When Melanie and I moved to our second church as newlyweds, I met my first scorpions. The church built a new parsonage for us to live in. The garage was larger than our first apartment. We thought we were in heaven. The first night we turned on the ceiling fan in our bedroom. During the night I heard something swing off the ceiling fan blade and hit the wall, “ping.” I turned on the light to find a scorpion crawling across the carpet. This was disconcerting! One afternoon, a scorpion crawled up on my calf and played connect the dots with his tail. This was memorable. Not in a good way, though!
God called Ezekiel to minister among the briers, thorns, and scorpions. Worse than scorpions was the sting of the tongues of the rebellious Israelites. Their rebellion resulted in their exile. God called Ezekiel to preach while the people of God were experiencing the consequences of their own choices. What was Ezekiel to do? Tell them the truth. Be the watchman who warns them when they are headed for destruction. Oh. And Ezekiel was to avoid becoming rebellious like his congregation.
What, exactly is the benefit in doing what God calls us to do? When we speak God’s word to others it may save their lives. If we tell God’s truth to others, they may turn from their sin and find life. This, in itself, is highly rewarding. Best of all, our calling is not to be successful, but to be faithful. After I preached one Sunday morning, one of our guests asked me if I was discouraged when people did not respond. Truthfully, I can’t always tell how people are responding. Nobody throws tomatoes at me. For this I am thankful. But ultimately, I must make sure that I do what God tells me to do. Like those who listen to me preach, I live for an audience of One.
