Ezekiel 2:3, 9-10
“He said, ‘Son of man, I’m sending you to the family of Israel, a rebellious nation if there ever was one.… When I looked he had his hand stretched out to me, and in the hand a book, a scroll. He unrolled the scroll. On both sides, front and back, were written lamentations and mourning and doom.”
“‘Son of man,’ he said, ‘I am sending you to the nation of Israel, a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me.… Then I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me. It held a scroll, which he unrolled. And I saw that both sides were covered with funeral songs, words of sorrow, and pronouncements of doom.”
Chapter 2 tells us Ezekiel was living amongst exiles from Israel, the northern kingdom earlier conquered by Assyria. Their sister kingdom, Judah, and its temple, was still intact. These Israelites lived through the destruction of their homeland by Assyria but hadn’t yet absorbed the connection between their sin and judgement. Perhaps they thought they would return to Judah and rebuild their lives. God called Ezekiel to break their hardened heart shells, warning him he will need a sledgehammer. Ezekiel was to show them their God still at work amongst them, even in catastrophe, and ready to embrace repentant hearts.
Lord, it is hard to read of judgement. My own culture seems ripe for it. It will surely continue its decay as our grandchildren grow up. I shudder to think of the world they will face. Help them to grow strong character. Grant them enduring faith. May their memories of me always include my faith and trust in you.