A Prophet Present Among Them by Maxie Dunnam

This is the season in many denominations when changes take place in clergy leadership. I’m in a good bit of conversation with clergy and lay leadership about the nature of ordained ministry. I urge clergy and lay leadership to read and consider chapter 2 of Ezekiel as a part of the experience of “clergy appointment.” 

A few years ago I was smitten by a word I heard in the ordination service of the Free Methodist Church. It was verses 4 and 5 of Ezekiel 2 that made me give special attention:

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 – for they are a rebellious house – they will know that a prophet has been among them.” (NIV)

In his story, Ezekial sees the “glory of Yahweh” coming down from heaven and it is so overwhelming that he falls on his face. But the Lord will not let him remain there. “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” And the Lord does speak. The message which Ezekiel is to preach is given to him in a kind of scroll. So, Ezekiel receives his appointment. It is not a promising situation. Not the planting of a new church that is sure to grow in an exciting fashion. Not to be the senior pastor of First Church downtown which has tremendous influence in the entire community. Not an appointment to a rapidly growing church in suburbia. 

It is a hard call and God makes it clear. In exercising his prophetic office, Ezekiel will have to preach to deaf ears and dwell among scorpions.

Now all of us clergy have preached to deaf ears – but very few have dwelt among scorpions – though one of our student pastors told me recently he had “some polecats” in his congregation. There was no prospect of success laid on the prophet in his initial call to ministry. And that burden of no prospect continues to increase as God continues to speak.

In this call of Ezekiel, there are some lessons, especially some directions and powerful promises to us clergy as we contemplate our leadership.

First, God says, “Stand on your feet and I will speak to you.” (2:1) The lesson? We are to listen. Our stance must always be a receptive one. “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”

Note a second thing. After hearing God tell him to “stand on his feet,” so that He might speak to him, Ezekiel says, “As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet and I heard Him speaking to me.” The lesson? It is not our ability to do what God calls us to do, but our willingness to respond, to yield, to attempt what He calls us to that releases God’s power. God called Ezekiel, “Stand on your feet” but then – as Ezekiel says – “a Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet.

God does not call us to a ministry or a mission that we can accomplish in our own strength and with our own resources – but only with His divine aid. In that way, we’re kept on our knees, dependent upon Him.

Then there is a third lesson and a promise that comes in Ezekiel 3:1-3: 

And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.”  So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.  Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. (NIV)

The lesson? We pastors must become one with God’s word. What we say must be matched by how we live. 

Regardless of our location, we must offer a listening stance, a yielding and willing posture, and a life lived by the Word. When these are seen in the pulpit and on the street, people will know that a prophet is among them.