The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Ezekiel 2:1-2, 7a,
"He said to me, 'Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.' As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me... 'You must speak my words to them…'"
A prophet, as presented in the pages of Scripture, is one who represents God directly to people. Not a preacher or a pastor or evangelist who delivers a sermon or preaches the gospel but one who receives a message directly from the Lord with the responsibility to carry that message to whom God wants it given. (A priest carries the communication the other way, one who represents the people to God.)
The reason I make a fine distinction is that I never lose my astonishment over what the Lord has done: he has communicated to mankind! He has communicated to us humans as we would with each other! Imagine that! The Creator of the Cosmos stoops down to speak with us! As we consider the intricacies of creation, how wonderful life is designed, as we consider the vast expanse of the universe with its billions of solar systems, as we make pitiful attempts to consider God's fantastic power and unfathomable wisdom, knowledge and understanding, it is just astonishing to me that he would stoop down to speak to us! What is even more astonishing is his interest in us!
Here we see Ezekiel being commissioned with a prophetic ministry to take God's communication to what is left of the nation of Israel. Caught in the deportation just a few years earlier and now in Babylon, Ezekiel is told to take God's message to Israel: further judgment is coming, Jerusalem will be destroyed and those who are left will be scattered… but take heart, God will establish a new covenant.
In this book of Ezekiel, God also reveals some things about himself. He is a God of justice and righteousness. He is continuing his judgment of Israel already begun for their sin and rebellion against him. But he also reveals his loving kindness and speaks of the covenant he will be making with Israel later (and through Israel to all those who embrace him in faith), that he himself will redeem them from their sin. Such is what we see in the Old Testament prophets. God reveals his heart, his character and nature and things he is going to do.
As Peter puts it, "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21.
I marvel at the reality that sitting on my coffee table is the real, authentic, and true communication the Creator of the Cosmos has spoken to us… it kind of makes you want to pick it up and see what he says, doesn't it? Might be the most important thing I do today…
A prophet, as presented in the pages of Scripture, is one who represents God directly to people. Not a preacher or a pastor or evangelist who delivers a sermon or preaches the gospel but one who receives a message directly from the Lord with the responsibility to carry that message to whom God wants it given. (A priest carries the communication the other way, one who represents the people to God.)
The reason I make a fine distinction is that I never lose my astonishment over what the Lord has done: he has communicated to mankind! He has communicated to us humans as we would with each other! Imagine that! The Creator of the Cosmos stoops down to speak with us! As we consider the intricacies of creation, how wonderful life is designed, as we consider the vast expanse of the universe with its billions of solar systems, as we make pitiful attempts to consider God's fantastic power and unfathomable wisdom, knowledge and understanding, it is just astonishing to me that he would stoop down to speak to us! What is even more astonishing is his interest in us!
Here we see Ezekiel being commissioned with a prophetic ministry to take God's communication to what is left of the nation of Israel. Caught in the deportation just a few years earlier and now in Babylon, Ezekiel is told to take God's message to Israel: further judgment is coming, Jerusalem will be destroyed and those who are left will be scattered… but take heart, God will establish a new covenant.
In this book of Ezekiel, God also reveals some things about himself. He is a God of justice and righteousness. He is continuing his judgment of Israel already begun for their sin and rebellion against him. But he also reveals his loving kindness and speaks of the covenant he will be making with Israel later (and through Israel to all those who embrace him in faith), that he himself will redeem them from their sin. Such is what we see in the Old Testament prophets. God reveals his heart, his character and nature and things he is going to do.
As Peter puts it, "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21.
I marvel at the reality that sitting on my coffee table is the real, authentic, and true communication the Creator of the Cosmos has spoken to us… it kind of makes you want to pick it up and see what he says, doesn't it? Might be the most important thing I do today…
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
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