ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?

Debbie Burns

Central Truth

God's truth does not depend on how people respond. God will not judge us for how well others respond to our faith, but for how faithful we have been. God always gives us the strength to accomplish what He asks us to do.

"I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD.' As for them, whether they listen or not--for they are a rebellious house--they will know that a prophet has been among them." (Ezekiel 2:4-5)

Ezekiel's Call

1 And he said to me, “Son of man,^{1

2:1
Or Son of Adam; so throughout Ezekiel} stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” 2 And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. 4 The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ 5 And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions.^{2

2:6
Or on scorpion plants} Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. 7 And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.

8 But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” 9 And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. 10 And he spread it before me. And it had writing on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe.

Footnotes

[1] 2:1 Or Son of Adam; so throughout Ezekiel
[2] 2:6 Or on scorpion plants

Have you ever been placed in a position in which you felt the Holy Spirit clearly prompting you to speak--wanting you to tell the person standing in front of you about Jesus Christ and what He means in your life? I cannot tell you the number of times I have felt this, and I am ashamed of the number of times I stepped away thinking, "Are you talking to me?"

I have experienced a hateful response when I have spoken the truth, and it was not something I enjoyed. I felt like I had failed, and I remember the sting of it to this very day. I think how small the scale of this situation was compared to Ezekiel's.

Ezekiel was in unfriendly territory, and he knew it. God placed him right where He wanted him: Babylon. He had a heavy task ahead of him. God gave Ezekiel the difficult responsibility of presenting His message to ungrateful and abusive people. We are not talking about a small group of people. There were seven nations' worth of people! God told him to speak the truth regardless of whether his audience listened.

We are asked to share our faith with everyone, not just those that we think will respond well. I wonder if Ezekiel was very fearful. Regardless, he did not forget whom to fear! God expects us to speak the good news even if it's not convenient or comfortable. Ezekiel obeyed what God asked him to do in spite of the fact that he was facing hundreds of really hateful people.

God allowed the nation of Judah to be destroyed because of its sins. But there was still hope. God promised to restore the land to those who remained faithful to Him. Ezekiel's message was: "Obey, and God will bless you." God has promised us that as well!

God never forgets those who faithfully seek to obey Him. I have realized we may never know how, but what we deem a failure could be used to further the Kingdom of God. What a glorious future there is ahead!

1. Have you faced a difficult situation regarding your faith? How was it handled and what were the results?

2. Did you pray before you spoke, asking for God's guidance and strength, or did you just jump in with your own strength?

3. Are you at a place in your walk with Christ that has made it easier to be bold when speaking the truth? If not, what do you think is holding you back?

4. Have you reached a point where you know you must be obedient to the task God has placed before you? If not, what steps are you taking to meet this goal?

WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY

LAMENTATIONS 3 – EZEKIEL 2 (JUNE 20-24)

Read Lamentations 3:19-33.

What do you learn about God's love in verse 22? What do you learn about His mercy for each day in verse 23?

In verse 27 you see the word yoke. Do you know what a yoke is? Look up on the Internet a picture of an ox in a yoke and talk about what the yoke does for the animal. If the animal tries to go its own way, what does the yoke do?

Why is it important for us to submit or to live under the yoke of God's guidance? From what you learned in verses 22 and 23, why can you trust God's yoke?

ACTIVITY: Let's simulate what it is like to be led by a yoke. Set up an obstacle course in your house or backyard. Have each person get a jacket from his closet. The first person to go through the obstacle course should put his jacket on backwards without his arms in the sleeves. Then blindfold him. Now have another member of the family guide him through the obstacle course without talking. She will take the sleeves behind the "walker" and will use them to guide him through. As you are doing it, talk about God as our guide and how we need to be paying attention to Him to recognize His efforts to guide us along the right paths.