Ezekiel 2:3-7
(3) 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.
(4) The descendants 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 a prophet has been 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 on 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.
I notice a recurring theme as I go through Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. There seems to be a common refrain that the prophet is to go and speak the Word of the Lord to the people though they are not likely to listen. His job is to preach. He puts them on the hook for what the Lord has to say and the rest is between them and the Lord.
This seems to me a clear teaching against any kind of preaching that has to apologize for the gospel. It is going to be offensive by its very nature. Therefore, we need to preach it faithfully and let God worry about the hearers' hearts. Of course, we don't want to go out of our way to be offensive either.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment