Morning Brew: Friday, Nov 13

Are you being a living picture of God’s word to the world? Ezekiel was a weird guy, let’s be honest. Read his book of prophecy, and God asked him to do some cuh-razy stuff. Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry is different than most in that he’s prophesying to the people of Judah exiled in Babylon. In Ezekiel’s day, judgement is in motion with the destruction of Jerusalem, but God is still speaking to his people. In Ezekiel 5, God gives Ezekiel another odd assignment:

1 “Now, son of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a barber’s razor to shave your head and your beard. Then take a set of scales and divide up the hair. 2 When the days of your siege come to an end, burn a third of the hair inside the city. Take a third and strike it with the sword all around the city. And scatter a third to the wind. For I will pursue them with drawn sword. 3 But take a few hairs and tuck them away in the folds of your garment.  4 Again, take a few of these and throw them into the fire and burn them up. A fire will spread from there to all Israel. Ezekiel 5:1-4

So, Ezekiel is to shave is head and scatter the hair around a siege mock-up of Jerusalem he had built. That’s. just. weird. Why would God ask Ezekiel to do something that odd? Let me answer that question with another question: how far will God go to get the attention of the people he’s trying to speak to? God relentlessly pursues Israel, and Ezekiel is a living picture of God to his people.

Is God wanting you to be a living picture of his word to his people? When people look at your lifestyle, your actions, how you treat your family, how you conduct yourself at work, how you serve others at church, how you treat God’s money that he entrusted to you, do people see God through you? Are you being a living picture of God’s word to the world?

Prayer: Father, give me the faithfulness and fearlessness of Ezekiel to be a living picture of your word to the world.