Ezekiel 2:1-5 - And He said to me, "Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you." And as He spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard Him speaking to me. And He said to me, "Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against Me. They and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD.' And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them."

The passage we have today is God calling Ezekiel to be His prophet—but it really helps if you read the chapter just before. Because in that chapter, God shows Ezekiel a vision of His glory—a vision that is so incredible, and so hard to describe, that by the end Ezekiel is almost babbling. You can hear him run out of words. Finally he just says, "Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face" (Ezekiel 1:28b).

It is this God, this glorious, powerful, un-describable Lord, who says to Ezekiel, "Son of man, I send you to the people ... who have rebelled against Me." It's breathtaking. It's terrifying. After seeing the glory of the Lord in chapter 1, I can't help thinking: Who could rebel against this? Who would dare not to listen to Him?

But of course, the answer is "We could." I could do it. You could do it. All of us human beings together—we could do it, and we have. We have a short memory for God's glory and holiness, and our own wants and wishes are always with us. And so, we rebel. We disobey. We turn away from God and go our own way.

And what does this glorious God do? Not what you'd expect. He doesn't rain down punishment and wash His hands of us. No, He sends a prophet, Ezekiel, to try to turn our hearts. He sends a whole line of prophets, ending with John the Baptist. And finally He comes Himself—our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God, spoken to us who so desperately need Him.

And that Word is a Word of mercy. He is a Word of forgiveness and kindness. He is the Word who uses His own lifeblood, shed on the cross, to atone for our evil, and to remake our stubborn hearts and turn us away from evil forever. He is the One who brings us back to Himself, no longer as rebels but as beloved children—redeemed by Jesus' death and sharing in His resurrection.

That is Jesus' glory.

WE PRAY: Lord, Your mercy to us is impossible for me to describe. Thank You. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Reflection Questions:

1. When have you been left absolutely speechless by something? What?

2. Would you rather see Jesus face to face or the kind of vision Eziekiel saw in chapter 1? Why?

3. What do you think God meant by calling Ezekiel "Son of man?" Why did Jesus take this as His favorite name to call Himself?

Today's Bible Readings: 1 Kings 12-13    Acts 11

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