Being the One
Today we’re going to look at Ezekiel 33:23 and an early Hasidic leader’s interpretation of that verse.
Then the word of ADONAI came to me saying: “Son of man, the inhabitants of these ruins in the land of Israel keep saying, ‘Abraham was only one, yet he inherited the land...’” Ezekiel 33: 23 TLV
As a child, he paid his Torah teacher additional money (his own money), above the fee his father had already paid, hoping his instructor would teach him more each day. Having dedicated his life to the study of the Torah at a very early age, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (b.1772 - d.1810) was an influential Hasidic master during his lifetime. He was said to have revived the Hasidic movement by bringing together the mysterious secrets of the Kabbalah with an in-depth study of the Torah. He was responsible for starting the Breslover Hasidic sect. (Breslov is a city in the Ukraine where Rebbe Nachman spent most of the last eight years of his life.)
Rebbe Nachman says this about Ezekiel 33:24:
What does Ezekiel mean that Abraham was one?
Abraham based his whole service of God on the fact that he was alone. He looked on himself as the only person in the world who was serving God – as if everything was up to him – and he paid no attention whatever to all the other people who were on the wrong track and who were putting obstacles in the way. Abraham paid no attention to his father or any of the other people who tried to prevent him from doing what he knew to be true. ~ Rebbe Nachman
Rebbe Nachman continued, “He carried on as if he was the only one in the world, as if everything depended on him.” Abraham drew much of his power and strength from the very fact that he was different from everyone else and alone in the world.
You and I can do the same thing.
How much more powerful would your walk be if you decided to serve God as if no one else in the world, except you, could accomplish what God wants to accomplish in this world – as if everything is up to you alone?
What if it was up to you to start the next great revival? What if you are the one meant to lead a great leader to salvation? What if ... we could go on forever as to how God may choose to use you.
What if you didn’t let anyone stop you from doing this mighty work of God – not your friends or anyone in your family? What if no matter how much they laughed at you and tried to persuade you to do things differently, you keep your focus on what God has impressed on you to do? You would accomplish great and mighty things.
Just like Abraham, we should keep our focus on God and what He has laid out for us to accomplish. We were each created by God to accomplish something specific in this world. You may not yet know your purpose; and if not, seek God to discover what your purpose is. Since it is His will for you to accomplish what He has planned for you, if you earnestly seek Him, He will tell you what it is you want to know.
However, He may not give you the full picture ... God may only give you the information you need to accomplish things one step at a time. When God told Abraham to “go to a land that I will show you,” Abraham didn’t know where He was to go. He only knew that He was to go until God showed him the place.
And Abraham did this believing that he was the only man on the earth following after God.
When the Israelites wandered in the desert, they followed the cloud. It required that they trust that it was God who was leading them.
God may require the same trust and faithfulness from you. He may tell you to do something, but He may not tell you why or give you all the specifics. Addditionally, what He instructs you to do may not make sense. It could be a test, however, to see how dedicated and faithful you are to do what He asks of you.
Then he believed in Adonai and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:6 TLV
How blessed you would be if ... you did as God commanded you to do, and you believed all He told you, because God would consider your actions and your thoughts as righteous, just like He did for Abraham.
What if you looked at what you were to do with the attitude that Abraham had ... that you are the only person in the world that could accomplish this task and everything depends on you? In the world we live in today, God is looking for people He can use in a mighty way. Will that person be you?
If your answer is yes, God will use you in a mighty way. And then, when you stand face to face with God, He will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” I don’t know about you, but I would sure love to hear those words instead of words condemning me for the things I did not accomplish. Or, condemning me for the things I did that I should not have done.
What do you think? Are you ready to accomplish great things for God? Has He revealed to you things that He wants you to accomplish? Tell me about it in the comments. I’d love to hear about it!
Let's Pray:
Heavenly Father, oh how I hunger to be used mightily by You. I present myself to you as a living sacrifice. Use me as you will. Use me despite my weaknesses and shortcomings. Give me the courage and strength I’ll need to accomplish all that you would have me accomplish in this life. Walk with me and hold my hand when the going gets hard. Send Your angels to war with me as I work to accomplish Your will.
I was asked to create a set of devotionals for the youth in my congregation. If you enjoyed this devotional and want to read more, click here.
Blessings,
Cindy
© 2020 Cindy Murdoch
