The Obedient Watchman.

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Ezekiel 4

 

Ezekiel 3:27

But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ He who will hear, let him hear; and he who will refuse to hear, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.

(ESV)

 

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. I once had a pastor who liked to preach illustrated sermons with visual illustrations to provide a picture of what the sermon would represent. This was before the use of PowerPoint and slides on a screen providing such illustrations. I found these sermons very impactful for not only did the pastor give the Word of God but illustrated it so the congregation could remember the message. In Ezekiel 4, the Lord instructs Ezekiel to provide a visual illustration of what is about to happen to Jerusalem, Israel, and Judah, providing them with a visual picture and an opportunity to repent.

 

The Lord instructs Ezekiel to first take a brick and engrave on it the name of a city, even Jerusalem (Ezekiel 4:1). The Lord then instructs Ezekiel to put siegeworks, a siege wall, and a mound against the brick illustrating the coming siege against Jerusalem (Ezekiel 4:2). The Lord then instructs Ezekiel to take an iron griddle and place it as a wall between himself and the city. He is then to look toward the brick symbolizing the city (Ezekiel 4:3).

 

The Lord then instructs Ezekiel to lie on his left side for 390 days to illustrate the punishment Israel will endure (Ezekiel 4:4-5). After the 390 days, Ezekiel is to lie on his right side for 40 days to illustrate the punishment Judah shall endure (Ezekiel 4:6). The Lord then instructs Ezekiel to look toward the brick illustrating the siege of Jerusalem and prophesy against the city (Ezekiel 4:7). Ezekiel will also be bound with cords so he cannot turn from side to side (Ezekiel 4:8).

 

During the time Ezekiel is lying on his side, he is to take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and emmer and place them in a single vessel and make bread from them (Ezekiel 4:9). Ezekiel’s ration of food during this time will be twenty shekels a day (Ezekiel 4:10). The Lord also rations Ezekiel’s water to a sixth part of a hin daily (Ezekiel 4:11). Ezekiel is then to take the ration of food and bake it into a barley cake using human dung in the presence of the people to illustrate that Israel will eat their bread unclean in the nations the Lord sends them (Ezekiel 4:12-13). At this request, Ezekiel reminds the Lord that he has never eaten anything unclean to which the Lord permits him to use cow’s dung in place of human dung (Ezekiel 4:14-15). The siege will break the supply of bread for Jerusalem, forcing the people to ration their food and drink in dismay and anxiety (Ezekiel 4:16). The Lord's purpose is to punish those in rebellion against God (Ezekiel 4:17).

 

The Lord has told Ezekiel he is speaking to a rebellious people who will not listen. In His grace, God instructs Ezekiel to perform acts that symbolize the mental, physical, and spiritual anguish Jerusalem, Judah, and Israel will incur. The brick with Jerusalem engraved on it and the siege works around it would cause mental anguish for the people of Jerusalem who are familiar with sieges, having used them against their enemies (Joshua 10:31, 34; 1 Kings 15:27). The pain and discomfort Ezekiel would have experienced from lying on his side for 390 and then 40 days symbolized the physical pain Israel and Judah will experience when invaded and when in exile. The eating of tainted meat cooked with human dung symbolizes the spiritual depravity Israel and Judah will experience when in exile in a foreign land. The illustration Ezekiel performs provides a picture of what will occur to Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem giving them the possibility to repent and heed the warnings Ezekiel gives, but with a visual representation. Perhaps by seeing a visual representation, instead of just words, Israel and Judah will repent of their evil ways and turn back to God.

 

Ezekiel has the calling of a watchman which carries the duty to warn people of what is going to occur to them so they can repent to avoid the consequences of their actions. While the actions given to Ezekiel seem unusual, Ezekiel must perform the actions the Lord has instructed him to perform or suffer consequences himself (Ezekiel 3:16-27). This, however, does not mean one in ministry should perform every action he believes is from the Lord without measuring it against the Word of God and seeking Godly counsel. However, if the action stands up against God’s Word and Godly counsel, one in ministry must act even if it seems unusual by going against what is popular in culture.

 

Unfortunately, wokeness in our culture is becoming normal and accepted by many with anyone speaking out against it viewed as hateful or out of touch. Ezekiel’s actions as outlined in Ezekiel 4 may have seemed out of touch and even hateful as they symbolized the demise of Jerusalem, Israel, and Judah, but as a watchman like Ezekiel, a minister must speak out in warning or face consequences. As watchmen, those in Church leadership, especially those in the pulpit must speak out against wokeness like abortion, homosexuality, transgenderism, and critical race theory, even though they will face persecution. Believers in Jesus must fear God and not man for the fear of man is a trap (Proverbs 29:25) but the fear of God leads one to obedience to God and his calling in his or her life (Proverbs 16:6).

 

If you are reading this and have not prayed to ask God to forgive your sins and make Jesus Lord of your life, I encourage you to do so now by praying with me,

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

May God challenge, convict, and bless everyone reading this post.