Suppose you have a friend, relative, or neighbor who has made a lot of foolish mistakes in the past. He or she has paid a heavy price for these mistakes, but for some reason the lesson just hasn’t sunk in yet. Now this person is on the verge of making another big mistake. Should you warn him or her? Ezekiel is in this kind of position. Despite repeated warnings of punishment from several prophets, the Jews refused to listen and kept on sinning. As a result, God let the Babylonians destroy Israel and take the Jews into captivity. Apparently the Israelites didn’t learn their lesson, however, and they continued to sin in Babylon. So God appointed Ezekiel to bring his message to the Jews there. God also told Ezekiel if he didn’t give the Jews his message, he, too, would pay for their sins.
Ezekiel was bitter and angry at God’s people (Ezekiel 3:14-15), and understandably so. Ezekiel had no guarantee that they would listen to him either (3:11). Still Ezekiel delivered the messages God gave him and sacrificed his own comforts to communicate God’s warnings. You may feel like Ezekiel when Christian brothers or sisters scorn God’s Word. But don’t be discouraged. If Christian friends have strayed from God, speak up, even if they aren’t listening, and even if it seems unlikely that they will take your advice.

What's The Point?

Many years ago the phenomenon of a midlife crisis was given its name. Many people approaching the second half of their adult lives want to ensure that all they’ve ever worked for, lived for, and hoped for hasn’t just been one big mistake.The entire book of Ecclesiastes addresses the meaning of life, but this passage in particular punctuates his point. Solomon’s summary makes it difficult to miss.
Solomon concludes the book of Ecclesiastes by giving advice on how to live a full life. Solomon’s final conclusion is that “the duty of every person” is to fear and obey God (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Solomon gave this advice because he knew that one day we will have to stand before God and be judged for how we have lived (12:14). We will not be able to use excuses to justify our failures and sins. So we need to learn how God wants us to live and then to do it. When we do this, we then complete our search for meaning.Don’t let the excitement of being young cause you to forget about your Creator. And don’t spend your life trying to substitute your own rules for the ones God has given you—as if living your own way will somehow be easier, or as if God won’t notice. Keep your values and priorities in line—keep God in first place in your life.