and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand” (Ezekiel 33:2-6).
“You told me this at the beginning of my ministry. Do you want me to say this to the people now? Am I warning them of the danger of ignoring Your words? You know that they should already know this without having to be told.”
“They should. But you must say it to them, or their blood will be on your head. ‘So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul’ (Ezekiel 32:7-9).”
“If not for Your command Lord, I would have stopped LONG ago. I will honor You in ALL I do. I will be the watchman that You have called me to do, no matter what it costs me.”
“And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: ‘Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them. How then can we live?’ Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:10-11).
“O Lord, if only they would turn back! My heart longs for that day when Israel will serve You again with her whole heart.”
“And you, son of man, say to your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he transgresses, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness, and the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness[a] when he sins. Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, yet if he trusts in his righteousness and does injustice, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered, but in his injustice that he has done he shall die. Again, though I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ yet if he turns from his sin and does what is just and right, if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks in the statutes of life, not doing injustice, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he shall surely live” (Ezekiel 33:12-16).
“You know what they will say to this Lord. I can hear them crying out already. “But what about…”
“Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just,’ when it is their own way that is not just. When the righteous turns from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it. And when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he shall live by this. Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways” (Ezekiel 33:17-20).
“That’s exactly what I was thinking they would say. How easy it is for man to judge by his own standards. How quickly men cry out, “unfair” when they see one they do not believe is worthy, receiving blessings. Or when they see one they count as righteous suffering.”
God settles Ezekiel’s heart. Ezekiel breathes a sigh before rising to bring this message to the people. “They aren’t going to like it Lord.”
“But you are going to speak it just the same.”
“I am Lord” Ezekiel says to the Lord as he passes through his front door.
Ezekiel takes his customary place and begins calling out to the people. And, just as he knew they would, the people are NOT happy with God’s words.
“How can God allow one who is wicked to prosper, or the righteous to suffer?”
Because God has given him these answers, Ezekiel is free to combat the people’s complaints using His words. “God does not want to see any perish. He wants all men to turn to Him. And when the wicked turn, they are accepted and their past wickedness washed away. When the righteous turn from their righteous acts and practice wickedness, their previous acts are washed away as well.”
The people grumble but they listen to Ezekiel’s words. That is all he can do for them. And by sharing God’s words, he is guilt free, no matter what the people choose to do. Ezekiel brings this message to the people for almost two full months. He PRAYS with all his might that this message will be taken deep into their hearts.
Ezekiel continues bringing God’s words to the people as he is instructed. This evening, Ezekiel knows that something special is about to happen. He KNOWS in his spirit that the fugitive that God promised to bring to him, with news about Jerusalem’s fall, will arrive the next day. Ezekiel is both excited and sad. When the fugitive arrives, Ezekiel’s tongue will be released. He will be able to speak to the people freely. To teach and answer questions. His role as prophet will continue until God says it is over.
Ezekiel is also saddened, because this will be the proof that Jerusalem has fallen; just as God said it would. Ezekiel knows that Jerusalem has already fallen, for the Lord let him know this in his spirit. He was not told to proclaim it to the people though. The fugitive will be their proof, as well as his tongue being loosened will be the proof that a prophet is surely among them.
“Tomorrow is the day, Lord. What will the people do when they hear the news? What will they do when they hear me speak? Will they repent of their sins afterwards?”
Ezekiel rises in the morning. It is the 5th day of the 12th month of the 12th year of his exile. It is a day that none will forget. Ezekiel spends his usual time with the Lord and God gives him a message for the people, for after he meets the fugitive.
“Son of man, the inhabitants of these waste places in the land of Israel keep saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he got possession of the land; but we are many; the land is surely given us to possess.’ Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord God: You eat flesh with the blood and lift up your eyes to your idols and shed blood; shall you then possess the land? You rely on the sword, you commit abominations, and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife; shall you then possess the land? Say this to them, Thus says the Lord God: As I live, surely those who are in the waste places shall fall by the sword, and whoever is in the open field I will give to the beasts to be devoured, and those who are in strongholds and in caves shall die by pestilence. And I will make the land a desolation and a waste, and her proud might shall come to an end, and the mountains of Israel shall be so desolate that none will pass through. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have made the land a desolation and a waste because of all their abominations that they have committed” (Ezekiel 33:24-29).
“This is for those that remain in the land, isn’t it Lord.”
“It is. And the people will know of this as well; when it comes. ‘As for you, son of man, your people who talk together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses say to one another, each to his brother, “Come, and hear what the word is that comes from the Lord.” And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain. And behold, you are to them like one who sings lustful songs with a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument, for they hear what you say, but they will not do it. When this comes—and come it will!—then they will know that a prophet has been among them’ (Ezekiel 33:30-33).”
“I already know that they are not truly listening with their whole hearts. I pray that someday soon they will.”
“Today, will be the beginning of the answer to those prayers” God tells Ezekiel.
Ezekiel is excited to be on his way. The Lord opened his mouth this morning, even before meeting the man bringing the news. But Ezekiel holds his own tongue, waiting for that moment.
Ezekiel reaches the marketplace and a man comes running over to him.
“Here we go” thinks Ezekiel as he watches the man approach.
“My lord, my lord” he cries as he falls at Ezekiel’s feet.
“Rise up my son. Do not worship me.”
With Ezekiel’s help, the man stands up. His hands are trembling as he begins to speak. “My lord Ezekiel, the city of Jerusalem has fallen! Nebuchadnezzar razed it to the ground. He even burned the Temple of the Lord!”
“I know my son. The Lord has already told us that this would happen” Ezekiel looks out at the crowd as he says this.
The people are dumbfounded as they hear Ezekiel speaking with the man. It is exactly as the Lord said it would be. Ezekiel knows that their minds are willing to entertain the truth now. There is still hard truth to come today. “Lord, let them truly listen” Ezekiel silently prays as he steps onto his stone.
Ezekiel declares the words of the Lord concerning those still in Israel. By the time he has finished, people are openly weeping. The home they knew is gone. Their families are gone. Even those who survived and escaped are not safe.
“The judgment of the Lord is too hard for us. None of us will survive and Israel will be no more!”
Ezekiel shakes his head. “The Lord has promised to restore His people. Those who listen and return to Him WILL be saved. They will be the remnant that the prophet Jeremiah spoke of. They will be those that the Lord promised to gather from all the nations where He scattered them. You EACH have a choice to make. Will YOU be part of that remnant? Will YOU train up your children to be a part of that remnant; to serve the Lord God and Him only?”
Ezekiel looks out at the crowd, giving them time to process the decision that has just been placed in front of them. After a long silence, Ezekiel speaks again.
“In the words of the great Joshua, the son of Nun; ‘Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord’ (Joshua 25:14-15). The gods of the people of the land here are also to be left behind. My heart is committed. I will serve the Lord.”
Ezekiel steps down and makes his way out of the marketplace. Several people approach him as he is leaving.
“We choose to serve the Lord this day as well.”
Ezekiel smiles and hugs each one who has made that choice. His prayers are being answered one family and one person at a time.
(to be continued)
This last message is as poignant today as it was when the choice was first put before the people. From Adam on down, man has had to make a choice. From Abraham on down it became a specific choice for a specific people. From Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, and the Jews’ rejection of Him, that choice has been given to ALL mankind. And it is still the same choice. Serve the Lord only and be His people, or chase after other gods and die lost. As for me and my house, we serve the Lord.
I KNOW we don’t always serve perfectly. But what we do is return to Him every time we fall down. And He is ALWAYS ready with arms open wide to welcome us home.
Father God, I want to serve You ALWAYS. I know that I fall short. THANK YOU for not abandoning me during those times. And for loving me right back into relationship with You. THANK YOU for Jesus’ redeeming work on the cross. Without it, there would be no forgiveness for my sins. His blood doesn’t stop with covering up my sins but washes them completely clean. As though they never happened, in Your scale.
Thank You for standing beside me and walking with me through the consequences of my sins that aren’t blown away by the wind. The things that I am left dealing with because of my own actions. Thank You for EVERY TIME You temper those consequences too.
My WHOLE life is in Your hands, and I trust You; no matter what comes.
