Lessons From Ezekiel – Lesson 9
Eze 12:3 Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house.
Ezekiel has been thru a lot since God called him. He preached the iniquity of Israel on his model for over a year, God has had him preach to mountains. God has given him visions full of vivid object lessons and then Ezekiel told all of it to the people.
After a year and a half or so and you are not seeing much at all in the way of results. The thought of doubt might cross your mind. Is this worth it? Why go thru all of this?
God clearly tells Ezekiel that it is worth it. The motivating reason is given. From the lips of God Himself he says it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house.
The fact that people, even rebellious people, have the free will and the fact that they may consider, that is the only reason that is needed.
The heart of God is shown here. How much is a soul worth to God? More than we can ever truly appreciate. But we have a hint here in Ezekiel that each soul is worth a tremendous amount to God.
God puts His man Ezekiel thru a lot over and over again just because it may be they will consider. God giving people a chance is worth it. Giving them that chance is worth all of Ezekiel’s work and labor and sweat and time. One of the things that God clearly teaches in the book of Ezekiel is that souls are worth it.
The statement it may be they will consider is given at the same time God gives Ezekiel another object lesson to do before these rebellious people. This one is physically tough.
Eze 12:3 Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight:
Eze 12:4 Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing: and thou shalt go forth at even in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity.
Ezekiel as you know is already in captivity with a group that have already been carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon. So Ezekiel cannot be taken into captivity again. What God is having Ezekiel act out here is an illustration, and object lesson about those still in Jerusalem.
Ezekiel is to take his personal stuff out of his house. And stuff that you would take when being taken into captivity. And Ezekiel is to do this in the daylight and in the sight of the people who are in captivity with him. It says in the even. So evening.
So you can imagine one day Ezekiel takes stuff out of his house like he is moving and piles it out where they can see.
Eze 12:5 Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.
So obviously there is some kind of wall not too far from his house. And instead of walking around the wall or getting a ladder to climb the wall. God has Ezekiel dig thru the wall with everyone watching. And once he had dug thru the wall then he is to carry his stuff out.
Now it was evening when Ezekiel moved his stuff out of his house. Knowing that helps you get an idea of how thick this wall was.
Eze 12:6 In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel.
Eze 12:7 And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged through the wall with mine hand; I brought it forth in the twilight, and I bare it upon my shoulder in their sight.
God set Ezekiel as a sign to Israel. Ezekiel was the object lesson here. What Ezekiel was doing was a sign to Israel of what was going to happen. And so Ezekiel heard what God wanted and got busy.
I always admire Ezekiel’s obedience to our Lord. No matter how difficult or how big or small the job. God tells him to dig thru the wall and so Ezekiel just goes out and digs thru the wall.
People are watching and going what in the world are you doing now, and why. Ezekiel does not let what people might say stop him. And it took all night. He finished in time to carry his stuff thru the wall in the twilight. That is just before the sun rises.
Eze 12:8 And in the morning came the word of the LORD unto me, saying,
Eze 12:9 Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou?
God comes and brings up the fact that the people were asking Ezekiel what are you doing. What doest thou? And the implication here is that until God tells Ezekiel how to answer that Ezekiel did not have an answer yet.
So Ezekiel performed the object lesson without knowing exactly how to answer the people who asked what are you doing. Ezekiel did not have all the answers and obeyed anyway. This is a huge example for us.
We don’t have to know everything to obey God. We are to be like Ezekiel and obey in faith the instructions that we have. We don’t have to know it all, and we should not delay because we lack some detail.
Ezekiel is digging thru the wall and someone might say What doest thou Ezekiel. And about all he could say would be God told me to dig thru this wall and when done carry my stuff thru. So I am doing what God said.
But why? I can’t answer that yet.
Now it is morning and God then tells Ezekiel the message to preach that goes with the object lesson. Ezekiel had to be obedient by faith first. And then in God’s timing further details come.
Without faith it is impossible to please God. So often in our lives there will be room left for faith to be exercised. In faith Ezekiel obeyed God and dug thru the wall and then we see that God was faithful and showed up in time to give Ezekiel the message to go with the object lesson.
Eze 12:10 Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that are among them.
Eze 12:11 Say, I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove and go into captivity.
Only now do they know that Ezekiel was playing the part of the prince in Jerusalem. And also all the house of Israel in Jerusalem.
Eze 12:12 And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.
It is the prince, the elite, the leadership, that will have to do this. The days of their privilege will be over. They will have to try to escape with their lives like everyone else. The prince will not have the privilege of ordering someone else to dig for him. He will dig.
And he will cover his face. He will have to sneak out. Princes usually love to be seen and admired. Not now. Fame and privilege and power are all meaningless now.
Eze 12:13 My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.
Eze 12:14 And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them.
Eze 12:15 And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.
Eze 12:16 But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel is with a rebellious people. They do not want to believe that Jerusalem is going to fall. God has had Ezekiel tell them that it will over and over again. When it happens they will be able to look back and say. Yep. It was God that was telling this beforehand and it happened exactly like God said. All the details happened perfectly as they were foretold.
So because of that we know that He is the Lord and Ezekiel is His man.
Next God has Ezekiel do an object lesson with food.
Eze 12:17 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Eze 12:18 Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness;
Eze 12:19 And say unto the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord GOD of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and of the land of Israel; They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with astonishment, that her land may be desolate from all that is therein, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein.
Eze 12:20 And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
Some would hear the things that Ezekiel foretold and they would say that could be true but it is for a time far from now. So God gives Ezekiel an answer for that.
Eze 12:21 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 12:22 Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?
Eze 12:23 Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.
Eze 12:24 For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel.
Eze 12:25 For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord GOD.
Eze 12:26 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Eze 12:27 Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off.
Eze 12:28 Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord GOD.
It is coming and it is coming quick.
All the while that God is using Ezekiel to try to reach those in captivity, God is using Jeremiah to try to reach those still at Jerusalem.
Souls are worth all the work and effort and time. God shows us that in His word over and over again. And Ezekiel’s obedience and faithfulness and promptness in this work is a great example to us.