神的代言人
以西结书三章4至7节，16至27节
4他对我说：“人子啊，你往以色列家那里去，将我的话对他们讲说。
5你奉差遣不是往那说话深奥、言语难懂的民那里去，乃是往以色列家去。
6不是往那说话深奥、言语难懂的多国去，他们的话语是你不懂得的；我若差你往他们那里去，他们必听从你。
7以色列家却不肯听从你，因为他们不肯听从我；原来以色列全家是额坚心硬的人。
16过了七日，耶和华的话临到我说：
17“人子啊，我立你作以色列家守望的人，所以你要听我口中的话，替我警戒他们。
18我何时指着恶人说他必要死，你若不警戒他，也不劝戒他，使他离开恶行，拯救他的性命，这恶人必死在罪孽之中；我却要向你讨他丧命的罪（注：原文作“血”）。
19倘若你警戒恶人，他仍不转离罪恶，也不离开恶行，他必死在罪孽之中；你却救自己脱离了罪。
20再者，义人何时离义而犯罪，我将绊脚石放在他面前，他就必死。因你没有警戒他，他必死在罪中，他素来所行的义不被记念，我却要向你讨他丧命的罪（注：原文作“血”）。
21倘若你警戒义人，使他不犯罪，他就不犯罪，他因受警戒就必存活，你也救自己脱离了罪。”
22耶和华的灵（注：原文作“手”）在那里降在我身上。他对我说：“你起来往平原去，我要在那里和你说话。”
23于是，我起来往平原去。不料，耶和华的荣耀，正如我在迦巴鲁河边所见的一样，停在那里，我就俯伏于地。
24灵就进入我里面，使我站起来。耶和华对我说：“你进房屋去，将门关上。
25人子啊，人必用绳索捆绑你，你就不能出去在他们中间来往。
26我必使你的舌头贴住上膛，以致你哑口，不能作责备他们的人，他们原是悖逆之家。
27但我对你说话的时候，必使你开口，你就要对他们说：‘主耶和华如此说。’听的可以听，不听的任他不听，因为他们是悖逆之家。
信息分享
神把一个沉重的责任放在以西结的肩头：神要他将警告的信息传给以色列民。他如果失职，神便要追咎他（18节）；百姓若不肯悔改，他们便要受罚，以西结却要免责。这个原则不单适用在不信者的身上，那些离义行恶的「义人」，也都同样合用（20节）。以西结对两批人都有责任。
我们今天对已得救或未得救的人，都同样有类似的责任。神希望祂的儿女作祂的代言人；祂希望我们作祂的代表去接触其他人。祂要把信息传给他们；我们便是祂的使者，祂已将责任交付我们。
我们只要愿意，神便会在某些时间、某些场合和机会，使用我们去向某位信徒说话，祂希望我们互相扶持；但我们务必要以慈爱和祷告的心来作这工。有些基督徒最喜欢纠正别人；他们会直斥任何人──甚至是他们的教会。然而，结果却是令弟兄姊妹受伤，甚或是教会分裂。如果我们这样做会伤害他人或在彼此闲留下裂痕，最好还是让圣灵亲自作工吧。
不过，神仍然希望我们顺服地为祂作见证，也期望使用我们各人作祂的快乐使者，让我们都不要令祂失望。求问神今天祂希望你为祂作甚么，再静心等候祂带给你的机会。
A SPOKESMAN FOR GOD
Ezekiel 3:4-7 & 16-27
4 Then He said to me: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them.
5 For you are not sent to a people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, but to the house of Israel,
6 not to many people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, had I sent you to them, they would have listened to you.
7 But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted.
16 Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me:
18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.
19 Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.
20 “Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand.
21 Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul.”
22 Then the hand of the LORD was upon me there, and He said to me, “Arise, go out into the plain, and there I shall talk with you.”
23 So I arose and went out into the plain, and behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, like the glory which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face.
24 Then the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and spoke with me and said to me: “Go, shut yourself inside your house.
25 And you, O son of man, surely they will put ropes on you and bind you with them, so that you cannot go out among them.
26 I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and not be one to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious house.
27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.
Message
God laid on Ezekiel a heavy responsibility. He must pass on God’s warnings to the people of Israel. If he failed to do this he, Ezekiel, would be held accountable (v.18). If the people failed to respond, they themselves would suffer but Ezekiel would have discharged his responsibility. This principle held well not only for the outright unbeliever but also for the “righteous” man who sinned (v.20). Ezekiel had a responsibility toward both.
We have a similar duty to both the unsaved and the saved today. God wants His children to be His spokespersons. He wants us to represent Him to others. He has messages for them and we are His messengers. He is counting on us.
There will be times, occasions, and opportunities as we make ourselves available, when God will want us to speak to a fellow believer. He wants us to help each other. But let’s make sure we do it graciously and prayerfully. Some Christians major on this “correction ministry”. They can set anyone or everyone straight even their whole church. The result is too often a hurt believer, or a split church. It is better to leave this ministry to the Holy Spirit if we can’t do it without causing harm or leaving scars.
But God still wants obedient witnesses and He longs to use each one of us as His happy messengers. Let’s not fail Him! Ask Him what He wants you to do for Him today and watch for the opportunity He brings before you.