October 16, 2020: Day 55 – Ezekiel 3

Ezekiel is commanded to do a number of things and given a number of challenges as he is to go out and do God’s bidding.  He is first commanded to eat the scroll that the Lord gives to him.  I would interpret that as eating the word of God.  This should remind us of Jeremiah’s calling in chapter 1:9 where we read: “Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, ‘Now I have put my words in your mouth.”  So Ezekiel also has the word of God put in his mouth at the very beginning of his ministry.

We will find Ezekiel a few times in a valley, and this is one time where he goes and is caught up in the whirlwind that is a part of God’s presence and as a result he has to rest for 7 days before he can catch his breath again.  It is in this valley where Ezekiel receives the Spirit of God.  You will find later probably what I consider the most powerful verses of Ezekiel, about 20 chapters later, that describe the Holy Spirit in a way that is very interactive and present.  Ezekiel could be called the prophet of the Holy Spirit.  I like it.  I just thought of that.

Ezekiel is then bound by cords because God does not want him to wander among the unfaithful of Israel.  But when God speaks again to him then he will be freed to perform the duties that God has placed upon him.  Sometimes God binds us so that we are limited until we find ourselves experienced enough, or full enough of the Holy Spirit to be able to do the work of God.