Eze 4:1 | KingComments | STEP | Ezekiel 4 is a continuation of a section that begins in Ezekiel 3:22. Ezekiel must remain in his house and his tongue will stick to the roof of his mouth. Thus, he cannot go around freely among the exiles and warn people. In his house he must perform various symbolic acts to present his message. In them he shows what will happen to Jerusalem. The LORD has several purposes in doing this: 1. He wants to cause the exiles to think through this, that they may come to repentance. 2. He wants to make it clear to the exiles through this that they will not be returning to Jerusalem anytime soon. The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, will take Jerusalem. 3. The prophet is thereby identified with the people and feels what they feel when God’s discipline comes upon them. A servant of God who is suffering himself is much better able to understand and warn those who are undergoing the same suffering. Ezekiel, again called “son of man”, must take a brick and inscribe Jerusalem on it ( ). He is not allowed to speak, but he can communicate with his hands. The brick he must use is a clay table, the ordinary writing material of the Babylonians. In order to inscribe on it properly, Ezekiel must place it before him, for he must concentrate well while inscribing. Then he must indicate on the brick how Jerusalem will be besieged ( ). He is to lay siege against the city, that is, to besiege the city. The LORD gives him precise instructions on how to do this. He is to build “a siege wall”, that is, an assault tower, against it, raise up “a ramp”, pitch “camps”, and place “battering rams” against it all around the city. The people will have gathered around him and understood what he was portraying. When Ezekiel is finished with the inscribing, he is to take “an iron plate”, which is a plate on which one bakes bread ( ; ). The plate is an ordinary utensil usually made of pottery. An iron plate is a unique object at that time. That iron plate he must set up between himself and the city he has just inscribed. The plate symbolizes “an iron wall” and represents the separation between God and His people that the people caused by their sins ( ). Then the LORD instructs Ezekiel to set his face toward the city. The face is a face full of threat. As Ezekiel looks at what he has inscribed, so the LORD looks at the city. All the prayers from the city do not penetrate to heaven. They are held back by the iron plate. The connection with God is cut off, He delivers Jerusalem to the enemy. As Ezekiel inscribes, it is as if he himself is laying siege to the city. This is true in a sense. The enemy will do this to the city, but in reality it is God Himself Who, in and through the enemy, is laying siege to the city and thus bringing His anger upon it. By commissioning Ezekiel to inscribe this, He lets him experience what He will do to the city (cf. ). At the same time, his inscribing is “a sign to the house of Israel”. A sign is needed when words are no longer heard. False prophets in Jerusalem proclaim that the exiles will return to Jerusalem in the near future ( ). There are also prophets who prophesy that Jerusalem will not see a sword nor will be hungry ( ). God has spoken otherwise. The exiles, if they are open to this sign, can see what will happen to Jerusalem.

‏ Ezekiel 4:1

Introduction

Ezekiel 4 is a continuation of a section that begins in Ezekiel 3:22. Ezekiel must remain in his house and his tongue will stick to the roof of his mouth. Thus, he cannot go around freely among the exiles and warn people. In his house he must perform various symbolic acts to present his message. In them he shows what will happen to Jerusalem. The LORD has several purposes in doing this:

1. He wants to cause the exiles to think through this, that they may come to repentance.

2. He wants to make it clear to the exiles through this that they will not be returning to Jerusalem anytime soon. The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, will take Jerusalem.

3. The prophet is thereby identified with the people and feels what they feel when God’s discipline comes upon them. A servant of God who is suffering himself is much better able to understand and warn those who are undergoing the same suffering.

The Siege of Jerusalem Played Out

Ezekiel, again called “son of man”, must take a brick and inscribe Jerusalem on it (Eze 4:1). He is not allowed to speak, but he can communicate with his hands. The brick he must use is a clay table, the ordinary writing material of the Babylonians. In order to inscribe on it properly, Ezekiel must place it before him, for he must concentrate well while inscribing.

Then he must indicate on the brick how Jerusalem will be besieged (Eze 4:2). He is to lay siege against the city, that is, to besiege the city. The LORD gives him precise instructions on how to do this. He is to build “a siege wall”, that is, an assault tower, against it, raise up “a ramp”, pitch “camps”, and place “battering rams” against it all around the city. The people will have gathered around him and understood what he was portraying.

When Ezekiel is finished with the inscribing, he is to take “an iron plate”, which is a plate on which one bakes bread (Eze 4:3; Lev 2:5). The plate is an ordinary utensil usually made of pottery. An iron plate is a unique object at that time. That iron plate he must set up between himself and the city he has just inscribed. The plate symbolizes “an iron wall” and represents the separation between God and His people that the people caused by their sins (Isa 59:2).

Then the LORD instructs Ezekiel to set his face toward the city. The face is a face full of threat. As Ezekiel looks at what he has inscribed, so the LORD looks at the city. All the prayers from the city do not penetrate to heaven. They are held back by the iron plate. The connection with God is cut off, He delivers Jerusalem to the enemy.

As Ezekiel inscribes, it is as if he himself is laying siege to the city. This is true in a sense. The enemy will do this to the city, but in reality it is God Himself Who, in and through the enemy, is laying siege to the city and thus bringing His anger upon it. By commissioning Ezekiel to inscribe this, He lets him experience what He will do to the city (cf. Lk 19:43). At the same time, his inscribing is “a sign to the house of Israel”.

A sign is needed when words are no longer heard. False prophets in Jerusalem proclaim that the exiles will return to Jerusalem in the near future (Jer 28:1-4 ; 10-11). There are also prophets who prophesy that Jerusalem will not see a sword nor will be hungry (Jer 14:13-16 ; Jer 23:16-17). God has spoken otherwise. The exiles, if they are open to this sign, can see what will happen to Jerusalem.