Continuing a number of recent articles in Ezekiel (although not necessarily in order), the next few are from the first half of Ezekiel 33. Before we get too far into that chapter, though, let’s look at the introduction:
The word of the LORD came to me:
Ezekiel 33:1 NIV
As with any good prophecy, this isn’t a message that Ezekiel made up, or something that he thought would be a good idea. He didn’t hear it from some man or woman who had written a self-help book with just “three easy steps” to discerning the truth. Instead, this message is “The word of the LORD”.
(Editor’s note: I have seen the temptation in Christian circles to build upon what makes sense to us, and risk drifting from what the Bible tells us. God gave us rational minds, but when our ideas conflict with His, we’ve made a mistake, somewhere. If you find me doing that at any time on this site, please let me know what Scriptures I seem to have overlooked, so that – together – we can find the truth…even if that means changing what I have written.)
Now, maybe communicating the word of God to other people sounds to you like something reserved for old men with robes in ancient times. We might say that God hasn’t visited us with a specific prophecy recently. In fact, I don’t know about you, but I don’t think that God appeared to me in a vision last week, with a message about what He has in store for you.
However, I’m convinced that we do have God’s Word available to us, and while most of those messages aren’t necessarily specific to what’s going to happen to the nation of Israel (or our own nation, town, or church), the Bible does tell us important things that both we and others need to hear. And, for those things that might not be clear, follows of Jesus have the Holy Spirit to show us what applies to us today, and to tell us more that the Bible might not have detailed about our current day (although the Bible has a lot to say about modern times, since God doesn’t change, and human beings still pretty much behave the same as our ancestors).
The point is, we don’t have to wait for God to send us a message: He already has. We don’t have to wonder if we’ll be ready to listen when He speaks to us, because He already has. While God might speak to you in a vision (since He can and still does that today), the reason you haven’t received a message from God – whether for yourself or for others – might not be that God isn’t speaking to you. It might be that you are not reading the Bible and listening for God’s voice on a regular basis. And, the sample principles apply to me, as well.
So, if you aren’t reading the Bible pretty much every day, you’re missing out on the opportunity to partake of God’s Word. And, although we often look to the Bible to tell us what we should be doing – like how to have a better relationship with God – sometimes the messages that we get from the Bible are for us to tell others.
Now, I don’t know about you, but sometimes reading the Bible is a challenge for me. My eyes don’t always focus well in the morning right away, and fine print is getting harder to read. Don’t let little things like that stop you, though. Not only are there large-print Bibles and versions of the Bible on lit-up screens (with adjustable text sizes), but there are audio versions as well.
So that is my challenge for you: please do not let me be the only one this week who looks into God’s Word, tries to listen to the Holy Spirit, and tells others what he or she has learned. We can all teach, share, or prophecy from the word of God.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for September 4, 2022
References:
- The Lookout, September 4, 2022, © 2022 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Those Who Sin Differently 