A Word To The House of Israel
Israel was rebellious and would not hear.
And God said unto Ezekiel “Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them. For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel” (Ezekiel 3:4,5). And God said unto Jeremiah “Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak” (Jeremiah 1:7). And God said moreover to Jeremiah “Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD…” (Jeremiah 2:2). And God said through Isaiah, “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me” (Isaiah 1:2). And God said through Jeremiah “O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD” (Jeremiah 22:29). And God said to Ezekiel “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” (Ezekiel 13:2).
And God said concerning his word to the Israelites through Isaiah “This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear” (Isaiah 28:12). So, God said through Jeremiah that he would send destruction upon the Israelites “Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 29:19). And God, through Ezekiel, tells us why he would do such a thing. “Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house” (Ezekiel 12:2).
And God explains more about this rebellious people, “That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD” (Isaiah 30:9). God said, “I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts” (Isaiah 65:2). God further says, “But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone” (Jeremiah 5:23). And God says to Ezekiel “Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day” (Ezekiel 2:3).
Brethren, we are spiritual Israel (Romans 9:6-13; Galatians 6:16). Is it a wonder that the Holy Spirit through Paul would charge Timothy and all other gospel preachers until the end to “Preach the word; be urgent in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:2-4). Brethren, that time has come. “Preach the word.”