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The Word of the Lord Came to Men |
EZEKIEL 3:16
[NKJV] — Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
[FBV] — After the seven days had passed, a message from the Lord came to me, saying,
After seven days from when? After seven days of sitting among the captives by river of Babylon called Chebar; which was after seven days of Ezekiel's first Visions of God and first Flight by the LORD Spirit. Numerically expressed:
**— When did Ezekiel actually receive those Visions of God with the Living Creatures and First Flight in Spirit?
According to his Calendar count in "Ezekiel 1:1-3," it was in the 30th Year, 4th Month and 5th Day, of being among the captives by the River of Babylon called River Chebar. That same date happened to be the exact 5th year anniversary of King Jehoiachin's Captivity [Ezekiel 1:2]. So when it was 5 years anniversary of a king's captivity, a man of God (Ezekiel) that had spent 30 years among captives had heavens opened for him and he saw visions of God and Living Creatures and Wheels and he did not just saw or witnessed them but he also experienced them.
Isaiah said, "In the year king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord…" [Isaiah 6:1], but Ezekiel said, "In the fifth year anniversary of king Jehoiachin's Captivity, I saw the Lord God.."
**— When next did Ezekiel actually receive the Word of the Lord again?
According to this top Bible verse above, it was Seven days after that 5th year anniversary of the king Jehoiachin's Captivity, which was the same day Ezekiel first saw God.
Simply put: 7 days earlier "The Word of the Lord came" to the same man in the same place (River Chebar) according to "Ezekiel 1:3," and the Word of the Lord that came 7 days earlier to him did not begin by "saying" but by "revealing" visions of God, and it was inside the trance that God's Saying came to the man. This time around, 7 days after, the same Word of the Lord came to the man in the same place (River Chebar), but the Word of the Lord came with "saying" or expressions in spoken speech.
I don't know why I had to search for any Bible would say, "The Word of the Lord came to Moses" and I found none; whereas that expression was used by or for other prophets and men of God, that is, "The Word of the Lord came to them." Well, Moses and the Lord Jesus never used "The Word of God came to Me" because as for Moses the Lord God Himself was always on earth with Moses, not coming or traveling from heaven to earth, while for the Lord Jesus Christ He Himself was the Word of God.
For a prophet to have the Word of the Lord come to him, that would mean the Word of the Lord travelled all the way from heaven to earth to come to that prophet, and maybe go back to return to God in heaven. But during Moses' time or the Lord Jesus time on earth, the Presence of God was resident on earth for a while as Burning Bush, Pillar of Fire and Cloud, Rock followed them, or the Lord Jesus Christ who was the embodiment of the Godhead dwelling with mankind. The few times God spoke from heaven directly while the Lord Jesus Christ was resident on earth, that Voice neither came to nor came because of the Lord Jesus Christ, but came to and came because of the people around Him:
[John 12:30] — "Jesus answered and said, “This voice has not come because of Me but because of you."
So also, the only time God allowed the people hear His audible Voice directly with Moses on Mount Sinai, it was not for Moses but for the people around him.
What did the Lord Jesus Christ said about those to whom the Word of the Lord came being gods themselves?
[John 10:34-36] — "Jesus replied, “Is it not written in your Law: ‘I have said you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came— and the Scripture cannot be broken— then what about the One whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world? How then can you accuse Me of blasphemy for stating that I am the Son of God?"
Back to Ezekiel in the top Bible verse above, and let's focus on these three key points from the top Bible verse above:
The Time
*1" The Word of the Lord came to Ezekiel after seven days:
This meant Ezekiel waited seven days. Sometimes man or woman may have to wait either longer or shorter than 7 days before the Word of the Lord comes to him/her when he/she has positioned self in the mood of waiting to hear from God or has enquired in prayer from God and is expecting to hear from God in reply. E.g. Jeremiah was sent to inquire from God about a national decision, and Jeremiah had to wait 10 days before the Word of God came.
[Jeremiah 42:7] — "And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah."
Though the vision (Word) tarries, "Wait for it:" Don't be hasty as Saul the king when he made his first mistake as king to Samuel.
The Place
*2" The Word of the Lord came to Ezekiel by the River Chebar:
This meant calling the land by the river of Babylon "Strange land" was useless. Remember the Zionists refused to sing the Lord's song there even though they brought musical instruments there. They brought their musical instruments there by the river of Babylon, but instead of playing them they hanged them, and instead of singing the songs of Zion, they wept for the remembrance (memory) of Zion: They considered it a taboo to sing the Lord's song in that land they termed as "Strange land."
However, it's in the same land they called strange land that the Word of the Lord came to Ezekiel, and opened Heavens and revealed visions of God in a way that was greater than it had ever been done or seen in the on the Promised Land (Canaan) where Israel dwelt before then.
The Mode of Communication
*3" The Word of the Lord came to Ezekiel, to come by him:
What is the meaning of the Word of God coming to a prophet alone in the midst of people, but for the prophet to share the message with them? Why wouldn't God just speak audibly for all the people to hear Him at once and directly?
That's the point for using "The Word of the Lord came" instead of using "The Lord Spoke from Heaven outloud." It's not a public Radio Conversation, but private Phone Line Conversation.