Ezekiel 12:1-28

Ezekiel is living in Babylon and is proclaiming the Word of the Lord to the people who are already in exile.  The false teachers were claiming that the nation of Israel would soon be restored and returned to the land.  Ezekiel is called to tell the truth that even those who in the land will be taken away.  Even though the people had already experienced captivity, they had still not understood the gravity of their sin and the Lord’s determination to punish them in hopes that they would repent.  As long as they kept believing that they were fine and going to be restored soon, they would not realize their sinfulness and they would not turn back to the Lord.  Ezekiel’s ministry was to try to wake the people up.  We all like to try to minimize the gravity of our own sin but that it not the path of God or the way to repentance.

THE PEOPLE IN JERUSALEM WILL BE MOVING: Ezekiel is called to pack his bags and carry them out in the full view of all the people that were in exile.  He was then to dig a hole in the wall of his home and carry his bags through that hole at dusk while blindfolded.  When the people asked him what in the world he was doing; he was supposed to explain to them that this was the plight of the people who were still living in Jerusalem.  The people in exile had be deceived into believing they would soon be packing their bags to go back to their homes, but Ezekiel makes it clear to them that the people who are still there would be coming to Babylon and not the other way around.  This was not a popular message but Ezekiel was faithful to proclaim it.  It is never fun to proclaim a message of judgment but it is vital that we warn the people around us of the coming wrath of God.

THE PEOPLE IN JERUSALEM WILL BE MISERABLE: Ezekiel is then called to drink water and eat bread while trembling.  Once again, this was a message to the people in exile about how those who were still in Jerusalem were and would continue to live in misery until they eventually joined them in exile.  Meal times are usually a time of rejoicing for the provision of something to eat.  This illustration demonstrates that the people were living on only bread and water and that even this meager diet could not be enjoyed in peace.  Fear and anxiety do not go very well at meal times, but sin makes it so that even the most basic of pleasures becomes a miserable experience.  The people in Israel had convinced themselves that these warnings from God would never actually take place.  They thought that they were too important to fall or be taken into captivity and that God was too loving to ever judge their sin.  Ezekiel makes it very clear that they were mistaken and that God’s judgment was sure and coming very soon.