January 22: STRENGTHENED BY GOD
“Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.” Ezekiel 3:8-9
Ezekiel, whose name means strengthened by God, ministered among God’s people during the darkest days of the history of Judah: the seventy-year captivity in Babylon. The northern ten tribes had dissolved and disintegrated, absorbed by the surrounding pagan cultures. And now the southern kingdom of Judah (tribes of Judah and Benjamin) had also fallen into apostasy. As a result, the LORD allowed Babylon to overrun Judah. Ezekiel was among the captives.
God began Ezekiel’s call to witness by showing visions of Himself.
Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire. (1:4)
It can be very intimidating to witness, especially among the people you know best. But be encouraged, beloved, that among them are those who are ready to make sure they are on the true trajectory toward heaven. They will humbly listen, allowing themselves to be tested for needed corrections. Too often, the “personality” of a group is established by the louder, more outspoken members of the group. The LORD encouraged Ezekiel not to be afraid of them, referring to the whole as a rebellious house. Look to Him and be strengthened, knowing that His Spirit is already at work in some. The stronger and more rebellious, like Saul before he became Paul, are also potential victors for God’s Kingdom. All are the objects of His love!
The forehead, so often mentioned in Scripture, represents the cognitive reasoning part of the brain; where decisions are made. Does not our probationary life in the here and now consist of a series of decisions? Decide today that you will accept correction for yourself as you walk in the light of God’s word. He will never lead you astray, but always in the direction of His ultimate will and purpose, one step at a time. We are to be blameless and faultless (innocent and righteous) in His presence when He comes to take us to Heaven.
For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights. Proverbs 3:12
He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, But he who refuses correction goes astray. Proverbs 10:17