Quick Backdrop
Several times in the Old Testament, we find God’s people, Israel, disobeying God. Some instances were worse than others. In fact, toward the end of the Old Testament, God had to send special messengers into the midst of His people with specific warnings about their behavior. We call these messengers prophets. One of the most famous of these prophets was a guy named Ezekiel.
Now that you’ve been introduced to Ezekiel, you’re going to provide the remainder of the backdrop for this devo. Grab a Bible or your favorite Bible app and read Ezekiel 1. It’s a short, wild chapter.
The What
Let’s be honest: Ezekiel 1 contains some of the weirdest things in the Bible (although you’ll also find similar scenes in Daniel and Revelation). Without diving too deeply into the meaning of all the images, one thing is very clear: God was prepping Ezekiel to do something pretty crazy and difficult. Ezekiel 1 was Ezekiel’s prep for the crazy and difficult.
Read Ezekiel 2:1—3:3 (only 13 verses). To help yourself notice the detail, print the passage and look for these things:
1. Draw a box around anything God asked Ezekiel to do.
2. Circle words God used to describe His people, Israel.
• Take a minute to summarize, in your own words, the task God gave Ezekiel to do.
• What words did God use to describe His people?
• What specific things did God do to prepare Ezekiel for the task He assigned?
The So What
You could say God was giving Ezekiel a two-part prep for his task. Part one: God gave Ezekiel incredible visions that undoubtedly gave Ezekiel confidence in God’s power and presence. Part two: God asked Ezekiel to ingest (eat) His Word, giving Ezekiel confidence in his knowledge of God and in the message God was asking Ezekiel to deliver to people who were not going to be receptive to God’s message.
People today are not too different from ancient Israel. In fact, it’s possible God might be calling you to be an Ezekiel!
Meditate on the questions below and let God’s Spirit show you any parallels between your life and Ezekiel’s.
Are there people in your life to whom God is nudging you to deliver His message? Think about that question and list any names that come to mind.
Of the people who came to mind, how would you rate each of their potential receptivity to the message of the gospel?
• Obstinate
• Rebellious
• Resistant
• Indifferent
• Open
• Receptive
Seal the Deal
Now follow Ezekiel’s path for a minute. In what ways have you experienced the visions and images Ezekiel experienced in Ezekiel 1? You’ve probably not seen four living creatures, each with four faces and four wings, but you probably have seen or felt God’s presence, which is what Ezekiel was experiencing in Ezekiel 1. Use the exercises and questions below to build your own Ezekiel 1 from your personal experiences.
Your Personal Ezekiel 1
• Write a couple sentences about a time when you strongly sensed the presence of God (a worship setting, a camp or retreat experience, a devotional time).
• Write about a time when you saw God radically transform a life.
• Write about an experience that you have had that can be explained only by the presence and activity of God.
• Write about the transformation you personally have experienced from knowing God.
• Now think for a few minutes about the realness of God in your life. Hopefully the above exercises have reminded you of moments in your life when you have known God’s presence.
Not only did God give Ezekiel some spiritual fireworks to make him say, “Wow!” but He also told Ezekiel how to be fully prepared to go into an environment that would not be receptive to his message—Ezekiel was to “eat this scroll”—which were actual words from God. We have the opportunity to do the same thing: to eat God’s Word. This may be the single best thing we can do to increase our confidence in delivering God’s message. Use these exercises and questions to help yourself belly up to God’s Bible buffet.
Your Personal Ezekiel 2
• Ezekiel was told to “eat” God’s words. Think about that—that’s some serious intake. Using this same analogy, which food action below best describes your recent experiences with God’s Word:
Eat
Nibble
Chew but not swallow
Poke at it
• When we eat physical food, our bodies take it in, metabolize it and turn it into energy. What changes can you make to give your soul the food it needs to metabolize and turn into spiritual energy?
• What would you like to do to increase your confidence in knowing and using God’s Word? Write down two or three action points.
If action points were slow to come to mind, here are a couple of ideas to get you started:
1. Read the “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5—8 and make a list of all the instructions Jesus gave in that sermon. Then do any of the instructions that most convict you.
2. Read John 14—17, the longest recorded conversation between Jesus and His disciples, and write down all the promises Jesus gives His disciples (and us!).
3. Read John 1 and write down a description of Jesus that you’ve never noticed before.
Now, talk to an adult youth worker in your church about the action points you just wrote down or chose from this list of ideas. Ask for help in diving into God’s Word and for accountability in following through.
God constantly is looking for people such as Ezekiel to take His message to people who may not immediately be open to His message—co-workers, classmates, teammates, family members—but as with Ezekiel, He gives us what we need (His presence and His Word) to do what He asks us to do.
