(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)
“He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” The Spirit entered into me when he spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard him who spoke to me. He said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the children of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me even to this very day. The children are impudent and stiff-hearted. I am sending you to them, and you shall tell them, ‘This is what the Lord[a] Yahweh says.’ They, whether they will hear, or whether they will refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that there has been a prophet among them. You, son of man, don’t be afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you, and you dwell among scorpions. Don’t be afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house. You shall speak my words to them, whether they will hear or whether they will refuse; for they are most rebellious. But you, son of man, hear what I tell you. Don’t be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth, and eat that which I give you.””
(Ezekiel 2:1-8)
“For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn’t be a servant of Christ. But I make known to you, brothers, concerning the Good News which was preached by me, that it is not according to man. For I didn’t receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me through revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my way of living in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the assembly of God and ravaged it. I advanced in the Jews’ religion beyond many of my own age among my countrymen, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I didn’t immediately confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia. Then I returned to Damascus.”
(Galatians 1:10-17)
Ezekiel was a contemporary of Jeremiah. Except when Jeremiah got left behind and ultimately kidnapped into Egypt, Ezekiel was among those who were taken into exile to Babylon like Daniel. The nation of Judah was not following the Lord. Judgment was heading their way. God was trying to get a message through to them – even though He KNEW that they were not going to listen. His nature demanded that He keep telling them truth. Keep striving to show them the way. Keep giving them opportunities to repent. He chose Ezekiel as one of those voices speaking truth to them. God chose Ezekiel. Ezekiel wasn’t aggrandizing himself. He wasn’t seeking fame or fortune. He wasn’t trying to amass a following. He was chosen and he was personally given the words to say by God. The people could not discount the words of Ezekiel, for they were the words of Yahweh Himself.
Paul wasn’t seeking the Lord when the Lord chose Paul. Paul (then Saul) was a religious fanatic. Devoted to the scriptures, devoted to the Law – looking to it to save him and make him righteous, and convinced that his view of God was the right and good and ONLY proper one. He was persecuting the Christians and trying to wipe them out. But God came to him, called him, gave him the words to say, and sent him out to spread the Good News of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. He was chosen and he was personally given the words to say by God. We cannot discount the words of Paul, for they are the words of Jesus Himself.
Summary
We don’t always LIKE the message we hear. We come across something in the Word and it hits us wrong. We don’t like it. We don’t like the implications of it. We discount it as ancient world thinking or as outmoded thinking or (lately) as Paul hijacking the Gospel and preaching a message God never intended. The truth is that ALL of the Word is good for us. Peter affirms Paul’s words as scripture (2 Peter 3:15-16). Luke wrote about Paul and affirmed him as chosen by God and led by God throughout the book of Acts. Instead of us getting offended or closing ourselves off when we come across something we don’t like, we need to study. We need to learn what the words mean. We need to learn what the cultural significance is. We need to learn about the people to whom the letters were written. In context, all scripture accords with all other scripture. Paul is explaining Jesus’ words to us. Holy Spirit wrote the Bible, not men. Don’t take offense. Take the opportunity to really hear from God. To hear what God is saying. He is saying it for OUR benefit. For OUR edification. Align with His thinking, don’t try to force yours on what you read.
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