An Impudent and Stubborn People
.
Ezekiel 2
1. And he said to me, "Son of man, stand upon your feet, and I will speak with you." 2. And when he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me upon my feet; and I heard him speaking to me. 3. And he said to me, "Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels, who have rebelled against me; they and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. 4. The people also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them; and you shall say to them, `Thus says the Lord God.' 5. And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that there has been a prophet among them. 6. And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit upon scorpions; be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. 7. And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear; for they are a rebellious house. 8. "But you, son of man, hear what I say to you; be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth, and eat what I give you." 9. And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and, lo, a written scroll was in it; 10. and he spread it before me; and it had writing on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe.
Webster’s Dictionary defines impudent as “shamelessly bold or disrespectful.” Not to be impudent myself, but this scripture seems to confirm that God is pretty irritated, even angry and frustrated, maybe he even borders on a temper tantrum! The Israelites have not gotten the message, even after all that has happened – and God warned them through various prophets and through various signs to confirm the prophetic declarations of the few faithful and obedient servants left among the people over hundreds and hundreds of years!
Jim and I had a brief conversation this morning about why in the world God chose the “chosen people.” After reading through Jeremiah, Lamentations, then into Ezekiel, it does make you want to shake your head in wonder. What was God thinking!?
What were the foolish, blind, impudent and stubborn “chosen people” thinking? God destroyed everything—absolutely everything—they had known, trusted in, every building, every temple, every tradition, their way of life, their freedom. And they just didn’t get it! They refused God! But I have to ask myself, “Am I impudent sometimes?” Are you? Do we know in our hearts what God desires of us—in large ways and in small—and disobey? Do we know what is expected of us, and what is right, and how we should live, and act, and throw that all out the window when our pride, our way of life, our source of income, or our personal freedom are at risk?
Are we so different? Don’t we worship idols? Don’t we choose the easy way out? Don’t we run away from God? So maybe God chose the stubborn, impudent, chosen people to demonstrate to us that no matter how much we sin, no matter how much we have done what is wrong, even detestable, God will continue to love us. There is no place we can go that He won’t be waiting for us to run to Him. There is nothing—absolutely nothing—we can even imagine doing that will make God stop loving us. But along the way we will suffer. Until we get it, He’s going to leave us on that last frayed fiber of the rope that keeps us from falling into eternal damnation! Don’t mean to be so dramatic, but let’s get real! That’s just the way it is.
We can craft idols, we can conform to the ways of this world, we can sin and rebel – but when we see the truth—God rejoices! That’s not to say we can cavort in reckless abandon through life! I don’t recommend it, though I think most of us experienced a few years like that in our youth! But when we grow to be mature in our faith, we don’t even want that way of life anymore. We desire a life grounded in Christ, full of comfort and peace. We are joyful, even when unhappy, because we know that God has seen us through every bump and bruise and every foolish decision, and each attempt to rely upon our own wisdom. I envision Him shaking His head, taking a deep breath, and stretching out His arms to us. I like living with that kind of assurance. And I choose to be one of His chosen people.
I hope today you choose to one too!
Mary
