Ezekiel 2:1–7

He has no sense of any right to stand. He falls down on his face. He cannot stand. There is no place for him to stand on. So his falling on his face only shows his moral condition… Each of these servants of God — Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel — declared their own unfitness, and felt it, in the presence of the glory of God. With each and all of them, it is never for a moment a question of what they had done, but of what they were, and this as told out to themselves by the glory of God.

God takes account of how weak His instrument is, and that weakness calls out Jehovah's might to sustain it… And not only that: the Spirit enters into him to make him stand. He cannot even listen to the message while lying face down. That posture may truly express how the creature is nothing in the presence of God. But it cannot express God's grace towards him… God cannot speak His thoughts to someone lying in the dust before Him. This does not suit the blessed Speaker.

God gives a title to the prophet fallen on his face, in chapter 2 and from then on. When the voice spoke from the likeness of the glory of Jehovah, the words were, "Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you." Daniel was called this once (Dan. 8:17), and Ezekiel more than a hundred times. It is the title Jesus took as the rejected Messiah who would suffer, be exalted, and return in glory as the Son of man.

Jehovah applies it to two of His prophets, Daniel and Ezekiel (Dan. 8:17; Ezek. 2:1). Both men stood as witnesses at a time when the nation was under foreign rule, because it had turned away from the worship of Jehovah… So the Lord, in describing Himself as the Son of man, took up a title carried until then only by prophets in exile. Even then it was a title of reproach.

The title given him is itself proof that the people he goes to have lost their special place with God. At the same time it proves that if Israel will not hear, grace will not be stopped from reaching its goal. The message will only go out more widely, and with a deeper, sweeter, fuller word, as we fully prove today… With Ezekiel the term speaks simply of his identification with men. He is not the Son of man Himself. He is reminded of the lowliness of his condition, and this only magnifies the grace which has taken him up. So he is well fitted to carry the message he is charged with — not an angel, but a man with human sympathies and a human understanding gained among human conditions.

God is rejected. His prophet takes this place, with the throne, to judge the whole nation, and Jerusalem above all. At the same time he announces (to faith) their re-establishment in grace. Jehovah sends him to a rebellious people, to say, Jehovah has spoken, whether they would hear or not… His first testimony is made up of lamentations, mourning and woe. Still, God's giving of His word is always full of sweetness, seen as a revelation from Him.

"Son of man, stand upon your feet and I will speak to you," was the word spoken to Ezekiel by the river Chebar. Why? Because a man standing up feels quite different from one lying down. He is in a posture of alertness, attention, and to such a one God can communicate His will.

The Spirit followed the Word that spoke — "and the Spirit entered into me when He spoke to me." So the Word and the Spirit are always connected. Then Ezekiel received his commission. He is sent to a defiant, hard-hearted people. His message is to begin with: "Thus says Jehovah-God." The sender is the Lord; the message is from Him.

God recognizes how weak His instrument is, and that weakness calls out Jehovah's might to sustain it. We see this at the very start here: "Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you." And not only that, but the Spirit enters into him to make him stand. He cannot even listen to the message while lying face down. That posture may truly express the nothingness of the creature in the presence of God, but it cannot express God's grace towards him. We see this all through the history of the prophets — in Daniel, and again with John the beloved. God cannot utter His thoughts to one lying face down in the dust before Him. This does not suit the blessed Speaker.

This is already a foretaste of what lets us say we have not received the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" That cry has not yet come in Ezekiel's case, since he belongs to an earlier time. Still, the spirit of fear is told to depart, so that God's words may have their fitting character.

"Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you," was the word spoken to Ezekiel by the river Chebar. Why? Because a man standing up feels quite different from one lying down. He is in a posture of alertness, attention, and to such a one God can communicate His will.

God shows this new attitude in another way too — by the title He gives the prophet who has fallen on his face, here in chapter 2 and from then on. The voice spoke from the likeness of the glory of Jehovah, and the words were, "Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you." God called Daniel this once (Dan. 8:17), and Ezekiel more than a hundred times. It is the title Jesus took as the rejected Messiah who should suffer, be exalted, and return in glory as the Son of Man. His servants carry the same title, because they are tied to the glory of God — the God who now declares Himself outside Israel, and even judges Israel by the Gentiles.

Among such a people the prophet lives, as briars and thorns wound and entangle those who touch them, as scorpions are poisonous in their sting; yet he who has been allowed to see the glory of Jehovah need not be afraid among them. How unfitting any fear of man would be in such a person, and what a poor picture he would give of the majesty of Him with whom they had to do!

We see the throne of the supreme and sovereign Lord God in Chaldea — among the Gentiles, in the place where the prophet then was. We no longer see it at Jerusalem, tied to the land; and the throne no longer holds the law, so to speak, by which He governed them directly. So God's voice speaks to Ezekiel as to a "son of man." The title suited the testimony of a God who now spoke from outside His people. He was no longer among them, but judged them from the throne of His sovereignty. It is Christ's own title as One rejected and outside of Israel. Yet He never ceases to think of the blessing of the people in grace.

Jehovah addressed Ezekiel as son of man; the title which is found exactly one hundred times in this book. Besides Ezekiel, only Daniel bears this name. Our Lord called Himself by that name. He used it of His suffering, His exaltation, His glory, and His coming again. Ezekiel also passed through much suffering. In symbol he went through the sufferings the whole nation was to face. He is, therefore, in a measure a type of the Messiah, who took Israel's sin and shame upon Himself.

The Spirit strengthens the prophet, and he receives his mission to the children of Israel — though, yes, because, they had rejected God. His mission is "to rebellious Gentiles, Goyim [for that is what they truly were: no better than the heathen in their morals, and much worse in guilt], that have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day."

Their heart showed in their faces, so that they could hide it no longer. God sends to them knowing this fully. Against their blasphemous words He sets the speech of the Unchangeable One whom they have refused.

What is most obvious here is the moral unity of the generations that followed one another. The evil is perfectly monotonous all the way through, from the nation's birth in Egypt to Ezekiel's time. We can expect nothing else until God acts in the sovereignty of His own grace and at last fulfils His promises, despite this continuous rebellion.

Now we have the charge given to the prophet. As we see at once, he is to speak to a people who will not hear. We can only hope that here and there ears may be open to receive it. There is no encouraging hope about the success of the message. Yet whether they would hear or refuse, they should know that there had been a prophet among them. If he is not to have the encouragement of visible success, all the more must he find it in knowing that the Lord is with him — the Lord whom Israel would reject in rejecting His messenger. ... The title given him proves that the people he goes to have lost their special place with God. Yet if Israel will not hear, grace will not be thwarted in its purpose: the message will only go out more widely.

The Spirit followed the Word which spoke — "and the Spirit entered into me when He spoke to me." So the Word and the Spirit are always connected. Then Ezekiel received his commission. God sends him to an impudent and hard-hearted people. His message is to begin with: "Thus says the Lord God." The sender is the Lord; the message is from Him. Then the sender also gives assurance and encouragement.

"I send you to the children of Israel," He says — to Gentiles — for they are none other than these. They are only "the rebellious who have rebelled against Me. They and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day." So they are children as shameless in face as they are hard in heart. Their heart spoke in their faces, so that they could hide it no longer. God sends to them knowing this full well. Against their blasphemous words He sets the speech of the Unchangeable One, whom they have refused.

The name has a clear application right at the start. God gives him his charge against a people "hard of brow and stiff of heart." He declares that He has made the prophet's face hard against their faces, and his forehead hard against their foreheads. This means more than the strength Ezekiel needed for his difficult position. It shows, much more, the attitude of Jehovah Himself towards them.

Strengthened by the Spirit, the prophet receives his mission to the children of Israel, though — yes, because — they had rejected God.

God is rejected. His prophet takes this place, with the throne, to judge the whole nation, and Jerusalem above all. At the same time he announces, to faith, their re-establishment in grace. Jehovah sends him to a rebellious people to say, Jehovah has spoken, whether they would hear or not.

Then Ezekiel received his commission. God sends him to a shameless and hard-hearted people. His message is to begin with: "Thus says Jehovah-God." The sender is the Lord; the message is from Him.

"Thus says the LORD" was the credential of all His messengers in days gone by. And in divine things, "thus says the LORD" is the only Court of Appeal today.

There is no encouraging hope about the success of the message. Yet whether they would hear or refuse, they should know that a prophet had been among them. If he cannot have the encouragement of visible success, he must find it all the more in knowing that the Lord is with him. In rejecting His messenger, Israel would be rejecting Him.

He needs no apology for the message he carries. He carried no responsibility in the matter. His part was to deliver the message, whatever the consequences to himself... But he was to deliver God's word, "not in words which man's wisdom teaches," but in the words which God had given him to say.

God is rejected. His prophet takes this place, with the throne, to judge the whole nation, and Jerusalem above all. At the same time he announces, to faith, that God will restore them in grace. He is sent from Jehovah to a rebellious people, to say, Jehovah has spoken, whether they would hear or not. The judgment would make it known that a prophet had been among them.

Strengthened by the Spirit, the prophet receives his mission to the children of Israel — though, or rather because, they had rejected God — "to rebellious Gentiles [that is what they truly were: no better than the nations in their conduct, and much worse in guilt], that have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. And the children are hard of face and stiff of heart. I send you to them, and you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord Jehovah."

Now we have the charge given to the prophet. As we see at once, it is to speak to a people who will not hear. The most that can be hoped is that here and there ears may be open to receive it. There is no encouraging hope about the success of the message. Yet, whether they heard or refused to hear, they should know that there had been a prophet among them. If he is not to have the encouragement of visible success, all the more must he find it in knowing that the Lord is with him — the Lord whom Israel would reject in rejecting His messenger.

So they will know that there has been a prophet among them, even if they only learn it by the judgment carried out. The prophet lives among a people who wound and entangle those who come near them, like briars and thorns, and who sting like poisonous scorpions. Yet the man who has been allowed to see the glory of Jehovah need not be afraid among them. How out of place any fear of man would be in such a man, and how poorly he would represent the majesty of the God they had to deal with!

Prophets come out from God among the people. There they are; and whether the people hear, or whether they refuse to hear, they shall know that prophets have been among them. They cannot deny the fact, or escape its application.

We ought to be ready to speak out God's grace, "whether men hear, or whether they refuse to hear." But there was a sweet fragrance of Christ to God both in those who were saved and in those who perish. Stephen bore the testimony though they would not receive it, and he suffered the consequences. If he had been silent, he would not have been stoned.

God addresses him at once by the title that marks his prophecy: "Son of man." That title is itself a proof that the people to whom he goes have lost their special distinctive place with God. But at the same time it proves that if Israel will not hear, grace will not be stopped from reaching its goal. The message will only go out more widely... With Ezekiel the term speaks simply of his identification with men. He is reminded of the lowliness of his condition, and this only magnifies the grace which has taken him up. So there is in him a special fitness to carry the message he is charged with — not an angel, but a man with human sympathies and a human understanding, gained and used among human conditions.

Hebrew has several words for thorns. They show how abundant the fruits are of the curse pronounced in Eden because of the sin of man. God will remove that curse in the millennium, when the myrtle and other such plants will take its place.

These words refer to the well-known animal armed with claws like a lobster, and having its sting in its tail. In the East it inhabits desolate places, hides under stones or logs of wood, and comes out at night. It eats other creatures... Ezekiel 2:6 compares the children of Israel to scorpions, and among them Ezekiel had to work.

The prophet lives among such a people. Briars and thorns wound and entangle those who come near them, and scorpions carry poison in their sting. Yet the man who has seen the glory of Jehovah need not be afraid among them. How out of place any fear of man would be in such a man! How badly he would represent the majesty of the God they had to deal with! And how badly, alas, do we represent Him if we show that fear — we into whose mouths God has put a sweeter message, and to whom He has shown His glory more wonderfully than Ezekiel saw it here!

Therefore the prophet was commanded (verses 6, 7) not to fear them, or their words, or their looks, however rebellious they might be. Instead he was to speak Jehovah's words to them, whether they would listen or refuse, for they were rebellious (or most rebellious).

Such a sight might well have troubled the spirit of the lonely monk. He had spent most of his days in the quiet of a peasant's cottage or a monastery cell. But One was standing by his side who was more than enough for these things. It was the One who had said to Ezekiel long ago, "Be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words... nor be dismayed at their looks." In that One was Luther's trust.

With Jeremiah and Ezekiel we have the Lord's own testimony that their predictions were inspired. To Jeremiah God said, "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth" (Jer. 1:9), so he would speak God's words. To Ezekiel the Lord declared, "And you shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house" (Ezek. 2:7).

Now we have the charge given to the prophet. As we see at once, he is to speak to a people who will not hear. We can only hope that here and there some ears may be open to receive it. There is no encouraging hope about the success of the message. Yet whether they listened or refused to listen, they would know that a prophet had been among them. All the more, if he is not to have the encouragement of visible success, he is to find it in knowing that the Lord is with him — and Israel, in rejecting His messenger, would be rejecting Him.

The word itself establishes this. "And you shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house," Ezek. 2:7... "He who believes has the witness in himself": this is the inward power of the testimony. "He who does not believe has made God a liar": here is the guilt of the one who does not believe. So the authority of testimony from God does not depend on the judgment man may pass on it. The testimony will itself judge man.

The word of God cannot be useful if it is not received, but it still has all authority, because it is the word of God... unbelief does not destroy the authority of the word, for the rebellion of man does not destroy the authority of God.

The prophet lives among such a people. Briars and thorns wound and entangle anyone who touches them, and scorpions carry poison in their sting. Yet the man who has been allowed to see the glory of Jehovah need not be afraid among them. How out of place any fear of man would be in such a man! How poorly he would represent the majesty of the One they had to deal with!

The prophet was commanded (verses 6, 7) not to fear them, or their words, or their looks, however rebellious they might be, but rather to speak Jehovah's words to them, whether they might hear or forbear, for they were rebellious (or most rebellious).

So preach, in season and out of season, as a faithful servant, but God must give the increase. No preacher is responsible to convert anybody, but he is responsible to deliver his Master's message, in his Master's spirit. The preacher can do no more, but he can know that God will bless His own declared word, whether the preacher sees that result or not. Nothing gives a preacher more sense of power in his work, or more earnestness, than this simple looking to God, first for His message, and then to God alone for fruit.