If you visit the freezer section of the health food aisle in your grocery store, you’ll likely find several varieties of Ezekiel 4:9 bread. I tried it once and didn’t like it, but in today’s YouTube video, Rudy Ross shared that he enjoyed it.
I suppose it’s a matter of personal preference. However, in Ezekiel’s time, this bread wasn’t considered health food; it was a symbol of God’s coming judgment on the people.
And you, take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them into one vessel, and make bread for yourself. During the number of days that you lie on your side, three hundred ninety days, you shall eat it.
The food that you eat shall be twenty shekels a day by weight; at fixed times you shall eat it.
And you shall drink water by measure, one-sixth of a hin; at fixed times you shall drink.
You shall eat it as a barley-cake, baking it in their sight on human dung
The Lord said, “Thus shall the people of Israel eat their bread, unclean, among the nations to which I will drive them.” (Ezekiel 4.9-13).
In Ezekiel’s time, the ingredients for the bread were the leftover scraps found in the pantry. They symbolized the shortage of food the community would face during the siege of Jerusalem.
Ezekiel was addressing exiles in Babylon who still had loved ones in Jerusalem. His words must have been horrifying for them, as they learned about the impending destruction of their beloved city and the fate of their families.
Imagine a loaf of bread with five slices removed. Only five slices was the amount of bread people were allowed to eat in a day. The water was also rationed to a very small portion.
When wood and other materials for building fires were scarce, people would use dried cow dung as fuel. However, human excrement was considered unclean and was never used for cooking fires.
The people’s dire circumstances are evident in their removal from Jerusalem and relocation to an unclean nation. Before the exile, they endured severe hardship, with limited food supplies, scarce water, and the need to cook under extremely difficult conditions.
Exiles in 2024
The study of what happened during the exile isn’t just a history lesson for many people today. In our world, millions feel like exiles, often referred to as displaced persons or migrants.
War, economic hardship, famine, and other crises force them to leave their homes and move across the globe. Here are some modern examples that I found on the Internet that reflect these realities.
— Sudan: As of 2024, the ongoing conflict in Sudan has displaced over 10.7 million people. This includes more than 6.6 million people who have been displaced internally within Sudan, while around 1.8 million have fled to neighboring countries such as Egypt, South Sudan, and Chad.
— Ukraine: As of early 2024, the war in Ukraine has displaced an estimated 10 million people. This includes approximately 3.7 million internally displaced persons within Ukraine and around 6.3 million refugees who have fled the country, with nearly 6 million of them seeking protection across Europe.
— Israel: As of 2024, the ongoing conflict between Israel and its neighbors has displaced a significant number of people.
Within Israel, approximately 300,000 Israelis have been internally displaced due to the war, particularly following the October 2023 Hamas attacks and the northern border with Hezbollah.
Additionally, over 1.37 million Palestinians have been displaced within Gaza as a result of Israeli military operations.
— South America: As of 2024, over 21 million people across Latin America and the Caribbean have been displaced due to violence, conflict, and economic instability. Venezuela remains one of the largest sources of displacement, with millions of people fleeing the country in recent years due to its severe economic and political crisis.
These issues are overwhelming, and addressing them on a personal level is beyond most of our abilities. However, one thing we can do is pray.
Bringing these concerns before God and praying the Lord’s Prayer applies the most powerful prayer to these situations.
Another way to pray is by turning to the Psalms and allowing their words to shape our prayers for these nations. In doing so, we can participate in the solution through prayer.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 