Message

The word of the LORD came to me: Mortal, you are living in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see but do not see, who have ears to hear but do not hear; for they are a rebellious house. Therefore, mortal, 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 they are a rebellious house. 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 go into exile. Dig through the wall in their sight, and carry the baggage through it. In their sight you shall lift the baggage on your shoulder, and carry it out in the dark; you shall cover your face, so that you may not see the land; for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel.

I did just 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 it out in the dark, carrying it on my shoulder in their sight. (Ezekiel 12:1-7)

A picture is worth a thousand words. Houses in the ancient Middle East were usually built of clay bricks, mixed with straw. Digging through such a brick wall was as easy as digging a shallow hole in the ground. But it wasn’t the sort of thing that people ever did. Thus, Ezekiel’s peculiar behavior would have attracted attention—which of course was God’s point in having him do it.

God used Ezekiel to illustrate the words that he had spoken to his people. God hoped that his people might pay more attention to his illustrated message than they usually did to his text only presentations. What story were Ezekiel’s actions the pictures for?

Ezekiel was living in Babylon. Back in Jerusalem, Zedekiah was sitting on David’s throne. He had been put there by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, after Zedekiah’s nephew Jehoiachin had rebelled. Learning nothing from his predecessor, Zedekiah rebelled, too, and so Nebuchadnezzar attacked. Zedekiah tried sneaking away by night. Nebuchadnezzar captured him, killed his children and then blinded him, before hauling him away in chains back to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar burned Jerusalem and its temple to the ground.

Zedekiah had refused to listen to Jeremiah. The exiles in Babylon paid about as much attention to Ezekiel. God is speaking even now, whether we chose to listen to him or not. We’d do well to listen.

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