Ezekiel 13:2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD
Bible preaching is by definition authoritative. That is to say, it bears authority. Why is that? It is because it is God’s words. It is not just man’s opinion or a person’s thoughts; it is what God has thought, what God has said, and what God has given through His Word, the Bible. So, whenever I am actually preaching to people, I am not just preaching to the choir, everyone who agrees with me and with God. I need to first of all come into agreement with God and then give God’s truth to those of us who know God’s truth.
In Ezekiel 13:2 God is speaking, not through the prophet but to the prophet Ezekiel. He says, “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD.” Now Ezekiel was a prophet. He was to tell what God had said, but in order to do that he needed to listen first of all. We think of preachers or prophets as people who speak all the time. Yet, the first task of a prophet is not to speak. The first task of a prophet is to listen. You see, we won’t speak with authority until we listen with submission.
In Ezekiel 2:5-7 God basically says, “These people aren’t going to like what you say. They are not going to listen to you. Don’t be afraid of them, but speak my words unto them.” What a wonderful thing that Ezekiel didn’t have to look for something to say. God gave him something to say. They were God’s words in Ezekiel’s mouth. Someone says, “Well, do you think you have a corner on God?” Of course not! No one in their right mind thinks they have a corner on God. The question is, “Does God have a corner on me?” Are you being submissive to what God has said? The reason I speak what I speak is to the extent that I hear what I hear. So, if I am going to speak God’s truth, I’ve got to hear it myself. I ought not just be telling other people the way things are; I ought to be seeing the way things are for myself from the truth of God.
In Ezekiel 3:7, God essentially says to Ezekiel, “These people are not going to listen to you because they will not listen to Me.” What a wonderful place to be in where this rejection was not personal. It was not as if they hated Ezekiel on his own merits, but they did not want to listen to God. What a wonderful place of peace to think that this is God’s truth, these are God’s words, and what God has said I will give.
Again, in Ezekiel 13:9 God says, “And ye shall know that I am the LORD God.” Ezekiel was not to give something out of his own spirit or thoughts or to give his own opinions. He was to say what God had said.
For those of us who are parents, preachers, or some kind of communicator, it is easy for us to think that our messages are always for someone else. It is good to remember that the message is first of all for us. Years ago, I remember talking to a couple who had come to the Bill Rice Ranch for junior camp. They had come with elementary age boys and girls from their church, and they were helping to guide and direct their own juniors for the week. I talked to them later at their home church, and I remember them saying kind of jokingly, “You know, we went to the Ranch last summer and the Ranch saved our marriage.” We all kind of laughed a polite laugh, but I remember thinking, “Whoa, what?!” So, I asked them, “What do you mean the Ranch saved your marriage?” After all, the services they had been in were geared to junior boys and girls, yet God used the preaching of His word that was specifically directed to junior age kids to help this man and this lady to be the kind of spouses that God intended. Preaching is always for me first of all, and that is because we will not speak with authority until we listen with submission.