Ezekiel: Called of God

"In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the Chebar canal, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. On the fifth day of the month (it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin), the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Chebar canal, and the hand of the Lord was upon him there." (Ezekiel 1:1-3, ESV) [Read Ezekiel 1]

Having looked for several days at the Suffering Servant Songs in Isaiah (and finished, though sketchily, those devotionals), I began to pray about where to turn next for a series of devotional thoughts. My mind turned to the book of Ezekiel's prophecy. I must admit that I wanted to flee from it, for it is difficult to understand. But I could not seem to get away from the urging, so I began to pray for insight to understand, I read from Ezekiel prayerfully, and I explored some Bible study helps on Ezekiel. These selected passages from Ezekiel will by no means be an attempt to give detailed explications of this marvelous book of prophecy. A devotional takes a thread of truth and seeks to weave it into thought that can add light to our daily walk with the Lord. And with this in mind, we turn our thoughts to where the book of ezekiel begins, with the prophet's call by God.

We can set an historic time to the call of Ezekiel. King Jehoiachin of Judah and 10,000 captives were taken into Babylonia Exile in 597 B.C., so we are told by reliable historical sources. Ezekiel, already a priest, the son of Buzi, was among those taken captive. Ezekiel's name, in the Hebrew, means "God will strengthen." And it was, indeed, a time when Ezekiel himself and his fellow Jews needed the strength of the Lord. Five years had transpired in his captivity (by date, 592 B.C.). A marvelous vision came to Ezekiel as he was by the river in the land of the Chaldeans (it will, after this reference, be termed Babylon). We are told even the place can be identified as a canal that had been cut from the Euphrates River through the plains fro transportation and irrigational purposes. This canal was called Chebar (spelled Kebar in some translations). So we have a real time, a place and a situation when Ezekiel received his call from God. He saw in a mighty vision the four creatures and the wheels within the wheels. Extensive work of scholars has gone into explanations of Ezekiel's vision. What he saw was marvelous, but the importance of the vision is that God spoke to this young man at a time of catastrophe, when denial and despair were rampant. Jehovah God was even in far-away Babylon, and He had a job for Ezekiel to do. Ezekiel saw the glory of God and responded. We may not be called to be a priest or a prophet, as Ezekiel was, but God has a job and a place for every Christian. In His omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence, God seeks to reach out to each of us, to get ourattention, and to have us respond to His call. Can we see God's glory, much as Ezekiel did, and say "yes" to God's call? "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 ehard the voice of one speaking." (Ezekiel 1:28, ESV).

Prayer: God, we live in a day of denial and despair. On every hand we have problems of distruct, defeat and destitution. Help us to see Your glory and hear Your voice above the din and rubble of worldly concerns. Help us to be still and know that You are God, and that You have a calling and consolation for each of us. As with Ezekiel, may You strengthen and help us, God, as we respond to Your call. Amen.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Wednesday, September 29, 2010