Why is this happening to Us?

 Read Ezekiel 8.

Still confined to his house (3:24) near Babylon, the elders of Judah in exile visited the prophet, presumably for a word from God.  The elders may be still endeavoring to understand, what caused such severity as they had endured.  In other words, "Why is this happening to us?"

Fourteen months had gone by since Ezekiel's first recorded vision from the LORD in chapter 1.   As Ezekiel inquired of the LORD on their behalf, "the hand of the LORD fell upon me there" (v.1).  He first saw an appearance like that of a man.  The description with its gleaming brightness is similar to John's vision of Jesus in Revelation 1.  In the vision, not physically, God snatched Ezekiel up from his house near Babylon and took him back to Jerusalem.  God wanted him to see precisely the sins that brought about such harsh punishment upon Israel.  The sinfulness became so bad that God said it would "drive me from my sanctuary" (v.6).  It required four chapters (8-11) to explain all that he was shown.

1. An idol at the north gate. (vv.3-6)
In the Temple's inner court stood an idol.  This place is where God was to be worshiped.  Ezekiel called it "the image of jealousy" that provoked God to anger.  Isaiah 42:8, "I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols."  If that was what captured the hearts of the people, God would leave His Temple.

2. Images behind the wall. (vv.7-13)
In private, where people could not see, were idols and pictures of creepy, loathsome, detestable things.  Before them stood seventy elders of Judah involved in acts of worship, looking to and even praying to these.  They did it in the dark thinking that no one would see.  "For they say, 'The LORD does not see us." (v.12)

3. Weeping for Tammuz. (vv.14-15)
This is a reference to the Sumerian god of vegetation.  In mythology, in seasons when there were no crops, it was due to the so-called death of this deity.  The women mourned his death, praying he would return in the spring so they would have plenty of food.  They looked to creation instead of the Creator.  In short, they forgot it is the Sovereign God who controls the seasons and the rain.

4. False worship in the Temple. (v.16)
Twenty-five men were seen gathered in the Temple where priests normally would have been pleading for the LORD's mercy.  But, physically their backs were turned to God and they were looking to the sun for help and guidance.  God called such planetary worship, or commonly known as astrology, an evil abomination.

How much more simple and easier it would have been to place child-like faith in the LORD who loved them?  In His faithfulness, He supplied all their needs.  He gave them His word.  If only they had trusted and obeyed Him in loving response. 

 

The losses of not listening to God

 Read Ezekiel 7.

This is the second sermon God gave to Ezekiel.  He performed his assignment from chapter 3 of being a watchman for the nation.  Disaster was about to strike and the faithful watchman sounded the alarm.  Israel's sin reached the tipping point of the LORD's patience and plan.  Over and over, the message states that this is "the end" or "the time has come."

In His wrath, God will remove from Israel both the cause of the punishment and the benefits of His blessings.

1. No more pride. (v.24)
"I will put an end to the pride of the strong..."  Their hubris caused them to think they were safe from harm and that they did not need the God of heaven.  All the stuff that made them feel secure and esteemed would be taken from them.  Nothing of any value would be left.  In the famine and battle to come, buying and selling, gold and silver, land and buildings--all would be worthless to them.  God even allowed His Temple to be desecrated and destroyed.

"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." (1 Peter 5:5b)

2. No more peace. (v.25)
"When anguish comes, they will seek peace, but there will be none."  As the LORD gave warning of His judgment and called for them to repent.  It was the false prophets who tried to counter God by preaching peace.  The end had come.  They did not listen to God and paid a severe price.

"You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you." (Isaiah 26:3)

3. No more prophetic vision. (v.26b)
"They seek a vision from the prophet, while the law perishes from the priest and counsel from the elders."  Having rejected God's messages from His prophets, the people kept trying to find a message that pleased them and made them feel good. 

"Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors."  (Psalm 119:24)

 

The danger of mixed Beliefs

 Read Ezekiel 6.

When the LORD gave the land to Abraham and his descendants, it was for the purpose of raising up a people for His name and glory.  In Exodus, He powerfully brought the Jews out of Egypt and back to the land with the same intent.  But instead of honoring God and influencing others to know and serve Him, Israel became ensnared by the evil practices of the surrounding nations.

The Canaanites participated in a complex system of multiple false gods.  For example, they worshiped a made-up fertility god, Baal, with sacrifices on altars in high places.  They built temples for others, like Dagon.  The burning of incense symbolized their prayers to these idols. As He stated in 5:13, the LORD is a jealous God and will not share His rightful worship.

In a straightforward sermon, God announced that He would destroy these places of man-made religion, whether on the mountains or in the valleys.    All will be wiped out, including the worshipers.  The cause of the judgment remained the same: sin.  The purpose of the corrective punishment remained the same: "And you shall know that I am the LORD." (vv.7,10,13,14)

God's own words inscribed in the Ten Commandments should have been enough for Israel.
"You shall have no other gods before me.  You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.  You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments." (Exodus 20:3-6)

This should serve as a severe warning to anyone who claims to know the LORD, yet mixes their beliefs with other forms of life-guidance, philosophies, and religious systems.

 

Purpose behind the Pain

 Read Ezekiel 5.

The visualization, or acting out, of the message continued with further orders directly from God.  This entire series of strange doings was meant to illustrate the humiliation and punishment of Jerusalem for its rebellion.

1. Shaving his hair.
In those days, a shaved head and beard embarrassed a man.  It indicated either shame or deep mourning.

2. Dividing his hair. 
Knowing the rest of the story, we may interpret these actions by comparing Scripture with the actual events.  Gratefully, the explanations are provided in this same chapter.
-Ezekiel took one-third of the hair to the middle of the city and burned it.  Like the fire consumed the hair, God explained, "A third part of you shall die of pestilence and be consumed with famine in your midst" (v.12).  Indeed, the Babylonian siege brought about an unthinkable famine with all its horrors.

-Ezekiel took the next third of his hair and chopped it up with a sword.  The explanation in the middle of verse 12 is that many of those who survived the famine would be killed as the invaders breached the wall.

-Ezekiel took most of the remaining third and threw it up for the wind to scatter.  Those who escaped would be taken away to Babylon.

-From the last third, Ezekiel was to keep a few hairs inside a special place in his robe.  Yet, even these few protected ones would experience the fire of God's punishment.

With His message of judgment also came His statement of purpose.  "And they shall know that I am the LORD--that I have spoken in my jealousy."  That phrase, "they shall know that I am the LORD" appears over 60 times in this book. 

The people thought they could live life on their own terms and still claim to be His people.  What they forgot is that the LORD demands exclusive worship.  He will not share His rightful glory with anything or anyone else.  Soli Deo gloria!  Glory to God alone.

 

Getting the audience's Attention

 Read Ezekiel 4.

The message of God's judgment on sin was hard and it was being delivered to a hard-hearted people.  First, those about to experience the captivity and exile in Babylon needed to be prepared.  They had heard and spurned such preaching before.  So now, in order to gain a hearing, God instructed Ezekiel to perform a series of signs.  He acted out what would happen to the people of Jerusalem.

Chapter 3 verse 24 indicates that God confined the prophet to his house.  So, presumably these sermonic displays took place in front of his home where a crowd could witness them and hear the explanations.

1. Playing in the dirt.
He made a brick, probably like a clay tablet, and outlined the city of Jerusalem on it.  Next, on the ground he built a miniature version of the impending Babylonian siege.  It is not clear what the iron griddle illustrates.  The best explanation is that during this time the people would be praying to God for deliverance, but their prayers would be blocked.  Moses had warned the nation of this very thing in Deuteronomy 28:23 if they rebelled against Him: "And the heavens over your head shall be as bronze."
 
2. Laying on his sides.
First, he laid on his left side, tied up, for over a year; 390 days, one day for each year of punishment.  Because of the instructions in the rest of this chapter, it seems obvious he only performed this for a part of each day.  This illustrated God's judgment of the northern kingdom of Israel for their sin.  Second, he repeated the process on his right side for 40 days.  This illustrated God's judgment of the southern kingdom of Judah.  It is unclear as to how the LORD calculated the number of years stated here.

3. Cooking in a distasteful manner.
God wanted to give the people a vivid picture of what life would be like during the siege.  With a shortage of food, grains would have to be combined to make a simple piece of bread.  Ezekiel was limited to 8 ounces of bread and 2/3 quart of water each day.  Perhaps worse than the rationing of food was the manner in which it was to be baked.  If there was a scarcity of wood available, people commonly used cakes of animal dung as fuel for their fires.  But it was considered a defilement to use human dung for cooking.  When Ezekiel voiced this to God, the LORD allowed him to use cow dung, instead.  Again, this pointed to the severity of the famine in Jerusalem.

God seeks to gain our attention throughout each day.  Sometimes it is the rainbow to remind of His promises.  Sometimes it is a word of wisdom from another person.  Sometimes it is that "still small voice" when He speaks to our conscience.  Every day He desires to communicate to us in the reading of His word.

 

The role and responsibility of God's Representative

 Read Ezekiel 3.

You cannot give what you do not possess.  Before Ezekiel could serve as God's spokesperson he had to consume God's written word.  In the symbolic eating of it, the Scriptures tasted sweet.  Other writers in Scripture made the same observation.  David wrote, "More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb." (Psalm 19:10)

His calling was to a specific target audience.  The LORD sent him to minister to those taken captive, exiled in Babylon.  It was a hard message he was to deliver to some hard hearts.  God encouraged him a third time by saying, "Fear them not, nor be dismayed" (v.9).  But even with a tough crowd, God made Ezekiel just as tough as they were.  Indeed, Ezekiel's name in Hebrew means "God will strengthen" or "God will harden."  The hardness here refers to the determination that will be required for this assignment.  A thin skinned person would not be fit for the job.

Next, if Ezekiel was to represent God, he had to see and feel what God saw and felt.  The sound and sight of the mobile throne appeared again.  This time the Holy Spirit said, "Get in."  The experience overwhelmed him.

His role.
As God's prophet, he served like a "watchman."  When God gave warning, Ezekiel was to sound the alarm and warn the people.  He would be held accountable for listening to God and speaking God's message to them.

His responsibility.
He was not held accountable for the way the people responded to God's message.  The people were individually and personally accountable for their response to what the LORD said.

Believers in Jesus have been commissioned as ambassadors for Christ and given the message of reconciling people back to God.  As the Apostle Paul wrote, "We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:20)

 

6 essentials for communicating God's Word

 Read Ezekiel 2.

God revealed Himself to Ezekiel visually and vocally.  By age, Ezekiel had just begun his official service as a priest.  Here, the LORD called him to be His spokesperson to the nation; a prophet.  In these ten verses are found the essential and transferable elements that apply to all those who preach or teach.

1. Relationship with God.
The LORD referred to Ezekiel as "son of man."  At least, 93 times in this book God called him by that term.  It indicates he was part of God's family and had a personal relationship with the LORD.  Today, a personal and growing relationship with Jesus is the first step for any who would represent God.

2. Empowerment by God.
"The Holy Spirit entered into me."  New Testament believers receive the Holy Spirit at salvation (Romans 8:9).  Under the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit would come upon God's people at strategic times to empower them to serve Him.  A life that is not dependent upon the power of the Holy Spirit will only be representing themselves. 

3. Call of God.
Twice the LORD said, "I send you."  The position of being God's spokesperson was not a job to seek; it was God's job to send.  Notice the compelling sense felt by the Apostle Paul to do what God called him to be doing.  "For the love of Christ controls us..." (2 Corinthians 5:14)  "For necessity is laid upon me.  Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!" (1 Corinthians 9:16b)

4. Message from God.
The content of his preaching was to be "Thus says the LORD God", "And you shall speak my words to them."  At the core was to be what God said in His written word (vv.9-10).    He was not allowed to communicate his own content and speak of other things.  Every word spoken needed to be in alignment with the word of God.

5. Assignment from God.
The LORD gave Ezekiel a tough audience.  They had heard God's word before and chose to ignore it.  More than complacent toward what they heard, they stubbornly lived in outright rebellion.  God warned him in advance that the people would reject the message.  They would speak against Ezekiel with threats.  While he preached, the crowd would even make faces at him.  Fortunately, this is not the experience of all who communicate God's word.  But it does point out the fact that Ezekiel was not responsible for the behavior and response of the people.  The assignment of ministry and the measurement of ministry are two distinct issues.

6. Evaluation of God.
In this instance, the LORD encouraged Ezekiel twice to not be afraid of the responses of the people or the lack thereof.  What mattered to God was He had sent His spokesperson to communicate His expectations of the people.  "A prophet has been among them."  He would be held accountable for faithfully delivering the message.

Representing God before others, communicating His word, is not an easy ministry.  Because of the very nature of its influence upon others, there is a higher level of accountability.  "Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness." (James 3:1)