Seeking Divine Approval - Ezekiel

“Son of man, do not fear them or their words. Don’t be afraid even though their threats surround you like nettles and briers and stinging scorpions. Do not be dismayed by their dark scowls, even though they are rebels. You must give them my messages whether they listen or not.”

Ezekiel 2:6-7

Imagine a help-wanted ad with the following job description: Wanted—Young man to deliver speeches to stubborn, hostile, and sometimes violent crowds. Must be willing to travel and endure vicious insults and threats to personal safety.

Would you expect an ad like that to flood the personnel manager’s desk with résumés? Probably not, but that is the very job God called the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel to do.

God directed Ezekiel to preach an unpopular message to a rebellious audience during a very dark time in Israel’s history. He would take heat from all directions. Even worse, God told Ezekiel that he wouldn’t see any positive results: “They won’t listen, for they are completely rebellious!” (Ezekiel 2:7).

So what was the point in preaching? Ezekiel must have wondered why he should put his health and his life in danger if no one was going to listen. Why not just stay home, keep his mouth shut, and let God do what he was going to do, anyway?

A man concerned with his own reputation and popularity might have opted out, hoping that God would send someone else or just deal with it himself. Ezekiel went where God told him to go and preached the message God told him to preach. He would leave the results—and the personal consequences—up to God.

Do you worry more about the approval of God or of man? Does your obedience depend upon a divine guarantee that you’ll see tangible results? Do you see Ezekiel as a hero to be emulated or as a fool to be pitied?

God never promises us popularity or this world’s approval as we faithfully follow Jesus Christ. What he does promise is his approval and a great reward if we faithfully serve him regardless of others’ responses.