Be His Voice

Read: Ezekiel 2:1–3:15

At least they will know they have had a prophet among them. Ezekiel 2:5

IN WORD

God is grieved when His people refuse His voice. He says often that He takes rebellion personally, as a husband would be offended by the adultery of his wife. When people choose to part ways with their Creator, God laments the loss of relationship and the blessings He would have given to anyone close to His heart.

But even more than grieving those who refuse His voice, God grieves those who are so far out of touch with Him that they can’t even acknowledge that He has spoken. That was the case of rebellious Israel, and it is the case with secular culture today. While God speaks through His creation, His Word, His people, His miracles, and more, people remain oblivious to His voice, many wondering if He even exists. So when God intervenes to judge or redeem a lost people, He wants to make one thing clear: He has spoken.

Whether they listen or not, God says, they at least need to know that a prophet has been among them. The world needs to know that He has spoken so they can make a choice whether to run into His embrace or coldly slap His face. But they can’t make the choice unless they hear. Hearing is paramount.

IN DEED

If the need to be heard was heavy on God’s heart in exiled Judah, it is certainly heavy on His heart now. That’s why Jesus told His disciples to go into all the world under His authority and preach the gospel. In a society that wonders if God even exists (or if He’s relevant), there needs to be some kind of evidence among the people who are called by His name. In words, in deeds, and in lifestyle, the church is to be the prophet of God. We are to embody mercy and grace, and we are to be supernaturally endowed with His holy character. We are to live in a way that is unexplainable to a watching world, so that before final judgment comes, they will know that a prophet—the voice of a seeking, redeeming God—has been among them.

ADDITIONAL READING: Romans 10:14-15

According to the New Testament, God wills that the church be a people who show what God is like.

STANLEY GRENZ