EZEKIEL - CHAPTER 3-5
Ezekiel’s inaugural vision from Chapter 1 continues. He had witnessed the awesome
glory of God (1:1-28). In Chapter 2, he receives his prophetic commission; a calling to
lamentations, mourning and woe (2:10b). Now, in Chapter 3:1-11, God calls the
prophet to eat the words of that commission. (read: v.1-11).
There are several lessons we find here: (v.1, 2) 1) The call of God is all-consuming. For
those who are called to speak on behalf of God, obedience to God’s call is not merely a
career choice; it is a diet our “food” to do His will. “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me,
and to finish His work.” (John 4:34) Only in this nourishment can we then “go” and declare
God’s truth! If the world be our diet, we will not go (obey), nor will we speak the truth,
because the fear of man will be a snare to us! (Proverbs 29:25) The fear of man brings a snare, But
whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe. (Proverbs 29:25)
(v.7) 2) Never take rejection from the world personally. (John 15:20-25) A servant is
not greater than his master, they hated Me they will also hate you! We can take
comfort in the fact that God thickens our skin for the call He commissions us to (v.8, 9).
In ministry you have to have the hide of a rhinoceros, and the heart of a dove, or you
will grow bitter rather than better over time! The love of God poured out into our
hearts is God’s antidote against “bitterness.” Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of
God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:5)
(v.10) 3) We cannot give what we have not received. Receive into your heart all My
words!
(v.12-15) Here the glory of God withdraws. Ezekiel’s mind is blown! He’s transported
back to the River Chebar (v.15,) where the vision started. (v.14) The phrase “bitterness
of spirit” refers to righteous indignation; “but the hand of the Lord was upon him.” The
hand of God upon us helps to temper the message with which He has burdened us.
“…speaking the truth in love…” (Ephesians 4:15) Without God’s hand upon us to
temper us, we will begin to beat the sheep rather than feed the sheep, and condemn
the souls rather than save them!
(v.16-21) Ezekiel’s role is further refined by his appointment as a “watchman.” He is
called to not only warn the wicked but the righteous as well. The word of God applies
not only to the church, but the world, as well. As believers we are to the “salt of the
earth”; but apart from the truth of God’s word we have no “flavor”; at which point
Jesus said (Matthew 5:13) we are to be thrown out on the road to be trampled under
the feet of men! How can we stay salty? Through love and obedience to Christ! (John
14:15) “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15) The idea of separation of church and
state is of man, not of God! October 5 is “Pulpit Freedom Sunday.”
(v.22-27) Ezekiel has a further encounter with the glory of God. Notice: God places
him in a place of obscurity (v.24b), then does not allow him to speak (v.26), but opens
his mouth at the proper time (v.27a). Here I find three necessary steps toward an
effective Christian life or ministry. F.A.T: faithful, available and teachable.
Faithful: (v.24b) It is in obscurity and not on the stage where God fashions a
man/woman; when no one is looking, when no one knows your name. A great study in
obscurity is Caleb. “Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day…” (Joshua
14:12) We must keep a hunger for the secret place, not the public place, in order to
conquer “mountains,” and to be an effective servant of the Lord. How? Through a
faithful prayer life. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not
appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will
reward you openly. (Matthew 6:17-18)
Available: (v.27a) After a season the prophet speaks; but notice: He speaks only what
God says, and not his opinion, or a vindictive come back against his enemies.
Teachable: (v.26) Like obscurity, this is a time to listen and learn. A time when we
come to understand “…it’s not by might or power but by His Spirit!” A time when we
may want to speak, but God says to be silent. Moses learned the hard way - for 40
years; Paul spent nearly 15 years before his ministry actually found its voice. (Gal. 1:17;
Acts 9:27, 28, 29; Galatians 1:21; Nelson Bible Dict. – 10 years ministering in and around Tarsus). During this
time, God was teaching them, preparing them for His divine purpose and pleasure!
Being F.A.T. (faithful, available, teachable) is an ongoing spiritual state of mind –
without which we cannot be exposed to the life-changing glory of God!
CHAPTER 4
In Chapter 4 all the way to Chapter 24, Ezekiel consistently points to the approaching
judgment of God against His people, Israel. In 4:1-5:17, God has the prophet enact His
judgment through outward signs; Ezekiel plays the part of a street performer to convey
God’s divine message. I believe if Jesus were here today physically, He would employ
the use of today’s technology in order to convey the gospel message. He’d have a
Twitter account, Face book, Instagram, “Vine” videos, etc. Here God uses street
theater to hopefully open the eyes of His people.
(v.1-3) First sign: He is called to make a miniature model of the city; the “iron plate” or
“iron girdle” – here it was set as representation of God’s passive neglect toward His
people, during the impending siege of the city.
Second sign: (v.4-8) At specified times each day (v. 10), Ezekiel was commanded to lie
on the ground, facing the model he constructed of the siege of Jerusalem. He was to be
bound (v. 8), his arm (probably the arm on the side he was laying on) was to be bare,
and he had to eat the meager food described in (v. 9-17). He was to lie on his left side
for 390 days, and then on his right side for 40 days. (The Bible Exposition Commentary).
Many believe the 390 days (years – v.5a) represent Israel’s past rebellion against God
from the time of Solomon’s son Rehoboam to Zedekiah (as recorded in First and
Second Kings), which adds up to 394 years – minus the 3 years Rehoboam actually
walked with God (2 Chron. 11:16, 17) – We come pretty close to the 390 years of
iniquity mentioned here. The 40 (days) years are believed to represent the 40 years of
rebellion in the wilderness.
(v.9-13) depicts the famine conditions which will exist during and after the siege of
Jerusalem. God commands Ezekiel to combine three grains - wheat, barley, and spelt –
along with two vegetables (beans and lentils). They were to be ground up and baked
for bread. This combination produced the poorest kind of bread – representing the
scarcity of food in Israel’s future. Ezekiel is ready and willing to be obedient until verse
12. Jews sometimes cooked over fires made from cow dung mixed with straw, but to
cook with human waste as a fuel source was against the Law of Moses (Deut. 14:3;
23:12-14). “For the Lord walks in the camp.”
God gives Ezekiel a pass in regards to this order, for His servant’s sake; but in reality,
the people would experience these awful conditions at the hands of the Gentiles (v.1417). Sin causes one to “waste way!” The prodigal son finally came to his senses when
found himself eating waste along with the pigs! When we turn away from the Lord it is
His hope that we will say “enough!” to the sloppy waste of this world and return to the
bread and water of truth! “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who
believes in Me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)
CHAPTER 5
(v.5-17) God’s judgment against Israel is explained, as the Lord presents His case
against His people. Let us end, however, on a note of grace!
Third theatrical sign: (v.1-4) The prophet Isaiah compared the invasion of Israel’s
enemy to the shaving of a man's head and beard, so shaving could be a part of a
purification ritual (Num. 6:5; 8:7). In Deuteronomy 14:1, the priests especially had to
be careful in regards to shaving (Lev. 21:5-6). Therefore, when Ezekiel, a priest, publicly
shaved his head and his beard, the people must have been shocked! By using a sword
and not a razor, Ezekiel made the message even more dramatic: An army was coming,
whose swords would cut down the people of the land. The prophet was commanded to
weigh the hair carefully and divide it into three parts (v.1).
One part he burned on the "siege brick" to symbolize the people who died of famine or
pestilence in Jerusalem (v.2a). The second part was hacked to bits with the sword,
symbolizing those slain by the Babylonian soldiers (v.2b). The third part was thrown to
the winds, picturing the Jews scattered among the Gentiles and the exiles taken to
Babylon (v.2c). Before Ezekiel threw the hair to the winds, he took a small portion of it
and hid it in the hem of his garment, a symbol of God's special care for a remnant of
the people who would be spared to return to the land (v.3). (The Bible Exposition Commentary).
(v.4) may be a reference to the Jews left in the land who would try to go to Egypt
against God’s will, and were eventually taken as captives to Babylon (Jeremiah 40-43).
Others think it may be a reference to the persecution Israel will suffer under the Syrian
king Antiochus Epiphanes (175-164 B.C.), during the Maccabean period.
CONCLUSION: A remnant is preserved under the loving care of our Father! Grace is
found in the “hem” of the prophet’s garment, in the midst of judgment! So it is with
faith in Christ! Woman with the issue of blood. She touched the hem of His garment
with total reliance upon His faithfulness, righteousness, and love. If we will do the
same, “power” will go out from Him, providing us the grace and help we desperately
need, which can only be found in Christ!