THEY WILL KNOW THAT A PROPHET HAS
BEEN AMONG THEM.
In
the name + of Jesus.
Ezekiel was God’s prophet. The word ‘prophet,’ unfortunately, carries with it the idea of a fortune teller. While God did give his prophets messages about future days, especially in promises of the Messiah, that is not really the role of a prophet. A prophet speaks for God. He receives a message from God and proclaims it. This is what the Lord said to Ezekiel: “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel… I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God’” (Ezekiel 2:3-4). Ezekiel did not have the freedom to tweak the message or to add an editorial. A prophet speaks for God. And since a true prophet speaks God’s word, he always speaks the truth.
Ezekiel was called to preach to the people of Israel. The message was a message of judgment. Ezekiel was already a man in exile. He was among the first of the people of
Israel to be taken into captivity in Babylon.
He proclaimed that God’s judgment would not be withheld from the rest who
remained. Why? God himself gave the reason: “Son of man,
I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have
rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me
to this very day. The descendants also
are impudent and stubborn” (Ezekiel 2:3-4). To be rebellious, you have to know the law you
are refusing to keep.
There is a big difference between ignorance and rebellion. When Abraham and his wife Sarah took refuge
in a foreign land because of a famine, Abraham feared that someone might kill
him to take Sarah as a captive bride for himself. So, Abraham presented Sarah as his
sister. The king of the land, Abimelech,
then took Sarah for himself. The Lord
confronted Abimelech in a dream about his sin.
Abimelech pleaded ignorance and innocence. Once he knew the facts, Abimelech did not rebel,
but returned Sarah to Abraham. King David,
on the other hand, knew God’s Commandments and knew that Bathsheba was another
man’s wife. He rebelled against God’s
word in his adultery. For nine months,
he stubbornly pretended that no wrong had been done. When God sent the prophet Nathan to convict
David, then David finally put away his rebellion and repented.
This was what God had hoped for when he called Ezekiel to preach the
word of the Lord. Ezekiel was to proclaim,
“Thus says the Lord God” to the people of Israel because they had
been rebelling against the word of the Lord.
They knew God’s word, but they did not take it seriously. They gave themselves over to selfish gain, to
lustful desires, to arrogance, and to drunkenness. They took advantage of the poor and did not
have compassion on the needy. But since
they were nice to the people they liked and the people they liked were nice
back, they credited themselves with being good.
They did not care about being pious; it was enough to be prosperous. They were happy and feared no consequences. They did not believe God was serious about
his word.
This is why God sent his prophet. God was not content to let these people happily
embrace their sins and be damned for them.
He called Ezekiel to warn of judgment and to call them to repent. He would not be popular for his preaching, but
when all his words came true, the people would know that a prophet had been
among them.
God told Ezekiel, “I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus
says the Lord God.’ And whether
they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they
will know that a prophet has been among them” (Ezekiel 2:4-5). As God had foretold it, some would listen. Some would recognize that God’s word was true
as it exposed their opinions, feelings, and cravings as sinful and selfish. By God’s grace, the Holy Spirit would change their
hearts, their minds, and their attitudes.
They would believe that a prophet was among them and repent.
But others would refuse to listen.
Why? Because they liked their lives. They were happy, and they were not going to
stop doing what made them happy no matter who said it was wrong. They concluded that God was the one with the
problem. Rebels always believe that the
rules are the problem. But eventually
they would know that a prophet had been among them when the judgment he warned
about would come. Only then, it would be
too late.
People today will know that a prophet has been among them only when God’s
word is preached and confessed. You and
I are not prophets like Ezekiel. We have
no new message to proclaim. But we do have
truth to confess; and our role is no different than Ezekiel’s. We confess, “Thus says the Lord God.” We have no liberty to
tweak the message or to tone it down. The
reason we do that is because we are afraid that our loved ones and friends
might hate us if we tell them what God says.
We are always in danger of rebelling against God’s word by failing to
confess everything it says. We wonder if
we could make the kingdom of God more appealing if we ignored parts of God’s
word which are not received very well. For
example, many Christian preachers today no longer talk about hell. They have abandoned this doctrine because it
sounds cruel and makes God look like a big meanie. It seems like a noble effort to draw more people
in by downplaying words which make people uncomfortable or angry. But it is not our job to re-brand God and to give
him an image that is more hip. This is a
fabricated god which is no god at all. We
are to confess nothing else than, “Thus says the Lord God.” This is the only way
people will know God. This is the only way
they will know that a prophet has been among them.
Some will listen. Others will refuse
to listen. But our job is not to make
the world like us; it is to be faithful to the Savior in thoughts, words, and
actions. We cannot be both friends with the
world and disciples of Jesus. The world
hates Jesus and his word. If we are
disciples of Jesus, we must be set apart from the world—both in our confession
and in our actions. If the world notices
we are different and even despises us for our confession, they recognize that God’s
people dwell among them.
Rebellion takes many shapes. It
is not only doing what is evil, it is also failing to do what is good. Our problem is not ignorance; it is sin. We have not been faithful in confessing God’s
word as we have had opportunity. Perhaps
we remained silent. Perhaps we suggested
that God wouldn’t really hold the guilty accountable. Perhaps we have not taken God’s Law and judgment
seriously ourselves. Repent. For God is dishonored by those who do not
uphold his truth as much as those who live in rebellion of it.
God sent Ezekiel to preach the word that was given to him. “Son of man, I send you to the people of
Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. …And you
shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ And whether
they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they
will know that a prophet has been among them” (Ezekiel 2:3-5). God
was serious about his word, and he still is.
God is serious about his Law, and he is equally as serious about removing
the condemnation of the Law from us. When
the Lord sent Ezekiel to preach to Israel, God’s intent was not to watch Israel
grovel. It was to bring them back to him
so that he could have mercy upon them. The
people would know that a prophet had been among them when they heard him
declare hope for the sinner.
The Lord gave us his Law to show us what is good. But the Lord has shown us even greater
goodness in redeeming the people who have failed to live up to his Law. To redeem us, the Lord became a man to put himself
under that Law. Jesus came to do the
works we have not. He came as a prophet—not
just a prophet but THE Prophet.
He preached the word of the Lord to the important and the ignored, to
the guilt-ridden and the self-righteous, to the proud and the disgraced. He preached in all its truth and force the
word which the Father had given him to preach.
And whether the people listened or refused to listen, they knew that a
prophet was among them.
Jesus proclaimed God’s truth, never shying away from the harsh truth of
sin and judgment. He did not seek to win
popularity, but rather sinners for the kingdom of God. When people came to Jesus burdened and ashamed
by their sins, they found a merciful Savior who loved them. When people stubbornly held on to the idea that
they were good enough and did not need God’s mercy, Jesus was grieved over them
because he loved them. He loved all and sought
the salvation of all, even though many refused it. Nevertheless, Jesus took up the sins of the
whole world. All our sins were laid upon
Jesus. This perfect prophet has atoned
for our stammering confessions. He stood
silent before his accusers and took the guilt for every time we stood silent when
we could have confessed the truth. And
if we have ever been embarrassed because God’s word stands opposed to today’s
worldly wisdom, Jesus received our shame and was crucified for us. We are saved not based on how faithful our
words have been, but based on Jesus’ faithful words to us. Jesus speaks forgiveness for the sinner,
pardon for all our failings, and life everlasting.
When Ezekiel preached, many would not know a prophet had been among them
until his words were fulfilled. Jesus
had people demand that he prove himself as a prophet. Jesus told them he would die and rise from
the dead on the third day. Those who had
refused to listen would not believe even after he was risen. But those who listen and believe hear Jesus
proclaim forgiveness and salvation. When
Jesus delivers his good news to you, it is not merely wishing you well. It is “Thus says the Lord GOD.”
You and I are not prophets in the sense that Ezekiel was, but we are confessors
of his truth. When we repeat the word of
the Lord, we are professing an authoritative word backed by a crucified and risen
Savior. If you must confront loved ones
about their sins, let it be for no other reason than you do not want them to
perish in their sins. Yes, they may be
happy in their sins; but they cannot be saved if they are clinging to them. And if they repent, assure them that Jesus
Christ has taken away their sins. It is
not true because you say so or because you love them. It is true because Jesus has declared it to
be so.
The words of the prophet are nothing but God’s word. His word is always true, and it will always stand. For people to be saved, God’s word must always be preached, taught, and confessed. And whether they listen or refuse to listen, they will know that there has been a prophet among them.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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