“And you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.” Ezekiel 2:4b-5
In Matthew 10 the Lord told His disciples “But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak”. The same message is given in Luke 21. “Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.”
When we stay close to the Lord and abide in Him we can trust the
Spirit of God to give us the words we are to speak. In these verses God tells Ezekiel the message he is to deliver.
And you shall say to them God gives Ezekiel a straightforward
statement. Here is what God wants him to communicate to Israel.
Thus says the Lord God. God sends a clear message to Ezekiel and any person who would be His spokesman. Ezekiel goes for one purpose – to give God’s words, not his own. The message God puts in his mouth is not to be what Ezekiel liked or did not like; Ezekiel is to speak the truth of the Lord – he is to “cut it straight” as Paul told Timothy. Give the people what God says, not what the messenger prefers to say. (This is the reason to be in a Bible teaching church.)
As for them God tells Ezekiel his message is not to depend on the people’s reaction.
Whether they hear or whether they refuse God releases Ezekiel from the responsibility of how the people respond to his message. If they hear his message (what every preacher hopes for) or if they refuse (the word means to stop – what the people did with the Tower of Babel after God scattered them across the earth), it is not Ezekiel’s responsibility. His job is to speak the truth.
For they are a rebellious house God gives his prophet a glimpse into what he should expect. His audience is a rebellious people. If they are
rebellious toward God, they will likely reject His messenger. Note God’s assessment of His people. First He calls them the children of Israel. He refers to the sinful nature of their father Jacob. Then he calls them a rebellious nation They act more like the Gentiles (goyim) than people called by God to serve and represent Him. Finally God tells Ezekiel they are rebels, impudent and stubborn, against Him and His messenger.
Yet they will know God tells Ezekiel why He is sending him to this rebellious people. This is a common theme in the prophets in the Old
Testament and in the church in the New Testament. We are sent out so that people may know there is a God in heaven who loves them but who also hates and will judge sin. What will they know? They will know God’s truth. They will know they are sinners in God’s sight. They will know God loves them and calls them to repent and turn back to Him. They will know that if they do not turn to Him God’s judgment will die in their sin. Finally they will know they are fully responsible if they refuse God’s call. This is the message that Israel should have taken to the whole world. King Solomon told the nation they existed “that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other.” (I Kings 8:60). Note that the only way God reaches out to the whole world is by sending his messenger(s) to them.
That a prophet has been among them When Ezekiel is done, the people may not repent or respond but they will know that a
prophet of God has been in their midst. They will hear God’s word accurately. Ezekiel can do no more than that, neither can
we. “Speak the truth in love.”
What can we learn? We are to go into all the world and tell them of God’s love for them and the coming judgment on sin. We are not responsible for the decision people make. We are only responsible that they hear, that they know.
“And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16: 15-16)