Sunday: The Siege of Jerusalem: Ezekiel 4:1-17
Ezekiel 4 contains three action sermons: the clay brick (Ezekiel 4:1-3); the suffering victim (Ezekiel 4:4-8); and a diet of the most terrible quality of bread baked over a defiling fire of human excrement (Ezekiel 4:9-17). In the first sermon, Ezekiel played the conqueror of Jerusalem, laying siege to the city and overcoming it. In the next, he was bound (symbolic of the exiles) and had to lay upon his side with his arm bared (God’s arm bared in judgment)—on his left side for 390 days (the number of Judah’s rebellious years), then on his right for 40 (the rebellious years spent in the wilderness). The poor bread was symbolic of the horrid famine and defilement during Jerusalem’s siege.
Monday: The Destiny of the People: Ezekiel 5:1-17
Just as Isaiah compared the invasion of an enemy to the shaving of a man’s head and beard (Isaiah 7:20), Ezekiel now uses shaving for his next action sermon. The public shaving was a sign of sorrow and humiliation—the sword used for the job symbolized the conquering army. The cut hair was split into three parts: burned on the siege brick (those killed by famine or pestilence); hacked to bits (those slain by Babylonian soldiers); and the hair thrown to the winds (Jews scattered among the Gentiles and the exiles taken into Babylon).
Tuesday: Judgment on the Land: Ezekiel 6:1-14
Ezekiel’s first spoken message is in three parts: (1) God’s judgment of the high places (Ezekiel 6:1-7); (2) God’s grace to the Jewish remnant (Ezekiel 6:8-10); and (3) God’s weapons of destruction (Ezekiel 6:11-14). The land had been defiled by Judah’s idolatry, so Ezekiel is instructed to “set his face against it.” Yet despite the destruction to come, God had always preserved a righteous remnant, and will bring His people back to Himself.
Wednesday: Announcing Disaster: Ezekiel 7:1-9
The land of Judah is personified in this passage as Ezekiel speaks to it and announces disaster. Judgment is certain, as the prophet proclaims, “It has come!” at least nine times in Ezekiel 7:1-12. In the KJV, notice the phrase in Ezekiel 7:7, “morning is come.” The NKJV and NIV translate this as “doom has come.” The word in the Hebrew means to “plait” or “braid.” The idea is “that which comes around,” such as braiding a garland of flowers for the head. “Morning” comes around day after day, and the doom of the Israelites had now “come around.”
Thursday: Pictures of Disaster: Ezekiel 7:10-15
Three depictions of disaster are given here: (1) the budding rod of judgment in God’s hand (Ezekiel 7:10-11); (2) economic despair as the land is conquered and removed from rightful ownership (Ezekiel 7:12-13); and (3) futility as watchmen on the wall blow their warning, but no army is there to help (Ezekiel 7:14-15).
Friday: More Pictures of Disaster: Ezekiel 7:16-21
Two more pictures are added to the first three: (1) the escaping Jewish fugitives compared to mourning doves, frightened and alone in the mountains (Ezekiel 7:16-18); and (2) the utter uselessness of gold and silver in a time of disaster (Ezekiel 7:19-21).
Saturday: Corruption and Chaos: Ezekiel 7:22-27
This passage reveals the chaos that erupts from the impact of God’s judgment. No help would be found from the religious leaders, since they were the primary source of corruption (Ezekiel 7:26). The political system would also unravel (Ezekiel 7:27). The leadership in Judah failed miserably when the kings refused to listen to Jeremiah’s plea to surrender to Babylon and save the city and temple. Judah’s dependence on foreign alliances instead of the Lord God would be their total undoing.