Stored Up for a Set Time

Stored Up for a Set Time

The Goodness and Severity of God

Teaching from Ezekiel 1–8, Psalm 31, Proverbs 2, and Jeremiah 2:13, 4:22

Introduction: Blessings and Sweet Burdens

We took our crew down to the Hattiesburg Zoo. It was small, but well done—laid out nicely, and pleasant despite the heat. We arrived early because we knew the day was going to get hot. And by the time we were walking out, you better believe it—hot was the word. Brother Shannon texted me asking how I was doing. I said, "Hot." He said, "Get a large icy." I should've.

Still, it was good. The little ones got to cool off in the splash pad. Some fell asleep before we even pulled out of the parking lot. Sweet burdens, amen?

That phrase—blessings and sweet burdens—is fitting for Ezekiel's life too. God gave him a blessing—a divine calling—but it came with a heavy burden. And much like the heat we felt at the zoo, the burden of God's message is real, tangible, and can only be endured by those who trust Him.

I. A Timeline of a Burdened Prophet (Ezekiel 1 & 8)

In Ezekiel 1:1–2, we're told the first vision came to Ezekiel when he was 30 years old. That's important. He was from a priestly family—the family of Zadok. His father, Buzzi, was a priest. But priests didn't begin temple service until they turned 30. Ezekiel had just reached that age—but instead of temple service in Jerusalem, he was in exile by the river Chebar in Babylon.

God had a different call for him.

Then in Ezekiel 8:1, we see another time marker—"the sixth year, sixth month, fifth day." That's 14 months after the first vision. These timestamps remind us: God's word didn't come all at once. Over 23 years, Ezekiel received messages at God