Ezekiel 4:1-17

Illustrations help us to understand subjective truth in objective ways.  Israel had been warned repeatedly about the captivity and the destruction of their land.  God had determined to judge the nation and had been faithful to warn them of this fact over and over again.  Now God calls for Ezekiel to repeat this message in a very graphic way in hopes that the people would finally understand the severity of God’s judgment as well as the surety of His judgment.  There would be no escape and it would not be easy in any way shape or form.  God’s intention in revelation is for our preparation through repentance and faith.  God has revealed many things to us about His plans for the future judgment of the world.  They are far more severe than anything Israel ever experienced.  It would be very wise to respond to these warnings as He intends in order to escape the wrath that will shortly come upon the earth.

THE DESCRIPTION OF GOD’S JUDGMENT: Ezekiel is called to design a brick and put iron bars around the brick as a symbol of God’s coming judgment on the children of Israel and the city of Jerusalem.  Babylon would lay siege to the city and there would be no means of escape from the judgment that was to come.  This has consistently been the message for the people of God but they continue to reject the fact of God’s judgment.  God has described His future judgment as a lake of fire from which there will also be no escape.  He has warned us in every way imaginable and yet so many reject the truth of this revelation.

THE DURATION OF GOD’S JUDGMENT: Ezekiel is to lay on one side for 390 days and then on the other side for 40 days.  It is difficult to know exactly what these represent.  The text tells us that each day represents a year.  Adding the two together give us 430 years which is the approximate amount of time that the children of Israel were in Egypt so this could be a reference to a period of judgment.  A more likely interpretation would be that it represents the number of years that Israel and then Judah lived in complete rebellion against the Lord.  Whatever the interpretation, we know the nation was rebellious for a long time and they were judged for a long time.  God’s coming judgment on the world will not just be for a long time it will be eternal.


THE DEGRADATION OF GOD’S JUDGMENT: Ezekiel is told to separate a small ration of food with which he was to make his bread and he was to cook his bread over human dung.  Ezekiel complains to the Lord about this since he has remained ceremonially clean so God allow his to use cow dung instead.  The picture is of the starvation and general degradation Israel would face during their captivity.  Food would be scarce and they would go so far as to use human dung for fuel because of the poverty.  This is a graphic picture of suffering but once again it does not come close to the picture that God has painted for us of His coming judgment in hell.  God calls us to be like Ezekiel and warn others of the wrath to come. 

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