The Call of the Prophet: Ezekiel 2:1—3:15 

In the recent ABC Evenings series we considered the response of Israel to the catastrophe of defeat and exile:  70 years of  disloca on, then return to pick up the pieces. How now were they to understand their role as the people of God? What was core to their iden ty? How were they to understand God himself who they realised had brought about this calamity in the first place. We looked at the deep re-processing of history and iden ty that took place in 1&2 Chronicles and Ezra.  That was in retrospect. 

Now, in Ezekiel, we see the process worked out in real me.  In a long-ago “teaser” for this series we saw Ezekiel transfixed by a  startling vision of God. In the midst of perpetual mo on, apparent chaos, there was God. We concluded at the moment when God began to speak. Now we hear what God had to say— to Ezekiel...and to us. For the prophet it brought no comfort. It was a shocking reminder of what mission actually means.    Join with me on Ezekiel’s journey.

Martin Sutherland