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Ezekiel 4 (ESV)
9 “And you, take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and emmer, and put them into a single vessel and make your bread from them. During the number of days that you lie on your side, 390 days, you shall eat it. 10 And your food that you eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day; from day to day you shall eat it. 11 And water you shall drink by measure, the sixth part of a hin; from day to day you shall drink. 12 And you shall eat it as a barley cake, baking it in their sight on human dung.” 13 And the Lord said, “Thus shall the people of Israel eat their bread unclean, among the nations where I will drive them.” 14 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I have never defiled myself. From my youth up till now I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has tainted meat come into my mouth.” 15 Then he said to me, “See, I assign to you cow’s dung instead of human dung, on which you may prepare your bread.” 16 Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, behold, I will break the supply of bread in Jerusalem. They shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and they shall drink water by measure and in dismay. 17 I will do this that they may lack bread and water, and look at one another in dismay, and rot away because of their punishment.
REFLECTION:
Ezekiel prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem to the people through various symbolic actions commanded by God. God specifically explained to Ezekiel what to do, what to say, how to do, and how to say it. Every detail has specific meaning. We often ignore or disrespect the nuances of God’s words, thinking that God probably won’t mind these details. We are to be like Ezekiel, even in the details of God’s Word, to be completely obedient. Ezekiel’s unusual behaviour symbolized the fate of Jerusalem. He lay on the left side for 390 days, which means that Israel will be punished for 390 years; then he lay on the right side for 40 days, which means that Judah will be punished for 40 years. Ezekiel could not move the place, which symbolized that people in Jerusalem would be imprisoned in the city. He was allowed to eat a small amount of food, which meant that when the enemy was besieging the city, the people in the city still had food to eat. But this food must be baked on dung, which symbolizes the fate of Judah’s uncleanness and destruction. Ezekiel asked God not to let him bake food on human dung, because this violated the Purity Laws (cf. Lev. 21, 22; Deut. 23:12-14). God assign to him cow’s dung instead of human dung on which he may prepare his bread. As a priest, Ezekiel has been careful to obey these laws, but he is more willing to obey God’s direct instructions to him. Many people must have seen these abnormal scenes and heard Ezekiel’s message from time to time throughout the process. Unfortunately, they did not respond as they should. Today, when we face the warning signs of God, will we be as slow as the Israelites back then?
PRAYER:
Pray for God to give you enough vigilance in the pandemic that is still raging around the world. God’s judgment is not delayed, but tolerant. Pray for the pandemic in Canada and the world. Pray for God’s mercy and healing for the people who are suffering and threatening by death.
HYMN:
His Mercy Is More – youtu.be/I1GiZL60c80
