By: The Rev. Dr. W. Ross Blackburn
The prophets of Israel were called to bear the word to Israel. Usually it was a word of repentance. It could be a word of coming judgment, or it could be a word of tenderness, seeking to woo Israel to return. In either case, the call of the prophet was to bear the word of the Lord to Israel, to call God’s people back to Himself. And, as is clear from today’s passage from Ezekiel, this was not optional. The Lord required the prophet to speak, even when they would rather not have. Which was often.
To put it in the language of our day, the role of the prophet is to speak the word of the Lord to the church. Not to the world, at least primarily, but to the church. When the church is right, the world sees her testimony, for she will make the Gospel plain. The prophet is called to the church. And again, this is not optional.
Abortion is a matter that much of the church would prefer to forget. It is grisly and ugly, and the word condemning it brings the wrath of the world in an unusually powerful manner. There is a tendency in our churches to sideline abortion, particularly in our speech. Sometimes the motives are understandable-we don’t want to put a stumbling block in the way of someone who needs to know Christ, and abortion is a lightning rod that may drive people away. Sometimes we would just rather not stir the pot, and deal with the anger and resentment and confusion that results. The Lord’s word concerning abortion is not just a word of judgment. It is a word of forgiveness and new life, it is a word of grace and peace to the weary and heavy laden. And it is a word actively lived out, seeking to bless those in need, even needs of their own making. But it is, also, a word of judgment.
Abortion leads to death, and the call of the prophet is to make that plain. The Lord abhors the shedding of innocent blood. As those given to speak the word of the Lord, it is not our privilege to decide what we will speak and what we will not.