Have you ever been around people whom you know aren’t making good choices, and even though you try to help them, they continue making bad choices?
Ezekiel was a Hebrew prophet and minister during some of their darkest days when they were captured and taken captive by Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar. The King of Judah, Zedekiah, refused to pay taxes to Babylon for three years, even though Babylon had installed him as king. In retaliation, Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem and destroyed it after about a year.
According to the Bible, God exiled the people as punishment for their sins and for not following his instructions to refrain from sin.
While in exile, Ezekiel was called by God to be a "watchman" for Israel, and his primary role was to warn the exiled Israelites of God's judgment and to offer a message of hope for the future. Ezekiel received visions and revelations from God, which he recorded in the Book of Ezekiel.
His prophetic messages were often challenging and tough to hear because he warned the people that God would judge them harshly because of their sins, but Ezekiel also shared a message of hope and restoration.
Ezekiel taught us that even in our toughest times, God is always in control, and while our mistakes and sins have consequences, God offers forgiveness to all who turn to him. Despite Israel's downfall because of their behaviors and actions, God promised to renew and rebuild his people if they followed Him and did what they were being told to do.
When we are connected to God through prayer and reading the Bible, what we need to do becomes more clear. From there, we have to have the will and discipline to do today what our future selves will thank us for no matter what is going on around us.
SOMETHING(s) TO THINK ABOUT
1 - What is your biggest takeaway from Ezekiel’s story?
2 - Have you ever been around people whom you knew were making bad choices? Did you try to help and correct them, did you join in, or did you watch from a distance?3 - Have you ever witnessed someone else trying to help and correct a group of people making bad choices? Did you try to support them or ignore them?
4 - If you lived during the time of Ezekiel and watched him try to guide and minister to the people, what would you do? Would you support him, or would you ignore him?
My Prayer
Dear, God. Thank you for all the blessings you have given me. Please help me recognize right from wrong, and please help me make decisions that my future self will thank me for. Please help me recognize when I have helpful people in my life who are trying to help me make good choices, and please help me recognize when I have people who are not helping me make the right choices. In Jesus's name, I pray. Amen.
For a printable PDF version of this post, click here: Ezekiel: A Prophet of Hope
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