Ezekiel 2

At a time when God was “giving up” His people into captivity, He wasn’t actually “giving up” on them at all. That’s one of the things I’ve discovered on this trip through the Bible: at a time when Israel seemed to be at its lowest possible point, God was communicating with them more thaan ever. Far from abandoning them, He was pursuing them all the more.

Did you know that Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel were all contemporaries of one another? That’s right. Three of the biggest prophetic names in the Old Testament lived at the same time, bringing God’s message to the Israelites who were scattered all over the place. Jeremiah lived and prophesied in Jerusalem; Daniel in the city of Babylon; and Ezekiel in a “prison camp” for exiles about 200 miles north of Babylon.

And that’s why I found these verses interesting from today’s chapter: “The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious people—they will know that a prophet has been among them.” (vs 4-5)

God’s voice is unmistakable. Even when we’ve stubbornly gone down the wrong path, God doesn’t stop talking to us. He never stops pursuing us. He communicates to us in such a way that we will know that He is the one who has been talking to us.

What’s more, notice that His communicating in such a distinct way doesn’t remove our freedom to reject Him. He told Ezekiel that the people would know He had spoken to them regardless of whether they listened or not. They were still free to ignore Him, if that’s what they chose to do.

So, if you’re wondering whether you’ll be able to hear God’s voice, don’t worry. You will hear it. God is always speaking, and His voice is unmistakable. Even when we think we’re far from Him, He still finds a way to talk to us!