Today's Reading:

Ezekiel 1
Ezekiel 2
Ezekiel 3
Ezekiel 4

Have you ever had an overpowering experience? Above the heads of the cherubim was the expanse of crystal force, like a transparent vault, dome, or a floor between the earthly creatures and the divine throne. High above was a throne that looked like lapis lazuli (sapphire blue), recalling the sapphire pavement under God’s feet in Exodus 24:10. The sound of the cherubim’s wings was loud, yet everything fell silent when God spoke. The One seated on the throne had the appearance of a man, glowing with brilliant light. The God who had once dwelt in the temple now appeared to His prophet in exile. When Ezekiel saw the glory, he fell face down in reverence, which was the normal response to seeing the theophany.

​What, if any, overpowering experiences have you encountered? Have you seen or thought about heaven and all of its glory?

 

The first round of deportations happened after the Battle of Carchemish. Ezekiel and his wife were also among the people who were exiled to Babylonia during the second round. They lived in the southern part of Mesopotamia. He was born into a priestly family, and around the time of their 30th birthday, they would normally begin temple service. Instead of entering into service, Ezekiel was called by God not in a priestly role, but as a prophet. The ancient Babylonian records known as the “Jehoiachin Ration tablets” list food allowances for the Judean king and his sons; this archaeological find confirms the Bible’s timeline. Just because the exiles were God’s people, and He chose Zion as His home, did not mean that Judah would have an easy life or escape the consequences of their sin.

Ezekiel saw visions from God, through an overpowering force. He called Ezekiel “son of man” over 90 times in the book, referring to his humanity. The visions given were bold, colorful, and he was told to act out a lot of them like parables. The first vision was of heaven opening, and he saw living creatures called cherubim that had interlocking wheels within wheels, like a guardian throne that was mobile. “Wherever the Spirit would go,” the cherubim and the wheels would go as a unit. The Spirit of God was the driving force, and the wheels were not a separate piece. It showed that God’s mobile glory was going to Babylon and did not just stay in the Jerusalem temple. Think of the cherubim as the “driver” and the Spirit as the GPS, engine, and steering wheel all at once. The driver goes wherever the Spirit goes.

Looking at Psalm 104:4 and Hebrews 1:7, both write that God’s servants (angels) were a flaming fire and inseparable from the Holy glory of God.

​In chapter 2, the Spirit came “into” Ezekiel to empower him. This was the first time ever, before Pentecost, the Spirit was “on” them; now it was in Ezekiel. God gave Ezekiel a scroll to eat, with writing on both sides. This was most likely to have been made from paper and not goat skin since (the underside of a scroll of goat skin would have still had goat hair attached). By eating the scroll, he was internalizing the message ofGod’s word (mind, heart, and emotions). The scroll was sweet like honey. Ezekiel sat with the message for 7 days; overwhelmed, he was to feel the message, not just reiterate it. God also made Ezekiel the “watchman,” and that if he failed to speak the message and they died in their sin, then it was on him for not obeying. The Spirit levitated Ezekiel to his feet, (right after he had seen the likeness of God), he was so overwhelmed that he could not stand on his own. Ezekiel showed humility to being raised for a prophetic task. In later sections, Ezekiel was actually lifted and teleported to another location.

​God knew He was sending Ezekiel to rebellious people. He warned him not to be afraid of them, their hostile words, or their intimidation. Their rebellious faces were resisting God’s words. The scroll Ezekiel ate was full of mourning, and woe had sweetness amid judgment. He ate it without hesitation, testing his obedience. Once the words were swallowed, he could not undo the action. The goodness and privilege of God’s words were similar to Revelation 10, where we must feed on His words to shape our lives. They are sweet and bring blessings even in times of judgment. God sent Ezekiel to the Israelites who would not listen, since they had hardened hearts.

​In Ezekiel 3:12, the Spirit actually teleported Ezekiel to the exiles. The bitterness of delivering judgment and the personal cost of the task was the burden of being an unwelcome messenger. He was placed in Tel Aviv, near the Kebar canal (the Tel Aviv in central Babylon, not the Tel Aviv of today in Israel). This was where Ezekiel sat for seven days with the exiles.

God listed 4 consequences for the Watchman:

1. Wicked is not warned- The wicked will die for their sin. The watchman is held accountable for their death.
2. Wicked is warned and does not repent- The wicked will die for their sin. The watchman is saved and not held accountable.
3. Righteous turns away and is not warned- The once righteous who turned wicked die and their prior deeds are not remembered. The watchman is held accountable for their death.
4. Righteous is warned and no longer sins- The righteous lives because they heed the warning. The watchman’s life is spared.

Either way, if a person does not repent, they will die for their own sins. The watchman’s life and survival were dependent upon whether he faithfully gave the warning. But God already knew that the exiles would not listen to the warning.  Ezekiel fell again facedown in reverence. He would become housebound and mute, only able to speak when God’s words came, so he would not get into arguments. God gave Ezekiel symbolic tasks to play out:

1. Make a model of the city and the siege that would take place.
2. Put an iron pan between himself and the city to represent the unbreakable separation between God and Jerusalem. God would not rescue the city.
3. Ezekiel was to lay on his left side facing north and bear the inequity (punishment) of Israel himself. The number of days he laid there would become the number of years for Israel’s punishment. One day equaled one year, for a total of 390 days for Israel. This was to shatter their hopes.
4. Ezekiel was to lay on his right side looking south to face Jerusalem and prophesy against it. Actual ropes kept him from turning side to side. One day equaled one year, for a total of 40 days for Judah. 

For about 14 months, Ezekiel lay there, receiving about 8 ounces of food and 21 ounces of water each day. (What about bathroom breaks?) God then commanded that Ezekiel use human poo as fuel for a fire to bake his bread! Ezekiel was bearing the burden of the people’s sins. He was to bake barley bread cakes where the people could see it, over poop! He was mixing grain into small rations cooked with poo, which was ceremoniously unclean. Normally they would have used animal poo. Ezekiel objected, and God relented and allowed him to use cow poo instead. This was still a hardship and a defilement, as he had never eaten anything unclean. In short, the people would suffer severe hardship, scarcity, and a ritual defilement during the siege. A vivid picture of how Jerusalem would go out hungry, desperate, and unclean due to their sin.

Today's Discussion question:

What, if any, overpowering experiences have you encountered? Have you seen or thought about heaven and all of its glory?

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