Ezekiel and his strange actions
Text Ezekiel 12 Time 11/06/06 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church
I think it was Andrew Bonar, the great 19th Century Scottish preacher, who once put the question of how you might feel in heaven when one day you meet the prophet Ezekiel and he comes up to you and says ‘Did you read my book?’ Ezekiel is rather long and not easy in some places but it is part of the Holy Word of God and it behoves us therefore to make at least some effort to get to know it.
And that’s what we’ve been doing recently. We’ve looked at the first set of visions in chapters 1-7 and we’ve now begun on the second set in chapters 8-20. We’ve looked at the opening vision in chapters 8-11 and now we come to the strange actions, the acted parable, that Ezekiel is told to perform in Chapter 12. It is a little like the sort of thing he was told to do previously only less elaborate. God was so determined to bring the message home to his people that sometimes his servants had to do strange things. We talked before about how although such things are not necessary now because we have the record of them and indeed the whole Bible, yet even today God may expect from his servants what is difficult or unusual. It cannot have been easy for Ezekiel to do some of these things and we ought to be sympathetic to him.
What can we learn from what we read in Chapter 12 then? I think there are four things. Again the theme is God’s judgement but once more let me begin by pointing out to you that even amid all this doom and gloom there is a word of comfort. This time it comes in 16, God says But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine and plague, so that in the nations where they go they may acknowledge all their detestable practices. Then they will know that I am the LORD. We’ll focus on that verse in a moment but let’s look first at 1-15.
1. God’s judgement – Ezekiel’s strange actions showing what it is like
1. The sort of people who need to hear about God’s judgement
And that’s what we’ve been doing recently. We’ve looked at the first set of visions in chapters 1-7 and we’ve now begun on the second set in chapters 8-20. We’ve looked at the opening vision in chapters 8-11 and now we come to the strange actions, the acted parable, that Ezekiel is told to perform in Chapter 12. It is a little like the sort of thing he was told to do previously only less elaborate. God was so determined to bring the message home to his people that sometimes his servants had to do strange things. We talked before about how although such things are not necessary now because we have the record of them and indeed the whole Bible, yet even today God may expect from his servants what is difficult or unusual. It cannot have been easy for Ezekiel to do some of these things and we ought to be sympathetic to him.
What can we learn from what we read in Chapter 12 then? I think there are four things. Again the theme is God’s judgement but once more let me begin by pointing out to you that even amid all this doom and gloom there is a word of comfort. This time it comes in 16, God says But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine and plague, so that in the nations where they go they may acknowledge all their detestable practices. Then they will know that I am the LORD. We’ll focus on that verse in a moment but let’s look first at 1-15.
1. God’s judgement – Ezekiel’s strange actions showing what it is like
1. The sort of people who need to hear about God’s judgement
1 ,2 The word of the LORD came to me: says Ezekiel Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people. Ezekiel has already been told that he is dealing with rebellious and recalcitrant people. Here he is reminded of that fact. These people are not stupid. They do not lack eyes to see or ears to hear. No, the problem is in their hearts. They refuse to accept the truth. You know the words of Nelson at Trafalgar perhaps. When warned about the French Navy and urged to retreat, he is supposed to have put his telescope to his blind eye and said ‘I see no ships’. He knew what was going on alright but he refused to look at things the way some wanted him to. That is the approach of the unbeliever so often. The gospel is not difficult to understand -
God made this world for his glory. Things have gone wrong with it and we are all born sinners, rebels against him. We need to repent, to turn from sin. If we put our trust in Jesus Christ who has done all that is necessary to save us then we can be forgiven and we can enter the new heavens and earth, the Paradise God has prepared for his own.
It is not hard to understand. But thousands refuse to believe it. Are you refusing to believe? Are you a rebel? Is your heart a hard heart, a heart of stone? Ask God to change you.
2. The strange actions of Ezekiel representing God’s judgement
God made this world for his glory. Things have gone wrong with it and we are all born sinners, rebels against him. We need to repent, to turn from sin. If we put our trust in Jesus Christ who has done all that is necessary to save us then we can be forgiven and we can enter the new heavens and earth, the Paradise God has prepared for his own.
It is not hard to understand. But thousands refuse to believe it. Are you refusing to believe? Are you a rebel? Is your heart a hard heart, a heart of stone? Ask God to change you.
2. The strange actions of Ezekiel representing God’s judgement
To get over to the people what was going to happen to them Ezekiel was told to do certain things. He is told (3) to pack his belongings for exile and in the daytime, as the people watch, set out and go from where you are to another place. The hope is that Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house.
It goes on (4, 5) During the daytime, while they watch, bring out your belongings packed for exile. Then in the evening, while they are watching, go out like those who go into exile. While they watch, dig through the wall and take your belongings out through it. So Ezekiel was to put his belongings on his shoulder and carry them out at dusk. He was to cover his face so that you cannot see the land, for I have made you a sign to the house of Israel.
Ezekiel says (7) So I did as I was commanded. During the day I brought out my things packed for exile. Then in the evening I dug through the wall with my hands. I took my belongings out at dusk, carrying them on my shoulders while they watched. How many days this went on we don’t know but it would have made quite an impression on the exiles we can be sure. They didn’t understand what it all meant, of course, without asking but they certainly knew that God was speaking to them and was intimating further judgement on Israel.
Now when I preach you may not understand all that I say but I trust that at least you know I am speaking to you in God’s name. There is a God. He is speaking to you. A Judgement day is coming, a day of danger and peril, a day of wrath and anger. Are you ready for that day? Are you prepared?
3. What happened to King Zedekiah predicted here as a warning
It goes on (4, 5) During the daytime, while they watch, bring out your belongings packed for exile. Then in the evening, while they are watching, go out like those who go into exile. While they watch, dig through the wall and take your belongings out through it. So Ezekiel was to put his belongings on his shoulder and carry them out at dusk. He was to cover his face so that you cannot see the land, for I have made you a sign to the house of Israel.
Ezekiel says (7) So I did as I was commanded. During the day I brought out my things packed for exile. Then in the evening I dug through the wall with my hands. I took my belongings out at dusk, carrying them on my shoulders while they watched. How many days this went on we don’t know but it would have made quite an impression on the exiles we can be sure. They didn’t understand what it all meant, of course, without asking but they certainly knew that God was speaking to them and was intimating further judgement on Israel.
Now when I preach you may not understand all that I say but I trust that at least you know I am speaking to you in God’s name. There is a God. He is speaking to you. A Judgement day is coming, a day of danger and peril, a day of wrath and anger. Are you ready for that day? Are you prepared?
3. What happened to King Zedekiah predicted here as a warning
Ezekiel then goes on to say (8-10) In the morning the word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, did not that rebellious house of Israel ask you, What are you doing? Say to them, This is what the Sovereign LORD says: This oracle concerns two things the prince in Jerusalem and the whole house of Israel who are there. There is not just the acted parable. There is an explanation too. First about the prince in Jerusalem that is the puppet king Zedekiah. At least 4 things are prophesied here.
1 His attempted escape
1 His attempted escape
12 The prince among them will put his things on his shoulder at dusk and leave, and a hole will be dug in the wall for him to go through. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land. This was to portray the escape from the city of Zedekiah and his soldiers when Jerusalem’s walls were breached by the Babylonians, spoken of in 2 Kings and Jeremiah. The covering of his face either refers to his shame or to him wearing a disguise.
2 His capture
2 His capture
13 I will spread my net for him, and he will be caught in my snare; I will bring him to Babylonia, the land of the Chaldeans. This refers, of course to the way he was captured and chained and taken to Babylon.
3 His blindness
3 His blindness
But he will not see it. In Jeremiah 52:11 we read Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.
4 His death
4 His death
and there he will die which matches the end of Jeremiah 52:11 where he put him in prison till the day of his death.
It was a pretty clear prophecy then and it was fulfilled. Now in the same way God will deal with all who rebel against him. Various attempts at escape will be made. People try and find help in their wealth or in possessions. Some look to religion. But there can be no escape that way. Such people will be captured. They refused to see in life and they will not see in death. Hell is their lot. They will never see the Promised Land.
4. What happened to the people predicted here as a warning
In a similar way Ezekiel’s actions also spoke of what would happen to the people. We can use three headings.
1 Their capture
It was a pretty clear prophecy then and it was fulfilled. Now in the same way God will deal with all who rebel against him. Various attempts at escape will be made. People try and find help in their wealth or in possessions. Some look to religion. But there can be no escape that way. Such people will be captured. They refused to see in life and they will not see in death. Hell is their lot. They will never see the Promised Land.
4. What happened to the people predicted here as a warning
In a similar way Ezekiel’s actions also spoke of what would happen to the people. We can use three headings.
1 Their capture
11 Say to them, I am a sign to you. As I have done, so it will be done to them. They will go into exile as captives. Just as Ezekiel and the other with him had been sent into exile so those in Jerusalem would soon follow.
2 Their pursuit
2 Their pursuit
14 I will scatter to the winds all those around him - his staff and all his troops – and I will pursue them with drawn sword. This refers particularly to the army. Some fled to Egypt and no doubt some to other lands. They were pursued and scattered.
3 Their dispersal
3 Their dispersal
15 They will know that I am the LORD, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them through the countries. From this point on the Jews were spread across many nations. It was an act of judgement from God.
Again it points to the final judgement. Sinners will be captive to God. I will pursue them with drawn sword he says. They will be scattered. What a dreadful fate. Turn from sin and escape.
2. God’s judgement – a word of comfort about a remnant that survives
Now let’s focus on this word of comfort in verse 16 for a moment. We need it. It is like seeing a jewel in a bran tub, an oasis in a desert. Three things to note:
1. The character of the promise made
Again it points to the final judgement. Sinners will be captive to God. I will pursue them with drawn sword he says. They will be scattered. What a dreadful fate. Turn from sin and escape.
2. God’s judgement – a word of comfort about a remnant that survives
Now let’s focus on this word of comfort in verse 16 for a moment. We need it. It is like seeing a jewel in a bran tub, an oasis in a desert. Three things to note:
1. The character of the promise made
But I will spare. Not all will be captured. Not all will suffer. Some will escape. Some will be brought out of danger and kept. Some will be safe. There is salvation. ‘Ah’ you say ‘that’s more like it’. We love to speak of salvation but we need to speak about judgement first. When do you go to the doctor? When you’re ill! When you feel all is well you don’t think of troubling him. But you know that it is possible to feel perfectly well and for there still to be something wrong – cancer, a tumour, something like that. Now by nature people don’t think they need saving. It’s not there aren’t signs of it. These people, remember, have eyes and ears – but they refuse to look or hear. When we preach judgement then we are seeking to wake them up – as Ezekiel was doing in his day. We are trying to alert them to the situation. It’s like someone headed for a cliff edge. I am here waving my arms trying to warn you. Stop! Danger! And the great comfort is that some do stop. Some are saved. Some are spared just as God spared Noah and his family from the flood and Lot and his daughters from Sodom and as they were when God judged his people so long ago. Be encouraged then. Some are spared.
2. The number of those addressed
2. The number of those addressed
A few of them. It is a relatively small number that will be saved. As Jesus says (Mt 7:13,14) Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. I know it will be a vast multitude in the end but in any given situation it tends to be the few rather than the many who God calls to himself. We must accept that is how it will usually be.
3. The purpose of their escape
3. The purpose of their escape
God spares them from the sword, famine and plague why? So that in the nations where they go they may acknowledge all their detestable practices. There will be repentance. These are not innocent people but people who repent. Then and here’s that familiar phrase again they will know that I am the LORD. We will all one day know that he is the LORD but the sooner we know it and acknowledge it the better.
3. God’s judgement – its severity, cause and purpose
After that shaft of sunshine in the sky, the dark clouds come over again. We need to get this idea of judgement clear in our minds. It’s like the dark cloth that best sets off the beautiful jewellery.
1. Consider how severe God’s judgements are
3. God’s judgement – its severity, cause and purpose
After that shaft of sunshine in the sky, the dark clouds come over again. We need to get this idea of judgement clear in our minds. It’s like the dark cloth that best sets off the beautiful jewellery.
1. Consider how severe God’s judgements are
God’s Word comes to Ezekiel again (18) Son of man, tremble as you eat your food, and shudder in fear as you drink your water. Say to the people of the land: This is what the Sovereign LORD says about those living in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel: They will eat their food in anxiety and drink their water in despair, for their land will be stripped of everything in it. What a frightening thing God’s judgement is! It is no light thing. When we are really frightened we do shake. The thought of judgement should make us tremble.
2. Consider why God’s judgements come
2. Consider why God’s judgements come
Notice that because of the violence of all who live there. The people of Jerusalem were given over to violence and abuse – violent actions and words and thoughts. We know that we live in a violent society. There is much cruelty and aggression. If we fall into such sins and sins like them and do not repent then we will be judged.
3. Consider what God’s judgements bring about
3. Consider what God’s judgements bring about
20 The inhabited towns will be laid waste and the land will be desolate. And then again Then you will know that I am the LORD. Hell is a place of desolation and despair, a place of infinite misery. Who would want to be there for a moment? It does not have to be. God has a faithful remnant, a faithful few. Are you among them?
4. God’s judgement - how false proverbs and visions will cease and all delays end
There is one more episode at the end of this chapter, which I think we can deal with briefly now. It really deals with how we respond to a message like this. Three things
1. Consider this typical false verb and beware of such falsehood
4. God’s judgement - how false proverbs and visions will cease and all delays end
There is one more episode at the end of this chapter, which I think we can deal with briefly now. It really deals with how we respond to a message like this. Three things
1. Consider this typical false verb and beware of such falsehood
This time God says to Ezekiel (22) Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel: The days go by and every vision comes to nothing? ‘Ah’ said the people ‘We see what you are saying but lots of people have their visions these days and they never come to anything’. It’s like the people Peter speaks of (2 Peter 3:3,4) In the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, Where is this coming he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation. Some people can be very sceptical. Others are a little more restrained but they still don’t believe what is said. People in Ezekiel’s day saw what he did and understood the explanation but they didn’t believe him. Nevertheless, judgement did come exactly as Ezekiel predicted. What about you? Do you believe in judgement and hell? Or do you think it’s just talk. You’d better believe it. It’s true.
2. Consider this promise of an end to false proverbs and visions
2. Consider this promise of an end to false proverbs and visions
23 Say to them, This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am going to put an end to this proverb, and they will no longer quote it in Israel. Well, how was that going to happen? Say to them, The days are near when every vision will be fulfilled. For there will be no more false visions or flattering divinations among the people of Israel. The vision would shortly be fulfilled and (at least for a time) it brought false visions and flattering divinations to an end. God does that from time to time. There was a false vision in the western world at the beginning of the 20th Century that it would be a new era of peace. Then came two world wars. Or think of the Communist vision now in tatters. Meanwhile every vision and prophecy in Scripture either has been fulfilled or will be. And one day all false proverbs and visions will be exposed and the truth will be acknowledged by all. Long for that day.
3. Consider this warning that all delays to God’s judgement will end
3. Consider this warning that all delays to God’s judgement will end
25-28 But I the LORD will speak what I will, and it shall be fulfilled without delay. For in your days, you rebellious house, I will fulfil whatever I say, declares the Sovereign LORD. The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, the house of Israel is saying, The vision he sees is for many years from now, and he prophesies about the distant future. Therefore say to them, This is what the Sovereign LORD says: None of my words will be delayed any longer; whatever I say will be fulfilled, declares the Sovereign LORD. Jesus Christ is coming again. The fulfilment of that promise may be delayed a little while longer. I don’t know. However, a day is coming when there will be no more delay. The trumpet will sound and he will come. It’s like death. We all know we will die but we don’t know when. It’s difficult to be ready. The only answer is always to be ready. Are you ready today?
