Ezekiel’s Prophetic Call and Inner Struggle

In Ezekiel 3.12-15 the prophet is picked up by the Spirit, like a scrap of paper picked up by a gust of wind.

Then the spirit lifted me up, and as the glory of the Lord rose from its place, I heard behind me the sound of loud rumbling;

It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, that sounded like a loud rumbling.

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

I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who lived by the river Chebar. And I sat there among them, stunned, for seven days (Ezekiel 3.12-15).

The Spirit led Ezekiel from a place of solitude, where he received God’s instructions regarding his prophetic calling, into the presence of the exiles.

We get insight into the state of his mind and heart, the seat of mental and emotional activity. He is infuriated by the divine imposition on his life and the implications of God’s commission for him.

He does not share the hardened disposition of the exiles. Yet, he is desolate, appalled, silent, distressed, and in shock.

For a week, he struggled inwardly with Yahweh, his calling, and the message he was charged to proclaim. When he finally submitted, he was a man set apart under orders from God.

His call to prophetic ministry was not only an invitation to be the spokesman for the glorious God of Israel; it also involved a sentence to a life of loneliness, alienation, and desolation.

Physically, he lived among his own people, but spiritually, he would operate in another realm, a zone governed by divine reality.

In the end, he would be a man devoted entirely to being possessed by the direction, guidance, and power of the Spirit of God.

Reflections

Daniel Block offers these insights into the prophetic ministry in his commentary on Ezekiel, both for Ezekiel and others who follow in this calling.

(1) Whoever would serve as a messenger of God must recognize that the calling comes from God alone.

The God who appoints His servants also defines the task, chooses the field of service, provides the message, and assumes responsibility for the outcome.

(2) Whoever would serve as God’s messenger must first have a clear vision of the One who sends him or her. Ezekiel’s primary preparation occurred when he saw the vision of God.

Unless the servant of God enters divine service with a sense of awe at the privilege of representing him, and unless one is convinced of God’s sovereignty over all the earth and human history, they will not be carrying out their full work.

(3) Whoever would serve as God’s messenger must be empowered by the Spirit of God.

(4) Whoever would serve as the messenger of God must be inspired by the message of God.

Merely hearing that message is obviously not enough. It must be digested, internalized, incorporated, embodied, and lived. The medium (the prophet or preacher) becomes the message.

(5) Whoever would serve as a messenger of God will be divinely equipped commensurate with the calling. When God assigns a task, he assumes responsibility for preparing his servants for the work.

(6) Whoever would serve as the messenger of God must recognize that the calling is not to success but to faithfulness.

YouTube Discussion

Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.