Ezekiel 2-4

Ezekiel 2

The Call to Stand

• “Son of man” (בֶּן־אָדָם, ben adam)
  • Used repeatedly throughout the book (93 times!) 
• The Spirit enters him and sets him on his feet.
• God speaks:
  • Do not be afraid
  • Speak My words

Ezekiel is sent to “a nation of rebels.”

• “Impudent and stubborn.”
• Whether they hear or refuse to hear he must speak.
• Repeated phrase: “They will know that a prophet has been among them.”

Ezekiel must not be rebellious like them.

A hand stretches out with a scroll.

• Written on front and back.
• “Words of lamentation and mourning and woe.”

Ezekiel 3 The Scroll and The Watchman

Ezekiel is commanded to “eat this scroll.”

• He eats it.
• It tastes “sweet as honey.”

He will be sent to Israel, not foreign nations.

• Ironically, foreign nations would listen! 
• Israel will not listen because they will not listen to God.
• God makes Ezekiel’s forehead hard like flint.

The Spirit lifts him.

• Sound of wings and wheels (similar chapter 1)
• He is taken away 
• He sits overwhelmed among the exiles for seven days.

Ezekiel appointed by God as a watchman.

• If he fails to warn, he is accountable.
• If he warns and they refuse, he is innocent.

God asks to meet with Ezekiel in the plains by the River Chebar. Ezekiel is told to shut himself inside.

• He will be bound.
• Tongue will cling to roof of mouth.
• He will speak only when God opens his mouth.

Ezekiel 4 Brick Sign

Ezekiel is told to take a brick.

• Engrave Jerusalem on it.
• Build some siegeworks against it.
• Iron plate between himself and city.

Ezekiel is then told to lay on his side

• Lie on left side: 390 days (Israel).
• Lie on right side: 40 days (Judah).
• Each day represents a year.
• by Wiersbe: “When you add the years of the reigns of the kings of Judah from Rehoboam to Zedekiah, as recorded in 1-2 Kings, you have a total of 394 years. Since during three of the years of his reign Rehoboam walked with God (2 Chronicles 11:16-17), we end up with a number very close to Ezekiel’s 390 years.”

Ezekiel bread: “take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and emmer, and put them into a single vessel and make your bread from them” 

• Eat rationed food and water
  • food: 20 shekels a day 
  • Water: one-sixth of a hin
• Initially told to bake over human dung (symbol of defilement).
  • After refusing he is allowed to use cow dung instead.

Questions:

Did God physically change Ezekiel’s forehead?

Was Ezekiel correct or sinning to reject the human dung?

Application

A common theme I see with these chapters is obedience. We see a lot of commands given to Ezekiel, some being very odd and difficult. But through each one, Ezekiel obeys- showing great faithfulness. We also see the consequences of Israel and Judah’s sin. We can try to ignore God’s warning signs but we can’t outrun His discipline.

Giotto di Bondone.

From https://biblestoriesonline.com/stories/Ezekiel-The-Man-Who-Ate-a-Book

From https://mundall.com/erik/ezekiel4.htm

Interesting post!