Ezekiel 03(16–27)

Introduction

This is now our third Sunday in the book of Ezekiel. And what a time Ezekiel has been having! In chapter 1, he said the heavens were opened and he saw visions of God. This was while he was among the exiles from Judah in the land of Babylon. And first of all he saw a windstorm and an immense cloud with flashing lightning and a brilliant light and fire like glowing metal. And then he saw four living creatures each with four wings and four faces. And these were angels. And then he saw four wheels, one beside each of the living creatures and the angels and wheels seem to move in tandem. And then above the angels and wheels was what looked like an expanse. So, perhaps it was some kind of platform that was as expansive as the sky. And then above the expanse was a throne that looked as if it was made from sapphire. And high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man, but the figure’s top half was like glowing metal and his lower half was like fire. And a light radiated from this figure, which was like a rainbow in the sky. And Ezekiel realised that what he was looking at was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. God was revealing himself to Ezekiel in human form and his glory shone around.

And so, what a privilege! To be brought into the presence of the Lord God Almighty, the Most High God, the maker of heaven and earth. What a privilege! And I said that this is the privilege which every believer will enjoy once Christ returns in glory and with power to raise the dead and to bring his people into the new heavens and earth, where we will see the glory of God in the face of Christ and we’ll worship him for ever. That’s what the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden signified. And it’s what Christ has won for us by his life and death and resurrection for us and for our salvation. He has won for us the right to eternal life in the presence of God where we will see God and where we’ll worship him and where we’ll enjoy perfect peace and rest and joy for ever and ever: fullness of joy and pleasures for evermore.

But God appeared to Ezekiel for a specific reason: it was to commission him as the Lord’s prophet. If Ezekiel had remained in Judah, he would have served the Lord as a priest. But now that he was in exile, God was calling him to be a prophet and to declare God’s word to his people in exile.

But it wasn’t going to be an easy task, was it? God made clear to Ezekiel that God’s people were rebellious. They had been in revolt against him since the days of their forefathers and right up to the present. And the Lord also made clear that the people would not listen to Ezekiel. If God has sent Ezekiel to a foreign nation, then his task would have been easier. Foreigners would listen to him. Think, for instance, of the people of Nineveh who listened to Jonah. If God had sent him to people like that, they would have listened. But God’s own people were not going to listen to Ezekiel. And they weren’t going to listen to him, because they would not listen to God. They were hard-hearted. They were rebellious. They would not accept God’s word.

But God was going to make Ezekiel hard and unyielding. God was going to make him hard as flint. Since the people were hard, then God was going to make Ezekiel hard, so that you’d have this kind of battle of wills between the people who were rebellious and Ezekiel who was serving the Lord.

And so, what a privilege for Ezekiel to be brought into the presence of God to see his glory! But what a difficult task he had been given: to preach to people who would not listen. So, Ezekiel was given a great privilege, but he was faced with a hard and difficult task. And perhaps that’s why we read in verse 14 of chapter 3 that when he went back to the exiles, with the strong hand of the Lord on him, he went in bitterness and in anger. Seeing the glory of the Lord was one thing, but who wants to be handed an almost impossible job to do? Who wants to preach to unwilling, hard-hearted and rebellious people? And yet that’s the task which God gave to Ezekiel.

And in today’s passage, we see once again that it’s not going to be easy for Ezekiel. In verses 16 to 21 the Lord tells Ezekiel that he’s to be a kind of watchmen for God’s people. And in verses 22 to 27 Ezekiel undergoes a strange experience when he’s shut in his house and he’s bound with ropes and his tongue is made to stick to the roof of his mouth so that he cannot speak unless the Lord opens his mouth. It’s all very strange and it’s all very difficult.

Verses 16 to 21

At the end of verse 15 we were told that God the Spirit brought Ezekiel to the exiles at Tel Abib and there he sat among them for seven days, overwhelmed by what he had seen and heard. And at the opening of today’s passage, in verse 16, the seven days are over. And that’s when the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel again. And once again the Lord addressed him as ‘Son of man’. I said last week that that phrase emphasises that he’s only a son of man. He’s only a man, a mortal. He’s merely mortal and therefore he’s obligated to listen to the Lord God his Creator, who is the Most High God over all.

And the Lord said to him that he has made Ezekiel a watchman for the house of Israel. Let’s think of the role of a watchman in those days. Imagine an Israelite village or city during a time of war. Watchmen would be posted on the city wall or in a high tower or on some other elevated area; and they were required to keep watch to see if the enemy was coming near. If the watchmen spotted the enemy army, then they had to blow a trumpet or shout out loudly to warn the rest of the people that their enemy was coming and they needed to get ready. An early warning was imperative in order to prepare the people for the approaching danger.

And I’ve watched enough war movies in my lifetime to know that if the watchman or look-out falls asleep or isn’t paying attention when the enemy attacks, then he’s in big trouble, because he had one job to do. He had one job to do, which was to keep a look-out for the enemy. And he failed to do it. And because he failed to do his job, the enemy was able to attack them and perhaps people were killed. And it was the watchman’s fault. He was responsible for their deaths, because he fell asleep on duty.

So, that’s the role of the watchman. And the Lord was making Ezekiel a watchman for the house of Israel. And when he refers to the house of Israel, he means God’s people who are in exile. Even though the Lord has exiled them to Babylon, they have not humbled themselves before the Lord. They have not confessed their sins to him and pleaded with him for mercy. They’re still in rebellion. And God is appointing Ezekiel to be their watchman; and according to verse 17, Ezekiel was to give them warning from God. But this is not merely a warning from God, this is a warning about God. The Lord is telling Ezekiel that Ezekiel is to warn God’s people in exile about what God is going to do to them. God is going to punish them for their ongoing sin and rebellion. And Ezekiel is to warn them about it. God is going to be like an advancing army. He’s going to come on them like an enemy army. He’s coming to afflict them. And Ezekiel must therefore warn the people about what the Lord their God is going to do to them.

And the Lord goes on to describe four scenarios for Ezekiel. Four scenarios or four cases. Case 1 is in verse 18 and it’s the case of a wicked man. So, this is a member of God’s people, but he’s wicked. He has no regard for the law of the Lord. He has no desire to obey the Lord or to walk in his ways. And therefore he deserves to die, because the wages of sin is death. But since Ezekiel has been made a watchman, then Ezekiel must warn the wicked man. He must warn him of the judgment which will befall him unless he turns from his wickedness and turns to the Lord for mercy. That’s what Ezekiel must do. But if Ezekiel fails to warn him then that wicked man will die for his sin. He will die, because the wages of sin is death. He deserved to die. But the Lord will also hold Ezekiel accountable for his blood because Ezekiel did not warn him. If Ezekiel did not warn him, then Ezekiel failed to do his duty. He was like a watchman who falls asleep on duty. And being accountable for the wicked man’s blood means the Lord will treat Ezekiel as a murderer.

That’s Case 1. Case 2 is in verse 19 and it’s the case of a wicked man again who deserves to die for his wickedness. But in this case, Ezekiel warned the man. Ezekiel warned him of the impending judgment. He warned him that God was coming like an enemy army to punish him. However, despite Ezekiel’s warning, the wicked man continued in his wickedness. He did not turn from it and he did not turn from his evil ways. And so, he too will die for his sins, because the wages of sin is death and he did not turn from his sins and turn to the Lord for mercy. However, in this case, the Lord will not hold Ezekiel accountable, because Ezekiel did what he was supposed to do. As the watchman, he warned the wicked man of the impending judgment. Whether the man listened or failed to listen was not Ezekiel’s responsibility.

That’s the second case. The third case is in verse 20 and it’s the case of a righteous man. So, this is someone who was careful to do what was right in the eyes of the Lord. And so, he walked in the ways of the Lord. He walked on the right paths. At least that’s what he used to do, but for some unknown reason he turned from his righteousness and did evil. And we’re to fill in the blanks a little, because the assumption is that Ezekiel did not warn him that if he continued to do evil, God will punish him. Ezekiel was like a sleeping watchman and did not warn the man. And so, he continued to do evil. In this case, the man will die because of his sin. And God will hold Ezekiel accountable for his life, because Ezekiel did not warn him.

That’s the third case. Case 4 is in verse 21 and it’s the case of a righteous person again. And it’s not clear if he’s like the righteous man in case 3 who turned from his righteousness to do evil, or whether this righteous man is only tempted to do evil. So, perhaps he hasn’t done evil yet, but he’s tempted to do it. But Ezekiel warns him of the consequences of turning away from the Lord. And this man listens to Ezekiel’s warning and he does not sin. Either he resists the temptation to sin or he turns from the sin he has already committed. And so, God will let him live. And in this case, God will have nothing against Ezekiel because Ezekiel had done his duty.

So, that’s the four cases. A wicked man wasn’t warned and died. A wicked man was warned, but disregarded the warning and died. A righteous man turned to sin and wasn’t warned and died. And a righteous man was warned about his sin and lived. What’s the point of these four scenarios? What lesson is the Lord teaching Ezekiel? It’s not really about repentance. The focus is not about what the men did or didn’t do. The focus is on Ezekiel and on his responsibility as a watchman.

A watchman has one job to do: it’s to warn people of impending attack. He’s not accountable for how the people respond and whether they listen or fail to listen. But he will be held accountable if he fails to warn the people. And a prophet of the Lord — a prophet like Ezekiel — wasn’t responsible for whether or not the people listened to the word of the Lord. But he was responsible for proclaiming the word of the Lord faithfully. The task of the prophet was to preach the word no matter how the people responded.

Application

And this is instructive for us today, because in the church today we often get drawn into discussions and debates about what’s the best method for reaching people. Christians sit around discussing how to get people to listen to the message of Christ. What can we do to make the message more interesting or appealing or attractive? What can we do to persuade men and women and children to believe?

But getting someone to believe is not our job. Getting someone to believe is not our responsibility. That’s God’s work. What we’re to do is to tell people what the Lord has said in his word. Whether you’re doing that personally with someone you know, or whether it’s the preacher from the pulpit, we’re to tell people what the Lord has said in his word. And people might listen. Or they might not. If they don’t listen, they will answer to the Lord for it one day. But what we’re to do, when the opportunity arises, is to tell them what the Lord has said in his word.

People today have no idea what the Bible says. And so, when we have the opportunity — when someone asks us what we believe — we’re to explain to them what the Bible says. People today have no idea what the gospel is. And so, when we have the opportunity — when someone asks us what we believe — we’re to explain to them what it is. If God opens their heart to the message, they will believe. If God does not open their heart, they will not believe. But the job of the preacher is to preach to them and to set forth the word of the Lord plainly. And when the opportunity arises — when you’re going about your daily business and someone asks you about what you believe; when they want to know the reason for your hope — your job is to tell them as plainly and as simply as possible.

Verses 22 to 27

But let’s move on to verses 22 to 27 where Ezekiel records for us this strange experience he had.

The hand of the Lord was on him and the Lord spoke to him, telling him to get up and to go out to the plain. So, he was to leave Tel Abib, where some of the exiles were living, and he was to go out into the countryside nearby. And when he got there, he saw that the glory of the Lord was standing here. So, he saw again what he had seen in chapter 1: the Lord revealed his glory to him. And once again, he fell face down before the Lord. Presumably he fell face down in fear and dread, because here he was, only a man, a mere son of man, appearing in the presence of the Most Holy and the Most High God.

And once again God the Holy Spirit entered him and raised him to his feet. One day — when Christ comes again — the Holy Spirit will renew us completely in body and soul so that we’re able to stand in the presence of God. And here’s Ezekiel receiving a kind of foretaste of that. And God spoke to him and told him to shut himself inside his house. Do you see that in verse 24? Now, this is odd, isn’t it? God has appointed him to be a prophet. His task is to proclaim God’s word to the people. He’s to warn them like a watchman. And yet, instead of telling him to get out among the people, God now tells him to shut himself up in his house. What’s going on?

And then, in verse 25, the Lord tells him that ‘they’ will tie him with ropes. He doesn’t say who ‘they’ are, but presumably the Lord is referring to his people in exile. Some of the exiles will tie him with ropes. And so, he will be bound so that he cannot go out among the people.

And then the Lord tells him in verse 26 that the Lord will make his tongue stick to the roof of his mouth so that he will be silent. The people will tie his body and the Lord will tie his tongue. And we learn from elsewhere in Ezekiel that he remained tongue-tied like this for seven years. And again, we’re wondering what’s going on and what does it all mean?

And the Lord goes on to say that, because he’s silent, he won’t be able to rebuke the people. And this strikes us as puzzling, because the Lord has appointed Ezekiel to be a watchman and to warn the people. There’s not much difference between rebuking and warning, is there? So, what’s going on? Why is the Lord preventing him from rebuking or warning them?

Well, look now at verse 27, where the Lord says that when he speaks to Ezekiel, he will open Ezekiel’s mouth so that he’s able to proclaim the word of the Sovereign Lord to them. And whoever will listen let him listen; and whoever will refuse to listen let him refuse.

So, what’s going on? It seems that from that time on Ezekiel is to live on his own and not say anything unless the Lord tells him to speak. And when the Lord tells him to speak, it’s to warn them about his judgment. So, when other people were out and about, going about their daily business or enjoying each other’s company, he was to remain at home. He wasn’t to go out and about like others. And when other people were free to do what they want, he was restricted. And when others people could chat about this and that, he was not allowed to speak except when it was time to proclaim the word of the Lord.

And so, from that time on, he was to be the Lord’s prophet and he was to do nothing else. The only time he was allowed to go out and the only time he was allowed to speak was when the Lord said he could. And the only message he was to proclaim was the word of the Lord. He wasn’t even to rebuke them in his own name. He was to declare the word of the Lord and that only.

Application

And in this way he foreshadows the Lord Jesus Christ who came into the world to do nothing except the will of his Father in heaven.

The Lord Jesus, of course, was not confined to his house and he was not tied with ropes. His tongue was not tied either. But wherever he went, whatever he did, whatever he said was according to the will of his Father in heaven. In that sense, he was constrained like Ezekiel. He wasn’t constrained physically, but what he said and what he did was constrained because he had come to do, not his own will, but to do the will of his Father in heaven. The words he spoke were not his own words, but words he was given to say. And the work he came to do was given to him by his Father. And it was the Father’s will for Christ to be taken away from everyone else and to be nailed to a cross and to become thirsty so that his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth and to give up his life on the cross as the once-for-all, perfect sacrifice for sins. The Father sent him to do this, because this was the way to satisfy the justice of God which was against us and to cleanse us of our guilt. And the Lord Jesus suffered all of this, because he was wholly devoted to doing his Father’s will.

Martha — do you remember? — was distracted by many things. And for a while after the Lord’s resurrection, the disciples went back to fishing. But the Lord set his face to go to Jerusalem and he would not let anyone or anything distract him from the work he had come to do.

And so, like Ezekiel, the Lord Jesus was constrained by his Father’s will. Of course, he wasn’t constrained against his will. He wasn’t in any way reluctant to do his Father’s will. By contrast, Ezekiel went in bitterness and in anger. We saw that last week. But the Lord Jesus did not hesitate to do his Father’s will. In John 4, he said that doing his Father’s will was like food to him. It sustained him and brought him satisfaction. And in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he thought about the suffering that was before him, he nevertheless submitting himself to his Father’s will. Ezekiel was reluctant, but the Lord Jesus was willing.

And whereas Ezekiel’s message was only a message of warning and judgment, the Lord’s message was a message of grace and mercy and forgiveness and salvation. Yes, he warned sinners about the coming judgment and how he would one day come as a king to judge the living and the dead and to separate the righteous and the wicked. But he also spoke of forgiveness and he promised the free gift of eternal life to all who believed in his name. And he brought comfort to the downhearted and he gave hope to the hopeless and he promised to be with his people always to the end of the age. Ezekiel’s message was a message of warning and judgment, but Christ’s message was a message of peace and joy and life. He spoke the words of eternal life.

And all who believe in him receive forgiveness and eternal life. And not only do we receive forgiveness and eternal life, but we also receive the Spirit of the Lord Jesus who works in us to constrain us and to bend our will so that it corresponds with the Father’s will.

The Holy Spirit doesn’t shut us up in our homes. He doesn’t tie our bodies with ropes. He doesn’t tie our tongues either. He doesn’t restrain us like that. In fact, in a sense, he makes us free, because he works in us to free us more and more from the power of sin in our lives. And he therefore frees us from our sinful desires and inclinations and he frees us from hatred and bitterness and from envy and greed and selfishness and pride. He frees us from those things.

But he also constrains us because he makes us more and more willing and able to do God’s will here on earth. He makes us people whose only ambition in life is to glorify our Father in heaven. He enables us to busy ourselves with doing God’s will from the moment we get up to the moment we go to bed, so that wherever we go, we’re seeking to bring glory and honour to God by the things we say and do. And so, whatever we find ourselves doing, he enables us to do it for God and his glory. And in this way, he makes us like our Saviour. And he keeps us on the narrow path that leads eventually to everlasting life in the new and better world to come, where we will see the glory of God and we’ll enjoy perfect peace and rest and joy for ever.