Sermon Tone Analysis

Background:

Ezekiel, then 25 years old and in training to be a priest (1:3), was taken into exile along with 10,000 of the most prominent leaders, soldiers, and craftsmen of Judah ().

Ezekiel settled in his own house in a village He prophesied for at least 22 years.

God called Ezekiel to explain His actions in allowing the Israelites to be taken into captivity.

The phrase, "They shall know that I am the Lord," is used nearly 70 time in this book.

The Israelites had been sinful and stiffnecked.

When other nations did what israel had done God destroyed them.

However, God did not intend to allow Israel to be completely destroyed, for there was a remnant that drew back to the Lord and through whom the promised messiah would come.

From their experiences in captivity the jews would remember the lesson God taught them and they would never be guilty of idolatry again.

Text:

Ezekiel 1:

In the following God is revealed to Ezekiel in such a crazy way

Ezekiel 1:

Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.

And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Ezekiel 2:

-Ezekiel was on his face after seing God in this crazy way and God tells him to stand up

-The spirit of God entered into him and set him on his feet

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

-God is sending Ezekiel to these rebelious people

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-God is also saying whether they hear you or not go and preach to them

-Is this not similiar to our command God has given us?

The great commision?

-God is telling Ezekiel to go and preach his word whether they hear or not!

-Is this not a command that God has given to me and you?

-God told us to go to all of the nations, to preach his word

-We should not be afraid to speak becuase God says preach whether they listen to you or not!

It is Gods job to change the hearts of man but our job to be his hands and feet!

-Just be obedient

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.

-God is telling Ezekiel to not be afraid of them

-God is saying don’t be afraid of their look

-God is saying they are rebelious, dont be afraid of them, I am with you!

-Just say what I tell you!

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 behold, a scroll of a book 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.

But you, son of man, hear what I say to you.

Be not rebellious like that rebellious house

-God is now telling Ezekiel not to be rebelious like the nation and people around him

God is telling Ezekiel to stay strong in what he commanded

-In our lives God tells us not to be rebellious

-God tells us to be different than the people around us and to keep our bodies and minds pure

And he said to me, “Son of man, eat whatever you find here.

Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.”

Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.

-God is telling Ezekiel to read, study, and mediate on his word he has given

-Ezekeil then read the word and it was sweet as honey

-Testiony of myself feeding on trash (orange is the new black, provocative music, lustful thoughts and images)

-you feed on trash you become acting like trash

-The importance of the Word

-God tells us to feed on his word

-The word of God constantly renews our minds and our actions

So we do not lose heart.

Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

ESV / 832 helpful votes

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

4 And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel— 6 not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand.

Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you.

7 But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart.

8 Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads.

9 Like emery harder than flint have I made your forehead.

Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.” 10 Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears.

11 And go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ whether they hear or refuse to hear.”

-God is telling Ezekiel again to speak his words to the people of Israel

-God is saying hes not sending you to people who dont undertstand your language or a foregin land

-God says that would be too easy

God is saying that Israel wont listen to you but listen to me

-God is sending Ezekiel to a place where they are hard at heart and wont listen to him but God is telling him to go anway

-God is saying Ezekiel is empowered and protected by God

-All Ezekiel has to do is go and speak whether they listen to him or not

-God will do the rest of the work

3:5 a people of obscure speech and of a difficult language The Hebrew phrase used here translates literally as “deep of lip and heavy of tongue.”

Since this phrase refers to languages that Ezekiel does not know, it emphasizes his commission as a prophet to Israel in exile, not to the people of Babylon.

3:6 they would have listened to you Yahweh tells Ezekiel that a mission to foreign people would have been easier and more fruitful than his mission to Israel.

Compare the success of Jonah’s preaching to Nineveh in Jonah 3:4–5.

3:7 hard of heart Israel’s hardness of heart is a bigger obstacle to Yahweh’s message than the linguistic barrier faced with a foreign people.

3:8 I have made your face hard against their faces Compare Jer 1:18–19.

Yahweh promises Ezekiel a divine strength in proclaiming the message that is equal to Israel’s stubborn resistance.

3:9 a diamond The word here, shamir, is a rare term occurring only three times (Ezek 3:9; Jer 17:1; Zech 7:12).

Context indicates the substance is a very hard stone or mineral.

harder The Hebrew word chazaq is repeated three times in Ezek 3:8–9.

Its use likely plays on Ezekiel’s name, yechezqel, which means “God toughens.”

flint This is a dark quartz known for its hardness.

The word used here, tsor, often refers to flint knives (see Exod 4:25).

you must not fear them Compare Jeremiah’s commissioning in Jer 1:8, 17.

Both prophets are encouraged to trust Yahweh in the face of the people’s opposition.

3:11 go to the exiles Ezekiel’s ministry is specifically intended for the Jews exiled in Babylon.

His message addresses their crisis of faith after exile and helps explain Yahweh’s judgment of idolatry.

Thus says the Lord Yahweh See note on Ezek 2:4.

Ezekiel consistently uses formulaic prophetic phrases.

Again, the emphasis is on his role as a prophet of Yahweh, not on the prophecy.

Ezekiel’s name, yechezqel, which means “God toughens.”

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

- How God called Ezekiel to ministry

God is telling us to be like Ezekiel