#1127 Ezekiel 3 Part 1 Meet The Flint Stones

 

And he said to me, “Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.

4 And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel— 6 not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. 7 But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. 8 Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. 9 Like emery harder than flint have I made your forehead. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.” 10 Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears. 11 And go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ whether they hear or refuse to hear.”

12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great earthquake: “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from its place!” 13 It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and the sound of a great earthquake. 14 The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the hand of the Lord being strong upon me. 15 And I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who were dwelling by the Chebar canal, and I sat where they were dwelling. And I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days.

A Watchman for Israel

16 And at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me: 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 18 If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. 20 Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand. 21 But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”

22 And the hand of the Lord was upon me there. And he said to me, “Arise, go out into the valley, and there I will speak with you.” 23 So I arose and went out into the valley, and behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, like the glory that I had seen by the Chebar canal, and I fell on my face. 24 But the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and he spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself within your house. 25 And you, O son of man, behold, cords will be placed upon you, and you shall be bound with them, so that you cannot go out among the people. 26 And I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and unable to reprove them, for they are a rebellious house. 27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ He who will hear, let him hear; and he who will refuse to hear, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house. Ezekiel 3 ESV

Ezekiel 3: 1-15 

1Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. 2Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.… 1 Peter 2: 1-3

…12Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food! 13For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness. 14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil.… Hebrews 5: 12-14

Eat this scroll and go speak to the house of Israel - God doesn't just hand him words to repeat, but to digest, as there is no true believer who has ever grown apart from these means. A pastor should never preach to those he has not prayed for, or preach a message he has not first preached to himself. Those that downplay the word of God given to us in Scripture, they are most certainly false teachers, pointing men to themselves just as their father desired to ascend to the throne of the Most High. Do not be hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

…14“Return, O faithless children,” declares the LORD, “for I am your master, and I will take you—one from a city and two from a family—and bring you to Zion. 15Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.” 16“In those days, when you multiply and increase in the land,” declares the LORD, “they will no longer discuss the ark of the covenant of the LORD. It will never come to mind, and no one will remember it or miss it, nor will another one be made.… Jeremiah 3: 14-16

And it was in my mouth as sweet as honey - He is in a line of prophets sent to warn the people, many of whom have still not repented. They missed the city of Jerusalem, didn't mind rituals, especially feasts, but they were obstinate towards God and still took no individual responsibility. So the message that Ezekiel receives from God will be a bitter one, yet since it is from God, His word, it is sweet to Ezekiel's taste. The Spirit of God has caused him to love it.

Even though the message was judgment on Israel, the scroll was sweet because it was God's word, and because it vindicated God in holiness, righteousness, glory and faithfulness, in which Jeremiah also delighted. - J Mac

…15You understand, O LORD; remember me and attend to me. Avenge me against my persecutors. In Your patience, do not take me away. Know that I endure reproach for Your honor. 16Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became my joy and my heart’s delight. For I bear Your name, O LORD God of Hosts. 17I never sat with the band of revelers, nor did I celebrate with them. Because Your hand was on me, I sat alone, for You have filled me with indignation.… Jeremiah 15: 15-17

You are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a strange language - Ezekiel is being sent to his own people, Jews, of the same spiritual heritage and language. This should be easy, think of all they have in common, the law, the prophets, the feasts, the sacrifices, many a picture, many a hearing of the word read in the synagogues, but God tells him he would get a better reception from heathens where he suffered one of  the most difficult barriers of language. What? I grew up in church my whole life, and you are saying that I may be more difficult to reach? 

…10He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. 11He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—… John 1: 10-12

For they are not willing to listen to Me - It's not because they hate you, Ezekiel, they hate Me, and would love to get their hands on God, but that time is not yet here. 

17This is My command to you: Love one another. 18If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. 19If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.… John 15: 17-19

Like emery harder than flint have I made your forehead - Some have it as adamant stone, like grinding stones. If they were going butt him like rams then God was going to make him impervious to it. He would not be intimidated into holding it in, when God caused him to speak it would flow regardless of the hardness of their hearts, his head was even more stubborn than theirs. If God calls you to warn people then He will give you the words and the courage in them. Those who run with their own message do not understand the first part of this chapter, you must eat the message first yourself, and if you find no good in it, then you are not set like a flint.

“Make your face like adamant if their hearts are like adamant; if they are not ashamed to sin do not you be ashamed to warn them; if they are not ashamed of their unbelief, be not you ashamed of your faith in the divine testimony.” (Spurgeon)

…6I offered My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who tore out My beard. I did not hide My face from scorn and spittle. 7Because the Lord GOD helps Me, I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set My face like flint, and I know that I will not be put to shame. 8The One who vindicates Me is near. Who will dare to contend with Me? Let us confront each other! Who has a case against Me? Let him approach Me!… Isaiah 50: 6-8

50“Do not stop him,” Jesus replied, “for whoever is not against you is for you.” 51 As the day of His ascension approached, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52He sent messengers on ahead, who went into a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him.… Luke 9: 50-52

Whether they hear of refuse to hear - You just deliver the message, if you said what God said, but they stopped their ears, that is not an invitation to change the message, to play to the crowd, no, say what God said, study to find the Author's intent, don't succumb to the culture.

I went in bitterness - similar to John's experience. We love Holy Scripture because it is God's word, the call to repent is the call of the gospel, but it is with great heaviness when we consider that so few will heed the message, or many will make up a new message that they prefer, but does not save.

…9And I went to the angel and said, “Give me the small scroll.” “Take it and eat it,” he said. “It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.” 10So I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it; and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned bitter. 11And they told me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”… Revelation 10: 9-11

And I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days - 7 is the number of perfection, completeness, also the time of mourning. It is a lot for him to process.

“Perhaps it is not without significance that seven days was the period for the consecration of a priest (Lev. 8:33) and Ezekiel may have regarded this as the preparation for his ordination to a prophetic priesthood.” (Taylor)