Eze 4:4-8 | KingComments | STEP | In the symbolic act of , Ezekiel has represented God in His dealings with Jerusalem. In the symbolic act he must now perform, he represents the people. In this, his personal involvement is great. He must feel firsthand what the people will experience. These are the two aspects of the service that every servant must know and experience. He must share in God’s feelings about evil and he must share in the sorrow of those over whom this evil comes, in the awareness of being part of this people and being no better than they are. God tells Ezekiel what to do. Ezekiel is to lie down on his “left side” and “lay the iniquity of the house of Israel on it” ( ). Of course, this is not a substitutionary bearing of the iniquity. Only the Lord Jesus can do that ( ). It is about suffering and experiencing the consequences of iniquity. The iniquity of the people is doing what is evil in the eyes of God and harming their neighbors, their fellow citizens, in all areas of life. Ezekiel is to lay the iniquity on his left side, the side on which he lies. This implies at the same time that he is lying on the iniquity. Thereby Ezekiel is portraying that he is identifying with God’s people in their iniquity. It will be a touching sermon for the people. The time he must lie like this is set by God at “three hundred and ninety days”, with Ezekiel having to suffer one day for each year ( ). To which time period in the history of Israel (the twelve tribes) the three hundred and ninety years refers is not clear. Several commentators assume that this period begins with the tearing of Israel into two and ten tribes and specifically Jeroboam’s introduction of idolatry into Israel by making the two golden calves ( ). In any case, it is about the iniquity, the sins, of all twelve tribes, that is, Israel as a whole. They constitute God’s people, no matter how much they have lived separately from one another. When those days are completed, the prophet is to lie down on his “right side” ( ). On that side he is to lie “forty days” to bear “the iniquity of the house of Judah”. Again, a day represents a year. The period of forty days connects to that of three hundred and ninety days. God tells Ezekiel to lie on his right side for a number of days and to do so when he has “completed” the days on his left side. That an additional number of days of bearing iniquity is added for Judah is because Judah sinned even more severely than Israel ( ). This is underscored by the following verses. In them it is about the siege of Jerusalem, where the Judeans are at that time. God speaks to Ezekiel about the siege of Jerusalem. These total of four hundred and thirty days that Ezekiel lies on his side, he is to “set” his “face toward the siege of Jerusalem” ( ; ), which comes down to looking at what he has inscribed on the brick. He must do so with “bare arm”. Ezekiel’s bare arm symbolizes that God is ready to act in judgment (cf. ). Ezekiel’s prophecy consists not of words, but of his attitude. Everything he portrays speaks to the conscience with great force. God will restrain him in such a way – the ropes that He puts on Ezekiel speak of this – that he will be able to accomplish this difficult task until the end ( ). This also has a symbolic meaning. God says to him that he will be bound until he has completed the days of his siege. This means that bearing the iniquity is directly connected to the siege of Jerusalem by the armies of the king of Babylon. By speaking of “your siege”, the siege of Jerusalem is presented as an act of Ezekiel, remembering immediately that here we symbolically see the action of God Himself with Jerusalem. The ropes also make it clear that the people cannot possibly evade this judgment of God. God is executing His judgment. He will give the city into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar and have the inhabitants taken away into exile.

‏ Ezekiel 4:4-8

The Years of Iniquity

In the symbolic act of Eze 4:1-3, Ezekiel has represented God in His dealings with Jerusalem. In the symbolic act he must now perform, he represents the people. In this, his personal involvement is great. He must feel firsthand what the people will experience. These are the two aspects of the service that every servant must know and experience. He must share in God’s feelings about evil and he must share in the sorrow of those over whom this evil comes, in the awareness of being part of this people and being no better than they are.

God tells Ezekiel what to do. Ezekiel is to lie down on his “left side” and “lay the iniquity of the house of Israel on it” (Eze 4:4). Of course, this is not a substitutionary bearing of the iniquity. Only the Lord Jesus can do that (Isa 53:6 ; 12). It is about suffering and experiencing the consequences of iniquity. The iniquity of the people is doing what is evil in the eyes of God and harming their neighbors, their fellow citizens, in all areas of life.

Ezekiel is to lay the iniquity on his left side, the side on which he lies. This implies at the same time that he is lying on the iniquity. Thereby Ezekiel is portraying that he is identifying with God’s people in their iniquity. It will be a touching sermon for the people.

The time he must lie like this is set by God at “three hundred and ninety days”, with Ezekiel having to suffer one day for each year (Eze 4:5). To which time period in the history of Israel (the twelve tribes) the three hundred and ninety years refers is not clear. Several commentators assume that this period begins with the tearing of Israel into two and ten tribes and specifically Jeroboam’s introduction of idolatry into Israel by making the two golden calves (1Kgs 12:25-30). In any case, it is about the iniquity, the sins, of all twelve tribes, that is, Israel as a whole. They constitute God’s people, no matter how much they have lived separately from one another.

When those days are completed, the prophet is to lie down on his “right side” (Eze 4:6). On that side he is to lie “forty days” to bear “the iniquity of the house of Judah”. Again, a day represents a year. The period of forty days connects to that of three hundred and ninety days. God tells Ezekiel to lie on his right side for a number of days and to do so when he has “completed” the days on his left side.

That an additional number of days of bearing iniquity is added for Judah is because Judah sinned even more severely than Israel (Eze 23:11-35). This is underscored by the following verses. In them it is about the siege of Jerusalem, where the Judeans are at that time.

God speaks to Ezekiel about the siege of Jerusalem. These total of four hundred and thirty days that Ezekiel lies on his side, he is to “set” his “face toward the siege of Jerusalem” (Eze 4:7; Eze 4:3), which comes down to looking at what he has inscribed on the brick. He must do so with “bare arm”. Ezekiel’s bare arm symbolizes that God is ready to act in judgment (cf. Isa 52:10a). Ezekiel’s prophecy consists not of words, but of his attitude. Everything he portrays speaks to the conscience with great force.

God will restrain him in such a way – the ropes that He puts on Ezekiel speak of this – that he will be able to accomplish this difficult task until the end (Eze 4:8). This also has a symbolic meaning. God says to him that he will be bound until he has completed the days of his siege. This means that bearing the iniquity is directly connected to the siege of Jerusalem by the armies of the king of Babylon.

By speaking of “your siege”, the siege of Jerusalem is presented as an act of Ezekiel, remembering immediately that here we symbolically see the action of God Himself with Jerusalem. The ropes also make it clear that the people cannot possibly evade this judgment of God. God is executing His judgment. He will give the city into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar and have the inhabitants taken away into exile.