Today’s Reading: Ezekiel 3:16‐6:14, Hebrews 4:1‐16, Psalm 104:24‐35, Proverbs 26:27

Context: In Chapter 2 Ezekiel is called by God to go and speak God’s Word to the house of Israel.  God gives him a scroll to eat and it was “as sweet as honey.”  At the beginning of chapter 3, God tells Ezekiel: “all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears.  And go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them.”  Ezekiel goes with bitterness to the exiles and sits overwhelmed for seven days.

Ezekiel 3:16-21 “And at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me:  “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. 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. 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. 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. 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.”

Observations:

• Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.
• If you do not warn (the wicked and righteous) his blood I (God) will require at your hand.
• 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. 

Apply: As I move into a preaching / teaching role in a church, I MUST hear the Words from God’s mouth and relay them to his people.  I MUST remember that I cannot control their response.  I am going to spend time praying over this posturing as I drive to camp this morning.

Do you believe you have the responsibility to relay the truth of God’s Word?  If so, how can you do it today?