Today, let’s look at Ezekiel’s ministry to understand why God deals with us individually. The Bible does not tell us much about Ezekiel’s personal life. But, we know that he was used a bit like Isaiah, as a watchman. My brother, my sister, through Ezekiel, God is showing us that, despite our repeated failures, His plans for the world will still be fulfilled and that each person’s response to God determines his or her eternal destiny: God works only with people whom He can count on and that is the reason why someone like Ezekiel was a prophet by God’s call and a priest by training.
Yes, God called Ezekiel to be the watchman on the walls of the city. Being a watchman is dangerous: if Ezekiel failed at his post, he and the entire city might be destroyed. So, his own safety depended on the quality of his work. Ezekiel’s message was centered on one main topic: the importance of each person’s accountability before God. Ezekiel had to minister to a hard and stubborn people (Ezekiel 3:8). He taught them that God expected personal obedience and worship from each of them. His message is still true today as God has a personal interest in each of us.
Sometimes we may forget that God is in control, even when world events seem out of control… He told Ezekiel: “Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you. Go now to your people in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,’ whether they listen or fail to listen” (verses 10-11). In fact, through Ezekiel, God is telling us that we need to be able to take His Words to heart before preaching them to others. My friend, God’s message must sink deep into your heart and show in your actions before you can effectively help others understand and apply the Gospel. Why? “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). You see, God created things in order and man has never been able to, is not able to and will never be able to disrupt that order. Why? Because everything started with the Word and everything will finish with the same Word. Therefore, we need to learn to heed to the Word of God (Exodus 15:26) that judges our thoughts and attitudes of the heart, individually. That is also the reason why God sent prophets like Ezekiel in the past, then, later through Jesus who established the Church as a watchman to tell people to mirror their own attitudes and hearts in His Word, for even when they fail to do so, God searches through them every single day: “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve” (Jeremiah 17:10). Stay blessed in Jesus’ name.