The Glory Of The Lord
THE GLORY OF THE LORD
Tonight (Wednesday,10/23, 7:00 pm), gather with your Calvary Chapel family in the Holy Grounds Cafe or on our website (www.calvaryinv.com), Facebook, and YouTube (Calvary Inverness) as we begin the book of Ezekiel (1-3).
Ezekiel was trained as a Priest but never ministered in the Temple of Jerusalem. He was taken into captivity as part of the second deportation in 597 b.c. when Nebuchadnezzar “carried into captivity all Jerusalem: all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths. None remained except the poorest people of the land” (2 Kings 24:14).
He was a contemporary of Jeremiah, who ministered in Jerusalem, and Daniel, who ministered in the Capital, Babylon. He was deported to a brutal labor camp on the shore of the Chebar, a channel of the Euphrates River that flowed south from Babylon and was a frequent gathering place for Jewish exiles for prayer.
His ministry began on July 31, 593 BC, and continued until March 26, 571 BC. He was thirty when he started proclaiming the word of the Lord and made his last prophecy right after his 52nd birthday.
His ministry began with a vision that no language could capture the majesty, beauty, and mystery of God's manifested glory. It took place while Ezekiel was on the shore of the Chebar River, working alongside the other captives. Because he was trained as a Priest, he likely prayed to the Lord about how he could encourage and minister to his fellow prisoners.
God spoke to Ezekiel during the vision, commissioning him to be His spokesman to the Jewish captives. He would be God’s voice of truth to refute the numerous false prophets who said that the captivity would be over soon and the Babylonians would be defeated.
The ministry would not be easy. After God explained what he would be doing to Ezekiel, he sat astonished and overwhelmed for a week, attempting to reconcile his experiences with what lay ahead.
Knowing his servant would be overwhelmed, God promised Ezekiel that He would be with him every step of the way, so he need not be afraid. He would give him the strength and stamina to deliver His word.
Ezekiel reminds us that God is looking for men and women today who will be His spokespersons in a culture that has been and will continue to resist the grace and mercy He offers to those who come to His Son by faith. These people must be willing to speak the truth no matter how offended others become or how difficult it may be to hear.
Jesus is coming soon. May we be inspired by Ezekiel’s example and willing to offer ourselves to God, proclaiming the gospel of His Son to everyone, knowing that He will anoint us with His word, strength, and fortitude.
Please pray that this journey through the Word of God will be received by open hearts that long to grow in Jesus' grace and Knowledge. Moreover, He will do deep and abiding work in and through us for a world desperately needing a Savior.
In His Strong Love,
Pastor