Ezekiel 12:22-24 Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth? Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord God; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision. For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel.

My first instinct was to say this message was meant for Israel but as I look again it begins by addressing the prophet Ezekiel himself. Then the proverb is said to be Israel’s proverb. God asks Ezekiel about this proverb in common use. God declares the reference point and then gives instructions to be followed. God removes ambiguity.

This is what Matthew Henry had to say about verse 22. “They said, “The days are prolonged; the judgments have not come when they were expected to come, but seem to be still put off de die in diem-from day to day, and therefore we may conclude that every vision fails, because it should seem that some do, that because the destruction has not come yet it will never come; we will never trust a prophet again, for we have been more frightened than hurt.”

I can agree with the possibility that this attitude may have existed in Israel. This proverb could have become part of their culture. I am no expert in ancient culture but I am familiar with this attitude towards prophecies.

Is this a form of group think? When we allow a cultural attitude to determine what scriptures say, we have stopped listening for God in scriptures. Matthew Henry has some good words but I am not sure this was the only bad attitude in Israel. I did relate to those thoughts by experience. It became relevant to me.

Hebrews 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

God the Father, knowing all things from the beginning, knew exactly who would listen and obey. He knew the results and understood the when and how with perfect timing. The question for us to answer is which words were meant for a people and a purpose long past and which ones were meant for us.

The difficulty of understanding is complicated by our enemy who intends to frustrate every effort on our part to know God’s will for us.

Jeremiah 23:21 I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.

Many dedicated men have spent a lifetime reading and meditating on God’s word. Some of those men have large volumes of works and to read all of one author’s words would consume us to the point of distraction. We would be hindered in getting around to serving God.

Which message is before me that compels me to write of it at this time? Perhaps it is this, God is speaking to us all the time. For some very human reasons, we misunderstand or are lied too, or we are not paying attention. We all have responsibilities to family, friends, work, and those things which matter to us that take us away from spending quality time with God’s Word. If you cannot find the time to be in God’s Word, then anything I might say will be reduced to nothing more than another man’s opinion.

I am not asking you to trust me or believe me. I would ask you to check with God on anything I have to say and allow the Holy Spirit to shed light on His truth.

As such I will endeavor to begin a series on some specific scriptures placed before me for meditation. I will meditate upon them and ask you to do likewise.