Ezekiel 4:1–17 / Sin and Judgment
📘 Scripture
1 “Now, son of man, take a block of clay, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it.
2 Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it.
3 Then take an iron pan, place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign to the people of Israel.
4 “Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the people of Israel upon yourself. You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side.
5 I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the people of Israel.
6 “After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin of the people of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year.
7 Turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem and with bared arm prophesy against her.
8 I will tie you up with ropes so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have finished the days of your siege.
9 “Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the 390 days you lie on your side.
10 Weigh out twenty shekels of food to eat each day and eat it at set times.
11 Also measure out a sixth of a hin of water and drink it at set times.
12 Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement for fuel.”
13 The Lord said, “In this way the people of Israel will eat defiled food among the nations where I will drive them.”
14 Then I said, “Not so, Sovereign Lord! I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have never eaten anything found dead or torn by wild animals. No impure meat has ever entered my mouth.”
15 “Very well,” he said, “I will let you bake your bread over cow dung instead of human excrement.”
16 He then said to me: “Son of man, I am about to cut off the food supply in Jerusalem. The people will eat rationed food in anxiety and drink rationed water in despair,
17 for food and water will be scarce. They will be appalled at the sight of each other and will waste away because of their sin.
🔍 Scripture Summary
God tells Ezekiel to act out a siege on Jerusalem with a clay tablet and an iron pan as a sign to the people of Israel. He must lie on his left side for 390 days to bear Israel’s sin and on his right side for 40 days to bear Judah’s sin. The Lord tells Ezekiel that He will cut off Jerusalem’s food supply and the people will waste away because of their sin.
💬 Reflection
The Burden of Sin (4:1–8)
Since he is unable to speak, Ezekiel is told to engage in symbolic actions that will function like prophecy. He is to prepare visual aids to demonstrate the upcoming siege of Jerusalem. Then, he will lie down on both sides for long durations to symbolize bearing the people’s sin. Ezekiel with his bared arm will also prophesy against the city, representing God’s outstretched hand of judgment on Jerusalem. The people will reap the consequences for their continued sin and rebellion against God. While Ezekiel bore the sins of his people for a limited time, Jesus bore the punishment that we deserved to the full extent by dying on the cross for us. Let us reflect on and rejoice in the fullness of what Jesus has done for us.
Pause and picture Jesus bearing our sins and dying on the cross. Praise Him for His love and grace in bearing the punishment that we deserved.
Defiled and Impure (4:9–17)
To continue his demonstration, Ezekiel is told to make an undesirable mixture for bread and to eat small, rationed portions. Far worse is the command to use human excrement for fuel, at which Ezekiel protests and God allows him to use cow dung instead. This act symbolizes God’s people eating defiled food during their period of judgment because of their own uncleanness before the Lord. When we chase after idols and engage in the sins of this world, we defile ourselves. Not only do our hearts and minds become flooded with worthless thoughts and desires but they also become impoverished because we are not being filled with the things of God. We waste away because of our sin. Let us ensure that our souls’ daily intake is pure and full of God’s goodness.
Think back on your daily intake of the things of this world versus the things of God. What is one area of your daily intake that you should replace?
💡 Today’s Inspiration
“Prayer . . . is not eloquence, but earnestness, not the definition of helplessness, but the feeling of it; not figures of speech, but compunction of soul.”
– Hannah More
🙏 Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for bearing the sins of the world on the cross. Forgive me for the times I have forgotten Your sacrifice and consumed an undesirable mixture of worldly things. Purify my heart and may Your light fill and satisfy me. In Your name I pray, amen.
✍ Essay
Wrestling in Faith
I do not know how why I chose to share a passage as intense as Ezekiel 4:4–8 at a first-year prayer meeting, but I clearly remember doing so. We all sat on the floor in a circle, and after singing a couple worship songs, I read the Scripture passage. I reflected on how we are to intercede for people who do not know Jesus. This would not always be easy. Ezekiel had to lie down on his side and suffer great physical discomfort for a long period of time, and it could be arduous and full of anguish for us to continually wrestle in prayer.
Just as Ezekiel was called to be a watchman, so we are called to look out for the souls of those around us. In addition to praying for others, we are to evangelize, comfort, and warn. It can be difficult as we struggle and grieve over those who do not yet know the Lord, especially if they are family members or friends who are close to us. However, the good news is this: each time we pray, we know it is never in vain. Because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross, we can always approach the throne of grace with full confidence. Even as we wrestle, we can do so with strength and encouragement, remembering that each of us was saved miraculously, and God can do the same for others. Therefore, let us not give up. Let us pray ceaselessly until the Lord answers.
Written by Bob Koo
📖 Memory Verse
Ezekiel 2:8 | “But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”
