Ezekiel 2:6 (NASB20) "And as for you, son of man, you are not to fear them nor fear their words, though thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions; you are not to fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, since they are a rebellious house.
This passage is from God calling Ezekiel to be His prophet. It sounds similar to the call that Jeremiah received because God is telling Ezekiel not to be afraid of the words of the people that he is being sent to speak to. He doesn’t say that Ezekiel will have an easy life — in fact God says that even though Ezekiel’s life is very difficult He will be with him.
God says that Ezekiel is to speak His words to the people whether they listen to him or not. He said that whether they listen or not they will know that a prophet has been among them.
We live in a rebellious generation. God may send us to speak to people about Him, and we should not expect it to be easy. We should speak whether they listen or not. God said that thorns and thistles would be with Ezekiel, and that he would sit on scorpions. That’s not exactly the kind of pep talk you’re going to hear in the main stream American churches these days.
But God told Ezekiel not to be afraid of the people or their words. God was sending Ezekiel on a mission straight into the midst of a rebellious people. He told Ezekiel not to be rebellious like them, but to listen to Him and follow Him. And that is what Ezekiel did — and it cost him.
The point of not fearing and trusting God is not so that we can be comfortable and live carefree lives. It is so that we will remain faithful to God through good times and bad. It is so that our faith will not fail, and we will not rebel against God. It is so that we will not waiver in doing the work that He has given us to do. The point of trusting God and not being afraid is so that we will live our lives dedicated to glorifying Him — in all circumstances. And He will be our provider, our shield, and our deliverer.
Ezekiel 3:9 (NASB20) "Like emery harder than flint I have made your forehead. Do not be afraid of them or be dismayed before them, since they are a rebellious house."
God was telling Ezekiel that He was sending him to speak to people that understand him, and not to people whose language he does not understand. Simply put, God was sending Ezekiel to speak to the Israelites and not to the Babylonians. He said, even though they understand your words, they will not listen to you because they are stubborn. And then God said that He was going to make Ezekiel just as stubborn if not more, but Ezekiel’s stubbornness would be in His faith to God, where Israel’s stubbornness was against God.
God said not to be afraid of them BECAUSE they are a rebellious house.
Think about that. You would think that the rebellious people are just the type of people to be cautious of, but not to God. In God’s eyes rebellious people are not scary at all. God says that He can match and even surpass the stubbornness of the unfaithful with the stubbornness of the faithful.
You see, when you trust in the Lord, you are on the side of the creator of the universe. No one is a threat to Him — not even Satan. God is so unafraid of rebellious people that He allows them to continue in their rebellion, and the only thing God is concerned about is the state of their heart towards Him. He is not afraid of being overthrown by false gods, but He is concerned that you will fool yourself and reject Him. We are in a time now where God is showing patience toward the wicked, but the time will come when God has had enough and is ready to move on with advancing His creation and His kingdom to do other things that He has planned.
The rebellious ones are the ones who will suffer and have regrets in the end. It may sometimes appear that the faithful are the ones who are suffering at the hands of the rebellious ones — as Jesus said persecution will come to those who follow Him — but in God’s eternal plan, those who are stubborn in their faithfulness to Him will be rewarded in His kingdom.
Things might not seem like they make sense sometimes, but maybe that’s because it doesn’t make sense for God’s creation to rebel against Him, and it doesn’t make sense for a powerful and just God to have mercy on the weak and those who rebel against Him, and it doesn’t make sense that God would sacrifice His own Son to save the rebellious ones from their own folly. If things happened in the way that makes sense to us — either Adam and Eve would have never sinned, or God would have destroyed them the moment they did.
But God. But God is patient, and kind, and loving. His power is so far beyond any other that He is absolutely unthreatened by rebellion. He is patient, but He does have plans, so, at some point, He will say enough is enough, and He will move on with what He has planned next. We don’t have to make sense of why things are the way they are because God understands why things are the way they are even if we do not.
Do not trust in your own understanding, but trust in the Lord with all your heart.
Ezekiel 34:28 (NASB20) "They will no longer be plunder to the nations, and the animals of the earth will not devour them; but they will live securely, and no one will make them afraid.
This passage is part of a discourse where God rebuked the shepherds of His flock for neglecting the weak, needy, and sick, and instead shown favor to the strong and fat. The shepherds would have, of course, been the leaders — both priests and kings — of Israel.
God says that He will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. He says that He will save His flock so that they will no longer be plunder. And He will appoint over them one shepherd — His servant David (meaning Jesus — son of David) — who will be prince among them.
God says that the sheep of His pasture is mankind, and He is our God.
God surely has a plan for us. He plans to give us a secure place to live where no one will make us afraid. We are His, and He will judge those who oppose us because of our faith in Him, and He will see justice done for His faithful flock. We just have to trust in Him.
Ezekiel 39:26 (NASB20) "They will forget their disgrace and all their treachery which they perpetrated against Me, when they live securely on their own land with no one to make them afraid.
This passage is from a discourse where God pronounced judgment on Gog. It’s a pretty gruesome pronouncement, too — saying that He will make Gog His sacrifice upon the mountains and all the birds and animals will come and eat the flesh and drink the blood of the enemies of Israel that were slain there, and that Israel would be burying the dead bodies of its enemies for seven months in order to cleanse the land.
But God also says that it is at this time that He will restore Israel and bring them back from being exiled to all the nations. That restoration has partially taken place because God did gather Israel back from all the nations and restore the nation of Israel in 1948. He has also defended Israel in miraculous ways in several wars since then, where Israel was outnumbered and attacked from all sides, but had quick victory over its enemies. The final attack from Gog may be yet to come, but God has shown His might hand through His chosen people already, and there is a lot to be encouraged by in the recent 70+ year history of Israel.
God says that they will live securely on their own land with no one to make them afraid, and we see today that Israel does not hesitate to defend itself from attacks, and is prepared to take action against any threats it perceives.
God tells the end from the beginning so that everyone who knows Him can trust in His word and His promises. I encourage you to learn about the miraculous reformation of Israel in 1948, and its miraculous victories in the wars since then, and let that be an encouragement to you in your faith and trust in God. Know that your God is might and you do not need to fear when you put your trust in Him.