As we begin the book of Ezekiel this week, I'd first like to refer you to this resource on on Ezekiel by the Bible Project.
The Fantastical Beasts of Ezekiel
No one can read Ezekiel without being struck by his vision of these tremendous creatures that are a depiction of the glory of God. The above article does a good job of shedding some insight on the weirdness of these visions.
The part about this that fascinates me is that the visions of these creatures makes another appearance in the book of Revelation. In the final book of the Bible the author, John, has a vision of his own and he sees a vision of 4 living creatures, and their description closely matches what is recorded for us in Ezekiel!
But what is the significance of that? To me, it is a reminder of the truth that God is not a God who changes, rather he is the same yesterday today and forever. God is not swayed by the present circumstance so that he is caught off guard, having to change his mind. He doesn't evolve or improve, because he is already perfect in his very being, he doesn't change! And the God who does not change is the God upon whom you can build your life!
I'm Responsible for God's Message
Another part about Ezekiel's calling that sticks with me is how God identifies Ezekiel as Jerusalem's watchman. The job of the watchman is to simply tell the truth about the situation. If the enemy comes into view, the watchman's responsibility is to tell the truth, loudly, unconcerned with how the hearers will feel about it. Whether people listen or choose to ignore, that is on them, Ezekiel's responsibility is to simply speak the truth. For the watchman to keep silent is to lie, and God will hold Ezekiel responsible if he fails to tell people what he needs to tell them.
What about for us? Isn't the message of Jesus like this? We certainly want to speak the truth in as lovingly and winsomely as possible. But am I not responsible for the truth about Jesus that I know and believe? Like the watchman is to the city?