Audio Download

Ezekiel Chapters 2 and 3 – Eat the Roll!!

[Study Aired February 5, 2023]

Introduction

Over the past two weeks we have looked closely at the vision Ezekiel had concerning the four living creatures, the wheels and our Lord Jesus Christ sitting on the throne above the expanse over the heads of the living creatures. Today’s study focuses on what was said by the Lord Jesus Christ sitting on the throne of Ezekiel’s heart and mind. Part of what was spoken to Ezekiel covers chapter 2 and 3 of the Book of Ezekiel, which is our study for today.

We need to understand that the greatest gift that the Lord bestows on His children here on earth is for us to hear and understand what the spirit of the Lord is saying to us. Hearing and understanding the voice of the Lord is what confirms to us that we are indeed called and chosen. Usually, we hear the voice of the Lord out of the fire of our affliction, and many reject His voice because of the affliction.

Deu 4:12  Then the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice.

As we go through today’s study, may the Lord cause us to be sensitive to His voice and not become like the people of Israel or our brothers and sisters in Babylon, who love to hear from the Lord but do not want the fire, the thunders and the lightnings which accompany His words.

Exo 19:17  And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. 
Exo 19:18  And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
Exo 19:19  And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.

Exo 20:18  And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
Exo 20:19  And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
Exo 20:20  And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.
Exo 20:21  And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

Our Mission as Witnesses of Christ

Eze 2:1  And he said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” 
Eze 2:2  And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.

When the Lord came to visit Ezekiel in Babylon, the first thing He told him was to stand on his feet so that He could speak to him. Standing on his feet means Ezekiel getting himself ready to walk before the Lord. In verse 2 we are told that it was when the Spirit entered Ezekiel that he stood on his feet. This tells us that we do not have the capacity to get ourselves on our feet, ready to walk with God. Everything regarding our walk with Christ is initiated by the Lord and without Him, we can do nothing. 

Joh 6:44  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Joh 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Verse 2 says that it was when the Lord spoke to Ezekiel that the spirit of the Lord entered into him, causing him to stand on his feet. This implies that the word of the Lord is spirit, and therefore when we cannot understand the spiritual significance of His words, we cannot be on our feet to walk with the Lord acceptably.

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Eze 2:3  And he said unto me, 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.
Eze 2:4  For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD.
Eze 2:5  And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.

In verse 3, Ezekiel was given his mandate as servant of the Lord to preach to the house of Israel. When the Lord was here on earth, He told us that His area of operation is to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The lost sheep of the house of Israel is the same as the rebellious nation of Israel who are stiff-hearted. This rebellious nation is Babylon.

Mat 15:24  But he (Jesus) answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 

As He is, so are we. We are also called to minister to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. In the Book of Acts, the disciples including Paul and the others, ministered mainly to the Jews (the lost sheep of the house of Israel) wherever they went. At that time they did not understand that the Gentiles would become part of the commonwealth of Israel. Their ignorance was used by the Lord to minister to the lost sheep of the house of Israel as the Lord’s disciples ministered mainly to the Jews in Israel and the diaspora.

As indicated in verse 4 and 5, Ezekiel’s message would not be welcomed by the people of Israel. However, later, they would surely come to know that a prophet had been among them. This was exactly what happened to Jesus when the people of Israel did not accept his message, but through the witness of His disciples, the people of Israel came to see that indeed He was a Prophet!! The rejection of the message by the Lord’s disciples to the lost sheep of the house of Israel paved the way for the Gentiles to receive the message. At that time Ezekiel was not given to know this.

Rom 11:11  So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.
Rom 11:12  Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! 
Rom 11:13  Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 
Rom 11:14  in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. (ESV)

The bringing in of the Gentiles means that now spiritually, the lost sheep of the house of Israel represent Jerusalem which is in bondage with her children and that is the physical churches of this world – Babylon. We, His elect, are therefore witnesses to the truth of the word of the Lord to Babylon even though they will not acknowledge this. However, at the right time, they shall recognize that indeed we, as the Lord’s prophets, have been among them.

Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.

Eze 2:6  And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
Eze 2:7  And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.

Here Ezekiel is being warned against what may cause us to abandon our mission to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The first thing mentioned is being afraid of them. What we need to know is that the Lord has prospered them physically, that is, they have the numbers and the resources, and therefore we may have the tendency to regard ourselves as grasshoppers in their sight just as the people of Israel looked to themselves as grasshoppers before the Canaanites’ giants.

Num 13:33  And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

This grasshopper mentality mitigates against our faith, and therefore we are not able to use faith in our witness of the truth of the word of the Lord to our brothers and sisters in Babylon. We do not need to know the full counsel of the Lord before we can become witnesses of Christ. The little of the truth which the Lord has shown us is sufficient to testify effectively before our brothers and sisters in Babylon. This grasshopper mentality affected Elijah when he became afraid of Jezebel and went to hide from her.

1Ki 19:9  And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? 
1Ki 19:10  And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

The second thing Ezekiel was warned about by the Lord is that he should not be afraid of the words of our brothers and sisters in Babylon even though their words are like briers and thorns. The briars and thorns are false doctrines and therefore the lord is warning us not to become ensnared by their words as their words will make us worse off.

2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness [the false doctrines of briers and thorns], those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 
2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

The third warning by the Lord is that Ezekiel should not be intimidated by their looks. The negative application of the word “looks” signifies being proud as shown in the following verses:

Psa 18:27  For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.

Isa 2:11  The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. 

One of the characteristics of our brothers and sisters in Babylon is their pride in their resources and numbers which to them signifies the Lord’s approval of them being the Lord’s chosen bride.

Isa 3:16  The LORD said: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with outstretched necks, glancing wantonly with their eyes, mincing along as they go, tinkling with their feet,

They think that it is their decisions and willpower through the false doctrine of freewill that has made them what they are. What we need to know is that in this world, we are the desolate woman and in the final analysis, we shall have more children than she who has a husband. As the Lord’s elect, our confidence should be in the fact that we know the Lord and He knows us!!

Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.

In verse 7, we are again warned that irrespective of their reaction to our words, whenever we have the opportunity, we should serve as witnesses of the truth of the word of the Lord to our brothers and sisters in Babylon.

Eze 2:8  But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.
Eze 2:9  And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;
Eze 2:10  And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

In being given the mandate to serve as witness to the truth of the word of the Lord to our brothers and sisters in Babylon, we are warned not to become rebellious. From the word of the Lord, being rebellious has to do with not being prepared to listen to the truth of the word of the Lord. It also means not accepting the counsel of the Lord. In the body of Christ, the Lord’s counsel is sought through multitude of counsellors. Our inclination not to adhere or listen to the multitude of counsellors make us rebellious before the Lord.

Isa 30:1  Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:

Isa 30:9  That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:

Isa 50:5  The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.

Pro 11:14  Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

In verse 8, we are advised by the Lord to eat what He gives to us, and what He gives to us is His words which is represented in verse 9 as a roll of a book. This roll had writings within and without, and these writings concern lamentations, mourning and woe.  The lamentations, mourning and woe that are written in the word of the Lord pertains to the fiery trials we are to go through in this life as the Lord’s elect. Our lives here on earth are characterized by lamentations, mourning and woe because it is through the fiery trials which are marked out for us in the roll of the book that we learn righteousness. That is why in the Book of Revelation, the two witnesses who represent the Lord’s elect in every generation were clothed in sackcloth which is a symbol of mourning.

Gen 37:34  And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. 

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

The fact that the roll of the book was written within and without signifies that the word of the Lord has both an inward and an outward application. That is, the word of the Lord has both a spiritual and a physical application.

We have to eat the Roll

Eze 3:1  Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. 
Eze 3:2  So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.
Eze 3:3  And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.

What these verses are showing us is that we should feed on the word of the Lord. That is another way of saying that we should study to show ourselves approved unto God. It is when we are feeding on the word of the Lord that we can serve as witnesses to the house of Israel, that is, Babylon. 

2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Our experience as we feed on the word of the Lord is the same as Ezekiel. As he began eating the roll, it was sweet in his mouth. That is to say that as the Lord unveils the truth of His words to us, we become excited about the revelation we are receiving.

Eze 3:6  Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee. 
Eze 3:7  But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted. 
Eze 3:8  Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.
Eze 3:9  As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.

These verses show us that as the Lord’s elect, our sphere of influence is our own people. The issue is that just as the Lord ministered to His own people and was not accepted, we, as His elect, will not be accepted by our own people.

Mar 6:4  But Jesus said, “Prophets are honored by everyone, except the people of their hometown and their relatives and their own family.”
Mar 6:5  Jesus could not work any miracles there, except to heal a few sick people by placing his hands on them.
Mar 6:6  He was surprised that the people did not have any faith. Jesus taught in all the neighboring villages. (CEV)

As He is, so are we. It is our own people who reject us. Apostle Paul, Stephen and others were all rejected by the Jews – their own people. This reminds me of a hymn by Koda that we sang during our time in Babylon and is still relevant to how the Lord is dealing with us. 

Go labour on, spend and be spent
Thy joy to do the Father’s will
It is the way, the master went
And should not the servant tread it still?

Knowing that we shall be rejected by our own people, the Lord strengthens us daily to withstand the onslaught of our own people.

Psa 41:2  The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.

Eze 3:10  Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.
Eze 3:11  And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.

In verse 10, Ezekiel was to receive in his heart all the Lord’s words that He speaks to him. All the Lord’s words constitute the full counsel of the Lord and therefore, we are required to understand the Lord’s full counsel which will help us to rightly divide the word. 

Act 20:27  For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

Again, Ezekiel, a type of the elect, is told to serve as a witness of the truth of the word of the Lord to the people of Israel in captivity who represent our brothers and sisters in Babylon. However, they will not accept our testimony just as the Pharisees and the scribes rejected the counsel of God. This is what the Lord said about this generation that we are dealing with:

Luk 7:29  And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.
Luk 7:30  But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.
Luk 7:31  And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?
Luk 7:32  They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.

Eze 3:12  Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place. 
Eze 3:13  I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise

As indicated earlier, it is the spirit of the Lord within us that enables us to walk before the Lord and to hear the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven. Hearing a voice of a great rushing is the same as hearing the voice of the Lord or His words. It is as we look back to see how the Lord has shown mercy to us by coming to live within us that we come to appreciate the blessedness of the glory of the Lord from His temple within us. Hearing the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another and the noise of the wheels is the same as hearing the truth of the words of the Lord.

Eze 1:24  And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings.

Eze 3:14  So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me.
Eze 3:15  Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.

In the heat of my spirit in verse 14 means being angry. A more understandable version of this verse is as follows:

Eze 3:14  Then the Spirit lifted me and took me away. I went away feeling bitter and angry. The strong power of the LORD came over me. (GW)

In spite of all the revelations that Ezekiel received as he was carried by the spirit, he was bitter and angry. Why was Ezekiel bitter and angry? It was because he had been advised that the people will not accept His testimony of the truth. We have all gone through this experience of Ezekiel when we started hearing the truth of the word of the Lord. It was as sweet as honey in our mouth. However, in our zeal for the Lord, we went to our kindred to proclaim the truth of the word of the Lord but were met with fierce resistance to the truth. We became bitter and angry. However, the hand of the Lord was very strong on our behalf just like the case of Ezekiel, otherwise, we would have given up hope.  As stated by King David, the hand of the Lord will surely help His people.

Psa 37:23  The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. 
Psa 37:24  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

Ezekiel came to his people in Telabib and over a period of seven days, he was overwhelmed by what he had seen. The seven days represent the complete period of our time in Babylon after the Lord had come to us to show us the truth, before we exit. We become astonished as we continue to live with our brothers and sisters in Babylon after we have started to know the truth. This is because we come to see the lies that are pervasive among our people which they consider as truth. This is what Jesus describes the situation in Babylon:

Mat 15:14  Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

Being Called to Become a Watchman

Eze 3:16  And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 3:17  Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
Eze 3:18  When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 
Eze 3:19  Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. 
Eze 3:20  Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 
Eze 3:21  Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.

As the Lord’s elect, we are called as watchmen of the Lord’s flock. We are to warn our brothers and sisters of the dangers lying ahead as we walk with Christ. If we refuse to warn our brothers and sisters and they die in their sins, their blood would be required of us.

Isa 62:6  I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, 
Isa 62:7  And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

Our role as watchmen means that we are to be ready at any point in time to share the Lord’s words when we are given the opportunity.

1Pe 3:15  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 

In Ezekiel 33, we are also shown another role of a watchman. We are to blow the trumpet of an impending sword in our land. That is to say that we are to warn our brothers and sisters about the judgment of our old man.

Eze 33:2  Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:
Eze 33:3  If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; 
Eze 33:4  Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
Eze 33:5  He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.

Eze 3:22  And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee. 
Eze 3:23  Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face. 
Eze 3:24  Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house.
Eze 3:25  But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them:
Eze 3:26  And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house. 
Eze 3:27  But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.

One of the phrases that runs through the Book of Ezekiel is “The Glory of the Lord”. Here in verse 23, Ezekiel saw the glory of the Lord and therefore fell on his face when he went to the plain to hear from the Lord. The glory of the Lord shows us His personality as one who is strong and mighty (Has all the resources), and the one who intervenes in our circumstance to lift up the gates that bar us from coming to know Him.

Psa 24:7  Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Psa 24:8  Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
Psa 24:9  Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Psa 24:10  Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

As we are aware, our Lord Jesus Christ and His words are the same. This implies that the glory of the Lord is also His words which we hear out of the midst of the fire which is our fiery trials.

Deu 5:24  And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.

Verses 24 to 27 show us that there is a time to speak and a time to keep silent. Here the Lord told Ezekiel that he should shut himself in the house and that he would be restrained from going out among his people. The Lord also told Ezekiel that He would cause him to be mute and unable to reprove the people of their sins. There is a time that the Lord causes us to shut ourselves up from all that surrounds us so that we can focus on His words. Paul gave us his experience when the Lord appeared to him as follows:

Gal 1:15  But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace,
Gal 1:16  To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: 
Gal 1:17  Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia [Shut himself up], and returned again unto Damascus.

There is also a time to bear witness to the truth of His words. That is the time that the Lord opens our mouth so that we can say “Thus saith the Lord.” Again, Paul’s experience can guide us to know when to speak and when to become mute.

Gal 2:1  Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also. 
Gal 2:2  And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.

May the Lord continue to guide us by His spirit to know when to speak and when to remain silent. Amen!!