For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.
Ezek 2:1-8
He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.” 2 As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.
3 He said: “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day. 4 The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ 5 And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious people—they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people. 7 You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. 8 But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”
A. Find Out
1. What did the Lord tell Ezekiel to do and what happened? v.1,2
2. To whom was the Lord sending Ezekiel? v.3a
3. How did he describe them? v.3b,4
4. What will they know? v.5b
5. What did the Lord tell Ezekiel not to be? v.6
6. Of what was he not to worry? v.5a,7
7. Who was he not to be like and what was he to do? v.8
B. Think:
1. What is Ezekiel told about those to whom he is to go?
2. What effect might that have on him?
3. So how does the Lord counter that?
C. Comment:
Ezekiel is on his face but the Lord doesn’t want to talk to the back of our head so He instructs Ezekiel and then raises him up. He first of all addresses him as “Son of man”, which will occur again and again in this book. It indicates Ezekiel’s smallness, weakness and humanity, to contrast with the greatness and holiness of God.
The Lord first tells Ezekiel to whom he is to go: to Israel. Now that is not good news because this is at the end of Judah’s time when many are already in exile. It has been their stubbornness and rebellion that has brought them to this place. They may or may not listen to him, but he’s to go nevertheless. Being in exile himself, Ezekiel might have already been feeling down and the thought of having to take God’s word to this people would quite naturally raise fear in him.
The Lord directly addresses this fear: don’t be afraid he says – three times! Don’t be afraid of them or of their words or worry about whether they will heed what you say. It’s sufficient that they know a prophet has been among them. Our responsibility is simply to pass on what God says and leave the response to our listeners. They are answerable to God! We’ve just got to ensure we’re simply obedient.
D. Application:
1. Communicating the Gospel is our responsibility.
2. How people respond to it is their responsibility.
Ezek 2:8-3:3
9 Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, 10 which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe.
And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.
3 Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.
A. Find Out
1. What was Ezekiel told to do? v.8c
2. What did he see before him? v.9
3. What was it? v.10
4. What was he then told to do? v.1
5. So what did he do and what happened? v.2
6. What then happened and how did it taste? v.3
B. Think:
1. How many times was he told to eat? What does that say to us?
2. What was the scroll?
3. How did it taste? What do you think that says?
C. Comment:
Having been given a general instruction to go and speak to Israel, Ezekiel (in the vision remember) then has the message imparted to him in a prophetic and symbolic manner. The picture clearly says that the prophet has to inwardly take in the message before he can impart it. Real prophets don’t just pass on God’s word; they have already taken the truth into their innermost beings so it has become part of them. They thus speak out of the deepest of convictions.
Three times Ezekiel is told to eat what is being given to him. Why three times? First, it is probably because the thought of eating a manuscript would be repugnant. Second, to convince Ezekiel that this is really what God wants him to do and it is so important that he does it.
What did he have to eat? A scroll on which was written both sides, words of anguish over Israel. This indicates first the heart of God over Israel and then the feeling that Ezekiel is to take into himself. When the Lord says He will speak against Israel, it isn’t with relish but with anguish that He comes. Ezekiel is to come in the same way. The scroll was first of all filling and then sweet to taste. This is the will of God: it is filling or complete and it is sweet when we receive it – even if later we are to feel the anguish of it! God’s word is always good!
D. Application:
1. Prophets are to feel as God feels. They feel His anguish at times.
2. Prophets are to speak with God’s feeling, not their own