Ezekiel 4:1-5:4: The Dramatization of Jerusalem's Siege
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Introduction
Introduction
Succinct Summation
Succinct Summation
Outline
Outline
Ezekiel 1-24 - Oracles against God’s People
Ezekiel 1-24 - Oracles against God’s People
Ezekiel 1:1-3 - Ezekiel the Priest
Ezekiel 1:4-28 - The Glory of the Lord
Ezekiel 2:1-3:15 - Ezekiel Commissioned
Ezekiel 3:16-27 - Ezekiel the Watchman
Ezekiel 4:1-5:4 - The Dramatization of Jerusalem’s Siege
Ezekiel 4:1-3 - A Sign for Israel
Ezekiel 4:4-8 - Israel’s Punishment
Ezekiel 4:9-17 - Lack of Food
Ezekiel 5:1-4 - The Fate of Jerusalem’s People
Purpose of Book
Purpose of Book
The purpose of Ezekiel is Yahweh rebukes His people for their sinfulness and He promises to restore His glory so all nations will know He is the one true Lord. In short, the purpose of Ezekiel is the glory of God.
The purpose of Ezekiel is Yahweh rebukes His people for their sinfulness and He promises to restore His glory so all nations will know He is the one true Lord. In short, the purpose of Ezekiel is the glory of God.
Main Point
Main Point
After Ezekiel is commissioned, God commands Ezekiel to act out the siege of Jerusalem. This warning of judgment comes to pass because it is decreed by God Himself.
After Ezekiel is commissioned, God commands Ezekiel to act out the siege of Jerusalem. This warning of judgment comes to pass because it is decreed by God Himself.
Ezekiel 4:1-3 - A Sign for Israel
Ezekiel 4:1-3 - A Sign for Israel
1 “And you, son of man, take a brick and lay it before you, and engrave on it a city, even Jerusalem.
1 “And you, son of man, take a brick and lay it before you, and engrave on it a city, even Jerusalem.
Ezekiel is commanded to make a model of Jerusalem on a brick
As we will see this model reveals Jerusalem will come under siege
2 And put siegeworks against it, and build a siege wall against it, and cast up a mound against it.
2 And put siegeworks against it, and build a siege wall against it, and cast up a mound against it.
The elements found in this verse would not have been drawn upon the brick, but would have been models made to put against the brick
Set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it all around.
Set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it all around.
The latest technology used by the Babylonians, yet the Babylonians were not the house of Israel’s biggest problem
3 And you, take an iron griddle, and place it as an iron wall between you and the city; and set your face toward it, and let it be in a state of siege, and press the siege against it.
3 And you, take an iron griddle, and place it as an iron wall between you and the city; and set your face toward it, and let it be in a state of siege, and press the siege against it.
The iron griddle represent a total severing between God and Israel because the iron barrier cannot be broken
43 “You have wrapped yourself with anger and pursued us,
killing without pity;
44 you have wrapped yourself with a cloud
so that no prayer can pass through.
Jeremiah writes about the dark reality of the destruction of Jerusalem
Furthermore, there is no communication between Yahweh and His people - remember Ezekiel WAS FORBIDDEN to intercede on behalf of Jerusalem
Ezekiel will set his face towards the city - Yahweh’s judgment is settled and ACTIVE, He will not relent of Jerusalem’s siege
Remember, God is the enemy of the house of Israel - Babylon is the means
This is a sign for the house of Israel.
This is a sign for the house of Israel.
All of the tribes of Israel
Christ Connection - Christ Rescues us from the Wrath of God
Christ Connection - Christ Rescues us from the Wrath of God
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Ezekiel 4:4-8 - Israel’s Punishment
Ezekiel 4:4-8 - Israel’s Punishment
4 “Then lie on your left side, and place the punishment of the house of Israel upon it.
4 “Then lie on your left side, and place the punishment of the house of Israel upon it.
The house of Israel here does not simply mean the northern kingdom, it deals with the entire nation of Israel and her sinful disobedience
For the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their punishment.
For the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their punishment.
5 For I assign to you a number of days, 390 days, equal to the number of the years of their punishment.
5 For I assign to you a number of days, 390 days, equal to the number of the years of their punishment.
The years are most likely 976 BC to 586 BC
976BC - When the glory of God filled Solomon’s Temple
586 BC - When Jerusalem falls
For those 390 years the nation of Israel would provoke Yahweh by worshipping other gods
So long shall you bear the punishment of the house of Israel.
So long shall you bear the punishment of the house of Israel.
Bearing the punishment was a priestly duty
1 So the Lord said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall bear iniquity connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear iniquity connected with your priesthood.
6 And when you have completed these, you shall lie down a second time, but on your right side, and bear the punishment of the house of Judah.
6 And when you have completed these, you shall lie down a second time, but on your right side, and bear the punishment of the house of Judah.
It is most likely Ezekiel did this for a few hours each day where the most people would see him
House of Judah is used interchangeably as House of Israel - Nation as a total
Forty days I assign you, a day for each year.
Forty days I assign you, a day for each year.
The days serve as a generation
33 And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.’ 35 I, the Lord, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.”
The 40 days serve the 40 years of exile
Together the years add up to 430 years
40 The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years.
Maybe, just maybe a new exodus can be had after Yahweh’s judgment is given against the disobedient nation
7 And you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with your arm bared, and you shall prophesy against the city.
7 And you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with your arm bared, and you shall prophesy against the city.
Ezekiel’s arm is bared - military symbolism of a warrior getting ready for battle
8 And behold, I will place cords upon you, so that you cannot turn from one side to the other, till you have completed the days of your siege.
8 And behold, I will place cords upon you, so that you cannot turn from one side to the other, till you have completed the days of your siege.
Yahweh has total control over Ezekiel - He is unable to do whatever he pleases
Christ Connection - Christ Atones for Our Guilt
Christ Connection - Christ Atones for Our Guilt
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Ezekiel 4:9-17 - Lack of Food
Ezekiel 4:9-17 - Lack of Food
9 “And you, take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and emmer, and put them into a single vessel and make your bread from them.
9 “And you, take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and emmer, and put them into a single vessel and make your bread from them.
This is a siege diet because of the scarcity of food
During the number of days that you lie on your side, 390 days, you shall eat it.
During the number of days that you lie on your side, 390 days, you shall eat it.
In front of the audience, Ezekiel is to eat the bread revealing the siege diet that is coming to Jerusalem
He did this during the 390 days, not 40
10 And your food that you eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day; from day to day you shall eat it.
10 And your food that you eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day; from day to day you shall eat it.
The food he will eat will be about 8 ounces
11 And water you shall drink by measure, the sixth part of a hin; from day to day you shall drink.
11 And water you shall drink by measure, the sixth part of a hin; from day to day you shall drink.
The water he will drink will be 2/3 of a quart
Jerusalem will be near starvation during the siege
12 And you shall eat it as a barley cake, baking it in their sight on human dung.”
12 And you shall eat it as a barley cake, baking it in their sight on human dung.”
Barley cake was the food eaten by the poor
13 And the Lord said, “Thus shall the people of Israel eat their bread unclean, among the nations where I will drive them.”
13 And the Lord said, “Thus shall the people of Israel eat their bread unclean, among the nations where I will drive them.”
The exiles were in a state of being unclean
14 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I have never defiled myself. From my youth up till now I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has tainted meat come into my mouth.”
14 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I have never defiled myself. From my youth up till now I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has tainted meat come into my mouth.”
What died of itself or torn by beasts
8 He shall not eat what dies of itself or is torn by beasts, and so make himself unclean by it: I am the Lord.’
Tainted meat
18 If any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering is eaten on the third day, he who offers it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be credited to him. It is tainted, and he who eats of it shall bear his iniquity.
15 Then he said to me, “See, I assign to you cow’s dung instead of human dung, on which you may prepare your bread.”
15 Then he said to me, “See, I assign to you cow’s dung instead of human dung, on which you may prepare your bread.”
This would shock the audience who watched Ezekiel
This is meant to get the exiles to take seriously the coming fall of Jerusalem
16 Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, behold, I will break the supply of bread in Jerusalem.
16 Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, behold, I will break the supply of bread in Jerusalem.
Yahweh has not broken the Sinai covenant, instead He is actually keeping/enacting the covenant showing He expects His people to adhere to the covenant
They shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and they shall drink water by measure and in dismay.
They shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and they shall drink water by measure and in dismay.
The emotional strain caused by this will be great upon the citizens of Jerusalem
17 I will do this that they may lack bread and water, and look at one another in dismay, and rot away because of their punishment.
17 I will do this that they may lack bread and water, and look at one another in dismay, and rot away because of their punishment.
Christ Connection - Christ leads us in our Exile to our Eternal Promised Land
Christ Connection - Christ leads us in our Exile to our Eternal Promised Land
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Ezekiel 5:1-4 - The Fate of Jerusalem’s People
Ezekiel 5:1-4 - The Fate of Jerusalem’s People
1 “And you, O son of man, take a sharp sword. Use it as a barber’s razor and pass it over your head and your beard.
1 “And you, O son of man, take a sharp sword. Use it as a barber’s razor and pass it over your head and your beard.
The removal of Ezekiel’s hair would symbolize humiliation
Furthermore, doing with a sword shows military force
Jerusalem will be humiliated by the Babylonian military - there is no hope that God will relent on His judgment
20 In that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired beyond the River—with the king of Assyria—the head and the hair of the feet, and it will sweep away the beard also.
Then take balances for weighing and divide the hair.
Then take balances for weighing and divide the hair.
This division will be exact - the Lord’s judgment on the house of Israel will be exact and precise
2 A third part you shall burn in the fire in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are completed.
2 A third part you shall burn in the fire in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are completed.
1/3 will die in the siege
And a third part you shall take and strike with the sword all around the city.
And a third part you shall take and strike with the sword all around the city.
1/3 will die by the Babylonian army
And a third part you shall scatter to the wind, and I will unsheathe the sword after them.
And a third part you shall scatter to the wind, and I will unsheathe the sword after them.
1/3 will be sent into exile
We see here God is the primary actor in all of this - Death, destruction, and exile come at His hand
3 And you shall take from these a small number and bind them in the skirts of your robe.
3 And you shall take from these a small number and bind them in the skirts of your robe.
Some of the hair would be placed in Ezekiel’s pockets that would be used for safety
The Lord will graciously save a small remnant
4 And of these again you shall take some and cast them into the midst of the fire and burn them in the fire. From there a fire will come out into all the house of Israel.
4 And of these again you shall take some and cast them into the midst of the fire and burn them in the fire. From there a fire will come out into all the house of Israel.
Though a remnant is saved, still they cannot simply rely on God’s favor as a token
All will face the judgment of God
36 And as for those of you who are left, I will send faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. The sound of a driven leaf shall put them to flight, and they shall flee as one flees from the sword, and they shall fall when none pursues. 37 They shall stumble over one another, as if to escape a sword, though none pursues. And you shall have no power to stand before your enemies. 38 And you shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up. 39 And those of you who are left shall rot away in your enemies’ lands because of their iniquity, and also because of the iniquities of their fathers they shall rot away like them.
Christ Connection - Christ Delivers us From Fiery Judgment
Christ Connection - Christ Delivers us From Fiery Judgment
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
How Should we Live in Light of Ezekiel 4:1-5:4?
How Should we Live in Light of Ezekiel 4:1-5:4?
God’s wrath is still poured out upon those who are not in the New Covenant, but in Christ we are saved from the fiery wrath of God.
God’s wrath is still poured out upon those who are not in the New Covenant, but in Christ we are saved from the fiery wrath of God.
12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. 14 The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
Like Ezekiel, we warn everyone of the coming judgment of God being ambassadors of Christ Jesus
Like Ezekiel, we warn everyone of the coming judgment of God being ambassadors of Christ Jesus
Main Point
Main Point
After Ezekiel is commissioned, God commands Ezekiel to act out the siege of Jerusalem. This warning of judgment comes to pass because it is decreed by God Himself.
After Ezekiel is commissioned, God commands Ezekiel to act out the siege of Jerusalem. This warning of judgment comes to pass because it is decreed by God Himself.