Ezekiel Illustrates His Message
Ezekiel 4:1-8
Primary Purpose: God speaks in unique ways to his people to convey His
message.
The way that God is going to convey His message to Ezekiel in this chapter is unique. The people have grown cold in their hearts to the things of God. They are no longer willing to listen to a message. So, God has Ezekiel act out some sermons. God has already cause Ezekiel to become mute in
Ezekiel 3:26-27. He is silent most of the time and doesn’t engage in casual conversation anymore with the people. He doesn’t say a word in chapter 4
either, yet his actions speaks for themselves.
There is a deceitfulness from sin that closes a person’s heart. In our own country, people were once open to the gospel even as adults, some still
are. But, many are becoming hard hearted because of sin. They don’t want to go to church and don’t want to read the word. They don’t want to think about God. They want to do their own thing. They say now that if your going to reach a person for Christ you need to do it before the person reaches the 5th grade. Those seeds must be planted early if they are going to grow.
In 2 Chronicles 36:10-17, it says that after Jehoiachin was captured, that King Nebuchadnezzar placed Zedekiah on the throne in Judah. This was
king Nebuchadnezzar’s uncle. It says that this pagan king instructed him to be true to the Lord and then left him in charge. Yet, Zedekiah was not true to
God. He defiled the temple. He turned against God in open rebellion. So, now Jerusalem will be attacked a final time and leveled to the ground. This is what Ezekiel will act out in this chapter with several action sermons.
I. First Action Sermon v.1-3 Ezekiel plays in the dirt.
Ezekiel set up a brick and drew a picture on it of Jerusalem. Think of how this looked. They knew that Ezekiel was a priest. Here’s the man of
God who draws a picture of their beloved city- Jerusalem. Then, he symbolically lays siege to it. He builds ramps up to it. He acts out the
destruction which will literally soon take place. Here God is using Ezekiel to tell the people their beloved city will soon be destroyed because the people
have not repented.
Then he takes a iron skillet, possibly similiar to what was used in the temple work and sets it between himself and the city. This skillet symbolizes the seperation to take place between God and His people. This is not God’s desire, but what must take place because of sin. God warned the people that this would happen to them repeatedly see 2 Chronicles 7:19-22.
Isaiah told the people that this seperation had taken place when he said; “But your iniquities have seperated between you and your God, and
your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Is 59:2
This may be part of our problem as a country to-- I think it is. It isn’t that their are idols in our houses of worship. The church doors aren’t locked, but the people are so preoccupied that they don’t have time for God. We should pray that God would revive our nation against, so that the skillet can be removed and God’s face can shine down on us in favor, not in judgment.
Warren Wiersbe made a comment about this that absolutely startled me. He said; “God would rather see His land devastated, the city of Jerusalem ruined, His temple destroyed, and His people killed and exiled, than to have them give such a false witness to the Gentile nations. Judgment begins with the people of God.”
I pray that God would find us a people whose hearts are totally devoted to him. That we are interceding for our community and nation. That
we are praying for revival. That we are looking within ourselves to make sure we are right with God.
Stepehn Olford once said that revival is “an invasion from heaven that brings a conscous awareness of God.” Revival is “that sovereign work of God in which He visits His own people, restoring and releasing them into the fullness of His blessing.” Robert Coleman. Revival is “A true revial means
nothing less than a revolution, casting out the spirit of worldliness, making
God’s love triumph in the heart.” Andrew Murray. True revival is the people of God returning to their first love for God and sharing that love with the
world. We should pray that God would do this again.
Wilberforce was a great Christian philanthropist and vigorous opponent of the slave trade in England during the early 1800’s. As he surveyed the terrible moral and spiritual climate of his day, he did not lose hope. He wrote “My own solid hopes for the well-being of my country depend, not so much of her navies or armies, nor on the wisdom of her rulers, nor on the spirit of her people, as the persuasion that she still contains many who love and obey the gospel of Christ. I believe that their prayers will prevail.” Within a few years after he made this statement, the country he loved experienced one of the greatest revivals in modern times, bringing salvation to thousands and
producing widespread social change.
II. Second action sermon v.4-8 Ezekiel would lay on his left side for 390 days and then on his right 40 days. 390 days represent 390 years. Basically the
entire period after Solomon’s reign to the last day of Jerusalem’s freedom.
The binding spoke of the future binding of prisoners for exile. The meager food was given to him to symbolize the starvation and ruin that the people
would face.
God desires to bless us, but he can’t bless obedience. Let’s pray that God will give us the faith and courage to follow Him with all our hearts.
Let’s pray for our nation that God will bring a revival to our country. Pray for those you know that God will open their hearts to receive what He is
speaking to them.
