Ezekiel 12 Study Notes: Ezekiel Acts Out the Exile
God has Ezekiel pack his bags and dig through a wall as the people watch, a sign that Jerusalem’s ruler and people will be taken captive to Babylon. Ezekiel also eats in trembling to picture the city’s fear, and God rejects sayings that His warnings will never come true or are meant for a distant future.
General
What did Ezekiel’s eating and drinking with trembling picture (12:17-20)?
Answer: Jerusalem’s people eating in dread as their land is stripped
God told Ezekiel to eat his food shaking and drink his water anxiously (12:18). Then he was to tell the people that the people of Jerusalem and the rest of Israel’s land would eat and drink in fear and dread, because their land would be emptied of all it held, since everyone who lived there practiced violence (12:19). The cities would be ruined and the land left desolate, and then they would know that He is the LORD (12:20). This repeats the earlier warning that Jerusalem would eat rationed bread in anxiety (4:16-17), and the reason matches the LORD’s charge that the city was full of violence (7:23).
- Ezekiel 12:18-19 (BSB)““Son of man, eat your bread with trembling, and drink your water with quivering and anxiety. Then tell the people of the land that this is what the Lord GOD says about those living in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel: ‘They will eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water in dread, for their land will be stripped of everything in it because of the violence of all who dwell in it.”Ezekiel eats with trembling as a picture of Jerusalem eating in dread while the land is stripped for its violence.
- Ezekiel 12:20 (BSB)“The inhabited cities will be laid waste, and the land will become desolate. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’””The cities will be ruined and the land desolate, and the people will know that He is the LORD.
- Ezekiel 4:16-17 (BSB)“Then He told me, “Son of man, I am going to cut off the supply of food in Jerusalem. They will anxiously eat bread rationed by weight, and in despair they will drink water by measure. So they will lack food and water; they will be appalled at the sight of one another wasting away in their iniquity.”Earlier God warned that Jerusalem would eat rationed bread in anxiety, the same fear pictured here.
- Ezekiel 7:23 (BSB)“Forge the chain, for the land is full of crimes of bloodshed, and the city is full of violence.”God had already charged that the city was full of violence, the reason given in 12:19.
Theological
What did Ezekiel’s fearful eating and anxious drinking signify (12:17-20)?
Answer: Jerusalem’s people eating in dread as their land is stripped
Ezekiel’s fearful eating and drinking (12:18) depicted the condition of the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the land of Israel, who would eat and drink in dread as the land was stripped bare, explicitly on account of the violence practiced by its inhabitants (12:19). The ruin of the cities and the desolation of the land would bring the recognition that He is the LORD (12:20). The sign reinforces the earlier oracle of rationed bread eaten in anxiety (4:16-17) and grounds the judgment, as elsewhere, in the city’s violence (7:23). God’s judgments are never arbitrary; He names their cause.
- Ezekiel 12:18-19 (BSB)““Son of man, eat your bread with trembling, and drink your water with quivering and anxiety. Then tell the people of the land that this is what the Lord GOD says about those living in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel: ‘They will eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water in dread, for their land will be stripped of everything in it because of the violence of all who dwell in it.”Ezekiel eats with trembling as a picture of Jerusalem eating in dread while the land is stripped for its violence.
- Ezekiel 12:20 (BSB)“The inhabited cities will be laid waste, and the land will become desolate. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’””The cities will be ruined and the land desolate, and the people will know that He is the LORD.
- Ezekiel 4:16-17 (BSB)“Then He told me, “Son of man, I am going to cut off the supply of food in Jerusalem. They will anxiously eat bread rationed by weight, and in despair they will drink water by measure. So they will lack food and water; they will be appalled at the sight of one another wasting away in their iniquity.”Earlier God warned that Jerusalem would eat rationed bread in anxiety, the same fear pictured here.
- Ezekiel 7:23 (BSB)“Forge the chain, for the land is full of crimes of bloodshed, and the city is full of violence.”God had already charged that the city was full of violence, the reason given in 12:19.
General
What did Ezekiel do as a sign while the people watched (12:3-7)?
Answer: Brought out exile bags by day and made a hole in the wall at evening
The LORD told Ezekiel to pack bags as if going into exile and to do everything while the people watched: bring out his baggage in broad daylight, leave in the evening like a captive, break an opening in the wall and take his things out through it, hoist his bags onto his shoulder at dusk, and veil his face so the land was hidden from him (12:3-6). God said He had made Ezekiel a sign to Israel. Ezekiel obeyed exactly (12:7). Ezekiel’s own actions often served as a living message, as when he acted out the siege (4:3) and later when his conduct was again called a sign (24:24). Here his performance pictured what was about to happen in Jerusalem.
- Ezekiel 12:3-6 (BSB)“Therefore, son of man, pack your bags for exile. In broad daylight, set out from your place and go to another as they watch. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house. Bring out your baggage for exile by day, as they watch. Then in the evening, as they watch, go out like those who go into exile. As they watch, dig through the wall and carry your belongings out through it. And as they watch, lift your bags to your shoulder and take them out at dusk; cover your face so that you cannot see the land. For I have made you a sign to the house of Israel.””God commands Ezekiel to act out going into exile while the people watch, for He has made him a sign.
- Ezekiel 12:7 (BSB)“So I did as I was commanded. I brought out my bags for exile by day, and in the evening I dug through the wall by hand. I took my belongings out at dusk, carrying them on my shoulder as they watched.”Ezekiel does as he was told, bringing out his bags by day and digging through the wall at evening.
- Ezekiel 4:3 (BSB)“Then take an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between yourself and the city. Turn your face toward it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.”Ezekiel’s earlier siege model was likewise called a sign for Israel.
- Ezekiel 24:24 (BSB)“‘Thus Ezekiel will be a sign for you; you will do everything that he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Lord GOD.’”Later God again makes Ezekiel a sign, his actions showing what the people would do.
Theological
What sign-act did Ezekiel perform before the exiles in 12:3-7?
Answer: Brought out exile bags by day and made a hole in the wall at evening
Ezekiel was commanded to enact an exile in full view of the people: bringing out his baggage by day, going out in the evening, digging through the wall, shouldering his bags at dusk, and covering his face so that he could not see the land, because God had made him a sign for Israel (12:3-6). He did exactly as commanded (12:7). The prophet’s obedience became the message itself, as in the siege sign of 4:3 and the later word that Ezekiel would be a sign whose actions the people would repeat (24:24). God gave the sign in the hope that even a rebellious house might understand (12:3).
- Ezekiel 12:3-6 (BSB)“Therefore, son of man, pack your bags for exile. In broad daylight, set out from your place and go to another as they watch. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house. Bring out your baggage for exile by day, as they watch. Then in the evening, as they watch, go out like those who go into exile. As they watch, dig through the wall and carry your belongings out through it. And as they watch, lift your bags to your shoulder and take them out at dusk; cover your face so that you cannot see the land. For I have made you a sign to the house of Israel.””God commands Ezekiel to act out going into exile while the people watch, for He has made him a sign.
- Ezekiel 12:7 (BSB)“So I did as I was commanded. I brought out my bags for exile by day, and in the evening I dug through the wall by hand. I took my belongings out at dusk, carrying them on my shoulder as they watched.”Ezekiel does as he was told, bringing out his bags by day and digging through the wall at evening.
- Ezekiel 4:3 (BSB)“Then take an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between yourself and the city. Turn your face toward it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.”Ezekiel’s earlier siege model was likewise called a sign for Israel.
- Ezekiel 24:24 (BSB)“‘Thus Ezekiel will be a sign for you; you will do everything that he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Lord GOD.’”Later God again makes Ezekiel a sign, his actions showing what the people would do.
General
Why does the LORD say He will keep a few alive through sword, famine, and plague (12:15-16)?
Answer: So they could tell the nations of the vile deeds they had done
When God disperses the people among the nations, they will come to know He is the LORD (12:15). Yet He will let a handful escape sword, famine, and plague, and in whatever nations they reach they will tell about all their detestable practices, and so they will know He is the LORD (12:16). The reason God gives for sparing them is not their goodness but their testimony: by recounting their own detestable deeds, they show that the judgment was deserved. Ezekiel makes the same point elsewhere: survivors in the nations will remember God and loathe themselves for their evil (6:9-10), and survivors who come from Jerusalem will show by their conduct that God did nothing without cause (14:22-23).
- Ezekiel 12:15-16 (BSB)“And they will know that I am the LORD, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them throughout the countries. But I will spare a few of them from sword and famine and plague, so that in the nations to which they go, they can recount all their abominations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.””God scatters the people, yet spares a few so that they will recount their abominations among the nations.
- Ezekiel 6:9-10 (BSB)“Then in the nations to which they have been carried captive, your survivors will remember Me—how I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts that turned away from Me, and by their eyes that lusted after idols. So they will loathe themselves for the evil they have done and for all their abominations. And they will know that I am the LORD; I did not declare in vain that I would bring this calamity upon them.”Survivors among the nations will remember God and loathe themselves for their evil, knowing He did not speak in vain.
- Ezekiel 14:22-23 (BSB)“Yet, behold, some survivors will be left in it—sons and daughters who will be brought out. They will come out to you, and when you see their conduct and actions, you will be comforted regarding the disaster I have brought upon Jerusalem—all that I have brought upon it. They will bring you consolation when you see their conduct and actions, and you will know that it was not without cause that I have done all these things within it,’ declares the Lord GOD.””The survivors who come from Jerusalem will show that God did nothing there without cause.
Theological
For what stated purpose does God preserve a remnant from sword, famine, and plague (12:15-16)?
Answer: So they could tell the nations of the vile deeds they had done
The dispersion will bring the knowledge that He is the LORD (12:15), and the small number spared from sword, famine, and plague will serve the same end: among the nations they will tell of every abomination they committed, and so come to know He is the LORD (12:16). The stated purpose is testimony, not merit: by recounting their own abominations, the remnant bears witness that the catastrophe was deserved. The same theme recurs in 6:9-10, where survivors remember God and loathe themselves for their evil, and in 14:22-23, where the conduct of the survivors vindicates God’s dealings with Jerusalem. In judgment, as in mercy, God’s stated aim is that people know He is the LORD.
- Ezekiel 12:15-16 (BSB)“And they will know that I am the LORD, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them throughout the countries. But I will spare a few of them from sword and famine and plague, so that in the nations to which they go, they can recount all their abominations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.””God scatters the people, yet spares a few so that they will recount their abominations among the nations.
- Ezekiel 6:9-10 (BSB)“Then in the nations to which they have been carried captive, your survivors will remember Me—how I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts that turned away from Me, and by their eyes that lusted after idols. So they will loathe themselves for the evil they have done and for all their abominations. And they will know that I am the LORD; I did not declare in vain that I would bring this calamity upon them.”Survivors among the nations will remember God and loathe themselves for their evil, knowing He did not speak in vain.
- Ezekiel 14:22-23 (BSB)“Yet, behold, some survivors will be left in it—sons and daughters who will be brought out. They will come out to you, and when you see their conduct and actions, you will be comforted regarding the disaster I have brought upon Jerusalem—all that I have brought upon it. They will bring you consolation when you see their conduct and actions, and you will know that it was not without cause that I have done all these things within it,’ declares the Lord GOD.””The survivors who come from Jerusalem will show that God did nothing there without cause.
General
True or False: When the people said Ezekiel’s visions concerned the far future, the LORD agreed that the judgment would come only after many years.
Answer: False
This is false. The people were saying that the vision Ezekiel saw was for a time many years off, about days far away (12:27). God did not agree. He told Ezekiel to answer that none of His words would be postponed any longer; whatever He speaks will be done (12:28). This second saying was a gentler form of the first proverb (12:22): not denying the warnings outright, but pushing them off to some later generation. God says what He has spoken, He will bring about (Isaiah 46:10-11), and His word does not return to Him empty (Isaiah 55:11). Peter warns of scoffers who likewise ask where God’s promised coming is (2 Peter 3:3-4).
- Ezekiel 12:27 (BSB)““Son of man, take note that the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for many years from now; he prophesies about the distant future.’”The Israelites claim that Ezekiel’s vision concerns a time far in the future.
- Ezekiel 12:28 (BSB)“Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘None of My words will be delayed any longer. The message I speak will be fulfilled, declares the Lord GOD.’””God answers that none of His words will be postponed and what He speaks will come to pass.
- Isaiah 46:10-11 (BSB)“I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’ I summon a bird of prey from the east, a man for My purpose from a far-off land. Truly I have spoken, and truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, and I will surely do it.”God announces the outcome from the start and promises to carry out what He has spoken.
- Isaiah 55:11 (BSB)“so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.”God’s word does not return to Him empty but accomplishes what He pleases.
- 2 Peter 3:3-4 (BSB)“Most importantly, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. “Where is the promise of His coming?” they will ask. “Ever since our fathers fell asleep, everything continues as it has from the beginning of creation.””Peter warns of scoffers who point to apparent delay and ask where God’s promise is.
Theological
True or False: The LORD conceded that Ezekiel’s visions referred to the distant future, as the house of Israel was saying.
Answer: False
This is false. The house of Israel postponed the warnings, claiming that Ezekiel’s vision was for many years ahead and his prophecy for distant times (12:27). The LORD rejected the claim: none of His words will be put off any longer, and the word He speaks will be performed (12:28). Where the first proverb denied fulfillment (12:22), this one deferred it, and both are answered by the certainty and nearness of God’s word. The God who announces the outcome from the start brings to pass what He has purposed (Isaiah 46:10-11), and His word accomplishes what He pleases (Isaiah 55:11). Peter describes later scoffers who reason the same way from apparent delay (2 Peter 3:3-4).
- Ezekiel 12:27 (BSB)““Son of man, take note that the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for many years from now; he prophesies about the distant future.’”The Israelites claim that Ezekiel’s vision concerns a time far in the future.
- Ezekiel 12:28 (BSB)“Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘None of My words will be delayed any longer. The message I speak will be fulfilled, declares the Lord GOD.’””God answers that none of His words will be postponed and what He speaks will come to pass.
- Isaiah 46:10-11 (BSB)“I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’ I summon a bird of prey from the east, a man for My purpose from a far-off land. Truly I have spoken, and truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, and I will surely do it.”God announces the outcome from the start and promises to carry out what He has spoken.
- Isaiah 55:11 (BSB)“so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.”God’s word does not return to Him empty but accomplishes what He pleases.
- 2 Peter 3:3-4 (BSB)“Most importantly, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. “Where is the promise of His coming?” they will ask. “Ever since our fathers fell asleep, everything continues as it has from the beginning of creation.””Peter warns of scoffers who point to apparent delay and ask where God’s promise is.
General
According to 12:10-13, what will happen to the prince who ruled in Jerusalem?
Answer: He will be carried to Babylon without seeing it and die there
God explains that the sign concerns the prince, meaning the ruler, in Jerusalem, along with all Israel there (12:10). Just as Ezekiel acted it out, they too will be led away as captives (12:11). The prince will shoulder his bags at dusk and go out through a hole dug in the wall, veiling his face so the land is hidden from him (12:12). God says He will catch him in His own net and carry him off to Babylon, though he will never lay eyes on it, and he will die there (12:13); his attendants and troops will be scattered (12:14). The capture is God’s act, not only Babylon’s. Ezekiel repeats this warning later (17:16, 20). Compare Jeremiah 52:11, which records that Zedekiah, Judah’s last king, was blinded, taken to Babylon in bronze shackles, and kept there until he died.
- Ezekiel 12:10-11 (BSB)“Tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘This burden concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are there.’ You are to say, ‘I am a sign to you.’ Just as it happened here, so will it be done to them; they will go into exile as captives.”The oracle is about the prince who rules in Jerusalem, and Ezekiel’s actions are a sign of their captivity.
- Ezekiel 12:12-13 (BSB)“And at dusk the prince among them will lift his bags to his shoulder and go out. They will dig through the wall to bring him out. He will cover his face so he cannot see the land. But I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will not see it, and there he will die.”The prince will slip out through the wall with covered face, be caught in God’s net, and die in Babylon without seeing it.
- Ezekiel 17:16 (BSB)“‘As surely as I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘he will die in Babylon, in the land of the king who enthroned him, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke.”The LORD later swears that the king will end his life in Babylon, in the realm of the ruler who put him on the throne.
- Ezekiel 17:20 (BSB)“I will spread My net over him and catch him in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment upon him there for the treason he committed against Me.”God repeats that He will spread His net over the king and take him to Babylon for judgment.
- Jeremiah 52:11 (BSB)“Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon, where he kept him in custody until his dying day.”Compare the account of Zedekiah, Judah’s last king, who was blinded, taken to Babylon, and held there until he died.
Theological
What fate does the LORD announce for Jerusalem’s prince (12:10-13)?
Answer: He will be carried to Babylon without seeing it and die there
The oracle concerns the prince who rules in Jerusalem and the Israelites with him (12:10); Ezekiel is a sign of their captivity (12:11). The prince will go out at dusk with his bags through a breach in the wall and veil his face so as not to see the land (12:12). The LORD Himself will spread His net and take him in His snare, bringing him to Babylon, though he will never set eyes on it, and his death will come in that land (12:13), while his attendants are scattered (12:14). The language of God’s net makes Babylon the instrument and the LORD the judge, a point restated in 17:16 and 17:20. Compare Jeremiah 52:11, which records that Zedekiah, Judah’s last king, was blinded, bound, and held in Babylon until his death.
- Ezekiel 12:10-11 (BSB)“Tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘This burden concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are there.’ You are to say, ‘I am a sign to you.’ Just as it happened here, so will it be done to them; they will go into exile as captives.”The oracle is about the prince who rules in Jerusalem, and Ezekiel’s actions are a sign of their captivity.
- Ezekiel 12:12-13 (BSB)“And at dusk the prince among them will lift his bags to his shoulder and go out. They will dig through the wall to bring him out. He will cover his face so he cannot see the land. But I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will not see it, and there he will die.”The prince will slip out through the wall with covered face, be caught in God’s net, and die in Babylon without seeing it.
- Ezekiel 17:16 (BSB)“‘As surely as I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘he will die in Babylon, in the land of the king who enthroned him, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke.”The LORD later swears that the king will end his life in Babylon, in the realm of the ruler who put him on the throne.
- Ezekiel 17:20 (BSB)“I will spread My net over him and catch him in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment upon him there for the treason he committed against Me.”God repeats that He will spread His net over the king and take him to Babylon for judgment.
- Jeremiah 52:11 (BSB)“Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon, where he kept him in custody until his dying day.”Compare the account of Zedekiah, Judah’s last king, who was blinded, taken to Babylon, and held there until he died.
General
How does the LORD answer the proverb in Israel that time passes and visions come to nothing (12:21-25)?
Answer: He will silence it, for what He says will now come true soon
People in Israel had a saying that time passes and no vision ever comes true (12:22), meaning that because the warned-of judgment had not yet come, it never would. God declares that He will stop that saying (12:23). The time is near for every vision to come true, and false visions and flattering predictions will cease (12:23-24), because when the LORD speaks, His word will be carried out in their own lifetime (12:25). A delay in God’s judgment is not a sign that His word has failed. Balaam declared that God does not speak and then fail to act (Numbers 23:19). Habakkuk was told that the vision would surely come at its appointed time (Habakkuk 2:3), and Peter explains that God’s apparent slowness is patience, giving people time to repent (2 Peter 3:9).
- Ezekiel 12:22-23 (BSB)““Son of man, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by, and every vision fails’? Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will put an end to this proverb, and in Israel they will no longer recite it.’ But say to them: ‘The days are at hand when every vision will be fulfilled.”God quotes the people’s proverb about failed visions and says He will make it cease.
- Ezekiel 12:24-25 (BSB)“For there will be no more false visions or flattering divinations within the house of Israel, because I, the LORD, will speak whatever word I speak, and it will be fulfilled without delay. For in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak a message and bring it to pass, declares the Lord GOD.’””False visions will end, and the LORD’s word will be fulfilled in their own days.
- Numbers 23:19 (BSB)“God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”Unlike a human being, God does not lie or change His mind; He does not promise and fail to act.
- Habakkuk 2:3 (BSB)“For the vision awaits an appointed time; it testifies of the end and does not lie. Though it lingers, wait for it, since it will surely come and will not delay.”The vision awaits its appointed time and will surely come, even if it seems slow.
- 2 Peter 3:9 (BSB)“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.”Peter explains that the Lord’s apparent slowness is patience, not failure to keep His word.
Theological
What is the LORD’s response to the proverb that days pass and visions come to nothing (12:21-25)?
Answer: He will silence it, for what He says will now come true soon
The proverb (12:22) turned the delay of judgment into a denial of it. The LORD answers that He will abolish the saying: the days and the fulfillment of every vision are at hand (12:23); false visions and flattering divination will cease in Israel (12:24); and the word He speaks will be performed without postponement, in the days of that rebellious house (12:25). God’s word is never idle: He does not speak and then fail to act (Numbers 23:19). Habakkuk was assured that the vision would surely come at its appointed time (Habakkuk 2:3), and Peter interprets apparent delay as divine patience rather than failure, since God desires that people turn from sin rather than perish (2 Peter 3:9).
- Ezekiel 12:22-23 (BSB)““Son of man, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by, and every vision fails’? Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will put an end to this proverb, and in Israel they will no longer recite it.’ But say to them: ‘The days are at hand when every vision will be fulfilled.”God quotes the people’s proverb about failed visions and says He will make it cease.
- Ezekiel 12:24-25 (BSB)“For there will be no more false visions or flattering divinations within the house of Israel, because I, the LORD, will speak whatever word I speak, and it will be fulfilled without delay. For in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak a message and bring it to pass, declares the Lord GOD.’””False visions will end, and the LORD’s word will be fulfilled in their own days.
- Numbers 23:19 (BSB)“God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”Unlike a human being, God does not lie or change His mind; He does not promise and fail to act.
- Habakkuk 2:3 (BSB)“For the vision awaits an appointed time; it testifies of the end and does not lie. Though it lingers, wait for it, since it will surely come and will not delay.”The vision awaits its appointed time and will surely come, even if it seems slow.
- 2 Peter 3:9 (BSB)“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.”Peter explains that the Lord’s apparent slowness is patience, not failure to keep His word.
General
How does the LORD describe the people among whom Ezekiel was living (12:2)?
Answer: Rebels who can see and hear but refuse to take it in
The LORD tells Ezekiel that he lives among a rebellious house, people with working eyes and ears who still neither see nor hear, because they are rebellious (12:2). Their problem is not that they lack information; they refuse to receive what God has shown them. Rebellious house is the name God gave them when He first sent Ezekiel (2:5). Jeremiah used the same language for Judah (Jeremiah 5:21); Isaiah was sent to people who would hear and see without understanding (Isaiah 6:9-10); and Jesus used the same rebuke of His own disciples when they failed to understand Him (Mark 8:18). Even so, God gives the people one more sign to watch, in case they might understand (12:3), showing His patience toward a stubborn people.
- Ezekiel 12:2-3 (BSB)““Son of man, you are living in a rebellious house. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house. Therefore, son of man, pack your bags for exile. In broad daylight, set out from your place and go to another as they watch. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house.”God calls the people a rebellious house with unseeing eyes and unhearing ears, yet gives them a sign in case they understand.
- Ezekiel 2:5 (BSB)“And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them.”From Ezekiel’s commissioning God called Israel a rebellious house, whether they listened or not.
- Jeremiah 5:21 (BSB)““Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.”Jeremiah addressed Judah as a people with eyes and ears who still did not see or hear.
- Isaiah 6:9-10 (BSB)“And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.””Isaiah was sent to a people who would hear and see without understanding, the same spiritual dullness.
- Mark 8:18 (BSB)“‘Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?’ And do you not remember?”Jesus rebuked His disciples with the same words when they failed to grasp His meaning.
Theological
What diagnosis of the people does the LORD give at the opening of chapter 12 (12:2)?
Answer: Rebels who can see and hear but refuse to take it in
God calls the people a rebellious house who possess eyes and ears yet neither see nor hear (12:2). The blindness is moral rather than mental: it flows from rebellion, the same charge laid at Ezekiel’s commissioning (2:5). Jeremiah used the same indictment against Judah (Jeremiah 5:21), and Isaiah was told his preaching would meet hearing without understanding (Isaiah 6:9-10), a passage the New Testament repeatedly applies to unbelief. Jesus used the same rebuke with His own disciples (Mark 8:18). Yet the LORD still commands a visible sign in case they may perceive it (12:3); human hardness does not prevent God from continuing to speak.
- Ezekiel 12:2-3 (BSB)““Son of man, you are living in a rebellious house. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house. Therefore, son of man, pack your bags for exile. In broad daylight, set out from your place and go to another as they watch. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house.”God calls the people a rebellious house with unseeing eyes and unhearing ears, yet gives them a sign in case they understand.
- Ezekiel 2:5 (BSB)“And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them.”From Ezekiel’s commissioning God called Israel a rebellious house, whether they listened or not.
- Jeremiah 5:21 (BSB)““Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.”Jeremiah addressed Judah as a people with eyes and ears who still did not see or hear.
- Isaiah 6:9-10 (BSB)“And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.””Isaiah was sent to a people who would hear and see without understanding, the same spiritual dullness.
- Mark 8:18 (BSB)“‘Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?’ And do you not remember?”Jesus rebuked His disciples with the same words when they failed to grasp His meaning.