Ezekiel - Called to Failure

Upbeat, catchy, fun guitar part, it’s great! We sang it over and over again. Almost as much as “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High” and “Shine, Jesus, Shine.”

Then, I suggested, we could read the Psalm it came from as a call to worship. For some reason, Kelly didn’t think it quite “fit” as a call to worship.

I’ll read that for us now:

Psalm 137 ESV

1 By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. 2 On the willows there we hung up our lyres. 3 For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” 4 How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? 5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill! 6 Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy! 7 Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!” 8 O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us! 9 Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!

For some reason, Kelly didn’t think that was a good call to worship.

Rightly so. That’s dark.

What’s going on here?

If anyone ever quotes this to you and says that God is supporting “taking little ones and dashing them against rocks...” this is a record of someone’s song, someone’s prayer, and reflects their emotions and prayer.

Not that they were right to feel or wish that, only that they did.

But this is the emotion among the Jewish refugees taken into captivity by Babylon.

Refugees by the River

Babylon came a few times to Jerusalem. The first time they took some captives. Like Daniel, young man brought to the king’s court.

By the time of this next attack and subjugation, Daniel is in charge of the Magi, but hundreds more folks are taken off into captivity.

Including a man, older than Daniel, but still young, named Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 1:1–3 ESV

1 In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the Chebar canal, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. 2 On the fifth day of the month (it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin), 3 the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Chebar canal, and the hand of the Lord was upon him there.

Thirtieth year of what? It doesn’t say… which implies that it was Ezekiel’s 30th year.

Which is important, because 30 is when the priests took official office (Num 4:3). Ezekiel would have trained his whole life to be a priest, and just when he was almost there, his future was snatched from him. Off into captivity.

He was trained to serve in the temple, sacrifices at the altar, in the holy place. Now: no temple, no altar, no holy place. And therefore, no presence of God.

His whole life, his religion, his sense of place.... all ripped away.

By the rivers of Babylon.

The Commission

Ezekiel 3:1–3 ESV

1 And he said to me, “Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.

Eat this!!!

Great principle, here. The preacher has to “eat” the Word before preaching the Word. Preach first to yourself, then to the people. That part was “sweet”, the rest was less so. He sends Ezekiel to preach to the people of Israel… and they aren’t going to listen.

Ezekiel 3:7 ESV

7 But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart.

But regardless...

Ezekiel 3:11–13 ESV

11 And go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ whether they hear or refuse to hear.” 12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great earthquake: “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from its place!” 13 It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and the sound of a great earthquake.

Ezekiel 3:14 ESV

14 The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the hand of the Lord being strong upon me.

How do I know Ezekiel was bitter?

Because he “went in bitterness.” He was angry, furious, the “heat of his spirit” is the heat of anger and bitterness.

Why?

It doesn’t list all the reasons, but we can imagine some. He has plenty of reason to be furious.

How about that his whole life of preparation to be a priest was now down the toilet?

How about that he is ripped from his home and now in a refugee camp down by the river?

How about that His is commanded by God to go speak to people who aren’t going to listen?

Called to failure.

Bitter? Yeah… of COURSE he was bitter. And angry. And upset. How could he not be? I would be! So would you!

That part makes sense. Really… it’s the other part that doesn’t make any sense at all.

Back up a second, though. God gave Ezekiel something before this commission. It’s the key to why Ezekiel went, even feeling all the things he felt, he went with the hand of the Lord on him.

Verse 13:

Ezekiel 3:13 ESV

13 It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and the sound of a great earthquake.

What living creatures?

Let’s go back to what Ezekiel saw. Ezekiel is so visual, so descriptive, see if you can picture this:

The Vision

Ezekiel 1:4–14 ESV

4 As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming metal. 5 And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness, 6 but each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf’s foot. And they sparkled like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: 9 their wings touched one another. Each one of them went straight forward, without turning as they went. 10 As for the likeness of their faces, each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. And their wings were spread out above. Each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies. 12 And each went straight forward. Wherever the spirit would go, they went, without turning as they went. 13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches moving to and fro among the living creatures. And the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. 14 And the living creatures darted to and fro, like the appearance of a flash of lightning.

Picture something like this?

In Chapter 10, Ezekiel will name these creatures, they are the Cherubim. And the Cherubim are the creatures on the ark of the covenant, with their wings touching. They announce the presence of God, they frame the throne of God… and that makes sense because of what comes next:

Ezekiel 1:15–18 ESV

15 Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them. 16 As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl. And the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. 17 When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went. 18 And their rims were tall and awesome, and the rims of all four were full of eyes all around.

God’s got rims!!! Sweet!

This is not UFO’s (rings in rings), but the portable chariot of God, the portable throne, Daniel pictured something similar. This is a symbol of how all the best and richest kings moved from place to place, only bigger and grander and more glorious.

How do we know, it goes on but skipping down to the throne:

Ezekiel 1:26–28 ESV

26 And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. 27 And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. 28 Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

And Ezekiel fell on his face. Of course he did. And God spoke to him...

Ezekiel 2:1 ESV

1 And he said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.”

And then in chapter 2 he speaks of how Israel has messed up.

And chapter 3 we heard, he commissions Ezekiel to go. To be a watchman, watching and speaking the warning of coming destruction.

Even though… they aren’t going to listen.

And Ezekiel obeys. With all the feels:

Ezekiel 3:14 ESV

14 The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the hand of the Lord being strong upon me.

Yes, Ezekiel felt all the things… but this part was undeniable:

the Spirit of the Lord was upon him. The hand of God was on him.

What was God doing in Babylon????

He was supposed to be in the temple. Part of why Ezekiel could be upset is that he had been ripped away from all of that.

But here was God now, present where Ezekiel was, in the midst of being a refugee, out of place, out of time.

But not out of God’s place. Not out of God’s time. Not out of God’s purpose. Not beyond God’s calling.

And so Ezekiel “went.”

Liking it was optional.

Liking it is generally optional, by the way. Liking it is recommended. I pray we grow to see the joy of obedience, to see the hand of God at work in our circumstances, in our calling. I pray we see the beauty and the majesty, we drink it in, we are filled with thankfulness.

That we take our eyes off the Rivers of Babylon and sing the songs of joyfulness despite our circumstances.

But “liking it is optional.” Following God isn’t. Obeying His command on us isn’t.

The hand of the Lord is on you.

The hand of the Lord is on you

Ezekiel trained his whole life to a priest, only to have everything ripped away at the last moment. Instead, he is a refugee commanded by God to be a prophet to people who won't listen. Liking it is optional (but recommended). Obedience is not. Ezekiel "went into bitterness in the heat of [his] spirit..." but he went, and the "hand of the Lord" was on Him. In the same way, God commands you to bold witness. Liking it is optional (but recommended), but go anyway, full of His Holy Spirit.

The “hand of the Lord” is on you. To serve. I may not know the specific details of how and where and who you are called to serve… but somethings I know for sure:

You are led and called to be here this morning. To hear these words this morning. God did that.

You are called to love radically and boldly.

You are called to witness radically and boldly: to His story, His gospel, what He has done in you, to His glory.

He has specifically blessed you, called you, created you and is even now gifting you to serve exactly how and where He has placed you.

Liking it is optional.

Will you go?

But the “hand of the Lord” is on you. As a believer in Jesus you are filled with the Holy Spirit, the shekinah presence of God, which means you effectively are the ark of the covenant. Where you go He is.

God is with you… and that makes everything possible, and glorious. See the cherubs spreading their wings above you… for God is with you.