April 13 - Rest

Some things that stood out to me in Ezekiel 1-3: God tells Ezekiel that He is sending him to a rebellious people; He tells Ezekiel that they will give him "looks" and He tells Ezekiel not to be afraid! If God tells you not to be afraid, you can bet it is going to be scary. So, if God knows they will not hear what Ezekiel will say, then why does He bother sending him at all? 2:5 explains that the purpose is for Israel to know they they have a prophet among them. It's almost like our "due process." He also explains to Ezekiel that Ezekiel himself will be saved by proclaiming the Words of God. It is interesting to think of God calling His 'chosen people' a "rebellious nation." It makes me think of our churches today - there are many that do not proclaim the Word of God. They are rebellious; not wanting to be scorned by a rebellious people, they preach what the people want to hear. They do not want to offend the sinner, lest he not come to church. But at what cost do these churches keep the rebellious sinner in their midst? They threaten the children among them and their very own flock. And, then, sin begets sin. Where does the line get drawn in omission of offense? Jesus offended when He came. He endured scorn for our us, how much more shouldn't we endure scorn and 'looks' for Him? Proclaiming God's word is not negotiable.

God tells Ezekiel that the blood of the rebellious will be on Ezekiel's hands if He does not proclaim the Words of God. He says it twice in 2:18 and 20. In contrast, He says that if Ezekiel does as God instructs/obeys, Ezekiel's soul will be delivered.

Streams uses Ezekiel 3:22 as a springboard for rest in God. Although I do believe that God provides many passages for such admonition, I don't think this is one of them. I don't see Ezekiel getting much rest. I see him being tested in his obedience to God. There in the plains, Ezekiel sees God's glory and falls on his face! Rest? If you consider a quickened heart rate as rest. On the heels of seeing God's glory, he is sent out of the plains, back to his house where he is told that he will be shut in and bound in ropes. It doesn't resonate 'rest' with me...I think God was increasing Ezekiel's faith to prepare him for the hard work ahead of him. I'd love to hear your comments/perspective.