4th October 2023 – Ezekiel 5:1-4
5 “And you, O son of man, take a sharp sword. Use it as a barber's razor and pass it over your head and your beard. Then take balances for weighing and divide the hair. 2 A third part you shall burn in the fire in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are completed. And a third part you shall take and strike with the sword all round the city. And a third part you shall scatter to the wind, and I will unsheathe the sword after them. 3 And you shall take from these a small number and bind them in the skirts of your robe. 4 And of these again you shall take some and cast them into the midst of the fire and burn them in the fire. From there a fire will come out into all the house of Israel.
The fourth acted parable is designed to illustrate the fate of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The first stage of the action Ezekiel is commanded to perform is described in 1, 2, consisting of the dividing up of his hair into three parts, and disposed of in the manner described in 2. Next, he is told to take a few of the hairs and first preserve them in his garments (3), and then later cast them into the fire. The symbolism in all this is clear, and in fact is given an explanation in 12 (which see): a third of Jerusalem's inhabitants would be destroyed within the city by pestilence and famine, a third killed by the sword in fighting around the city, and a third scattered among the nations. It is not clear whether the 'few in number' referred to in 3 are those who will escape the holocaust and form the nucleus of those ultimately to return to the land after the exile, or whether it simply means that some who at first seemed to escape were later consumed: the interpretation would depend on whether the fire in 4 is to be regarded as a fire of judgment or of purification. The general tenor, however, of the 'sign' is grim and graphic and it does not take much imagination to gauge the impact that it might have had on those who saw it acted out. Lurid and gruesome it must certainly have been, but it may be that this was the only way that the word of the Lord could now get through to a sin-hardened people.
3rd October 2023 – Ezekiel 4:9-17
9 “And you, take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and emmer, and put them into a single vessel and make your bread from them. During the number of days that you lie on your side, 390 days, you shall…
2nd October 2023 – Ezekiel 4:1-8
4 “And you, son of man, take a brick and lay it before you, and engrave on it a city, even Jerusalem. 2 And put siege works against it, and build a siege wall against it, and cast up a mound against…
1st October 2023 – Ezekiel 3:22-27
22 And the hand of the Lord was upon me there. And he said to me, “Arise, go out into the valley, and there I will speak with you.” 23 So I arose and went out into the valley, and behold, the…
30th September 2023 – Ezekiel 3:15-21
15 And I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who were dwelling by the Chebar canal, and I sat where they were dwelling. And I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days. 16 And at the end of seven days, the word…
29th September 2023 – Ezekiel 3:4-14
4 And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house…
28th September 2023 – Ezekiel 3:4-14
4 And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house…
27th September 2023 – Ezekiel 2:8-3:3
8 “But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” 9 And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and…
26th September 2023 – Ezekiel 2:1-10
2 And he said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” 2 And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking…
25th September 2023 – Ezekiel 1:4-28
4 As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness round it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming metal. 5 And from the…