Ezekiel 2
1He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” 2The Spirit entered into me when he spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard him who spoke to me. 3He said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the children of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me even to this very day. 4The children are impudent and stiff-hearted. I am sending you to them, and you shall tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Yahweh says.’ 5They, whether they will hear, or whether they will refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that there has been a prophet among them. 6You, son of man, don’t be afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you, and you dwell among scorpions. Don’t be afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house. 7You shall speak my words to them, whether they will hear or whether they will refuse; for they are most rebellious. 8But you, son of man, hear what I tell you. Don’t be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth, and eat that which I give you.” 9When I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me; and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. 10He spread it before me. It was written within and without; and lamentations, mourning, and woe were written in it.
Introduction
Ezekiel 2
What our Lord Jesus said to St. Paul (Act 26:16) may fitly be applied to the prophet Ezekiel, to whom the same Jesus is here speaking, "Rise and stand upon thy feet, for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister." We have here Ezekiel's ordination to his office, which the vision was designed to fit him for, not to entertain his curiosity with uncommon speculations, but to put him into business. Now here, I. He is commissioned to go as a prophet to the house of Israel, now captives in Babylon, and to deliver God's messages to them from time to time (Eze 2:1-5). II. He is cautioned not to be afraid of them (Eze 2:6). III. He is instructed what to say to them, and has words put into his mouth, signified by the vision of a roll, which he was ordered to eat (Eze 2:7-10), and which, in the next chapter, we find he did eat.
Cross-references: Acts 26:16 · Ezek 2:1 · Ezek 2:6 · Ezek 2:7