Ezekiel 3

3:1-3In his vision, Ezekiel ate God’s message and found this spiritual food not only good for him but also sweet as honey (see Revelation 10:8-10 for a similar use of this image). if you “digest” God’s Word, you will find that not only does it make you stronger in your faith, but its wisdom also sweetens your life. You need to feed yourself spiritually just as you do physically. This means doing more than simply giving God’s Word a casual glance. You Must make digesting God’s Word a regutar part of your life.

3:8,9Belief in God is not a crutch for those too weak to stand on their own. God makes his followers strong enough to stand against anything or anyone, including those who hate what is right. Just as God gave Ezekiel tough faith (“as hard as the hardest rock”), he wants to give you the stability, perseverance, and insight you need to live up to the great task he has given you. Give yourself over to God’s conditioning and let him get your life in shape.

3:10,11Ezekiel needed to take God’s words to heart before preaching them to others. God's message must sink deep into vn heart and show in your actions before you can effectively elp others understand and apply the gospel.

3:14,15Ezekiel was bitter and angry, not at God, but at the sins and attitudes of the people. Ezekiel’s extraordinary vision had ended, and he had to begin the tedious job of prophesying among his people, who cared little about God’s messages. Before the “Exile, the people had heard Jeremiah, but they would not listen. Here Ezekiel had to give a similar message, and he expected ta be rejected as well. But Ezekiel had the vision of the four living “beings and the wheels to back up his message. He had nothing . to fear because God was with him. Despite knowing the probable “gutcome, Ezekiel obeyed God. ,- As we grow, we will have times of great joy when we feel close to God and times when sins, struggles, or everyday tasks overtwhelm us. Like Ezekiel, we should obey God even when we don’t “feel like it. Don’t let feelings hinder your obedience.

3:15Ezekiel sat quietly among the people for seven days. This /was the customary period of mourning for the dead (Genesis 50:10; 1 Samuel 31:13; Job 2:13). Ezekiel was mourning for those who were spiritually dead. Tel-abib was the location of pone of the settlements of Jews who were exiled from Jerusalem. p3:17, 18 Awatchman’s job was to stand on the city wall and jar the people of approaching danger. Ezekiel’s role was to be a Spiritual! watchman, warning the people of the judgment to come. ‘Some think that the phrase “I will hold you responsibie for their leaths” means that just as a watchman on the wall would pay ith his life if he failed to warn the city of approaching enemies, Ezekiel would pay with his life if he refused to warn the people of oming judgment. Others believe this phrase simply means that iod would hold Ezekiel accountable. "18, 19 God had already told Ezekiel that the people would not isten, so why should he bother to tell them God's message? God wanted the people to know they had been warned. Ezekiel’s job was to obey God. We are responsible to tell others about God’s judgment and his message of salvation, although we are not held responsible for how they respond. If we refuse to tell others what we know, however, God will judge us. Remember God’s words to Ezekiel when you are tempted to remain silent among those who don't believe.

3:18-21In these verses, God is not talking about loss of salvation but rather about physical death. If the people back in Judah continued in their sins, they and their land and cities would be destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar’s armies. If, on the other hand, the people would turn to God, God would spare them. God would hold Ezekiel responsible for his fellow Jews if he failed to warn them of the consequences of their sins. All people are individually responsible to God, but believers have a special responsibility to warn unbelievers of the consequences of rejecting God. If we fail to do this, God will hald us responsible for what happens to them. This should motivate us to begin sharing our faith with others— in word and deed—and to avoid becoming callous or unconcerned in our attitude.

3:23Ezekiel recognized his helplessness before God and fell face down in his presence. Sometimes our prosperity, popularity, or physical strength blinds us to our spiritual helplessness. But nothing we do on our own can accomplish much for God. Only when God is in control of our wills can we accomplish great tasks for him. The first step to being God’s person is to admit that you need his help; then you can begin to see what God can really do in your life.

3:24-27Ezekiel was allowed to speak only when God had a message for the people. Thus, the people knew that whatever Ezekiel said was God's message. They did not have to wonder whether Ezekiel was speaking by God’s authority or his own.