July 8, 2011
PULL UP!
Ezekiel 12
Chris Sims
Central Truth
Believe what the Lord reveals to you in His Word and abandon cultural norms and traditions when they do not reconcile with Scripture. Let His Word change you, your beliefs, your heart, and your actions.
Key Verse | Ezekiel 12:23–25
"Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "I will make this proverb cease so that they will no longer use it as a proverb in Israel." But tell them, "The days draw near as well as the fulfillment of every vision. For there will no longer be any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel. For I the LORD will speak, and whatever word I speak will be performed. It will no longer be delayed . . . ."'" (Ezekiel 12:23-25)
Ezekiel 12
Judah's Captivity Symbolized
1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not, for they are a rebellious house. 3 As for you, son of man, prepare for yourself an exile's baggage, and go into exile by day in their sight. You shall go like an exile from your place to another place in their sight. Perhaps they will understand, though 1 12:3 Or will see that they are a rebellious house. 4 You shall bring out your baggage by day in their sight, as baggage for exile, and you shall go out yourself at evening in their sight, as those do who must go into exile. 5 In their sight dig through the wall, and bring your baggage out through it. 6 In their sight you shall lift the baggage upon your shoulder and carry it out at dusk. You shall cover your face that you may not see the land, for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel.”
7 And I did as I was commanded. I brought out my baggage by day, as baggage for exile, and in the evening I dug through the wall with my own hands. I brought out my baggage at dusk, carrying it on my shoulder in their sight.
8 In the morning the word of the LORD came to me: 9 “Son of man, has not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said to you, ‘What are you doing?’ 10 Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: This oracle concerns 2 12:10 Or This burden is the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are in it.’ 3 12:10 Hebrew in the midst of them 11 Say, ‘I am a sign for you: as I have done, so shall it be done to them. They shall go into exile, into captivity.’ 12 And the prince who is among them shall lift his baggage upon his shoulder at dusk, and shall go out. They shall dig through the wall to bring him out through it. He shall cover his face, that he may not see the land with his eyes. 13 And I will spread my net over him, and he shall be taken in my snare. And I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, yet he shall not see it, and he shall die there. 14 And I will scatter toward every wind all who are around him, his helpers and all his troops, and I will unsheathe the sword after them. 15 And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among the countries. 16 But I will let a few of them escape from the sword, from famine and pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the nations where they go, and may know that I am the LORD.”
17 And the word of the LORD came to me: 18 “Son of man, eat your bread with quaking, and drink water with trembling and with anxiety. 19 And say to the people of the land, Thus says the Lord God concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They shall eat their bread with anxiety, and drink water in dismay. In this way her land will be stripped of all it contains, on account of the violence of all those who dwell in it. 20 And the inhabited cities shall be laid waste, and the land shall become a desolation; and you shall know that I am the LORD.”
21 And the word of the LORD came to me: 22 “Son of man, what is this proverb that you 4 12:22 The Hebrew for you is plural have about the land of Israel, saying, ‘The days grow long, and every vision comes to nothing’? 23 Tell them therefore, ‘Thus says the Lord God: I will put an end to this proverb, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel.’ But say to them, The days are near, and the fulfillment 5 12:23 Hebrew word of every vision. 24 For there shall be no more any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel. 25 For I am the LORD; I will speak the word that I will speak, and it will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, but in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it, declares the Lord God.”
26 And the word of the LORD came to me: 27 “Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, ‘The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off.’ 28 Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord God: None of my words will be delayed any longer, but the word that I speak will be performed, declares the Lord God.”
Dive Deeper | Ezekiel 12
In this passage Ezekiel continues to symbolically act out some of God's judgments that will soon happen to Israel. In response to Ezekiel's actions, the people made two major mistakes. First, they believed "flattering divinations" rather than the truth of God's Word. Second, they twisted God's Word and added traditional sayings to claim that Ezekiel's actions were genuinely from God, but the judgments would happen to someone else in the distant future.
Israel's response reminds me of one of my favorite Far Side cartoons depicting the cockpit of an airplane about to crash into a mountain goat. The copilot says to the pilot, "Say . . . what's a mountain goat doing way up here in a cloud bank?" Being so convinced that he has done everything right, he has to conjure up a scenario that fits his delusion rather than deal with the fact that the goat is not standing on a cloud bank, but rather the side of a mountain that's about to smash them to bits. A more appropriate response would be, "Pull up!"
Friends, I have to fight to keep from imagining that the mountain goat is in the clouds of my life. I enjoy laughing at Israelites and cartoon pilots, but it's not so funny when these verses remind me of the terrible decision I made early in my marriage to live in a different city from my new bride. I did not make this decision because I had considered what the Bible says about marital oneness, the advice of more mature Christians, or the promptings of the Holy Spirit. I trusted what the culture viewed as important--keeping a good job until I could find a better one. It made an already difficult transition into marriage even more challenging. I wish I had understood the logic that there's a mountain behind that goat.
Thankfully, the crash was not fatal. Since then, I've wrestled with verses like the ones on marital oneness, figured out what they actually mean, not what I wish they would mean, and let them change my mind and my life forever.
Discussion Questions
1. When was the last time you read something in the Bible that made you think, "I need to drastically change what I've been doing?" Did you make the change or just think about it? Why or why not?
2. What's the most radical thing you've ever done because you were faced with a clear understanding of what God was saying in His Word and its direct opposition to what our culture says is normal?
3. What do verses like Ezekiel 12:22-23, Proverbs 14:12, and 1 Corinthians 3:18-19 say to you about the wisdom of man versus the wisdom of God?
WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY
EZEKIEL 8-12 (JULY 4-8)
Read Ezekiel 11:16-21.
Who will bring the people back to their land? When the people return to their homeland, what will they do (verse 18)? And what will God do for them in verse 19?
The people of Israel were brought back to the land as God promised, and they were diligent to remove the idols they had worshiped previously. What do you think we should be diligent to do in our lives? What idols are you tempted to put in front of your full devotion to God?
When we are diligent to remove things of this world that tempt us away from God and His desires for us, He will also give us the things He gave the Israelites in verse 19. Review what those were.
ACTIVITY: In verse 19 God says He will take away our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh (or a tender heart). Get a stone (at least the size of a lemon), a sponge, and a cup of water. Talk about the different characteristics of the stone and the sponge. What will happen when you pour some water on the stone? What about water poured onto the sponge? If the water represents God's Word, His truth, and the desire to follow Him, which one does your heart need to be like to absorb God's ways?