seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Ezekiel 12:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.
3 “Therefore, son of man, pack your belongings for exile and in the daytime, as they watch, set out and go from where you are to another place. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious people. 4 During the daytime, while they watch, bring out your belongings packed for exile. Then in the evening, while they are watching, go out like those who go into exile. 5 While they watch, dig through the wall and take your belongings out through it. 6 Put them on your shoulder as they are watching and carry them out at dusk. Cover your face so that you cannot see the land, for I have made you a sign to the Israelites.”
7 So I did as I was commanded. During the day I brought out my things packed for exile. Then in the evening I dug through the wall with my hands. I took my belongings out at dusk, carrying them on my shoulders while they watched.
8 In the morning the word of the Lord came to me: 9 “Son of man, did not the Israelites, that rebellious people, ask you, ‘What are you doing?’
10 “Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: This prophecy concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the Israelites who are there.’ 11 Say to them, ‘I am a sign to you.’
“As I have done, so it will be done to them. They will go into exile as captives.
12 “The prince among them will put his things on his shoulder at dusk and leave, and a hole will be dug in the wall for him to go through. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land. 13 I will spread my net for him, and he will be caught in my snare; I will bring him to Babylonia, the land of the Chaldeans, but he will not see it, and there he will die. 14 I will scatter to the winds all those around him—his staff and all his troops—and I will pursue them with drawn sword.
15 “They will know that I am the Lord, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them through the countries. 16 But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine and plague, so that in the nations where they go they may acknowledge all their detestable practices. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
17 The word of the Lord came to me: 18 “Son of man, tremble as you eat your food, and shudder in fear as you drink your water. 19 Say to the people of the land: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says about those living in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel: They will eat their food in anxiety and drink their water in despair, for their land will be stripped of everything in it because of the violence of all who live there. 20 The inhabited towns will be laid waste and the land will be desolate. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
21 The word of the Lord came to me: 22 “Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by and every vision comes to nothing’? 23 Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to put an end to this proverb, and they will no longer quote it in Israel.’ Say to them, ‘The days are near when every vision will be fulfilled. 24 For there will be no more false visions or flattering divinations among the people of Israel. 25 But I the Lord will speak what I will, and it shall be fulfilled without delay. For in your days, you rebellious people, I will fulfill whatever I say, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
26 The word of the Lord came to me: 27 “Son of man, the Israelites are saying, ‘The vision he sees is for many years from now, and he prophesies about the distant future.’
28 “Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: None of my words will be delayed any longer; whatever I say will be fulfilled, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
Well the wait is over...... God saw that those stupid humans were mistaking His patience for a "do nothing" attitude. God saw that they were "pooh pooh"ing the Prophets. God saw that those stupid humans were choosing the feel good sermons that let them hang on to their shiny idols. God told them.... "Time's Up".This is from the easy English site.
Here, Ezekiel acts as if he were still in Jerusalem. The people there will have to escape from the city. So, Ezekiel must pack his bag with the things that he would need for his exile. He would know what to pack. He went into exile in the year 597 BC. God tells Ezekiel to pack during the day so that the people will see it.
In the evening, Ezekiel must dig a hole through the wall of his home. Then he must leave his home. He must go through the hole in the wall as if to escape. He will put his bag on his shoulder and he will go. He will cover his face as he goes. He would go far enough from his home to show what the action meant.
All of this is to warn the Israelites. The message to the exiles is that they will not return to Jerusalem soon. They will watch the strange acts of Ezekiel. And probably they will ask him questions. They will want to know what he is doing. They may ask him why he is doing it. Perhaps some of them will understand. At last, they may believe what Ezekiel had told them. God will destroy Jerusalem.
Ezekiel did all that the Lord had told him to do. The exiles who were with him saw everything.
Those who remained in Jerusalem would go into exile. This did happen in the year 586 BC. This included Zedekiah, who was the ruler in Jerusalem.
The ‘prince among them’ meant Zedekiah. Ezekiel writes of him as the ‘prince’ rather than the ‘king’. The real king was Jehoiachin who was already in exile in Babylon.
Zedekiah would pack his bags at night. He would then escape through the gates of the king’s garden. He would try to escape to the river Jordan. There the army of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, would catch him. The army would catch him like an animal in a trap. It was as if God was the hunter. And he set up his net as a trap to catch Zedekiah.
Those who were with Zedekiah would run in all directions. But they would not escape. Many would die. Those who remained would go into exile.
All these things happened to Zedekiah in 586 BC.
The Babylonians took Zedekiah and his sons to Nebuchadnezzar at a town called Riblah. As Zedekiah watched, the Babylonians killed his sons in front of him. Then they made him blind. The last thing that he saw was the death of his sons. Then the Babylonians took Zedekiah to Babylon. But, of course, he was not able to see the country. He died there. (See Jeremiah 52:7-11.)
The exiles with Ezekiel did not believe the prophecies that he brought to them. There had been so many such prophecies in the past. What the prophets said had not yet happened. The delay made the people think that nothing would happen. Often the people said, ‘Each day ends, and none of the visions actually happen.’ They refused to believe that any of these prophecies were true. They did not think that they had any cause to worry.
There had been many false prophets. They had told the people the kind of things that they (the people) wanted to hear. They believed these false prophets. But they refused to believe the true words of the Lord. This is what they were saying: ‘God will not punish us. We are God’s people. God will not destroy Jerusalem. It is the city of God.’
They were wrong. God would do all that he had said. He would punish them. His people did not obey him. He would destroy Jerusalem. God had been patient with them for a long time. But they had not turned back to him. There would be no more delay. All these terrible things would happen soon; and they would see them.
You know.... it's been a while since I saw a street preacher. They would stand on the corner and teach "the end is near". I use to see them all the time in DC and Baltimore on the way to the doctors. Now I live out in the country.... and there aren't too many street preachers in my area. I'm an old woman with an online Bible and some online commentary. I am not a preacher or a priest. I don't trust six out of seven preachers. Most of them are lying. They are preaching to the offering plate.... their paycheck.... their housing..... their food ..... their expensive suits.
I remember a time when people would move away..... far away.... from people who told lies about God. The idea was that lightning was going to come down from heaven and flash fry that lying stupid human with an idol hardened heart. Then again.... most people don't know the Bible.... they only get the tidbits that the preachers and the priests nitpick to make their "feel good" point. On top of that.... I have heard that only preachers and priests can understand the Bible. Like God only talks to them..... yeah right.
So Ezekiel was saying..... God is going to destroy Jerusalem. The "feel good" prophets were saying.... "never fear.... you are safe.... God loves everyone. What could you have possibly done to make God angry? Here.... this one is a special one.... it will make the sun come up every morning..... it's at a special price too" Of course those stupid humans with those idol hardened hearts would believe the "feel good" prophets.
Stupid Humans...... Time Is Up..... Put down that idol..... God is calling.
