Ezekiel 12
No Escape!
Open your Bibles to…
Ezek. 7:1 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Ezek. 7:2 “And
you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD to the
‘An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land.
Ezek. 7:3 Now the end has come upon you,
And I will send My anger against you;
I will judge you according to your ways,
And I will repay you for all your abominations.
Ezek. 7:4 My eye will not spare you,
Nor will I have pity;
But I will repay your ways,
And your abominations will be in your midst;
Then you shall know that I am the LORD!’
Pray
Intro
√ No escape!
You’ll recall that chapters 4-24 record God’s prophecies of judgment against
Chapters 4-11 ~ the necessity of judgment
So, as we pickup our study in chapter 12 we begin a new section of Ezekiel’s
message to the Jewish captives in
The reason for these new predictions is that the people still
weren’t convinced that God
would really destroy
They had seen the signs that Ezekiel had done, heard the sermons that he preached…
…yet they still clung to the false hope given by the false prophets that God wasn’t really going to do what Ezekiel and Jeremiah predicted He would do.
Ex. False prophets
Jer. 28:1 And it happened in the same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, who was from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the LORD in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,
Jer. 28:2 “Thus
speaks the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: ‘I have broken the yoke of
the king of
Jer. 28:3 Within
two full years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the LORD’S
house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of
Jer. 28:4 And I
will bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of
And…
Jer. 29:8 For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed.
Jer. 29:9 For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the LORD.
So, in chapters 12-19 God speaks to the people through a series of new signs, sermons, parables, and lamentations to confirm the certainty of His judgment.
Ap. False hope
There are still false prophets among us! In fact, Jesus said there would be more in these Last Days than there were in the time of Ezekiel and Jeremiah!
They embrace Jesus’ teaching on heaven, but reject His warnings about hell.
They embrace Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness, but dismiss His condemnation of sin.
They proclaim Jesus’ invitation to eternal life, but believe He is only one of many paths that lead there.
The result is that many people today, including many Christians, are not taking God’s warnings of His Final Judgment seriously!
They become apathetic
They turn a deaf ear to God’s word
They neglect their talents
But know that God’s predictions of the Last Days will come to pass…
…and it may be sooner than any of us think!
Ex. Epicenter
We’ll be showing this documentary soon and encourage you to see it.
Sign of Captivity (vs. 1-7)
Ezek. 12:1 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Ezek. 12:2 “Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house.
Ezek. 12:3 “Therefore, son of man, prepare your belongings for captivity, and go into captivity by day in their sight. You shall go from your place into captivity to another place in their sight. It may be that they will consider, though they are a rebellious house.
Ezek. 12:4 By day you shall bring out your belongings in their sight, as though going into captivity; and at evening you shall go in their sight, like those who go into captivity.
Ezek. 12:5 Dig through the wall in their sight, and carry your belongings out through it.
Ezek. 12:6 In their
sight you shall bear them on your shoulders and carry them out at twilight; you
shall cover your face, so that you cannot see the ground, for I have made you a
sign to the house of
Ezek. 12:7 So I did as I was commanded. I brought out my belongings by day, as though going into captivity, and at evening I dug through the wall with my hand. I brought them out at twilight, and I bore them on my shoulder in their sight.
√ The sign of captivity
Ah the fun’s begun again!
Once more God has Ezekiel do some interesting things to
capture the attention of the
Jew’s living in
The reason of course is that they even though the saw the first signs with their eyes and heard the sermons with their ears…
…they weren’t convinced that God was really going to do what Ezekiel’s signs and sermons said He would do!
Note vs. 2…
“Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house.”
So, God is going to try again to get their attention through these two more signs in the hope that they might finally listen and believe the message that God gave to Ezekiel.
√ Pack your bags!
The first part of this sign is that Ezekiel was supposed to drag his belongings out of his house…
…and in full view of the people begin packing up.
The idea is that God wanted him to drag everything he owned into his front yard…
…then throughout the course of the day pick through his belongings and pack only what he could carry.
The people would immediately be able to relate to what he was doing because they had done it themselves!
Ex. Carried off to
Every Jewish person in
They had been taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar in either his
first attack on
Each of them had been forced to abandon their possessions except what they couldn’t carry in a sack!
So, as the people watched Ezekiel sort through his belongings and back up his backpack…
…they’d remember that just
as God’s word had come true twice before so Ezekiel’s prediction of
final judgment on the people of
√ Move out!
As the day closed out and the sun set Ezekiel began digging a hole through the wall surrounding his yard.
Once it was large enough for him to climb through he pushed himself and his little backpack of belongings through the hole…
…and then hoisted his backpack onto his shoulders and began walking away from the wall.
This is where the sign takes an unexpected turn!
That’s because Ezekiel and the rest of the captives in
Rather, they were rounded up and marched from
So, Ezekiel’s little skit would have made a big impression
on the Jews in
Sign Interpreted (vs. 8-16)
Ezek. 12:8 And in the morning the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Ezek. 12:9 “Son of
man, has not the house of
Ezek. 12:10 Say to
them, “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘This
burden concerns the prince in
Ezek. 12:11 Say, “I am a sign to you. As I have done, so shall it be done to them; they shall be carried away into captivity.’
Ezek. 12:12 And the prince who is among them shall bear his belongings on his shoulder at twilight and go out. They shall dig through the wall to carry them out through it. He shall cover his face, so that he cannot see the ground with his eyes.
Ezek. 12:13 I will
also spread My net over him, and he shall be caught in My snare. I will bring
him to
Ezek. 12:14 I will scatter to every wind all who are around him to help him, and all his troops; and I will draw out the sword after them.
Ezek. 12:15 “Then they shall know that I am the LORD, when I scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries.
Ezek. 12:16 But I will spare a few of their men from the sword, from famine, and from pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the Gentiles wherever they go. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.”
√ The sign interpreted
This sign obviously got the attention of the people because God tells Ezekiel exactly what to say when they ask…
“What are you doing?” ~ vs. 9
To which God tells them that the sign predicts how it is that the leaders in
The sign is directed to the king & his leaders (vs. 10-11)
The prince (king) and the royal family will try to escape through a hole in the city wall (vs. 12).
They’ll carry what little they escape with in packs on their shoulders (vs. 12)
They’ll be caught by the Babylonians (vs. 13)
The king will be carried captive to
The rest of the people who try to escape with the king will be killed by the sword (vs. 14)
Only a small remnant will survive (vs. 16)
The point is that the rebels in
Ex. Fulfilled to the letter!
As recorded in 2 Kings 25:1-7 and Jeremiah 52:4-11 on July
16, 586 B.C. the Babylonians breached the wall of
Zedekiah, his sons, and the leaders of the city tried to escape at night through a hole in the wall taking only what they could carry on their backs.
They were captured in the wilderness near
Taken to Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah (Ez. 11:11 “on the border”) where all of Zedekiah’s sons were executed by sword.
Zedekiah’s eyes were gouged out and he was taken captive to
Just as God predicted through the sign of the captivity!
Sign of Shaking (vs. 17-18)
Ezek. 12:17 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Ezek. 12:18 “Son of man, eat your bread with quaking, and drink your water with trembling and anxiety.
√ Sign of shaking
After Ezekiel explains the first sign he begins acting out the second sign.
Remember, he’s already got the attention of the people!
So, he takes out some bread and water from the little backpack that he carried from his home and begins to eat and drink…
…but as he does he begins to shake ~ his hands, his body, his legs and as he does so he changes the countenance of his face to one of fear!
Sign Interpreted (vs. 19-20)
Ezek. 12:19 And say to the people of the land, “Thus says the Lord GOD to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the land of Israel: ‘They shall eat their bread with anxiety, and drink their water with dread, so that her land may be emptied of all who are in it, because of the violence of all those who dwell in it.
Ezek. 12:20 Then the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall become desolate; and you shall know that I am the LORD.” ’ ”
√ Sign interpreted
God tells Ezekiel that this second sign is directed towards
the rest of the people of
…the common person who had followed the counsel of king Zedekiah instead of the Word of the God ~ the true King of Israel!
Ezekiel’s actions were meant to communicate the terror that the people would experience as a result of God’s judgment!
That is, fear would grip their hearts as they watched the
Babylonians systematically decimate not just
…but every
city in
Ex. Read the signs of the times!
One of the sad commentaries on the Jewish people of the time is that so few of them took the signs seriously.
Most of them ignored God’s prophets and the words they spoke.
They found Ezekiel to be entertaining rather than enlightening.
In short, though God was very clear about what was coming…
…very few paid any attention!
Ap. Are you reading the signs of the times?
Throughout the Bible we find that God honored those people who paid attention to His words of warning, who studied the scripture and understood the signs coming to pass around them.
Ex. Men who gathered to David to help make him king
1Chr. 12:32 of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command;
These men were able to properly interpret the signs of the times and align themselves with God’s will…
…even though to do so put them at odds with the guy in power (king Saul)!
Ex. We’re to keep our eyes open
Paul writes…
Eph. 5:15 See then that you walk circumspectly (carefully as you observe the signs of the times), not as fools but as wise,
Eph. 5:16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Eph. 5:17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
That is, just as the people of
So in these Last Days God has given us plenty of time and lots of warning so that we can make sure that we’re doing His will.
Ex. Jesus’ warnings
The Parables of the Talents, the 10 Virgins, and the Wicked Servant…
…all exhort us to be found diligent doing what the Lord has given us to do in this life.
That we might not suffer loss when He returns for His people.
Are you walking in His will?
Certainty of Judgment ~ sermon 1 (vs. 21-25)
Ezek. 12:21 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Ezek. 12:22 “Son of man, what is this proverb that you people have about the land of Israel, which says, ‘The days are prolonged, and every vision fails’?
Ezek. 12:23 Tell them
therefore, “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘I will lay this proverb to rest, and they
shall no more use it as a proverb in
Ezek. 12:24 For no
more shall there be any false vision or flattering divination within the house
of
Ezek. 12:25 For I am the LORD. I speak, and the word which I speak will come to pass; it will no more be postponed; for in your days, O rebellious house, I will say the word and perform it,” says the Lord GOD.’ ”
√ Certainty of Judgment ~ sermon 1
God now moves from signs to sermons.
That is, just as before God used the signs to get the people’s attention…
…now that He has it He wants to speak a message to them.
God gives Ezekiel 5 sermons, beginning here in chapter 12 and running through the end of chapter 14.
The theme of each sermon is the certainty of judgment.
That is, each of them is meant to reinforce in the minds of the Jewish captives that judgment is…
Certain
Inescapable
Coming soon
Remember, the reason for all of this is that the people did not believe that God would actually destroy His city, His Temple, and His people!
√ Unbelief
The first two sermons deal with the general attitude of the Jewish people who expressed their unbelief through two popular proverbs.
Proverb ~ not as in the Proverbs of Scripture!
Rather, popular sayings that expressed the common perception of the “man on the street” toward the Word of God as delivered by His prophets.
Ex. Political promises
A typical “proverb” of our day might be…
“Vote for the man who promises the least--he'll be the least disappointing.”
The idea is that people don’t really believe anything that politicians promise.
In much the same way the “man on the street” in
So, they were saying…
“The days are prolonged, and every vision fails”
vs. 22
That is,
“Blah, blah, we’ve heard it all before!”
God’s response to them is that He’s none to happy with their little proverb so He’s going to silence theirs and replace it with a new one that He wrote…
“The days are at hand, and the fulfillment of every vision.” ~ vs. 23
That is, His words are certain and all of them will come to pass!
√ Count on it!
The people who doubted whether or not God’s word of judgment would come to pass didn’t have to trust Ezekiel…
…because God Himself declared that He would bring it about during their own life time!
“For I am the LORD. I speak, and the word which I speak will come to pass; it will no more be postponed; for in your days, O rebellious house, I will say the word and perform it,” says the Lord GOD.’ ” ~ vs. 25
So, God serves notice to the unbelievers that He’s the One who inspired these men to prophecy and would demonstrate the reality of their words by bringing them to pass in their life time!
Certainty of Judgment ~ sermon 2 (vs. 26-28)
Ezek. 12:26 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Ezek. 12:27 “Son of
man, look, the house of
Ezek. 12:28 Therefore say to them, “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak will be done,” says the Lord GOD.’ ”
√ Certainty of judgment ~ sermon 2
The 2nd sermon builds on the first one and deals with another proverb that was popular amongst the people.
This proverb sort of pandered to God in that it acknowledge the Word spoken by Ezekiel as true…
…but that it wouldn’t come to pass until some far future time!
The people said…
“The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he
prophesies of times far off.” ~ vs. 27
So, God writes another proverb for them to consider…
“Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak will be done,” says the Lord GOD.’ ” ~ vs. 27
In fact,
Ezekiel 1:1-2 ~ began on July 27, 593 B.C.
The point, don’t ever doubt the Word of the Lord nor think that all that He’s predicted about the Last Days can’t happen in your life time…
…it could!
Close
Ap. No escape
There’s a warning in this chapter for every generation of
people because the same word that predicted the fall of
Specifically that we never take on the attitude that these captives had…
…doubting whether God’s word would ever come to pass.
Or, patronizing Him by saying that we believe His Word about the Last Days…
…but don’t seriously consider that we might be living in that time!
Ex. Sign of the times
2Pet. 3:1 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder),
2Pet. 3:2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior,
2Pet. 3:3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,
2Pet. 3:4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”
The news media is filled with articles calling into question the reality of God’s promises.
Worse, many Christians no longer want to talk about the “End times”.
While most Christians wouldn’t go so far as to deny the Return of Jesus to establish His Kingdom on earth…
…few believe that it will happen in our life time.
Jesus warned us to always be ready because when the End comes it will happen quickly and there will be no escape for those who don’t believe.
So, be wise, believe all that God has promised and in the meanwhile don’t bury your talents believing that He won’t return in your lifetime!