Fri.’s Devo - Ezekiel’s Calling

Read: Ezekiel 1:1-3:15; Hebrews 3:1-19: Psalm 104:1-23; Proverbs 26:24-26 When he turned 30, the priest, Ezekiel was taken hold of by God to be a prophet to God’s people in exile. He was with the exiles beside the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians when he had his first vision. He saw a great storm coming from the north that flashed with lightning and shone like a brilliant light. He saw fire in the cloud and in the middle of the fire came four living beings that looked human except they each had four faces and four wings. Their feet were hooves like a calf and they had human hands under their wings. *** The face in the front was a face of a man; the face on the right was a lion; on the left was an ox head and the one behind had the face of an eagle. They had two pairs of wings and their wings touched each others. They moved in all directions according to the spirit leading them, never having to turn. They were made of light and darted like lightning. *** When they touched the ground they had wheels with another wheel crossed within that wheel. The wheels were covered with eyes. There was a crystal cloud above them and their wings sounded like waves, or God’s voice, or the shouting of an army. *** When they stopped, they lowered their wings and a voice came from the cloud above them. Ezekiel saw the Lord in the cloud above them. He glowed brightly with a rainbow around him. Ezekiel feel face down on the ground. *** The voice spoke and told him to stand. God told him he was sending him to the nation of rebellious Israel. He was not to be afraid of the people though they will not listen to him because they were so rebellious. He gave him scroll with funeral sons and pronouncements of doom and told him to eat it. When Ezekiel ate it it tasted sweet like honey. God would make him as determined as Israel was rebellious. He was to give them God’s word whether they wanted to hear it or not. *** The Lord lifted Ezekiel and took him to a colony of the Judean exiles by the Kebar River. For seven days, Ezekiel sat overwhelmed. *** In Hebrews, Jesus is compared to Moses, but he was much greater. Both were faithful to do what God had called them to do. Moses was faithful as a servant, but Jesus was faithful as a son. Moses set the stage of what Jesus would come and fulfill. Moses endured the rebellion of God’s children in the wilderness. The writer of Hebrews warns us not to be rebellious like they were. They refused to enter into God’s rest, but we don’t need to let that happen to us. *** The children of Israel heard God’s voice and rebelled anyway. God had led them out of slavery with signs and wonders and God was so angry with them he let them die in the wilderness. They never got to see his promises for them. They were filled with unbelief which led to their death physically and spiritually. *** Lord, may we keep our hearts soft and tender towards you. May we walk in what you have called us to do and finish the assignment. May we eat your words and may they be the fuel with which we live, move and have our being.