Ezekiel 2:1-5 (NRSV)
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Chapter 2He said to me: O mortal, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you. Verse 2And when he spoke to me, a spirit entered into me and set me on my feet; and I heard him speaking to me. Verse 3He said to me, Mortal, I am sending you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have transgressed against me to this very day. Verse 4The descendants are impudent and stubborn. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, "Thus says the Lord God." Verse 5Whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house), they shall know that there has been a prophet among them.
Devotion
Ezekiel was a remarkable person with an almost impossible task. When Jerusalem was plundered by the Babylonians in 598 B.C., he was among those exiled in Babylon.
His ministry began a few years later, when the Lord called him to minister to the exiles, "a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me."¯ That is never an inviting or an easy task.
How could Ezekiel stand up to "a nation of rebels?"¯ As the Lord spoke to Ezekiel, "a spirit entered into him" and set him on his feet.¯ Pastors today may encounter resistance to God's wisdom and will. The important thing is that the people know "a prophet has been among them."
As we prepare to celebrate our nation's independence tomorrow, we need to remember that "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people"¯ (Proverbs 14:34).
Prayer
Lord Jesus, send your spirit into the leaders of our nation, to lead us in the paths of righteousness and justice. Amen.