Ezekiel’s experience with the exiles in Babylon revealed their refusal to listen to God or obey His commands. Although they had the ability to see and hear what God was offering them, their spiritual stubbornness led them to reject God’s warnings delivered through His prophets.
The word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, you are living in the midst of a rebellious house; they have eyes to see but do not see, they have ears to hear but do not hear; for they are a rebellious house (Ezekiel 12.1-2).
Ezekiel often was used as a sign prophet. I have summarized the next signs that God gave to Ezekiel in bullet points.
- God instructs Ezekiel to prepare exile’s baggage and go into exile in the sight of the people, hoping they might understand their rebelliousness (v. 3).
It seems that everyone kept a bag packed with basic necessities in case of a disruption, so Ezekiel having a bag would not have surprised the people.
- Ezekiel is to bring out his baggage by day and go out in the evening as an exile, in full view of the people (v. 4).
- He is commanded to dig through the wall in their sight and carry the baggage through it (v. 5).
- Ezekiel is to carry the baggage on his shoulder at night, with his face covered so he cannot see the land, acting as a sign for the house of Israel (v. 6).
- Ezekiel obeys exactly as instructed, bringing out his baggage by day, digging through the wall, and carrying it on his shoulder in the dark (v. 7).
Similar to Ezekiel’s earlier sign of the siege of Jerusalem, this one depicted someone attempting to escape the city, covering their eyes in grief over never being able to see the land of Israel again.
Ezekiel’s Explanation
The ruling family in Judah consisted of two brothers: Jehoiachin, who had been exiled to Babylon along with Ezekiel in 597 BC, and Zedekiah, who remained in Judah. Somewhere between 593 and 590 BC, Ezekiel was prophesying the downfall of Zedekiah, Jehoiachin’s brother.
Here is a summary of Ezekiel’s message in bullet form.
- The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the next morning (v. 8).
- God acknowledges that the rebellious house of Israel has questioned Ezekiel, asking, “What are you doing?” (v. 9).
- God instructs Ezekiel to tell them that this prophecy concerns the prince in Jerusalem (Zedekiah) and all the people of Israel (v. 10).
Zedekiah was a puppet ruler installed by the Babylonians, not a legitimate king. Ezekiel emphasizes this by intentionally referring to him only as “the prince” rather than acknowledging him as a king.
- Ezekiel explains that his actions are a sign: just as he acted, the people and their leaders will go into exile and captivity (v. 11).
- The prince will attempt to flee in the dark with his belongings, digging through the wall and covering his face to avoid seeing the land (v. 12).
- God will capture the prince, bringing him to Babylon, but he will not see it and will die there (v. 13).
Zedekiah not only never saw the land of Judah again, but he also never saw anything again. The Babylonians followed a common practice they used with captured rulers—Zedekiah was blinded before being taken into captivity.
- God will scatter the prince’s supporters, troops, and helpers, and pursue them with the sword (v. 14).
When I was serving a church in Louisiana, I gave a young man a ride who was walking down the road, and he proudly showed me one of his new knives. It was large and intimidating. As he boasted about it, I told him, “Those who live by the sword will die by the sword.”
Tragically, I was the last person to see him alive. Later that night, he went out with some friends who were heavily under the influence of drugs and alcohol. They used the very knife he had shown me in a horrific act against him. The coroner later told me he had never seen someone so severely injured.
God’s words ring true for all of us, whether it’s ancient kings with hard-to-pronounce names, modern-day dictators, or young men trying to show off their power. God offers a way of life, but the way of the world often leads to death and suffering.
Our wisest choice is to align our lives with God’s will and to pray that everyone we know does the same.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 