Title: Son of man
Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 2:1-2
‘And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.’
And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.
- The significance of the phrase ‘Son of man?’
A. Addressed to me as a human being
‘Son of man’ is literally ‘Ben-Adam’ and thus relates to the history of man as created from the ground.
The Hebrew word for ‘ground’ is ‘Adamah’, stressing from dust we came and to dust we will return.
We are reminded here of our Adamic nature with all its infirmity and limitations. You are nothing in yourself and by yourself.
Here YHWH addressed us as human being.
Proverbs 8:31, ‘Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; And my delights were with the sons of men.’
God enjoys his creation and delight on the Sons of men.
B. God speaks to me as a human being
God speaks to Ezekiel:
- In Words. He received a clear, definite, unmistakable message.
- In direct address. Here God is speaking directly bringing about the illumination of the soul which makes old truth stand out in a new light, help us to make a fresh application of it to new circumstances in our lives.
C. God cares for me as a human being
Psalms 8:3-4 says, When I consider the heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon, and the stars, which thou has ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him?’
The implication here is that God cares for human beings.
This phrase came to Ezekiel when he was in captivity, in exile in Babylon.
All bible scholars know that Jeremiah and Ezekiel were contemporary. Both lived in a very bad time in Israel’s history.
D. Son of man takes on divine characteristics
This term ‘Son of man’ takes on divine characteristics in Daniel 7:13. It says, ‘I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.’
So, Ezekiel is seen here as a representative man.
- God addresses Man
Ezekiel 2:1 says, ‘And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.’
Here are two things to note when YHWH addresses man.
A. Stand on your feet
B. I may speak with you
‘Stand upon thy feet’ is a divine command, into expectant service, giving courage to a solder of the Lord of hosts.
Jesus knew this truth about man. And he became that man. When he came, he was weak like any man. The bible says He was tempted in all points like us, yet without sin. Please understand, He was fully man like you and I. And he went to the cross for all our failures, sins, bondages, captivity, imprisonment, weakness. At one point while taking on the sins of the whole mankind, he cried out, ‘My God, my God why have you forsaken me.’ He asked when going through the trials, ‘Father, if it is possible let this cup (of suffering) pass (stop). So, we cannot say, ‘God don’t understand us. But he went further. He went and died for us. Then when he was resurrected, he became the man that takes on divine characteristics. So that you can experience the same grace, favor and divine characterizes like him.
If you just believe, the following will take place in you:
A. You have the divine characteristics of YHWH
B. You have the personal presence of YHWH
C. You have the personal glory of YHWH.
- God enters a human being
Ezekiel 2:2 says, “And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.”
In Luther’s version, ‘Ich ward wieder erquickt’, the word is used in the same sense throughout Ezekiel. The Spirit which moved the ‘living creatures’ and the ‘wheels’ in the mysterious symbol is now in him (inside Ezekiel). That is the ground for Ezekiel’s prophetic ability and inspiration. The Spirit is in him.
When the Spirit entered you, you will gain courage and strength.
The Spirit enters individual souls, unites himself with our very own selves.
The Spirit entering into man bring life and order out of chaos and death. As a result, the soul of a man is able to receive more truth from God. There is no limit to the growth of knowledge and power when the spirit enters man.
The phrase, ‘on your feet’ was an attitude where I was called to walk and work for God.
Now what do you mean by the ‘spirit entered into me’? There are three possibilities:
A. We are speaking of the Holy Spirit
B. A personal metaphor parallel to ‘the hand of the LORD.’
C. A non-human life force (ruah) entered me (that is divine, angel.)
Finally, the non-human life force: the breath of God, the Ruah had definitely entered me. Actually, you are not just another human being. You are a human with prophetic ministry.
You will experience all the divine characteristics. The Spirit of God will lift you up and made you to stand upon your feet.
This morning you need the Holy Spirit. You have an amazing inheritance. It is all yours in Jesus.
Ephesian 1:13-14 says, ‘Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.’
The Greek word for ‘deposit’ is ‘arabone’; a word that means ‘down payment’
If you want to make it to heaven, the Holy Spirit is the down payment, the guarantee, the deposit for heaven.
