Category: sermon-archive

GOD’S UNHIDDEN FACE

Ezekiel 39:21-29 NET.

²¹ “I will display my majesty among the nations. All the nations will witness the judgment I have executed, and the power I have exhibited among them. ²² Then the house of Israel will know that I am the LORD their God, from that day forward. ²³ The nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile due to their iniquity, for they were unfaithful to me. So I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies; all of them died by the sword. ²⁴ According to their uncleanness and rebellion, I have dealt with them, and I hid my face from them. ²⁵ “Therefore, this is what the sovereign LORD says: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob, and I will have mercy on the entire house of Israel. I will be zealous for my holy name. ²⁶ They will bear their shame for all their unfaithful acts against me, when they live securely on their land with no one to make them afraid. ²⁷ When I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will magnify myself among them in the sight of many nations. ²⁸     Then they will know that I am the LORD their God, because I sent them into exile among the nations, and then gathered them into their own land. I will not leave any of them in exile any longer. ²⁹ I will no longer hide my face from them, when I pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the sovereign LORD.”

Ezekiel prophesied during the age of empires. The superpowers swallowed up small nations like Israel and Judah. Those empires reshaped the Earth’s geography by enslaving weaker nations and forcing them to become part of them. God’s people were enslaved and controlled by pagan nations because, during the age of empires, what was right was determined not by morality but by power. Might was right.

It was important for Ezekiel and the other prophets of this age to emerge and speak for God. If it were not for the prophets, the average Jew might conclude that the reason all this was happening was that their God was not strong enough to prevent it. After all, one of the names of their God was Yahveh of Armies (יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת). That name signified that the armies of the nations moved at the Lord’s command. Even though pagan kings and commanders gave the commands, God was behind the movements of the armies and their victories.

But during the age of empires, those armies did things that the average Israelite could not explain. They attacked Israel and were victorious over it. They destroyed Jerusalem and demolished its temple. They killed its warriors. They deported the citizens of Israel and Judah to foreign lands, where they lived in slave-like conditions under the power of unholy tyrants.

During this time, the Jewish people were tempted to believe that the God of the Bible was not as all-powerful as the Bible said he was. They were tempted to see themselves as second-class citizens and to view their God as a smaller, weaker, less important deity. They had the old stories of God’s supernatural power, delivering his people from bondage in Egypt, leading their kings in the conquest of the land, or in battle against their enemies. But those stories began to seem like fables and nursery rhymes.

One of the purposes of the prophets during this time was to correct a misconception about God. They had to keep explaining that this age of empires, with all its horrors, was not outside God’s control. “Though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.” The people had convinced themselves that God had hidden his face from them, and that was why these greater gods and greater nations had taken over their lives. The tyrant’s might had proven itself right. But the prophets kept reminding their people that the exile came about because the Israelites themselves had broken their covenant with God. There was a moral reason for the age of empires. The military was not the prime mover of this history. God’s relationship with his people was the prime mover of these events.

The nations watched as God hid his face from Israel (23-24).

In verses 23-24, the Lord declares that the nations will realize that Israel was taken into captivity because of its disobedience and rebellion against Him. As a result, He turned His face away from them and handed them over to their enemies. They perished in battle, and He punished them for their impurity and sins, withdrawing His presence from them. He hid His face from them so they could not see Him at work. Yet he was still at work. He had not surrendered His sovereignty to these foreign kings or to their foreign gods.

These foreign emperors and kings were unaware, but Ezekiel predicts that they will come to know. Even during their exile, when they are captives of the empire’s rulers, God’s power will manifest among them in those lands. Prophets such as Ezekiel and Daniel would be taken to these foreign lands, where they would live out their lives and serve their ministries. The pagan kings, including Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus, would encounter God and His word through the testimony of His people. They would realize that the God of Israel is all that the other Old Testament authors described about Him.

These kings would come to respect the God of Israel and understand that their control over these people was temporary and had nothing to do with their greatness. It was God himself who gave them over to these pagan rulers. He was punishing his people for their rebellion. Israel had a God, and their God had hidden his face from them for a limited time.

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The nations would watch as God brought them back (27-28).

But Ezekiel prophesied that, in his mercy, God would reverse the punishment. He had exiled them, and he would bring them back. What is more, the very lands that had captured and enslaved them would watch helplessly as God brought them back to their land. God was behind the exile, hidden face and all. God would be behind the restoration. He had a purpose for the punishment, and he has a purpose for the restoration.

God assures his people, “When I bring you back from the lands of your enemies and gather you from various nations, I will show how great I am among you while many nations watch. Those nations will realize that I am the LORD your God, because I was the one who sent you into exile across the nations and then brought you back to your own land. I promise I will not leave any of you in exile anymore.”

As the age of empires continued, this small land of Israel became a visual sign for all those tyrants and their minions. They came to realize that, of all the nations they had destroyed, this nation had been restored. They came to respect this land and suspect that God had yet to do some great thing among them. It was so centrally located that war after war was waged in this land, yet those who had returned from exile remained. That horrible exile had cured their idolatry.

The prophets were unanimous in proclaiming that God was not finished with this land. Something important was going to happen there, and among these restored people. The nations around them would recognize it when it happened. But what was the reason for the return from exile?

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The nations would watch as God poured out his Spirit on them (29).

God says that he will no longer hide his face from his people when he pours out his Spirit on the house of Israel. This prophecy was not unique to Ezekiel. In fact, God had said the same to one of the pre-exilic prophets.

God told the prophet Joel that his people would experience a terrifying time, comparable only to a locust plague that devastated a farmer’s crop. But then God said he would make up for the loss caused by the locust plague. He said he would make up for the years of loss caused by the invading locust armies. He said his people would have plenty to eat, and their hunger would be fully satisfied; they would praise the name of the LORD their God, who has acted wondrously on their behalf. His people would never again be put to shame. They will be convinced that He is in the midst of Israel. He is the LORD their God; there is no other. His people will never again be put to shame.

Then Joel made an interesting and unexpected prediction. He said that after this restoration, God will pour out His Spirit on all kinds of people. Their sons and daughters will prophesy. Their elders will have revelatory dreams; their young men will see prophetic visions. Even on male and female slaves, He will pour out His Spirit in those days.

When the Holy Spirit came down at Pentecost, it was in the Jewish city of Jerusalem, and God’s presence and power filled the lives of Jewish people who had come to know their Messiah. Peter’s message at that time was, “Let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.” The mass repentance that day was a Jewish repentance. The Gift of the Holy Spirit that day was a gift to the nation of Israel. But those Jews were residents in many different regions and nations and spoke different languages. The purpose of the infilling of the Holy Spirit among those Jews was that God intended to use them to bless the nations all around them. The Book of Acts tells us that this enormous church, begun by the supernatural event of Pentecost, was sent by God to those nations. God filled the church with his Holy Spirit. Then God scattered them all over the face of the Earth in a massive missionary campaign.

The horrible exile and the merciful restoration were only the first two stages in God’s plan. The third stage is what Ezekiel and Joel predicted. It would begin with a miraculous empowerment and result in new people.

The book of Revelation gives us a picture of the result of this new age we are now living in. First, there are 144,000 Jews from all the tribes of Israel. No, they are not JW’s. They are identified by tribe. But these are believers in the Messiah. They have a gospel message to preach to another group. It was an enormous crowd that no one could count, made up of people from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in long white robes and holding palm branches. They were shouting in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God, to the one seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Now, Ezekiel’s message was to a poor, downtrodden, defeated nation whose God seemed to have hidden his face from them. Yet his message was good news. He told them that God would not hide his face from them forever. He had a plan for them. His plan included everything they had been hoping and praying for. The tyrants and their empires would come and go, but God would restore Israel to the land. As Joel prophesied, God would make up for what the locust plague had destroyed.

But there was more good news to follow. This beaten, bedraggled nation would be the launching point for God’s great, holy, and righteous empire, which would eventually cover the globe and produce a redeemed new universe. Daniel saw all the world’s empires toppled by a stone cut from a mountain. God is going to bowl a strike and reset the universe.

If you are a Christian today, you are part of that new universe. You may feel as those Israelites did in Ezekiel’s day. You may feel like a helpless pawn to the powerful and dark forces of a world out of control. But if you are a Christian today, you are not that helpless pawn. You are part of what God is doing. Let the Holy Spirit reign in your life, because no one else’s reign will last.

Communion meditation

But the gracious gift is not like the transgression. For if the many died through the transgression of the one man, how much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ multiply to the many!  (Romans 5:15 NET).

As we remember again what our Lord did for us on Calvary’s cross, we would do well to consider what the Apostle Paul says in this text. He compares two things: a transgression and a gift of grace. The transgression is the rebellion in Eden. Adam was justly condemned for transgressing the prohibition in the garden. But as a result of his sin, death has come to all of us, even though we were not there and were not given the same choice.

But Paul says the gracious gift is not like the transgression. Some things make the comparison possible. Jesus made a choice just as Adam did. The consequences of Jesus’ choice will be experienced by everyone in Christ, just as everyone in Adam is experiencing the consequences of Adam’s choice.

But the differences are these. Jesus offers the gift of his own sacrifice to everyone who chooses to come to him. He paid the price, but we can choose to accept his death on the cross and apply it personally to our own sin debt. The other difference is the result. Adam’s sin brought a reign of death. Christ’s gift of grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life. 

WATCHMAN

Ezekiel 33:1-7 NET.

¹ The word of the LORD came to me: ² “Son of man, speak to your people, and say to them, ‘Suppose I bring a sword against the land, and the people of the land take one man from their borders and make him their watchman. ³ He sees the sword coming against the land, blows the trumpet, and warns the people, ⁴ but there is one who hears the sound of the trumpet yet does not heed the warning. Then the sword comes and sweeps him away. He will be responsible for his own death. ⁵ He heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, so he is responsible for himself. If he had heeded the warning, he would have saved his life. ⁶ But suppose the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people. Then the sword comes and takes one of their lives. He is swept away for his iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for that person’s death.’  ⁷ “As for you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you must warn them on my behalf.

Some refer to them as lookouts. Ships at sea position these lookouts on high points to watch for other vessels and hazards. On road construction sites, work crews use them to monitor approaching vehicles and warn the other workers. The Forest Service places them in towers to detect smoke from forest fires and dispatch firefighters swiftly.

The purpose of a watchman was to warn of danger.

We have read about watchmen at work in 2 Samuel and 2 Kings, as well as in the Psalms and Isaiah. It was a familiar sight in cities of the Ancient Near East. Their purpose was to protect the city by alerting its citizens of coming invaders. If they saw the signs of an invading army, they would blow their trumpet, and the citizens and the army would be warned so that they could defend themselves against the attack.

The presence of these watchers was common in Ezekiel’s time. The Lord reminded Ezekiel of their presence to explain to him his purpose as a prophet.

 Ezekiel was responsible for being a watchman.

He was to be a watchman, but not exactly like those with trumpets. He was to be a lookout for spiritual enemies. Instead of guarding the city’s walls, he was to guard the hearts of its people. The Lord told him that if he sees the enemy coming into their hearts and he doesn’t sound the alarm to warn them, he would be responsible for their captivity. They will die in their sins, but the Lord will hold them responsible for their deaths.

Two wars were going on simultaneously. There was a physical war that threatened invading armies who would bring disaster and captivity to the people of God. But another war was also raging in the hearts and minds of those same people. Ezekiel was the watchman responsible for protecting the people from that invasion.

The Lord said that if he declares that certain wicked people will surely die but doesn’t tell them to change their ways, they will die in their sins, and he will be held accountable for their deaths. That made Ezekiel passionate about his work. He fervently warned his listeners that their lives were in danger because they had rebelled against God and needed to repent before disaster overtook them.

The people listened, but they failed to respond.

Ezekiel attracted a following. People gathered to hear that unconventional prophet deliver his sermons. They observed him to critique his style and scrutinize his word choice. To them, it was entertainment, much like watching a TV show. They never considered that God might be guiding his words. Nor did they realize that God had sent him to guard them against the invisible army invading their hearts and causing their downfall.

There were also false prophets in Ezekiel’s generation. If people got tired of Ezekiel’s harsh words, they could change the channel. On the other channel, they could find a prophet who would tell them what they wanted to hear. Oh, and they were such eloquent liars. They were so erudite. They had such a way with words. Their sermons were so polished that you were left feeling so blessed. Their message was always the same: God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. He is a good shepherd, and he always takes care of his sheep. You are safe in his arms, no matter what you do.

Meanwhile, Ezekiel has the tough job of warning the people of coming disaster, both from the invading foreign armies and from the invisible invasion that had already begun. It didn’t matter that the people showed up to listen to him if they never heeded his call to repent.

We have to respond to God’s warnings.

The message applies to us today as clearly as it applied to the people in Ezekiel’s time. When God warns us of the consequences of our sins, we must listen, but we must do more than listen. We have to repent of our sins and change our ways. If we fail to do that, God is forced to condemn us for that neglect.

In the church age, we have watchers, just as in Ezekiel’s time. We have people whose spiritual gift is to be on the lookout for where we, as the church, are failing to live up to the standards of the covenant. Four places in the New Testament discuss the spiritual gifts. Romans chapter 12, I Corinthians chapter 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4. Neither list is exhaustive, but one gift is discussed in all three chapters: the gift of prophecy.

The purpose of the gift of prophecy is the same as it was during Ezekiel’s time. It is not primarily for foretelling the future. Its primary purpose is to declare God’s mind and what he wants us to do, or not do. It is the watchman’s gift. Every church has them. They are not always popular for the same reason that Old Testament prophets were often executed. Nobody likes to be reminded of their sins.

It is an embarrassing thing to have to listen to someone tell you that you are doing something wrong. But God has built into each Christian community a ministry of doing just that. He knows that we need them. He knows that unless the watchers are at their post, the enemy will invade and destroy.

We have some examples of the Lord himself serving as a watchman in two chapters of Revelation. The letters sent to the seven churches in Asia Minor are prophecies to those churches.

In his letter to Ephesus, the Lord praised their orthodoxy and endurance despite the city’s reputation as a pagan city. However, He warned they had abandoned their first love, not the truth. They were theologically correct but flawed in action, neglecting the very works they taught. Jesus cautioned that if they didn’t return to their initial love and deeds, they risked being replaced. Love does more than say “I love you.” Love proves itself by works. Faith that does not work is dead faith.

In his letter to Smyrna, Jesus told them to remain faithful to the end and promised them the crown of life. Their testing was like an Olympic game where winners undergo rigorous trials and emerge victorious wearing a crown, which is the same as the one Jesus promised the church at Ephesus: life itself. Wearing the crown of life means being raised from the dead at Christ’s return. Ultimately, that is the only victory that matters. 

The believers at Smyrna could also take solace in the fact that Jesus promised their time of testing would be limited.  What those ten days of testing entailed, we can only speculate.  We do know that at least some would pass the test.  Some would live to see the time of testing completed and gain victory over the apostate Jewish community by surviving their attacks.

In his letter to the church at Pergamum, Jesus identifies two distinct false teachings. First, he speaks of “the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality.” Most of us remember this prophet for speaking to animals. Jesus reminds his readers of another incident in Balaam’s life, when he tricked the Israelites into sinning. Pergamum apparently had prophets who were leading the church astray.

Then there was “the teaching of the Nicolaitans.”  Jesus commended the Ephesians for hating the Nicolaitans’ works, but did not explain what those works were.  Both the Ephesians and the believers in Pergamum knew exactly what the Nicolaitans were teaching.  While the Ephesian Christians had resisted their influence, the church at Pergamum had not.  They had been compromised by – not one, but two heresies.

In his letter to Thyatira, Jesus spoke against a false prophetess. He called her Jezebel and demanded that she repent of her false prophecies. He told the church to hold fast to what they have.

He found Sardis sleeping and told the church to wake up, or else he would come upon them like a thief.

He commended Philadelphia for its faithfulness.

He warned Laodicea for being lukewarm: neither cold nor hot. They had what they needed, so they felt no need to be radical in their faith. Jesus is depicted as knocking at their door, symbolizing a relationship they could pursue. Taking this for granted led to tepid faith, and remaining lukewarm would be disastrous.

In each of these cases, God had a message for his church, and Jesus was the watchman he sent to deliver it. In most of these cases, that message was a warning. We ignore God’s warnings at our own peril. Our God loves us, so he cannot stand by and let us put ourselves in danger. He will send a word of warning. But it is our responsibility to heed that warning.

CEDAR SPRIG

Ezekiel 17:22-24 NET.

²² “‘This is what the sovereign LORD says:  “‘I will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and plant it. I will pluck from the top one of its tender twigs; I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. ²³ I will plant it on a high mountain of Israel, and it will raise branches and produce fruit and become a beautiful cedar. Every bird will live under it; Every winged creature will live in the shade of its branches. ²⁴        All the trees of the field will know that I am the LORD. I make the high tree low; I raise the low tree. I make the green tree wither, and I make the dry tree sprout. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it!'”

Today’s message is all about a parable. Jesus is not the only one who taught in parables. The Old Testament prophets sometimes used parables, too. The parable we are going to look at today is that of the eagles and the vine. It is found in Ezekiel 17.

The large eagle, Ezekiel 17:1-6

God told Ezekiel, “Son of Adam, tell a riddle and parable to Israel. Say, ‘This is what the Lord Yahveh says: A large eagle came to Lebanon, took the cedar’s top, and brought it to a trading city. It planted some of the land’s seed in a fertile, water-rich area, like a willow. It sprouted into a vine, spreading low with branches toward him but roots beneath. It grew into a vine, producing branches and shoots.'”

This is not the entire parable, so only some elements have been revealed at this point. This large eagle is the king of Babylon. His empire is the superpower of the time. The vine is Zedekiah’s offspring: the royal line of Judah. Although humbled and in exile, the vine spread, producing branches and sending out shoots.

It is human nature to want to get out of your humbling circumstances and make something better for yourself and your children. We all want a better life for ourselves and to overcome the obstacles we encounter. But like Zedekiah, we can be tempted to do this in ways that are outside God’s purposes for us. Not all of us are destined to be mighty eagles in this life. Sometimes, the best that we can hope for is to be a spreading vine under the mighty eagle’s power. Zedekiah had made a covenant with Babylon, and things went well for his children as long as he kept it.

But there was another eagle, and the vine defaulted on its promises to the first eagle. That was an unwise choice. The vine was blooming where it had been planted, but it wanted more than God allowed.

We need wisdom to find balance in our lives. That means seeking the best we can make of our lives while staying true to our responsibilities and current boundaries.

Leaving God out of the picture, Ezekiel 17:7-8

In the parable, another large eagle with strong wings and dense plumage appears. The vine leans its roots toward it! It reaches out its branches from the plot where it was planted, as if asking for water. It was cultivated in a fertile field with plenty of water to grow branches, produce fruit, and become a magnificent vine.

As this parable continues, we are introduced to another large eagle. In real life, vines do not change their direction to accommodate the animals they encounter. But in this parable, that is exactly what the vine does.

The king and his sons chose to abandon their covenant with one evil empire and side with another. But their sin was leaving God out of the picture. Perhaps you and I should consider the choices we are making and whether our failures stem from making them without seeking the Lord’s will.

We need to consult God before making decisions outside his will. Zedekiah did not do that. He saw his chance, and he took it. He exercised his own sovereignty rather than trusting in God’s.

Will it flourish?   Ezekiel 17:9-10

God asks: Will the vine flourish? Won’t he tear out its roots and strip off its fruit so that it shrivels? All its fresh leaves will wither! Notice, though it is planted, will it flourish? Won’t it wither completely when the east wind slaps it? It will wither on the plot where it sprouted.’”

The king and his sons had chosen to abandon their covenant with Babylon and seek another eagle’s protection. The parable asks about this new plan. The question is: “Will it flourish?”

Perhaps there is a change you are considering for your life and family recently. Will it make things better, or get you in more hot water?

The New Testament encourages us to pray for wisdom if we need it. James says, “If anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him.”[1] We all know how dangerous it is to make decisions based on faulty or incomplete information. Wisdom requires knowing things that we sometimes do not know. We need the courage to ask.

We need wisdom to avoid rash and hurting choices.

price of escape   Ezekiel 17:11-15

 God said: ‘Tell that rebellious house, ‘Don’t you understand these events?” Notice that the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and officials, and brought them to Babylon. He made a covenant with a royal family member, putting him under oath, and took away the land’s leaders so the kingdom would be humble and keep its covenant. Yet this king rebelled by sending ambassadors to Egypt to procure horses and a large army. Will he prosper? Can he escape after such betrayal? Can he break a covenant and still succeed?'”

The royal family of Judah had sought to escape its covenant with Babylon by seeking help from Egypt.

What struck me as I pondered these words today is how quickly families are destroyed by those who encounter trouble and seek to escape it by breaking the covenant with their spouse. In a fallen world like ours, some marriages may be destined to fail, but every divorced person also knows that escape comes at a heavy price.

We need strong commitments that honor God and respect each other. This includes our marriages and other commitments. The world is looking for representatives of God’s righteousness. One way we can shine the light of God’s truth is by keeping our promises.

No cheating,  Ezekiel 17:16-21

God says Zedekiah will die in Babylon, the land of the king who put him on the throne, because he broke his oath and covenant. Pharaoh’s army won’t help him as ramps and siege walls are built. He thinks lightly of the oath despite giving his pledge. He will not escape! God says he will hold Zedekiah accountable for breaking his covenant, catching him in my net, and bringing him to Babylon for judgment. His top troops will fall; survivors scattered. And when it happens, they will know that God has spoken.

The king of Judah had made a terrible decision. He had made a covenant with Babylon, but then decided to switch allegiance to Egypt. This infuriated God because the Babylonian exile was his idea. He intended to punish his own people for their idolatry and hypocrisy. He wanted to humble them, and so bring them back to himself. But they wanted to cheat.

Our God does not like it when we break the rules. We can justify our cheating all we want, but God knows when we step over the line. We need to keep between the lines so that we demonstrate our commitment to God.

The cedar sprig,   Ezekiel 17:22-24

God says that he will take a sprig from the top of the cedar and plant it on Israel’s high mountain so it may bear branches, produce fruit, and become a majestic cedar. Birds will nest under it, sheltering in its shade. All trees will know he is Yahveh. He will bring down tall trees and make low trees tall. He causes green trees to wither and makes withered trees thrive. He, Yahveh, will do it.

The bad news for Judah was that God would not establish Zedekiah and his dynasty. The good news for Judah was that God was not through with them. He himself would take a sprig and plant it on a high, towering mountain. Another king would come who would keep his covenant of peace with God and humanity.

There is even some good news for those of us who are not descendants of Judah. This coming king would not remain a humble sprig but would grow into a great cedar. Birds of every kind will nest under it, taking shelter in the shade of its branches.

God has established his new king, and everyone — Jew and Gentile alike- can find rest and support from him. We are the birds of every kind.

LORD, thank you for your Messiah — Jesus Christ. He is the cedar sprig whom God chose to rule over the universe. He is the king of kings and Lord of Lords. He is the Vine and we are his branches. We pledge our loyalty and trust him. We choose to abide in him. We will allow him to be sovereign in our lives. We will not break the promises we have made to him. We will not seek to escape from the commitments we have made in his presence.

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[1] James 1:5.

A BARBER’S RAZOR

Ezekiel 5:1-8 NET.

¹ “As for you, son of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a barber’s razor. Shave off some of the hair from your head and your beard. Then take scales and divide up the hair you cut off. ² Burn a third of it in the fire inside the city when the days of your siege are completed. Take a third and slash it with a sword all around the city. Scatter a third to the wind, and I will unleash a sword behind them. ³ But take a few strands of hair from those and tie them in the ends of your garment. ⁴ Again, take more of them and throw them into the fire, and burn them up. From there, a fire will spread to all the house of Israel. ⁵ “This is what the sovereign LORD says: This is Jerusalem; I placed her in the center of the nations with countries all around her. ⁶ Then she defied my regulations and my statutes, becoming more wicked than the nations and the countries around her. Indeed, they have rejected my regulations, and they do not follow my statutes. ⁷ “Therefore this is what the sovereign LORD says: Because you are more arrogant than the nations around you, you have not followed my statutes and have not carried out my regulations. You have not even carried out the regulations of the nations around you! ⁸ “Therefore this is what the sovereign LORD says: I — even I — am against you, and I will execute judgment among you while the nations watch.

Who was Ezekiel?

He was a prophet during the exile, and his life story is mostly contained in his own writings, which have been preserved in the Bible. Ezekiel’s name means either ‘God is strong’ or ‘God strengthens,’ and he was the son of Buzi, a priest from the Zadok lineage.

His writings reveal that he was among the exiles who journeyed to Babylon with King Jehoiachin following Nebuchadnezzar’s capture of Jerusalem in 597 B.C.

Ezekiel mentions living on the banks of the river Chebar at a place called Tell Abib. That is not the same as modern-day Tel-Aviv. The word simply means “mound of the flood.”

Josephus reports that he was very young when the Jewish exiles left Jerusalem, though this might be an overstatement. His prophetic journey appears to have begun around 593-592 B.C., as seen in the visions and oracles in the first two chapters. These early visions do not seem immature at all.

Ezekiel’s records are precisely dated, which helps us trace more clearly the development of his teachings compared to prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah, whose writings lack a strict chronological order. The structure of Ezekiel’s prophecies shows a clear sense of organization and artistic design, making it easier to follow the historical background and the prophet’s learning as God’s watchman, responsible for delivering God’s messages during turbulent times.

The last recorded date appears in 29:17, specifically the month of Nisan in the twenty-seventh year of the captivity. This places us in the year 570 B.C. How much longer he lived and worked is unknown. Since his first recorded prophecy is definitively dated to 593-592 B.C., his prophetic activity must have spanned at least twenty-two years.

During his time by the Chebar River in Babylon, he lived in a house (3:24, 8:1) and was happily married. The year 588 B.C. brought a double sorrow for the prophet. That year marked the beginning of the final, devastating siege of Jerusalem, which led to the fall of the Jewish kingdom and the destruction of the Temple. Right after this painful event, his wife passed away. He was advised not to weep loudly for the dead but to mourn quietly. This silent period lasted for over a year, allowing him time to grieve in his own way. 

Today’s text reveals that the title the LORD used for Ezekiel was “son of man.” From Daniel’s prophecy, we learn that the title “son of man” would be one held by the Messiah. Sure enough, Jesus came and introduced himself as the Son of Man. Like Ezekiel, our Lord served as both a prophet and a priest. As the Son of Man, Jesus served as the one mediator between God and men. Ezekiel prefigured the coming Messiah in the many ways he communicated God’s message to his people.

The LORD’s instructions to Ezekiel (1-4).

God told Ezekiel to take a sharp sword and use it as a barber’s razor. He said to shave off some of the hair from his head and your beard. The hair was to symbolize the lives of the people who would go through the exile. Even the act of cutting his hair was significant because a priest was not allowed to do so under the law (Leviticus 21:5). This was a shock and shame moment for Ezekiel.

He was to take scales and divide up the hair he cut off. This showed that not everyone would face the same troubles during the exile. It is important to recognize that the whole nation deserved the worst, but not everyone would experience it. As a nation as a whole, the Hebrews had broken their covenant with God, and all of them deserved the consequences of breaking that covenant. But even as they were being judged, God showed grace and did not give all the Israelites everything they deserved.

God told Ezekiel to burn a third of the hair in the fire inside the city when the days of his siege were completed. He was reenacting the siege of Jerusalem. His actions were intended to serve as a visual aid for the people watching. The act of burning the hair reminded the people of the ascending offerings they had been commanded to sacrifice in the temple. It was a reminder that sin is a serious matter and requires complete sacrifice. Sin requires atonement. The burning hair would also be a reminder in their nostrils.

Ezekiel was to take another third of the hair and slash it with a sword all around the city. The sword was a symbol of the armies that would come and put the citizens of Jerusalem to death by the sword. This act of slashing the hair with a sword was meant to visually depict that there would be nowhere to hide. No place was a safe sanctuary.

But those who would be lucky enough to escape the sword in the city would still not be safe. Ezekiel was told to scatter a third of the hair to the wind, and God would unleash a sword behind them. Notice that God said that he was the one doing this. The soldiers wielding swords would be Babylonian, but God is the one sending them. He is sending out soldiers to hunt down and kill even those who thought they had escaped the judgment by fleeing Jerusalem.

Ezekiel is also told to take a few strands of his hair from those he had scattered and tie them to the ends of his robe. These represented the few who would be preserved through this whole ordeal.

Finally, the LORD told Ezekiel totake more of the hair and throw it into the fire to burn it up. He said that from there, a fire will spread to all the house of Israel. The conflict, suffering, and dying would spread across the whole nation, not just the capital.

The LORD’S explanation to Ezekiel (5-8).

The LORD explains the symbols by telling Ezekiel that they begin in Jerusalem: God placed that city at the center of the nations, with countries all around it. Then it defied his regulations and his statutes, becoming more wicked than the nations and the countries around it.

So, because it was more arrogant than the nations around it, God declares that he is against it. He will execute judgment from that city while the nations watch.

Some would die during the siege from starvation or disease. Others would die when the foreign soldiers took the city. Others would find a way to escape and go into exile. But even there, the sword will follow them. Only a very few, a remnant of survivors, will escape this calamity. Ezekiel’s robe would have a few stray hairs attached to its tassels. These would represent the few who escape. They will not escape because they are righteous. They will only escape because God has a plan for that nation, so some must remain.

How should we apply this text?

I know it’s hard to read these Old Testament passages. The symbolism is difficult to figure out. The stories are less familiar. The historical background is more challenging. But God gave us the whole Bible because its message is important.

So, here is something to consider as we mull over the message in today’s text:

God wanted Israel to represent his righteousness. But when they refused to do that, God allowed them to represent his wrath. Those of us who call ourselves Christians have the same option. Matthew chapter 25 is all about those who claim to be saved, and the fact that many will discover that their faith is not real, and Jesus does not know them.

In the parable of the ten virgins. There was going to be a wedding, and they knew that they would have to wait a long time for the bridegroom to show. The intelligent ones prepared themselves for the wait. They brought extra oil for their lamps, so that the bridegroom would recognize them and invite them to the feast. The thoughtless ones did not bring extra oil. When the oil in their lamps ran dry, they had to go to the market to replenish it. That is when the bridegroom came, and they were not allowed into the party.

In the parable of the talents, each servant was praised who took what he had been given and invested it in his master’s service. But the lazy one was thrown out.

The sheep and the goats story reminds us that our genuineness will be proven not by what we profess but by how we treat others. He did not say that our good works will save us. He said that how we treat others will demonstrate whether or not our profession is real.

The gospel message is that salvation is always by grace. We are all represented in today’s text by the few stray hairs attached to Ezekiel’s robe. When we stand before the judge on Judgment Day, not a one of us will be able say that he should let us in because of how good we were. What can wash away our sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.