Scripture Text: Ezekiel 4:1-7:27
Memory Verse: “Yet I will leave a remnant, so that you may have some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered through the countries.” Ezekiel 6:8
Introduction:
Ezekiel 1-3 gave details of Ezekiel’s call and commission as God’s prophet. But just how bad would the bad news be that he brought? Ezekiel’s first message to the exiles (Ezekiel 4-5) is composed of a series of strange symbolic actions and their explanations. The modern reader of Ezekiel might judge the prophet’s behavior as outlandish. We are uncomfortable with extreme commitments to religious beliefs, classifying them as “cultish.” If any of our own relatives or church fellow members were to start acting this way, we would probably seek to “deprogram” them.
It is always valuable to consider the Scriptures from the perspective that the direct audience witnessing the actions would have had. Although Ezekiel’s actions were undoubtedly odd to the exiled people, they were much more used to men who were consumed with God’s prophetic warnings. “Sign-acts” were a normal part of how prophets conducted themselves. The most important thing to remember is that the prophets not only received their messages directly from God, but also the manner in which those messages were to be delivered. God knows what to say, and how to say it, so that the warning or exhortation rings crystal clear. God wasn’t trying to merely dazzle the people’s eyes with visual aids but worked through His prophets to make the message sink into their hearts. Jehovah not only wanted the message to be heard, but to be felt deep inside the human heart.
Why did God’s message need to be given in such drastic ways? The answer lies in the condition of the people’s hearts! Hearts harder than granite require much more than a hard message. God is the only One who knows and understands the human heart, and how to shake that heart to its core. Ezekiel’s ministry was one in which God, in essence, had “taken off the gloves,” and was ready to deliver a roundhouse knockout punch to His rebellious, unseeing, hard-hearted people.
Studying the Word
Lesson Study
- What were the three action sermons given in Ezekiel 4, and what meaning did each of them have? (Ezekiel 4:1-17) How well do you think the exiled peoples received these pictorial object lessons?
- What was Ezekiel trying to get across by shaving his head and beard in public with a sword, and the treatment of the cut hair in three separate parts? (Ezekiel 5:1-17)
- What were the main points of Ezekiel’s first spoken sermon? (Ezekiel 6:1-14)
- According to Ezekiel 7:1-9, how certain was God’s coming judgment upon the land of Judah?
- Explain why each of the following pictures given in Ezekiel 7:10-21 is symbolic of Judah’s cataclysmic fall:
A) the budding rod (Ezekiel 7:10-11)
B) rightful land ownership dissolved (Ezekiel 7:12-13)
C) the futile warnings of the city watchmen (Ezekiel 7:14-15)
D) the frightened mourning doves (Ezekiel 7:16-18)
E) the throwing aside of gold and silver (Ezekiel 7:19-21) - Describe the chaotic judgment that Ezekiel prophesied would fall upon Judah. (Ezekiel 7:22-27) What did Ezekiel prophesy would happen to Judah’s leadership during this time? (Ezekiel 7:26-27