1 In the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was among the exiles by the River Kebar, the heavens opened and I saw visions of God.

3 the word of the LORD came directly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Kebar. And there the LORD’s hand was upon him.

— Ezekiel 1:1, 3

1 “Son of man,” He said to me, “stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.”

2 And as He spoke to me, the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and I heard Him speaking to me.

3 “Son of man,” He said to me, “I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me. To this very day they and their fathers have rebelled against Me.

6a But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words….

7 But speak My words to them, whether they listen or refuse to listen, for they are rebellious.

— Ezekiel 2:1-3, 6a, 7

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with loving devotion.

— Jeremiah 31:3

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and salvation from Christ to you.

In the book of Ezekiel, Ezekiel wrote that God’s hand came upon him, an exiled, displaced and disillusioned priest, beside a river in the Babylonian Empire. The heavens opened as God communicated His presence and power through an astoundingly intense vision of His glory. God called Ezekiel to speak to His exiled people, raising him up as His chosen and empowered prophet. God did not leave His rebellious people without a faithful witness as they experienced His promised judgment and awaited more.

God seeks, speaks and reaches toward rebellious wayward people, calling them to Himself even as they experience sin’s consequences. We see God’s heart here. God is not distant or removed from our trials and trauma. Nor does He sit idly by when we face the consequences of our sin. Sin’s wreckage does not strip away God’s compassion for sinners, even as His righteous judgment falls. The all-powerful God takes the initiative to warn of sin’s cost and call sinners to Himself. When we respond to God and offer Him our humble repentance, God raises us up to know Him and even speak for Him.