Thus Says the Lord God

Several things I have noticed about the book of Ezekiel as I'm reading through the Bible. I'm up to chapter 31 now and the first thing that really caught my eye as I started reading was how many times Ezekiel says "thus says the Lord God" (ESV translation.)

Number 2 on that list is how many times God says "they shall know that I am the Lord". And He says that whether He is talking about something that is going to happen to the people of Israel and Judah or to the people of Egypt or Babylon or Tyre or any of the other peoples He mentions.

The events He orchestrates are make Himself known not just to people who know about God but also to people who don't have a clue who He is. That is God's mission and purpose - for people to know Him, to be in relationship with Him.

The third thing that just struck me yesterday as I was reading is the time line of the book. The people were to be in captivity in Babylon for 70 years. The book is not in chronological order because it opens with "in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month..." and tells of the great vision of God Ezekiel had. Repeatedly he uses times such as these...in the 6th year, 6th month, 5th day; 7th year, 5th month, 10th day.

Two things strike me as interesting about this. First, the very fact that he is precise with the time line indicates that this actually happened. This is not a made up story. Second, Ezekiel knows without a doubt when God has spoken. That says to me that Ezekiel is really looking for God to speak to him - anticipating that it will happen. He recognizes the voice of God and is ready to act on it.

I don't know HOW God spoke to Ezekiel but I know that He still speaks today. I too can hear God's voice if I am anticipating He will speak to me, if I am reading His word so I can recognize His voice (He never says things that contradict His written word) and if I am ready to act on it.