"And whether they listen or refuse to listen – for remember, they are rebels – at least they will know they have a prophet among them." (Ezekiel 2:5 NLT)
Sometimes God send His most devoted people on impossible tasks. He straight-up told Ezekiel at the get-go: the people I’m sending you to will reject you, they are rebellious in nature. It’s interesting, God knew the outcome of the task he was assigning to Ezekiel. And though it would feel like failure to Ezekiel, his impact far outlasted his own generation. Here we are, reading Ezekiel 2500 years later. He probably believed he had wasted his effort, but strength spent on obedience to God is never wasted.
It is a relief, really. God knows our hangups and He has mercifully factored them into the story. His foreknowledge doesn’t limit us in any way. We still have free will and the self-destructive accompanying autonomy. It’s actually quite comforting: He knows us completely and still loves us entirely.
It’s a little like a long, healthy marriage. Rob and I have been wed for twenty-five years this May. He knows I snore when I sleep, I’m afraid of insecure heights and I’m a recovering people-pleaser. Yet, even amidst full-disclosure of my shortcomings, he still loves me deeply. It is really something to be loved through our flaws! God loves His people knowing full well who they are are and what they are capable of.
In His great love, God gave Ezekiel an idea of the challenge He was calling him to. He told His potential prophet: there’s a good chance they’ll refuse you, it’s historically who they are. Ezekiel’s story reminds us that ministry is messy because people are broken. We love them anyway.
Seminary or school for ministry should come with a warning label: rejection rates are alarmingly high in this field! That being said, believers need to be obedient to God regardless of the outcome. We are not accountable for the attitudes or actions of others, but we will stand before the Father one day in defense of our own action or inaction.
Despite receptivity, the people of God need to hear the word of God. And those that are called are bound to the task. God is still looking for men and women who will speak truth amidst a culture opposed to Him. Weill we receive His invitation even if it almost certainly includes rejection?
Ezekiel’s obedience to his task surely had more personal ramifications. In hindsight, his calling may have been more about his own spiritual formation than that of his congregation.
Years ago, while Rob was working his way through bible college, we were caretakers of a campground in southern Missouri. The camp was underfunded, basically a forgotten line item in a large church budget. During our season there, we advocated for the camp: it had such potential. Toward the end of our unsuccessful campaign, a loving friend offered consolation: “All the time you thought you were here for the camp, to make it better. Perhaps instead, God left this camp open just long enough to take care of you, to sustain you in this season?” What my friend was suggesting seemed too lavish, too loving for the God I thought I knew. Remarkably, the camp was closed and sold within twelve months of Rob’s college graduation. In the decades since, I’m convinced; I’ve seen God move heaven and earth to take care of His own.
The Father goes a long ways out of His way to shape a willing soul. It is not out of His character. Consider the lengths He went to in extending salvation to mankind?
Ezekiel’s ministry wasn’t as successful as he hoped, but it surely shaped him and all those who have read his testimony since. Perhaps we need to reconsider our measurement for success?
"Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." (Luke 11:28 NIV)
Lord, please remake us willing and obedient servants. May we persevere even when it includes rejection. Help us trust in the sovereign story we can’t quite see. Build our faith as we move forward in devotion. Amen.