Ezekiel's Commission (Ezekiel 2-3a)

In seeing visions of God (Eze 1:1) Ezekiel's encounter with God suggests important lessons about God. Similarly the commission narrative offers vital information on the relationship between God and those whom he calls into his service. Whoever would serve as a messenger of God must know or have a sense of the following:

1. The calling comes from God alone.The God who appoints his servants also i) defines the task, ii) chooses the field of service, iii) provides the message and iv) assumes responsibility for the outcome. The less evident the fruit of one's ministry, the more critical is a clear sense of calling.
2. A clear vision of the one who sends him or her. Unless the servant of God enters divine service with a sense of awe at the privilege of representing the glorious King of heaven and earth, and unless one is convinced of God's sovereignty over all the earth and over all of human history, the ministry will be burdensome, result in burn out and in one's undoing--especially when the opposition is strong and fruit is absent.
3. Empowered by the Spirit of God. Ezekiel was the prophet of the Spirit. Animated and energized by the infusion of God's Holy Spirit, he serves as a model to all who would stand in the Lord's presence and all who would enter his service.
4. Inspired by the message of God. The personalities of God's agents color the manner in which the calling is fulfilled, as it certainly was with Ezekiel. But the prophet is primarily accountable to God and the divine word. Merely hearing the message is obviously not enough, It must be digested, internalized, incorporated, embodied and lived. The medium becomes the message. The message derives not from private reasoning or logic, or from mystical reflection, but from revelation. Even so, prophetic "inspiration" does not cancel out or overwhelm natural abilities and qualities -- it uplifts and quickens them.
5. Divine equipping commensurate with the calling. God is aware of the challenges his servants face. When he assigns a task, he assumes responsibility for preparing them for that work. God's call to service is not made on the basis of gifts but vice versa; gifts are given on the basis of the assignment.
6. The calling is not to success but to faithfulness. Every aspect of vocational service remains under the sovereign control of God, especially the results. Apparent effectiveness is no proof of calling, nor even a sure criterion by which to measure faithfulness. The servant messenger embarks on his or her mission as an emissary of the divine King. That privilege alone should provide sufficient motivation for unconditional service.