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Ezekiel’s Call, continued
Warning to Israel
Ezekiel 3:1-27
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Ezekiel’s Call, continued
Warning to Israel
Text:
Ezekiel 3:1-27,
1. And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this
scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel.”
2. So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.
3. Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you
and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as
honey in my mouth.
4. He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the house of Israel
and speak my words to them.
5. You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and difficult
language, but to the house of Israel—
6. not to many peoples of obscure speech and difficult language,
whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to
them, they would have listened to you.
7. But the house of Israel is not willing to listen to you because they
are not willing to listen to me, for the whole house of Israel is
hardened and obstinate.
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8. But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are.
9. I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than
flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are
a rebellious house.”
10. And he said to me, “Son of man, listen carefully and take to
heart all the words I speak to you.
11. Go now to your countrymen in exile and speak to them. Say to
them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says,’ whether they listen
or fail to listen.”
12. Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud
rumbling sound—May the glory of the LORD be praised in his
dwelling place!—
13. the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against
each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling
sound.
14. The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in
bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the
LORD upon me.
15. I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Abib near the Kebar River.
And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven
days—overwhelmed.
16. At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me:
17. “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of
Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.
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18. When I say to a wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do
not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in
order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will
hold you accountable for his blood.
19. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from
his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you
will have saved yourself.
20. “Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and
does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since
you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he
did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his
blood.
21. But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not
sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will have
saved yourself.”
22. The hand of the LORD was upon me there, and he said to me,
“Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you.”
23. So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the LORD
was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River,
and I fell facedown.
24. Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. He spoke
to me and said: “Go, shut yourself inside your house.
25. And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound
so that you cannot go out among the people.
26. I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that
you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, though they are a
rebellious house.
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27. But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall
say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says.’ Whoever will
listen let him listen, and whoever will refuse let him refuse; for they
are a rebellious house. (NIV 1984)
Introduction:
I. “Once again, Yahweh reminds Ezekiel that his hardened and obstinate
audience will refuse to listen.” (Hamilton)
A. “To help, Yahweh will make him as unyielding and hardened as
they are, impervious to ridicule.” (Hamilton)
B. “Yahweh commands Ezekiel to ‘go now to your countrymen in
exile and speak to them’ and removes him from the visionary
throne room…” (Hamilton)
II. “In a rare self reference, Ezekiel admits his deep bitterness and anger
at Yahweh’s heavy handedness.” (Hamilton)
A. Ezekiel remained silent for seven days at the end of which
Yahweh gave him an ultimatum; that is, Ezekiel was irrevocably
made a watchman for the house of Israel and Ezekiel’s life
depended on his response. (Hamilton)
B. “Yahweh will hold Ezekiel accountable for the blood of those
he does not warn and will deliver them if he does warn them.”
(Hamilton)
C. Ezekiel fell facedown before the glory of the Lord and he
agreed to obey the commands of Yahweh. (Hamilton)
D. Ezekiel now yielded himself totally to the will of the Lord.
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III. McGee observed that God needed different personalities for different
situations.
A. “Jeremiah was the prophet of the broken heart, tears often
streaming from his eyes,” McGee wrote.
B. Jeremiah let the people know it was breaking God’s heart to
send them into captivity. (McGee)
C. “Now the people have gone into captivity, and they are bitter
and rebellious.” The temple was still standing and Jerusalem had
not been destroyed. The false prophets were telling them they were
God’s people and that they would soon return home.” (McGee)
D. For such people and such a circumstance, God raised up a
prophet such as Ezekiel. (See McGee.)
IV. Coffman wrote, “In this chapter we have,…
(A) Ezekiel’s being commanded to eat the roll of the book (vv. 1-
3);…
(B) God promises Ezekiel power to overcome the difficulties of his
mission (vv. 4-9);…
(C) Ezekiel is brought to the place where he is to labor (vv. 10-
15);…
(D) Ezekiel is warned of his responsibility for the souls entrusted
to his watchfulness (vv. 16-21); and…
(E) The conclusion (the third phase) of Ezekiel’s divine
commission to Israel (vv. 22-27).
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Commentary:
Ezekiel’s Call, continued
Ezekiel 3:1, And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you,
eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel.” (NIV 1984)
I. And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this
scroll;…
A. Smith wrote that Ezekiel was to make God’s word part of
himself before he tried to share it with the house of Israel.
1. We are also to live God’s word before we preach it to
others.
2. Someone said, “I can’t hear what you say because what
you do thunders so loudly in my ears.”
3. God was saying, “Receive my word – let it enter into your
soul; digest it – let it be your nourishment; and let it be your
meat and drink to do the will of your Father who is in
heaven.” (Clarke)
B. As commanded, Ezekiel ate the scroll, made the words written
on it a part of his very being. (McGee)
C. McGee stated the “Son of Man” title suggests the pain Ezekiel
would experience as a human in the discharge of his very difficult
duties God had assigned him.
D. This command is a reiteration of the command in Ezekiel 2:8 in
which Ezekiel was told, “Do not rebel,” which may indicate that
Ezekiel was reluctant to obey.
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1. Ezekiel 2:8, But you, son of man, listen to what I say to
you. Do not rebel like that rebellious house; open your
mouth and eat what I give you.” (NIV 1984)
II. then go and speak to the house of Israel.”
A. Ezekiel’s willingness to obey is being sorely tested.
1. His choices were to disobey the sovereign of the universe
or to embark on a very difficult, unpleasant course of action.
(See Fredenburg.)
2. McGee rightly declared, “No man ought to preach the
Word whose heart is not in it and who doesn’t believe every
word he says.” (The Pulpit Commentary)
3. Revelation 22:18-19, I warn everyone who hears the
words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds
anything to them, God will add to him the plagues
described in this book. And if anyone takes words away
from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him
his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are
described in this book. (NIV 1984)
Ezekiel 3:2, So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.
(NIV 1984)
I. So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.
A. Smith further wrote, “The message was not forced on Ezekiel;
he willingly received it.”
B. This was a vision and the scroll was symbolically rather than
literally eaten. (Fredenburg)
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1. Jeremiah 15:16, When your words came, I ate them;
they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your
name, O LORD God Almighty. (NIV 1984)
Ezekiel 3:3, Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am
giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as
sweet as honey in my mouth. (NIV 1984)
I. Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and
fill your stomach with it.”
A. Ezekiel was to totally devour the words of God on the scroll,
not just “nibble” at them.
1. Coffman wrote that he did not believe there was any
hesitation or reluctance to eat the scroll.
II. So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.”
A. Smith wrote that Ezekiel did not delight in the morbid thrust of
his message, but he did rejoice in the fact that God had chosen him
as a recipient of this divine revelation.
1. Coffman wrote, “It is sweet to do the will of God and to be
entrusted with tasks for him.”
a. Of course, the sad message he was to deliver was not
sweet.
B. The words tasted as sweet as honey.
1. Psalm 19:7-11, The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are
trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the
LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands
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of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear
of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of
the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are
more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are
sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them
is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great
reward. (NIV 1984)
2. Psalm 119:103, How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth! (NIV 1984)
3. Proverbs 24:13, Eat honey, my son, for it is good;
honey from the comb is sweet to your taste. (NIV 1984)
4. Jeremiah 15:16, When your words came, I ate them;
they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your
name, O LORD God Almighty. (NIV 1984)
5. Revelation 10:9, So I went to the angel and asked him
to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat
it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it
will be as sweet as honey.” (NIV 1984)
C. “Writing down prophetic oracles soon after they were received
was common practice,” Fredenburg wrote.
1. Isaiah 30:8-10, Go now, write it on a tablet for them,
inscribe it on a scroll, that for the days to come it may be
an everlasting witness. These are rebellious people,
deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the
LORD’s instruction. They say to the seers, “See no more
visions!” and to the prophets, “Give us no more visions of
what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions.
(NIV 1984)
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2. Jeremiah 36:1-32, In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son
of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from
the LORD: “Take a scroll and write on it all the words I
have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the
other nations from the time I began speaking to you in
the reign of Josiah till now. Perhaps when the people of
Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them,
each of them will turn from his wicked way; then I will
forgive their wickedness and their sin.” So Jeremiah
called Baruch son of Neriah, and while Jeremiah dictated
all the words the LORD had spoken to him, Baruch wrote
them on the scroll. Then Jeremiah told Baruch, “I am
restricted; I cannot go to the LORD’s temple. So you go
to the house of the LORD on a day of fasting and read to
the people from the scroll the words of the LORD that
you wrote as I dictated. Read them to all the people of
Judah who come in from their towns. Perhaps they will
bring their petition before the LORD, and each will turn
from his wicked ways, for the anger and wrath
pronounced against this people by the LORD are great.”
Baruch son of Neriah did everything Jeremiah the
prophet told him to do; at the LORD’s temple he read the
words of the LORD from the scroll. In the ninth month of
the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a
time of fasting before the LORD was proclaimed for all
the people in Jerusalem and those who had come from the
towns of Judah. From the room of Gemariah son of
Shaphan the secretary, which was in the upper courtyard
at the entrance of the New Gate of the temple, Baruch
read to all the people at the LORD’s temple the words of
Jeremiah from the scroll. When Micaiah son of
Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the
LORD from the scroll, he went down to the secretary’s
room in the royal palace, where all the officials were
sitting: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah,
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Elnathan son of Acbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan,
Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials.
After Micaiah told them everything he had heard Baruch
read to the people from the scroll, all the officials sent
Jehudi son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of
Cushi, to say to Baruch, “Bring the scroll from which you
have read to the people and come.” So Baruch son of
Neriah went to them with the scroll in his hand. They said
to him, “Sit down, please, and read it to us.” So Baruch
read it to them. When they heard all these words, they
looked at each other in fear and said to Baruch, “We
must report all these words to the king.” Then they asked
Baruch, “Tell us, how did you come to write all this? Did
Jeremiah dictate it?” “Yes,” Baruch replied, “he dictated
all these words to me, and I wrote them in ink on the
scroll.” Then the officials said to Baruch, “You and
Jeremiah, go and hide. Don’t let anyone know where you
are.” After they put the scroll in the room of Elishama the
secretary, they went to the king in the courtyard and
reported everything to him. The king sent Jehudi to get
the scroll, and Jehudi brought it from the room of
Elishama the secretary and read it to the king and all the
officials standing beside him. It was the ninth month and
the king was sitting in the winter apartment, with a fire
burning in the firepot in front of him. Whenever Jehudi
had read three or four columns of the scroll, the king cut
them off with a scribe’s knife and threw them into the
firepot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire. The
king and all his attendants who heard all these words
showed no fear, nor did they tear their clothes. Even
though Elnathan, Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king
not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.
Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the
king, Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel
to arrest Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet.
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But the LORD had hidden them. After the king burned
the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written
at Jeremiah’s dictation, the word of the LORD came to
Jeremiah: “Take another scroll and write on it all the
words that were on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king
of Judah burned up. Also tell Jehoiakim king of Judah,
‘This is what the LORD says: You burned that scroll and
said, “Why did you write on it that the king of Babylon
would certainly come and destroy this land and cut off
both men and animals from it?” Therefore, this is what
the LORD says about Jehoiakim king of Judah: He will
have no one to sit on the throne of David; his body will be
thrown out and exposed to the heat by day and the frost
by night. I will punish him and his children and his
attendants for their wickedness; I will bring on them and
those living in Jerusalem and the people of Judah every
disaster I pronounced against them, because they have
not listened.’” So Jeremiah took another scroll and gave
it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah, and as Jeremiah
dictated, Baruch wrote on it all the words of the scroll
that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And
many similar words were added to them. (NIV 1984)
D. Feinberg via Coffman stated, “He who gives forth the Word of
the Lord must feed on it himself.”
E. For a similar passage, see Revelation 10.
1. Revelation 10: 1-11, Then I saw another mighty angel
coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with
a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and
his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding a little
scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right
foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a
loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the
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voices of the seven thunders spoke. And when the seven
thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice
from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have
said and do not write it down.” Then the angel I had seen
standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand
to heaven. And he swore by him who lives for ever and
ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the
earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it,
and said, “There will be no more delay! But in the days
when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the
mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he
announced to his servants the prophets.” Then the voice
that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more:
“Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel
who is standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went to
the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He
said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach
sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.” I
took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It
tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had
eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, “You
must prophesy again about many peoples, nations,
languages and kings.” (NIV 1984)
Note: Ezekiel was commissioned as a preacher, an observer, a
watchman, and a prisoner. (Smith)
Ezekiel as a Preacher
Ezekiel 3:4, He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the house of
Israel and speak my words to them. (NIV 1984)
I. He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and
speak my words to them.
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A. This command was urgent: “go now.”
B. This “son of man” (Ezekiel) is similar in a number of ways to
Jesus Christ, the ultimate “son of man.”
1. Matthew 15:24, He answered, “I was sent only to the
lost sheep of Israel.” (NIV 1984)
2. John 15:20, Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No
servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me,
they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching,
they will obey yours also. (NIV 1984)
3. Matthew 11:21-24, “Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you,
Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you
had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have
repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it
will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of
judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be
lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths.
If the miracles that were performed in you had been
performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.
But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on
the day of judgment than for you.” (NIV 1984)
Ezekiel 3:5, You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech
and difficult language, but to the house of Israel— (NIV 1984)
I. You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and difficult
language, but to the house of Israel - …
A. Ezekiel was to preach to the Jewish exiles gathered in Babylon,
not to a distant heathen people of a strange language such as the
Chaldeans, the Medes and Persians or others of another language.
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B. The people to whom Ezekiel spoke understood the language.
1. Understanding was not the problem.
2. The problem was their hardened and obstinate hearts!
3. Ezekiel did not have to study a foreign language as many
missionaries do to obey this command.
4. Those who spoke other languages would be more likely to
obey Ezekiel’s preaching than the obstinate exiles.
a. Matthew 15:24, He answered, “I was sent only to
the lost sheep of Israel.” (NIV 1984)
Ezekiel 3:6, not to many peoples of obscure speech and difficult
language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent
you to them, they would have listened to you. (NIV 1984)
I. not to many peoples of obscure speech and difficult language, whose
words you cannot understand.
A. Ezekiel’s mission was to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel”
which would prove to be more difficult than preaching to non-
Israelites. (See The Pulpit Commentary.)
1. Matthew 15:24, He answered, “I was sent only to the
lost sheep of Israel.” (NIV 1984)
2. Ezekiel was not sent to many peoples, nations and races,
but only to one and not to all of them, just to exiles in
Babylon.
II. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you.
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A. God said foreign heathens would have been more likely than the
rebellious exiles to listen to and heed Ezekiel’s preaching.
1. Matthew 11:21-24, “Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you,
Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you
had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have
repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it
will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of
judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be
lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths.
If the miracles that were performed in you had been
performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.
But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on
the day of judgment than for you.” (NIV 1984)
2. Luke 10:12-14, I tell you, it will be more bearable on
that day for Sodom than for that town. “Woe to you,
Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that
were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and
Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in
sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre
and Sidon at the judgment than for you. (NIV 1984)
Ezekiel 3:7, But the house of Israel is not willing to listen to you
because they are not willing to listen to me, for the whole house of
Israel is hardened and obstinate. (NIV 1984)
I. But the house of Israel is not willing to listen to you because they are
not willing to listen to me,…
A. God warned Ezekiel that the house of Israel would not listen.
1. Smith wrote, “The preacher should never take rejection
personally.”
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2. However, it is hard to react impersonally and
unemotionally to being called into the office and being told,
“Your services are no longer needed after tonight.”
3. Rebellious Israel had not listened to God and they would
not listen to Ezekiel, but Ezekiel had to warn them of the
consequences of their sins anyway. (McGee)
B. The words Ezekiel spoke were to be exactly the same as the
words God had told Ezekiel to speak.
II. for the whole house of Israel is hardened and obstinate (impudent and
hard-hearted).
A. Ezekiel would not just encounter occasional pockets of
resistance here and there.
1. He would meet one hundred percent (100%) opposition
every where he went! (See McGee.)
Ezekiel 3:8, But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they
are. (NIV 1984)
I. But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are.
A. “God promised to equip Ezekiel emotionally and intellectually
to deal with the anticipated rejection,” Smith wrote. “…for certain
persecution and rejection.” (Fredenburg)
1. Fredenburg wrote, “Yahweh will create an inner
disposition in Ezekiel making him impervious to emotional
pain.”
2. Ezekiel would be prepared to prevail. (The Pulpit
Commentary)
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Ezekiel 3:9, I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder
than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they
are a rebellious house.” (NIV 1984)
I. I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint.
A. If the Israelites were hard as flint, God would make Ezekiel as
hard as diamonds, Smith wrote.
1. Jeremiah 17:1, “Judah’s sin is engraved with an iron
tool, inscribed with a flint point, on the tablets of their
hearts and on the horns of their altars. (NIV 1984)
B. Evidence of the accomplishment of this promise includes,
Fredenburg wrote, the ease with which he obeyed God’s
commands and his being able, as commanded, to endure the death
of his beloved wife without weeping.
1. Ezekiel 24:18, So I spoke to the people in the morning,
and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did
as I had been commanded. (NIV 1984)
2. Zechariah 7:12, They made their hearts as hard as flint
and would not listen to the law or to the words that the
LORD Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the
earlier prophets. So the LORD Almighty was very angry.
(NIV 1984)
II. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a
rebellious house.”
A. The Pulpit Commentary sees in this passage a reference to
Ezekiel’s sensitivity.
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1. Ezekiel “had shrunk not only from the threats and reviling
of the rebellious house, but even from their scowls of hatred.
B. For this reason the Lord intervened and made him resistant to
opposition, made him harder than the hardest stone, able to
withstand all manner of resistance from the obstinate Israelite
exiles. (The Pulpit Commentary)
Ezekiel as a Watchman
Ezekiel 3:10, And he said to me, “Son of man, listen carefully and
take to heart all the words I speak to you. (NIV 1984)
I. And he said to me, “Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all
the words I speak to you.
A. Ezekiel was required to know God’s word. He was then to
preach it!
1. Ezekiel and we are to listen carefully to everything God
has to say and to take to heart all the words the Lord speaks!
2. Not one jot or tittle is to be added or subtracted!
3. Ezekiel, Paul and we must preach “the whole counsel of
God.”
a. Acts 20:27, For I have not hesitated to proclaim to
you the whole will of God. (NIV 1984)
B. All of God’s word is to be taken into our hearts, cherished there,
lived and preached.
1. Out of the abundance of our hearts our mouths are to
speak!
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Ezekiel 3:11, Go now to your countrymen in exile and speak to
them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says,’
whether they listen or fail to listen.” (NIV 1984)
I. Go now to your countrymen (people) in exile and speak to them.
A. Ezekiel was also to know the people to whom he was to preach.
(Smith)
B. Coffman observed that God did not here say “my people,” but
“your people” indicating that God had rejected Israel from being
his people.
1. Hosea 9:15, “Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal, I
hated them there. Because of their sinful deeds, I will
drive them out of my house. I will no longer love them; all
their leaders are rebellious. (NIV 1984)
C. Ezekiel was sent to his countrymen (Israelites), but not to all of
them.
1. He was sent only to his countrymen who were exiles in
Babylon.
a. Ezekiel 2:3, 4, 7, He said: “Son of man, I am
sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation
that has rebelled against me; they and their fathers
have been in revolt against me to this very day. The
people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and
stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign
LORD says.’ You must speak my words to them,
whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are
rebellious. (NIV 1984)
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b. Ezekiel 3:1,4, And he said to me, “Son of man, eat
what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak
to the house of Israel.” He then said to me: “Son of
man, go now to the house of Israel and speak my
words to them. (NIV 1984)
II. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,’ whether they
listen or fail to listen.”
A. Ezekiel is to speak God’s word with enthusiasm even to a non-
responsive, oppositional audience.
B. The exiles believed they were being justly punished, but they
thought their punishment would be short lived and would be
followed by a glorious new era. (Fredenburg)
1. Hosea 6:1-3, “Come, let us return to the LORD. He has
torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but
he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive
us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in
his presence. Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press
on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will
appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the
spring rains that water the earth.” (NIV 1984)
2. Jeremiah 28:1-4, In the fifth month of that same year,
the fourth year, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of
Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was
from Gibeon, said to me in the house of the LORD in the
presence of the priests and all the people: “This is what
the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will break
the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will
bring back to this place all the articles of the LORD’s
house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed
from here and took to Babylon. I will also bring back to
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this place Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and
all the other exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,’
declares the LORD, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king
of Babylon.’”
3. Jeremiah 30:1-24, This is the word that came to
Jeremiah from the LORD: “This is what the LORD, the
God of Israel, says: ‘Write in a book all the words I have
spoken to you. The days are coming,’ declares the LORD,
‘when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from
captivity and restore them to the land I gave their
forefathers to possess,’ says the LORD.” These are the
words the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah:
“This is what the LORD says: “‘Cries of fear are heard—
terror, not peace. Ask and see: Can a man bear children?
Then why do I see every strong man with his hands on his
stomach like a woman in labor, every face turned deathly
pale? How awful that day will be! None will be like it. It
will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved
out of it. “‘In that day,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘I
will break the yoke off their necks and will tear off their
bonds; no longer will foreigners enslave them. Instead,
they will serve the LORD their God and David their king,
whom I will raise up for them. “‘So do not fear, O Jacob
my servant; do not be dismayed, O Israel,’ declares the
LORD. ‘I will surely save you out of a distant place, your
descendants from the land of their exile. Jacob will again
have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid.
I am with you and will save you,’ declares the LORD.
‘Though I completely destroy all the nations among
which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I
will discipline you but only with justice; I will not let you
go entirely unpunished.’ “This is what the LORD says:
“‘Your wound is incurable, your injury beyond healing.
There is no one to plead your cause, no remedy for your
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sore, no healing for you. All your allies have forgotten
you; they care nothing for you. I have struck you as an
enemy would and punished you as would the cruel,
because your guilt is so great and your sins so many. Why
do you cry out over your wound, your pain that has no
cure? Because of your great guilt and many sins I have
done these things to you. “‘But all who devour you will be
devoured; all your enemies will go into exile. Those who
plunder you will be plundered; all who make spoil of you
I will despoil. But I will restore you to health and heal
your wounds,’ declares the LORD, ‘because you are
called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.’ “This is
what the LORD says: “‘I will restore the fortunes of
Jacob’s tents and have compassion on his dwellings; the
city will be rebuilt on her ruins, and the palace will stand
in its proper place. From them will come songs of
thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to
their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will
bring them honor, and they will not be disdained. Their
children will be as in days of old, and their community
will be established before me; I will punish all who
oppress them. Their leader will be one of their own; their
ruler will arise from among them. I will bring him near
and he will come close to me, for who is he who will
devote himself to be close to me?’ declares the LORD.
“‘So you will be my people, and I will be your God.’” See,
the storm of the LORD will burst out in wrath, a driving
wind swirling down on the heads of the wicked. The fierce
anger of the LORD will not turn back until he fully
accomplishes the purposes of his heart. In days to come
you will understand this. (NIV 1984)
C. Ezekiel dispelled these false ideas and replaced them with
accurate expectations.
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Ezekiel 3:12, Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a
loud rumbling sound—May the glory of the LORD be praised in his
dwelling place!— (NIV 1984)
I. Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling
sound— …
A. Clarke explained, “All the living creatures and the wheels being
then in motion.”
B. Related Scriptures:
1. Ezekiel 8:3, He stretched out what looked like a
hand and took me by the hair of my head. The Spirit
lifted me up between earth and heaven and in visions of
God he took me to Jerusalem, to the entrance to the north
gate of the inner court, where the idol that provokes to
jealousy stood. (NIV 1984)
2. Ezekiel 11:1, Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought
me to the gate of the house of the Lord that faces east.
There at the entrance to the gate were twenty-five men,
and I saw among them Jaazaniah son of Azzur and
Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people. (NIV 1984)
3. 1 Kings 18:12, I don’t know where the Spirit of
the LORD may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell
Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he will kill me. Yet I your
servant have worshiped the Lord since my youth. (NIV
1984)
4. 2 Kings 2:16, “Look,” they said, “we your servants
have fifty able men. Let them go and look for your
master. Perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has picked him
up and set him down on some mountain or in some
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valley.” “No,” Elisha replied, “do not send them.” (NIV
1984)
5. Mark 1:12, At once the Spirit sent him out into the
desert, (NIV 1984)
6. Acts 8:39, When they came up out of the water, the
Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the
eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way
rejoicing. (NIV 1984)
7. 1 Kings 18:46, The power of the Lord came upon
Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of
Ahab all the way to Jezreel. (NIV 1984)
II. May the glory of the Lord be praised in his dwelling place— …
A. The NRSV, RSN, NEB, and REB follow an emendation of the
Hebrew text that permits the reading, “and the glory of Yahweh
rose from its place.” (Fredenburg)
Ezekiel 3:13, the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing
against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud
rumbling sound. (NIV 1984)
I. the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against each
other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound.
A. “All the living creatures and the wheels were then in motion.”
(Clarke)
Ezekiel 3:14, The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I
went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong
hand of the LORD upon me. (NIV 1984)
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I. The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in
bitterness (wrath, fury) and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong
hand of the Lord upon me.
A. Ezekiel was remorseful because he was taken from the glorious
site of his call and transported to the location where he was to
preach to the obstinate and rebellious exiles. (See Smith.)
B. All of our lives cannot be spent on the mountain tops. Time also
must be spent in the valleys of life.
C. Ezekiel was angered at the sins of the exiles, but was
strengthened by the strong hand of the Lord upon him. (See
Smith.)
D. Ezekiel was deeply angered at his being conscripted to preach
to the rebellious exiles. (Fredenburg)
1. He was bitter and really angry!
2. Compare the bitterness of this verse with Revelation 10:9-
10, So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the
little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn
your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet
as honey.” I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand
and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but
when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. (NIV 1984)
3. “Whatever the cause of Ezekiel’s bitterness, he was
overwhelmed when he came to Tel-Abib; and it appears to
have taken a full week for him to get over it,” Coffman
wrote.
E. Regarding the “hand of the Lord,” see:
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1. Ezra 7:9, He had begun his journey from Babylon on
the first day of the first month, and he arrived in
Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the
gracious hand of his God was on him. (NIV 1984)
2. Ezra 8:18, Because the gracious hand of our God was
on us, they brought us Sherebiah, a capable man, from
the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel,
and Sherebiah’s sons and brothers, 18 men; (NIV 1984)
3. Nehemiah 2:8, And may I have a letter to Asaph,
keeper of the king’s forest, so he will give me timber to
make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and
for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And
because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the
king granted my requests. (NIV 1984)
4. Daniel 10:18, Again the one who looked like a man
touched me and gave me strength. (NIV 1984)
5. 2 Kings 3:15, But now bring me a harpist.” While the
harpist was playing, the hand of the Lord came upon
Elisha (NIV 1984)
Ezekiel 3:15, I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Abib near the
Kebar River. And there, where they were living, I sat among them
for seven days—overwhelmed. (NIV 1984)
I. I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Abib (mound of ears of corn,
mound of the storm flood, hill of the deluge or hill of quiet) near the
Kebar River.
A. The Spirit guided Ezekiel to the residences of the exiles at Tel
Abib near the Kebar River.
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B. “Tel” is commonly applied to the mounds formed out of masses
of ruins, which are common all over the plains of Mesopotamia.
(The Pulpit Commentary)
II. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven
days— overwhelmed.
A. Astounded, Ezekiel sat among the exiles seven days—
overwhelmed.
1. Job 2:13, Then they sat on the ground with him for
seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to
him, because they saw how great his suffering was.
2. Ezekiel 9:3-5, Now the glory of the God of Israel went
up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and
moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the Lord
called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit
at his side and said to him, “Go throughout the city of
Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who
grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are
done in it. ” As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow
him through the city and kill, without showing pity or
compassion.
B. Smith wrote that Ezekiel needed to develop sympathy and
empathy with the exiles before he began to preach to them. He
needed to see these people as God saw them.
1. Smith further wrote, “This was a time of reflection and
observation such as many great men of God experienced
prior to launching their ministries.”
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2. During this period of meditation Ezekiel’s attitude toward
his mission was changed.
C. Coffman wrote, “This period of silence in the presence of quiet,
suffering, or disaster was universally observed by comforters in
ancient times. A good example of this is seen in the case of the
friends of Job who came and sat with him, saying nothing at all.”
Warning to Israel
Ezekiel as a Watchman
Ezekiel 3:16, At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came
to me: (NIV 1984)
I. At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: …
A. Ezekiel sat seven days in silence among the exiles at the end of
which God gave him an ultimatum he could not refuse!
(Fredenburg)
B. The book of Ezekiel takes a decisive turn at this point from
resistance to compliance.
1. The ministry of Ezekiel can be divided into two sections;
viz., …
a. Part One: Ezekiel 3:16-24:27.
b. Part Two: Ezekiel 33:1-48:35.
C. God made it perfectly clear the Ezekiel’s very life depends on
whether or not he chooses to obey the Lord. (Fredenburg)
1. The same is true for us as well!
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Ezekiel 3:17, “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the
house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning
from me. (NIV 1984)
I. “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; …
A. Ezekiel was to serve as a watchman, sentry.
1. “Whenever God spoke a threatening word against Israel,
Ezekiel was to warn his countrymen of the impending
danger,” Smith wrote.
a. Hebrews 13:17, Obey your leaders and submit to
their authority. They keep watch over you as men
who must give an account. Obey them so that their
work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be
of no advantage to you. (NIV 1984)
b. Psalm 127:1, A song of ascents. Of Solomon.
Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor
in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the
watchmen stand guard in vain. (NIV 1984)
2. Ezekiel had an obligation to warn the people even if they
did not heed the warning. (Smith)
3. If Ezekiel did not warn the people, he would share their
guilt and punishment. (See Smith.)
4. Both major parts of his ministry begin with Ezekiel’s being
pictured as a watchman.
a. Ezekiel 3:16-21, At the end of seven days the word
of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, I have made
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you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the
word I speak and give them warning from
me. When I say to a wicked man, ‘You will surely
die, ’ and you do not warn him or speak out to
dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his
life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will
hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do
warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his
wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his
sin; but you will have saved yourself. “Again, when
a righteous man turns from his righteousness and
does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he
will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for
his sin. The righteous things he did will not be
remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his
blood. But if you do warn the righteous man not to
sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he
took warning, and you will have saved yourself. ”
(NIV 1984)
b. Ezekiel 33:1-9, The word of the Lord came to
me: “Son of man, speak to your countrymen and say
to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land,
and the people of the land choose one of their men
and make him their watchman, and he sees the
sword coming against the land and blows the
trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the
trumpet but does not take warning and the sword
comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own
head. Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but
did not take warning, his blood will be on his own
head. If he had taken warning, he would have saved
himself. But if the watchman sees the sword coming
and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people
and the sword comes and takes the life of one of
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them, that man will be taken away because of his
sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his
blood.’ “Son of man, I have made you a
watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I
speak and give them warning from me. When I say
to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die, ’
and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his
ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will
hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do
warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he
does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will
have saved yourself. (NIV 1984)
c. The first section addresses the destruction of Judah
and Jerusalem.
d. The second section addresses the restoration of the
people of Judah “to their home land, the temple and
their relationship with Yahweh.” (Fredenburg)
B. Other prophets have been presented as watchmen.
1. Isaiah 56:10, Israel’s watchmen are blind, they all lack
knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they
lie around and dream, they love to sleep. (NIV 1984)
2. Hosea 9:8, The prophet, along with my God, is the
watchman over Ephraim, yet snares await him on all his
paths, and hostility in the house of his God. (NIV 1984)
3. Jeremiah 6:17, I appointed watchmen over you and
said, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But you said,
‘We will not listen.’ (NIV 1984)
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4. Habakkuk 2:1, I will stand at my watch and station
myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will
say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.
(NIV 1984)
5. Hebrews 13:17, Obey your leaders and submit to their
authority. They keep watch over you as men who must
give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a
joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to
you. (NIV 1984)
C. Watchmen were vitally important in those ancient days.
1. The watchmen manned their posts on the walls of the cities
and warned of approaching enemies, dangers.
2. To fail to warn the people of approaching danger was a
serious offense that would call for the execution of the
watchman.
II. so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.
A. God, as a loving father, has punished his wicked children, but
he warns them of future problems if they don’t repent.
1. Isaiah 62:6, I have posted watchmen on your walls, O
Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You
who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, (NIV 1984)
2. Psalm 127:1, Unless the Lord builds the house, its
builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the
city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. (NIV 1984)
B. Only the exact word of God is to be preached!
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1. Everything God commands is to be preached!
Ezekiel 3:18, When I say to a wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and
you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil
ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin,
and I will hold you accountable for his blood. (NIV 1984)
I. When I say to a wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not
warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to
save his life, …
A. To save himself, Ezekiel has to warn the wicked and wayward
righteous of the result of their sinfulness.
1. By warning the wayward, Ezekiel would save himself
whether those to whom he spoke repented or not.
II. that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable
for his blood.
A. Our salvation and very lives require that we warn the sinner of
his evil ways.
B. Neglect of this duty surely will result in our destruction.
Ezekiel 3:19, But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not
turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his
sin; but you will have saved yourself. (NIV 1984)
I. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his
wickedness or from his evil ways, …
A. Our responsibility is to warn the wicked man of the evil and
consequences of his ways as effectively as we possibly can.
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B. We are not responsible for his response to the warning, for
things beyond our control.
II. he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself.
A. It is impossible to convert everyone.
1. Not everyone will believe and/or obey the gospel.
2. Our duty is to preach the gospel to every creature.
a. Failure to do this will condemn our souls.
b. We had better be up and about our Father’s business!
c. Negligence, sins of omission are deadly!
3. Ezekiel 33:1-20, The word of the Lord came to
me: “Son of man, speak to your countrymen and say to
them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the
people of the land choose one of their men and make him
their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the
land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if
anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and
the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his
own head. Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but
did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If
he had taken warning, he would have saved himself. But
if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow
the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and
takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away
because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman
accountable for his blood.’ “Son of man, I have made you
a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I
speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the
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wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die, ’ and you do
not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked
man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable
for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man to turn
from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his
sin, but you will have saved yourself. “Son of man, say to
the house of Israel, ‘This is what you are saying: “Our
offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting
away because of them. How then can we live? ”’ Say to
them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I
take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather
that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from
your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?’
“Therefore, son of man, say to your countrymen, ‘The
righteousness of the righteous man will not save him
when he disobeys, and the wickedness of the wicked man
will not cause him to fall when he turns from it. The
righteous man, if he sins, will not be allowed to live
because of his former righteousness.’ If I tell the
righteous man that he will surely live, but then he trusts
in his righteousness and does evil, none of the righteous
things he has done will be remembered; he will die for the
evil he has done. And if I say to the wicked man, ‘You will
surely die,’ but he then turns away from his sin and does
what is just and right— if he gives back what he took in
pledge for a loan, returns what he has stolen, follows the
decrees that give life, and does no evil, he will surely live;
he will not die. None of the sins he has committed will be
remembered against him. He has done what is just and
right; he will surely live. “Yet your countrymen say, ‘The
way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not
just. If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and
does evil, he will die for it. And if a wicked man turns
away from his wickedness and does what is just and right,
he will live by doing so. Yet, O house of Israel, you say,
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‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of
you according to his own ways.” (NIV 1984)
Ezekiel 3: 20, “Again, when a righteous man turns from his
righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him,
he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The
righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you
accountable for his blood. (NIV 1984)
I. “Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does
evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die.
A. We are responsible for our individual actions.
1. We are not saved as groups such as nations, races, etc.
2. Righteous men can turn from their righteousness and die!
a. Hebrews 6:4-5, It is impossible for those who have
once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly
gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have
tasted the goodness of the word of God and the
powers of the coming age, (NIV 1984)
b. Galatians 5:4, You who are trying to be justified
by law have been alienated from Christ; you have
fallen away from grace. (NIV 1984)
c. 1 Corinthians 10:12, So, if you think you are
standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! (NIV
1984)
3. Coffman stated that God does not entice people to sin. …
Rather, the temptations of the righteous are under God’s
providential control.
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a. God allows a person to be tempted.
b. James 1:13-15, When tempted, no one should say,
“God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted
by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is
tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged
away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived,
it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown,
gives birth to death. (NIV 1984)
c. God does not try to entice people to sin.
d. Let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
e. God allows stumbling blocks to be placed on
occasion, but he does not purposefully intend to lead,
cause people to sin. (See Clarke.)
4. A stumbling block was a stone placed in a path for the
purpose of causing a person to trip and fall.
a. Ezekiel 7:19, They will throw their silver into the
streets, and their gold will be an unclean thing.
Their silver and gold will not be able to save them in
the day of the Lord’s wrath. They will not
satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it, for
it has made them stumble into sin. (NIV 1984)
b. Ezekiel 14:3-4, “Son of man, these men have set
up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling
blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire
of me at all? Therefore speak to them and tell them,
‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When any
Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked
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stumbling block before his face and then goes to a
prophet, I the Lord will answer him myself in
keeping with his great idolatry. (NIV 1984)
c. Jeremiah 6:21, Therefore this is what
the Lord says: “I will put obstacles before this
people. Fathers and sons alike will stumble over
them; neighbors and friends will perish.” (NIV
1984)
d. Leviticus 19:14, “‘Do not curse the deaf or put a
stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your
God. I am the Lord. (NIV 1984)
e. Isaiah 57:14, And it will be said: “Build up, build
up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of
the way of my people.” (NIV 1984)
f. Jeremiah 6:21, Therefore this is what
the Lord says: “I will put obstacles before this
people. Fathers and sons alike will stumble over
them; neighbors and friends will perish.” (NIV
1984)
II. Since you did not warn him. He will die for his sin.
A. Failure to warn the once righteous man of the consequences of
his apostasy will cause two deaths, that of the wayward once
righteous person and of the one who was charged with being his
watchman.
III. The righteous things he did will not be remembered and I will hold
you accountable for his blood.
A. This is totally regrettable!
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B. All his prior good deeds will be forgotten. Only his
waywardness will be remembered!
1. This scribe is thinking of two preachers who allegedly had
affairs with church secretaries who were discharged from
their ministerial positions and who never preached again.
2. For what are they remembered?
Ezekiel 3:21, But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he
does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you
will have saved yourself.” (NIV 1984)
I. But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he
will surely live because he took warning, and you will have saved
yourself.”
A. If Ezekiel warned the wayward righteous man of the error of his
way and he turned from his sinfulness, Ezekiel and the wayward
righteous man would both be saved!
B. The same is true of us as well.
Ezekiel as a Prisoner
Ezekiel 3:22, The hand of the LORD was upon me there, and he said
to me, “Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to
you.” (NIV 1984)
I. The hand (power) of the Lord was upon me there, and he said to me,
…
A. The powerful hand of the Lord was upon Ezekiel to guide him
in what he was to do, when and how!
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B. God spoke to Ezekiel giving him instructions.
1. God instructs us in the Holy Scriptures!
II. “Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you.”
A. The plain would be a remote place removed from observation
where God and Ezekiel could communicate privately. (See
Clarke.)
B. Ezekiel left the “tel” (mound) and went to the plain.
Ezekiel 3:23, So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of
the LORD was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the
Kebar River, and I fell facedown. (NIV 1984)
I. So I got up and went out to the plain (the valley).
A. God spoke and Ezekiel obeyed!
II. And the glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory I had
seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown.
A. Once again Ezekiel fell facedown overwhelmed by the glory of
the Lord.
1. Psalm 19:1, The heavens declare the glory of God; the
skies proclaim the work of his hands. (NIV 1984)
2. Isaiah 28:1, Woe to that wreath, the pride of
Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower, his glorious
beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley — to that city,
the pride of those laid low by wine! (NIV 1984)
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3. Psalm 8:1, O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your
name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the
heavens. (NIV 1984)
Ezekiel 3:24, Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet.
He spoke to me and said: “Go, shut yourself inside your house. (NIV
1984)
I. Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet.
A. The Spirit raised Ezekiel to his feet again to hear the commands
of the Lord.
B. Verses 24-27 conclude Ezekiel’s induction into the prophetic
ministry and commissions him as a prophet. (Fredenburg)
II. He spoke to me and said: “Go, shut yourself inside your house.
A. “Make yourself a prisoner!” God commanded Ezekiel. (Smith)
B. Sequestering himself in his house seems strange for a prophet
who has been commanded to warn wayward exiles.
1. There is a time to remain silent and a time to speak.
a. Ecclesiastes 3:7, a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak, (NIV 1984)
C. Ezekiel acts out in parables many of his messages.
1. Shutting himself in his house showed that God had
rejected this rebellious people.
2. Ezekiel’s behavior may have made the exiles curious and
ready to listen.
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Ezekiel 3:25, And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will
be bound so that you cannot go out among the people. (NIV 1984)
I. And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so
that you cannot go out among the people.
A. God told Ezekiel that his fellow captives would bind him with
ropes and restrain him. (See Smith.)
1. There is no documentation of this ever happening to
Ezekiel literally.
2. Fredenburg wrote, “… there is no indication throughout
the rest of Ezekiel that the masses even thought of him as
anything more than an interesting sideshow attraction —
someone more to be ignored than confined.”
B. Some commentators understand this imprisonment to be literal
while others regard it as metaphorically, figurative. (See Smith.)
1. “By their unbelief and hostility the captives restricted the
freedom with which Ezekiel could conduct his ministry.”
(Smith)
2. “Or again, they tried to imprison him to their way of
thinking,” (Smith)
a. They would do all they could to keep him from
prophesying.
3. Smith also wrote, “Ezekiel, however, was to be a prisoner
of the word of God, not to the whims of men.” Fredenburg
wrote, “… it is preferable to think that he (God) is the one
responsible for binding him (Ezekiel) with cords here.”
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4. Ezekiel’s ministry was Spirit controlled and directed and
limited by Yahweh. (See Fredenburg.)
C. References to Jeremiah’s _ by the citizens of Jerusalem.
1. Jeremiah 32:3, Now Zedekiah king of Judah had
imprisoned him there, saying, “Why do you prophesy as
you do? You say, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about
to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will
capture it. (NIV 1984)
2. Jeremiah 33:1, While Jeremiah was still confined in the
courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him
a second time: (NIV 1984)
3. Jeremiah 38:6, So they took Jeremiah and put him into
the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the
courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by
ropes into the cistern; it had no water in it, only mud, and
Jeremiah sank down into the mud. (NIV 1984)
D. References to prophetic periods of silence.
1. Ezekiel 24:27, At that time your mouth will be opened;
you will speak with him and will no longer be silent. So
you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am
the Lord. ” (NIV 1984)
2. Ezekiel 29:21, “On that day I will make a horn grow
for the house of Israel, and I will open your mouth among
them. Then they will know that I am the Lord. ” (NIV
1984)
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3. Luke 1:22, When he came out, he could not speak to
them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for
he kept making signs to them but remained unable to
speak. (NIV 1984)
Ezekiel 3:26, I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth
so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, though they are
a rebellious house. (NIV 1984)
I. I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you
will be silent and unable to rebuke them, though they are a rebellious
house.
A. God would strike Ezekiel speechless and unable to rebuke the
rebellious exiles.
1. When God did speak to Ezekiel he would be able to
deliver the “thus says the Lord God” faithfully to the exiles.
2. “The fetters symbolically represented this restraint which
God placed on Ezekiel.
a. This restraint was later removed.
b. Ezekiel 33:22, Now the evening before the man
arrived, the hand of the Lord was upon me, and he
opened my mouth before the man came to me in the
morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no
longer silent. (NIV 1984)
B. Ezekiel was stricken speechless indicating God would speak to
his wayward people in his own good time. (See Fredenburg.)
C. Alas, controlling Ezekiel’s speech would keep him from saying
anything he might want to say which may be contrary to what God
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would have him say, especially in view of his sympathy with the
exiles.
D. This temporary silencing of Ezekiel would keep him from
speaking prematurely. (Fredenburg)
1. Clarke suggested that Ezekiel’s silence was because God
did not for a period of time give Ezekiel any message to
proclaim.
Ezekiel 3:27, But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and
you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says.’
Whoever will listen let him listen, and whoever will refuse let him
refuse; for they are a rebellious house. (NIV 1984)
I. But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to
them, …
A. “Ezekiel’s silence is not total. He will be allowed to speak only
that which Yahweh permits,” Fredenburg wrote.
1. There is a time to speak!
2. “This restraint on Ezekiel’s speech evidently lasts only
until the fall of Jerusalem,” Fredenburg wrote.
a. Ezekiel 24:27, At that time your mouth will be
opened; you will speak with him and will no longer
be silent. So you will be a sign to them, and they will
know that I am the Lord. ” (NIV 1984)
b. Ezekiel 33:22, Now the evening before the man
arrived, the hand of the Lord was upon me, and he
opened my mouth before the man came to me in the
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morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no
longer silent. (NIV 1984)
3. Timing when Ezekiel was to preach was crucial.
4. Ezekiel was to speak only God’s word to the people.
(McGee)
a. Otherwise he was to remain silent! (McGee)
5. When the time was right God would give Ezekiel a
message and enable him to proclaim it.
III. ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’
A. Matthew 20:19-20, and will turn him over to the Gentiles to
be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will
be raised to life!” Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to
Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.
(NIV 1984)
B. Ezekiel 3:11, Go now to your countrymen in exile and speak
to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord
says,’ whether they listen or fail to listen. ” (NIV 1984)
C. Matthew 11:15, He who has ears, let him hear. (NIV 1984)
D. Matthew 13:9, He who has ears, let him hear.” (NIV 1984)
E. Revelation 22:11, Let him who does wrong continue to do
wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does
right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to
be holy.” (NIV 1984)
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III. Whoever will listen let him listen, and whoever will refuse let him
refuse; for they are a rebellious house.
A. Coffman stated that this is the conclusion of God’s commission
to Ezekiel.
Conclusion:
I. Smith quotes Hall as providing this summary of the commands given
to Ezekiel in this unit:
A. “Go, and speak.” (3:4)
B. “Go, and sit.” (3:11)
C. “Go, and watch.” (3:17)
D. “Go, and wait.” (3:24)
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Questions
on
Ezekiel 3:1-27
(Questions based on NIV text.)
1. Ezekiel ____________ and ____________ ____________
would ____________ to ____________ to what he had to say
about them.
2. To __________, __________ would make ____________ as
_____________ and _____________ as _____________ and
_____________ as they are, ____________ to ____________.
3. How did Ezekiel feel about being commanded to prophesy to
the obstinate exiles? Was Ezekiel ever rebellious to God and his
commands? _________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
4. Why did Ezekiel remain silent for seven days? ____________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
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5. ____________ will hold ____________ ____________
further the _____________ of those he does _____________
______________ and will ______________ them if he does
____________ them.
6. Contrast the personalities of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. ________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
7. Outline Ezekiel 3 following Coffman’s view. _____________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
8. What is meant by the command, “Son of man, eat what is
before you, eat this scroll; …?” __________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
9. Ezekiel’s ______________ wore to ____________ the
__________________ of the ___________________ or to
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__________________ on a very ___________________ ,
__________________ course of ______________.
10. What would you have done if you had been in Ezekiel’s
place? ______________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
11. McGee wrote, “ _______ ________ ought to ____________
the ________________ whose _______________ is not in it and
who doesn’t ____________ ___________ ___________ he
says.”
12. The _______________ was not _______________ on
_____________ ; he _____________ ______________ it.
13. ____________ was to ____________ ____________ the
____________ of ____________ on the ____________, not just
“______________” at them.
14. What is meant by the statement, “So I ate it, and it tasted as
sweet as honey in my (Ezekiel’s) mouth?” _________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
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15. _______________ was ___________________ as a
____________________ , an ________________ , a
________________ , and a _______________ .
16. To whom was Ezekiel sent? To whom was he not sent? ____
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
17. Why would heathens be more likely to listen to Ezekiel’s
message then Israelite exiles? ___________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
18. How did God prepare Ezekiel emotionally and intellectually
to deal with his anticipated rejection by the exiles? __________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
19. Name the five (5) most stubborn people you have ever
known or heard about. List them in order beginning with the
most stubborn. _______________________________________
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____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
20. Why did you select these five people? __________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
21. How can missionaries working in dangerous places prepare
themselves to be courageous in the face of physical and
psychological opposition? ______________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
22. How can we differentiate between which of God’s
commands are mandatory and must be preached and which are
optional? ____________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
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23. In 3:11 God spoke, not of “my people,” but “your people?”
What is the significance of this difference in the use of personal
pronouns? ___________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
24. ________________ was to ______________
________________’s ______________ with _______________
Even to a ____________-_____________ , ________________
_______________ .
25. How did the exiles view their situation in Babylon? (See
verse 11) ____________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
26. _______________ ________________ these ____________
______________ and ___________ them with ______________
______________ .
27. In your own words, exactly what is said and meant by what
is said in verses 12-13? ________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
28. Why did Ezekiel go with the Spirit in bitterness and anger of
his spirit? ___________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
29. List two or three of Ezekiel’s mountain top and valley
experiences? _________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
30. List several mountain top and valley experiences of your
life. ________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
31. Why was Ezekiel remorseful? (See verse 14.) ____________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
32. ____________ was ____________ ____________ at his
being ____________ to ____________ to the ____________
____________.
33. What does “Tel Abib” mean? Where was it located? Define
and explain “Tel”. ____________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
34. Why was Ezekiel overwhelmed? How long did he sit among
the exiles at Tel Abib? What did he do during this time? ______
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
35. What other biblical examples are comparable to Ezekiel’s
being overwhelmed at Tel Abib? _________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
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36. The book of Ezekiel takes a decisive turn at verse 16 from
____________ to ____________. Into what two major sections
can the book of Ezekiel be divided? ______________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
37. How important was the decision Ezekiel had to make in
verse 16? ___________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
38. God appointed Ezekiel a ____________ for the house of
Israel. If ______________ did not ______________ the
____________, he would share their ____________ and
____________.
39. What other prophets have been presented as watchmen? ___
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
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40. What was the duties of watchmen? How important were
these duties? What happened to watchmen who failed to
faithfully perform their duties? __________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
41. In your own words, what does Ezekiel 3:18-19 say? _______
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
42. We are ______________ for our ______________
____________. We are not ____________ as ____________
such as ____________ such as ____________, races, etc.
43. Explain why God would put a stumbling block before
certain people. _______________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
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44. ____________ ____________ can ____________ from their
____________ and ____________!
45. Does God tempt people? If not, explain why he would put
stumbling blocks before certain people. ___________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
46. How were stumbling blocks used in ancient Israel and the
near eastern countries? _________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
47. When a ______________ ______________ turns from his
______________ and does ______________, and I put a
______________ ______________ before him, he will die.
____________ to warn the ____________ ____________ of the
____________ of their ____________ will cause ____________
____________, that of the ____________ once ____________
______________ and of the ______________ who was
____________ with being his ____________.
48. ____________ to ____________ the ____________
____________ man of the ____________ of his ____________
will cause ____________ ____________, that of the
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______________ ______________ once ______________
____________ and of the one who was charged with being his
____________.
49. Why are the evil things a previously righteous remembered
and his righteous deeds forgotten? Give examples of this being
the case? ____________________________________________
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50. If ____________ ____________ the ____________
____________ man of the ____________ of his ____________
and he ____________ from his ____________, ____________
and the ____________ ____________ man would both be
____________!
51. What does, “The hand of the Lord was upon me,” mean? __
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____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
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52. How does God speak to people today? _________________
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____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
53. Why did God direct Ezekiel to leave Tel Abib and go to the
plain? What is Tel, a mound? Of what were mounds composed?
____________________________________________________
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54. ____________ ____________ and ____________
____________! Why did Ezekiel fall facedown? Should we
imitated this example? _________________________________
____________________________________________________
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55. Why did the Spirit raise Ezekiel to his feet? _____________
_________________. ____________ conclude ____________’s
introduction into the ____________ ____________ and
____________ him as a ____________.
56. Why did the Spirit command Ezekiel to sequester himself
inside his house. Isn’t this a strange command for a prophet who
was to warn sinners of their sinful ways? __________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________
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57. Was Ezekiel’s being bound literal or figurative? Explain.
Why would a prophet be bound so he could not go out among
the people? __________________________________________
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58. Cite examples of prophetic silence. Why was Ezekiel to be
bound with ropes? ____________________________________
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59. Why did God strike Ezekiel speechless which would keep
him from rebuking the rebellious exiles? ___________________
____________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
60. There is a time to be ____________. There is a time to
____________. This ____________ on ____________’s
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____________ evidently lasts only until the ____________ of
____________.
61. ____________ when ____________ was to ____________
was ____________. ____________ was to ____________ only
____________’s ______________ to the _______________.
Otherwise he was to ____________ ____________. When the
time was ____________ ____________ would give
______________ a ______________ and enable him to
____________ it.
62. This is what the ____________ ____________
____________.
63. ____________ will ____________ let him ____________,
and ____________ will ____________ let him ____________;
for they are a ____________ ____________
64. At what point in chapter 3 do we find the conclusion of
God’s commission to Ezekiel? ___________________________
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65. What summary did Smith quoting Hall provide? _________
____________________________________________________
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