DAILY TEXT, Today Sunday October 20, 2024,  The house of Israel will refuse to listen to you (Ezek. 3:7).

Let us examine the Scriptures every day 2024

Sunday, October 20, 2024

The house of Israel will refuse to listen to you (Ezek. 3:7).

The Spirit of God gave Ezekiel the strength he needed to fulfill his mission of preaching to the “hard-headed and stubborn-hearted” Jews in his territory. Jehovah told him: “I have made your face as hard as their faces and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. I have made your forehead like an adamant stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them, and do not be terrified by their faces” (Ezek. 3:8, 9). It is as if Jehovah had said to him: “Do not let their stubbornness discourage you. I will make you strong.” From then on, God’s Spirit led Ezekiel through the territory where he was to preach. He wrote: “The hand of Jehovah was strong upon me.” It took the prophet a week to assimilate the message he had to announce (Ezek. 3:14, 15). Then Jehovah told him to go to a plain, where the spirit entered him (Ezek. 3:23, 24). Ezekiel was now ready to begin preaching. w22.11 4, 5 pars. 8, 9.

THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVES US STRENGTH

What help do we need to fulfill our ministry, and why?

What help do we need to fulfill our ministry? To answer this question, let’s think about Ezekiel. Before he began to preach, the Holy Spirit gave him the strength he needed. Like Ezekiel, we would not be able to preach without the help of the Holy Spirit. Why do we say this? Because Satan fights against us to stop the preaching (Rev. 12:17). From a human point of view, it may seem that Satan is too powerful an opponent for us. But through our preaching, we are defeating him (Rev. 12:9–11). When we participate in the ministry, we show that his threats do not frighten us. Every time we preach, it is a defeat for Satan. So the fact that we can preach despite opposition shows that the Holy Spirit is giving us strength and that we have Jehovah’s approval (Matt. 5:10–12; 1 Pet. 4:14).

How will the Holy Spirit help us, and what should we do to continue receiving it?

The fact that Jehovah hardened Ezekiel’s face and forehead assures us of something else: that holy spirit can help us overcome any obstacle that may arise in our ministry. (2 Cor. 4:7–9) So what must we do to continue receiving God’s spirit? We must pray insistently, knowing that Jehovah will hear us. Jesus told his disciples to “keep asking,” “keep seeking,” and “keep knocking.” What will Jehovah’s response be? “He will give holy spirit to those who ask him.”—Luke 11:9, 13; Acts 1:14; 2:4.

According to Ezekiel 2:9-3:3, where did the scroll come from, and what message did it contain?

In addition to being empowered by holy spirit, Ezekiel was nourished by God’s words, or message. In a vision, he saw a hand carrying a scroll (read Ezekiel 2:9–3:3). Where did the scroll come from? What message did it contain? And how did it nourish Ezekiel? The scroll came from the throne of the Lord. God likely used one of the four angels Ezekiel had seen to deliver the scroll to him. (Ezek. 1:8; 10:7, 20) The scroll contained God’s words—the long message of condemnation that Ezekiel was to deliver to the rebellious exiles. (Ezek. 2:7) That message was written on the front and back of the scroll.

What did Jehovah tell Ezekiel to do with the scroll, and why was it sweet?

Jehovah told his prophet: “Eat the scroll . . . and fill your stomach with it.” Ezekiel was obedient and ate the whole thing. What does this part of the vision mean? That Ezekiel had to fully assimilate the message he was to deliver. That message had to become a part of him; it had to touch his deepest feelings. Then something unexpected happened. Ezekiel discovered that the scroll “was as sweet as honey.” (Ezek. 3:3) Why? Because to him, the honor of representing Jehovah was something sweet or pleasant. (Ps. 19:8–11) He was very grateful that Jehovah had chosen him to be his prophet.

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