Today's passage initiates the coverage of Ezekiel's prophecies in our Daily Bible. Ezekiel brings truth to the Israelites who have become exiled in Babylon. While his words cover many of the same judgments that other prophets have offered, he also will speak of a coming restoration, particularly involving a "new covenant" and bringing life to "dry bones."
Three highlights from today's reading include:
1) A vision of the Lord.
"Then there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him." (1:25-28)
In receiving his "call" from the Lord, Ezekiel finds himself confronted with God's awesome presence. The subsequent description highlights the grandeur and glory of our King.
2) Each believer's individual responsibility.
"At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me: 'Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked man, "You will surely die," and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself.
"'Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will have saved yourself.'"
God calls Ezekiel to a great level of personal accountability in his ministry. While God does not expect Ezekiel to change people's hearts, He does require the prophet to carry out that which He has set before Ezekiel. This high standard does not respect Ezekiel's feelings or preferences. His effort to stay true to God's calling relies on a trust in God's sovereignty and the inherent goodness of God's character (Romans 8:28). For us, we recognize that living our lives for the Lord's glory and presenting a consistent testimony of following Him should stand above our personal desires and preferences.
3) The vanity of creation in light of judgment.
"Outside is the sword, inside are plague and famine; those in the country will die by the sword, and those in the city will be devoured by famine and plague. All who survive and escape will be in the mountains, moaning like doves of the valleys, each because of his sins. Every hand will go limp, and every knee will become as weak as water. They will put on sackcloth and be clothed with terror. Their faces will be covered with shame and their heads will be shaved. They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be an unclean thing. Their silver and gold will not be able to save them in the day of the LORD's wrath. They will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it, for it has made them stumble into sin. They were proud of their beautiful jewelry and used it to make their detestable idols and vile images. Therefore I will turn these into an unclean thing for them. I will hand it all over as plunder to foreigners and as loot to the wicked of the earth, and they will defile it. I will turn my face away from them, and they will desecrate my treasured place; robbers will enter it and desecrate it." (7:15-22)
Many people in the modern world cling to created things -- from money to technology to medicine -- in order to seize security for themselves. Yet, from an eternal perspective, these created things will never satisfy our heart-longing for the eternal or quench the judgment of death that we all face. Our struggles, both day-to-day and longer-term, help us to determine in what places we have laid our security. Our difficulties drive us to seek the Lord and embrace His goodness.
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