| “This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.” |
| —Ezekiel 1:28b |
One of the most studied, parsed, dissected, and argued passages of Scripture appears at the beginning of the Book of Ezekiel. God gives the Prophet a glimpse into a future that many Bible scholars believe portrays the end of the age. However, whether that assertion is true is not within the scope of this blog post.
I am interested in the latter part of this vision and particularly the words spoken by God to Ezekiel. Nevertheless, I encourage you to read the entire first and second chapters of the Book of Ezekiel. Here’s the portion of Scripture that I would like us to consider. Ezekiel 1:26 - 2:5:
Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man.
I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.
This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.”
As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.
He said: “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day. The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn.
“Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious people—they will know that a prophet has been among them.”
Confronted by this incredible vision, Ezekiel responds in the only conceivable way: he falls face down before the glory of the Lord.
I wonder what God might say to a prophet He intended to send to the United States of America. Watching the decline of morality and the abandonment of civility in our society, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if God said of us, “The United States is a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me.”
And, that, dear ones, brings me to us—to you and to me. We “Christ’s-ones” are God’s ambassadors here on the earth. We have a great responsibility to let the Presence of Christ within us flow out and touch those around us. And, therein lies the dilemma. Somehow, in obedience to Christ, we have to show His love at the same time we do not walk away from voicing a call to repent of sin. Left to my own creativity and thoughtful consideration, I have no idea how to do this—how to keep that critical balance.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 10:16 to be as “shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves.” So, we must be clever, but in a gentle and tender way. So, what do we do?
I do know we need to prayerfully support each other as we go out into a needy world each day. We need to ask God to give us a balance in our own lives and in the message of the gospel we share. I will pray for you, dear ones, and I will hope that you will pray for me, as well. Okay?
Based on a blog originally posted on Wednesday, May 11, 2016
