The Point Is We Must Try

Scripture: "Son of dust," he said, "I am sending you to the nation of Israel, to a nation rebelling against me. They and their fathers have kept on sinning against me until this very hour. For they are a hard-hearted, stiff-necked people. But I am sending you to give them my messages—the messages of the Lord God." Ezekiel 2:3-4

Observation: The Lord has arrived and chosen Ezekiel to be his prophet to the exiles. The reason for this call is stated here ... the exiled Jews have continued to sin against God even after the first defeat by the Babylonians and their removal from Jerusalem. These are a people familiar with prophesy that, if they did not correct their ways and honor Yahweh, they would suffer. They have received written instructions from Jeremiah to live well in this new land but to continue to honor and serve the Lord. They have witnessed the leadership of Daniel and others, who have remained faithful to the law and in return actually been honored with position in the king's court.

And yet, they continue to sin against the Lord. This phrase - to 'sin against' God - is most commonly used to directly apply to idol worship and the honoring of other gods. Therefore, it is clear that these people have seen their land destroyed, family members killed, themselves dishonored, their livelihoods and homes taken away, their very bodies removed by force to a new place ... and have actively decided to keep right on doing the very thing they have been told is the cause of all this. Now Ezekiel will warn them further, but even the Lord knows they still won't change.

Application: This is probably the one aspect of evangelism I worry about the most in this dark region of the world ... that no matter what we say, and how true it is, the people will absolutely not listen. However, to that point, Ezekiel is the evidence that ... we are still to evangelize.

In his very commission, Ezekiel was warned the Jews are stubborn and rebellious (verses 2:4, 2:5, 2:6, 3:7, 3:8, 3:9) and straight-up told they won't listen to him (verses 2:7, 3:6, 3:7, 3:11). I get this point ... this is a hopeless mission. However, I also get this point ... God is not only commanding Ezekiel to do it anyway, but then holding him accountable if he doesn't at least try.

And that is the point here, in the pacific northwest. At least we must try to tell others the gospel. We must try to love a community that actively celebrates sin. We must try to give hope to a people group that actively rejects and rebels against God. We must try to live our own lives as a light in this dark place. Even if we were directly told that it would never, ever change (and we have NOT been told that), we must at least try.

Prayer: Lord, please give your Church throughout this land the strength it needs today. May your will be done, and as that will is to spread the good news of Jesus to all people, help us to find a way to have that voice today and in the trying and difficult, and maybe even dangerous, weeks to come. Amen.