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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Saturday, 2 September 2023:
The Bible says that Christians are Christ’s Ambassadors entrusted with the message and ministry of reconciliation, reconciling people to God. (2 Corinthians 5:20) Today’s readings in Ezekiel have much to say to Christ’s Ambassadors —
Ezekiel 3:1 — “Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.”
As ambassadors, we are to consume God’s word and communicate it to the world.
Ezekiel 3:7-11 — “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. Behold, I have
made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. Like emery harder
than flint have I made your forehead. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a
rebellious house.” Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in
your heart, and hear with your ears. 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.”
God often sends His ambassadors to people He knows won’t listen. God strengthens His servants to
endure opposition. The ambassador’s success is measured in faithfulness, not by how the rebellious respond to the message. In fact, God warns Ezekiel that, “[they] will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because [they] have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart…. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at
their looks, for they are a rebellious house.” The fact that God knows that the rebellious will not receive
His word does not relieve the ‘ambassador’ of the responsibility to proclaim the message. Are you ready to proclaim the Gospel regardless of how it might be received?
Today, many Christians are very careful not to share the Gospel or Biblical truths with people they believe will not receive it well or with people who might be offended by God’s word. Rather than becoming peacemakers (reconciling people with God), some have become more concerned with being peaceable or peace loving (avoiding conflict at all costs), often to the expense of holiness and evangelism. Paul was severely beaten by crowds for proclaiming God’s word, and he would get up and preach again – some believed, and that was Paul’s hope.
Ezekiel 3:10 — Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears….
You must know the word of God in order to share the word of God. We must diligently study God’s, speak God’s word, and demonstrate obedience to God’s word. Don’t substitute ‘good ideas’ or popular opinion for God’s word. We represent Jesus, not the current version of morality.
Ezekiel 3:17-21 — “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself. Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.”
As Christ’s ambassadors, we have been given a great responsibility; we have been directed by Jesus to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19) This charge is often referred to as the “Great Commission;” but the “teaching them to obey” part has often been called the “Great Omission” because we are uncomfortable addressing the demand for repentance and obedience to the Holy God. This is not a popular message (John the Baptist lost his head for calling out the sexual sins of Herod), but God holds us accountable for delivering the message, not for how others respond to the message. God also holds us accountable for the way we proclaim the truth – “yet do it with gentleness and respect…. with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love…. peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” (1 Peter 3:15; Ephesians 4:2; James 3:17) Proclaim the truth so that when you meet the Lord you will hear Him say, “Well done, my good servant!” (Luke 19:17)
Ezekiel 3:22-27 – And the hand of the Lord was upon me there. And he said to me, “Arise, go….” the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and he spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself within your house. And you, O son of man, behold, cords will be placed upon you, and you shall be bound with them, so that you cannot go out among the people. And I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and unable to reprove them, for they are a rebellious house. But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ He who will hear, let him hear; and he who will refuse to hear, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.”
God’s true servant is led and empowered by the Holy Spirit, not by human wisdom or ability. When Christ’s ambassador speaks, he speaks God’s word, not popular opinion, common sense, or personal opinion. Also, when Christ’s ambassador speaks, he always proclaims Jesus. How are you doing as Christ’s ambassador in your community, entrusted with the ministry and message of reconciliation?
- Proverbs 24:10-12 — If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?
Psalm 100:2 — Serve the Lord with gladness!
Are you serving the LORD gladly today? Can others see your gladness?
Psalm 100:4 — Enter his gates with thanksgiving.
Do you have a spirit of thanksgiving today, confident that the LORD is your God, that you are His beloved, and that He loves you perfectly and unceasingly? Do others marvel at your thanksgiving?
Proverbs 2:1, 9 If you accept my words…. Then you will understand…. (Proverbs 2:1, 9).
In Proverbs 2, God establishes the conditions under which we can grow in our fear of the Lord, knowledge of God and true wisdom (Proverbs 2:5, 6) – this is a good chapter upon which to spend time meditating:
First Proverbs 2 says we must “accept” God’s words and commands; many have a hard time with this because God’s word often says what we don’t want to hear (though in our hearts we know it is true), and we don’t want to be commanded to let go of sins which are so pleasurable at the moment (Hebrews 11:25). Often, we go through all sorts of mental gymnastics and justification matrices in an attempt to make God’s word fit our behavior (“Did God really say…?”). Psalm 119:160 reminds us: “All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.”
Next, we must “store up” God’s commands within us (Proverbs 2:1). We must read God’s word, diligently study God’s word, and commit to memory God’s commands. I am humbled when I consider the countless hours I have spent studying the teachings of men as compared with how much time I have spent studying the Bible. Never has the Bible been so accessible to us. Study and research materials that were once only available to scholars are now at your fingertips. As Christ’s Ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20) and as royal priests (1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6), we have an obligation to be well versed in the Bible so that we can “correctly handle the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15),” and so that we will be prepared “to give an answer to everyone who asks [us] to give the reason for the hope that [we] have (1 Peter 3:15).”
Next, we must “[apply] our heart to understanding… call out for insight… cry aloud for understanding.” Study the word of God humbly from your heart and pray that the Holy Spirit will further reveal truth to you (John 14:26; 1 John 2:27; 1 Corinthians 2:6-16). Study and prayer are inseparable – “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him (James 1:5).”
Proverbs goes on to say that, after studying God’s word and applying God’s word to our hearts, we must then apply God’s word to our lives – we must put God’s word into action when we step out into the world. We must “walk with God (Genesis 5:22, 6:9; Micah 6:8)” in the word which is a “lamp unto our feet (Psalm 119:105).” Not only does obedience to God’s word keep us “under the spout where God’s blessings are pouring out” as described in verses 2:7, 8, but it is the practice of God’s word that brings true knowledge, understanding, and wisdom (Proverbs 2:9, 10). To use a simple sports analogy – you can read all you want about football, you can watch a million games and memorize a million statistics; but until you have played the game, until you have received your share of scrapes and bruises, victories and defeats, you don’t really understand football, and you don’t really appreciate football. Proverbs points out that when you put God’s word to practice, “wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul (Proverbs 2:10).” When we walk with God, we grow closer to Him, and we learn to love Him more and more.
When we walk in God’s ways, we develop discretion or sagacity (Proverbs 2:11) – the ability to accurately predict consequences without having to experience them. As the famous adage goes, “Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.” When we genuinely, humbly and introspectively seek to obey God’s word, we learn from our successes and from our failures as the practical realities of truth are revealed to us. Someone also said that “Wisdom is understanding what you haven’t experienced.” Wisdom and discretion, developed along our walk with God, will guard us against unneeded pain and suffering – that’s a good thing (Proverbs 2:11).
Finally, Proverbs 2:20-22 tells us that if we walk in the light of God’s word, we will be walking in good company. God’s word becomes a natural filter to relationships. Not many will be interested in the narrow path, but those that are will encourage and strengthen one another along the way.
- Matthew 7:14 — But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
- 1 Corinthians 15:33 — Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
- Proverbs 27:17 — As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 2 September 2023: Be a faithful ambassador for Jesus today.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 