Ezekiel 2

Now the voice of God spoke to Ezekiel and said "Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you." And the spirit entered Ezekiel. God was going to send him to the children of Israel, "a rebellious nation" that "rebelled against God," "imprudent and stubborn children."

The Lord God told Ezekiel to give them His message, "...whether they hear or whether they refuse..." do not fear their threats. They are a wicked people. 

Next, Ezekiel saw a hand stretched towards him, holding a scroll; then the scroll spread out before him, and he saw writing of lamentations, mourning, and woe. 

COMMENTARY

McGee pointed out that Ezekiel was addressed as Son of man. Daniel was the only other prophet referred to as Son of man. And, of course, Jesus also referred to Himself as the Son of Man.

Ezekiel was given the responsibility of speaking to the rebellious people of God. The Spirit of God went with him to do the job he was called to do. When God calls us to do a work, He gives us the power to do it. 

God told Ezekiel that His people will know that he is a prophet - whether they will hear him or not. God will make sure of it. Even after he is long gone, they will know it. 

This statement about whether or not they hear makes me think of two things: how many times does God say, "He who has ears, let him hear?" Everyone has ears, right? When the gospel message is spoken, everyone has an opportunity to hear the truth, repent, and believe. If they, who have ears, refuse to hear, then they will die in their sins. So whether or not they hear or not, the gospel will be preached. 

And that brings me to my second thought: whenever God's Word goes out, whenever it is preached, whether people hear it or no, respond or not, God is glorified. God is always glorified by those who share His message. 

SIDE NOTE

If you read my personal testimony, there was a time when I was meeting with a Jehovah Witness for Bible study, and she told me that Jesus and God were two separate people. But I pointed out that Jesus was called the Lord in the NT, and God the Father was also called the Lord in the OT. The woman showed me that in the OT, God the Father is all upper case, and in the NT, Jesus as Lord is only capitalized. 

Years and years later, I was reading Ezekiel, and there the Lord God was written only capitalized, and I wish I knew that because I would have loved to know how she would have explained that. Probably she would have had an answer because she had an answer for everything. But I was reminded of this again when I read Ezekiel 2:4.