A Calling Rejected (Ezekiel 5:1–17)
📘 Scripture
1 “Now, son of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a barber’s razor to shave your head and your beard. Then take a set of scales and divide up the hair.
2 When the days of your siege come to an end, burn a third of the hair inside the city. Take a third and strike it with the sword all around the city. And scatter a third to the wind. For I will pursue them with drawn sword.
3 But take a few hairs and tuck them away in the folds of your garment.
4 Again, take a few of these and throw them into the fire and burn them up. A fire will spread from there to all Israel.
5 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: This is Jerusalem, which I have set in the center of the nations, with countries all around her.
6 Yet in her wickedness she has rebelled against my laws and decrees more than the nations and countries around her. She has rejected my laws and has not followed my decrees.
7 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: You have been more unruly than the nations around you and have not followed my decrees or kept my laws. You have not even conformed to the standards of the nations around you.
8 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself am against you, Jerusalem, and I will inflict punishment on you in the sight of the nations.
9 Because of all your detestable idols, I will do to you what I have never done before and will never do again.
10 Therefore in your midst parents will eat their children, and children will eat their parents. I will inflict punishment on you and will scatter all your survivors to the winds.
11 Therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your vile images and detestable practices, I myself will shave you; I will not look on you with pity or spare you.
12 A third of your people will die of the plague or perish by famine inside you; a third will fall by the sword outside your walls; and a third I will scatter to the winds and pursue with drawn sword.
13 “Then my anger will cease and my wrath against them will subside, and I will be avenged. And when I have spent my wrath on them, they will know that I the Lord have spoken in my zeal.
14 “I will make you a ruin and a reproach among the nations around you, in the sight of all who pass by.
15 You will be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and an object of horror to the nations around you when I inflict punishment on you in anger and in wrath and with stinging rebuke. I the Lord have spoken.
16 When I shoot at you with my deadly and destructive arrows of famine, I will shoot to destroy you. I will bring more and more famine upon you and cut off your supply of food.
17 I will send famine and wild beasts against you, and they will leave you childless. Plague and bloodshed will sweep through you, and I will bring the sword against you. I the Lord have spoken.”
📝 Scripture Summary
God tells Ezekiel to shave his head and beard and divide the hair, burning, striking, or scattering it as a sign of Jerusalem’s destruction. Jerusalem has been more unruly than the nations around it; she has not followed the Lord’s decrees or kept His laws. As a result, the Lord will bring about judgment: famine, plague, and the sword. He will make Jerusalem a ruin and reproach.
🧠 Memory Verse
“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.” – Ezekiel 2:8
💬 Reflection
Worse than the Ungodly (5:1–7)
For Ezekiel’s next act, he is to shave his hair and spread it in different places to symbolize God’s judgment on His people. Jerusalem was supposed to be a city that influences other nations, but God’s chosen people have rebelled, behaving more wickedly than the nations around them. Believers today are meant to be a light to the people around us. However, when we persist in disobedience and rebellion against God, it becomes harder to tell that we are members of God’s beloved people. Willful rebellion makes us act even worse than those who do not know God. Let us not take God’s grace for granted but ensure that we are walking in His light, being a positive influence to those around us.
Ponder the influences in your life and the people whom you have influenced. In what ways can you shine more of God’s light to those around you?
A Call to Behold Holiness (5:8–17)
God’s people will face severe punishment for all of their detestable idolatry. In the period of judgment, we see that the people will experience plague, famine, childlessness, and bloodshed. God has been tolerant and patient for many years, but He will not allow sin and wrongdoing to go on without consequence. We are soberly reminded that our God is holy and just. He will not stand by while His people degrade themselves with their disobedience and wickedness. Ultimately, we become what we behold. We can focus on sinful desires, or we can fix our gaze on God. Let us live holy unto the Lord, allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us so that we better emulate our most holy God.
Reflect on God’s perfect holiness. Consider where your thoughts, words, or actions do not align with His character and ask Him to redirect your path.
🌟 Today’s Inspiration
“Communion with God, our oneness with him, is experienced little by little. Our growth in holiness often comes in tiny decisions, not momentous events. But that’s exciting when you think about it, because that means you have an opportunity to experience greater depths of oneness with God right now.” – Pierce Taylor Hibbs
🙏 Prayer
Dear God, even though I am imperfect, You have chosen me to shine Your light to those around me. May I never take Your grace for granted. Help me to remain focused on You, and empower me to be holy as You are holy. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
✍ Essay
Completely Unified
The premise of One with God: Finding Your Identity, Purpose, and Destiny in the God Who Speaks by Pierce Taylor Hibbs is straightforward: we were created for the main purpose of becoming one with God. He highlights Jesus’ prayer in John 17, which he dubs “The Prayer of Prayers.” In this prayer, Jesus prays for oneness—unity among believers—but He also prays that each of His followers would experience unity with God, which is available to all who are called His children. Jesus prays, “I in them and you in me” (John 17:23), indicating the complete unity that can be found through Him.
We can cultivate oneness with God in a variety of ways. We can meditate on His Word, which moves us to greater love and praise for Him as we understand Him more. We can also slow down and seek to listen to His voice, reminding ourselves that all that we need is found in Him. Finally, we can obey His commands. Each time we say “yes” to God, we reveal that it is our privilege to participate in the workings of His kingdom, no matter how large or small the tasks may be.
Hibbs compares the process of complete unity to a created masterpiece covered in sand. He writes, “Our identity is already defined . . . We are already Michelangelo’s David. We’re just covered with sand.” Each time we obey, the sand begins to clear away, revealing our unity with the God we resemble.
Written by Bob Koo