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Ezekiel – Living Epistles
Lesson
3
–
12/20/2009
Page
1
Scripture:
Chapters
4
‐
7
Key
Verse:
“I
will
do
to
them
according
to
their
way,
And
according
to
what
they
deserve
I
will
judge
them;
Then
they
shall
know
that
I
am
the
LORD!’”
(7:27b)
Overview:
God’s
judgment
on
Israel
resulted
from
her
sinfulness.
Since
God
had
clearly
spoken
through
Moses
about
idolatry
and
its
consequences,
Israel
should
have
known
and
responded
to
the
Word
already
written.
However
God
used
his
prophet
as
a
living
illustration
for
His
people.
Ezekiel’s
life
became
an
object
lesson
for
the
disobedient.
He
was
a
“living
epistle”
from
God
to
them.
Thus,
God
used
several
methods
to
communicate
His
Word
to
those
who
willfully
ignored
it.
God
may
place
us
in
a
similar
position.
As
we
live,
our
response
to
God’
Word
in
all
circumstances
of
life
becomes
a
strong
testimony
to
those
who
need
to
submit
to
God
or
face
His
judgment.
Chapters
4
‐
24
cover
the
period
from
Ezekiel’s
call
to
the
beginning
of
the
siege
of
Jerusalem
Outline:
I.
Signs
of
Judgment
(4:1
‐
5:4)
II.
Causes
for
Judgment
(5:5
‐
6:14)
III.
Judgment
Described
(7:1
‐
27)
IV.
Results
of
Judgment
(7:1
‐
27)
Detail:
I.
Signs
of
Judgment
(4:1
‐
5:17)
a)
Introduction:
God
directed
Ezekiel
to
use
signs
in
conveying
His
message
to
Israel.
Some
have
called
these
“acted
parables”
or
“street
theater”
b)
Sign
of
the
“
clay
tablet”
and
“iron
plate”
(4:1
‐
3)
i)
Text:
“You
also,
son
of
man,
take
a
clay
tablet
and
lay
it
before
you,
and
portray
on
it
a
city,
Jerusalem.
2
Lay
siege
against
it,
build
a
siege
wall
against
it,
and
heap
up
a
mound
against
it;
set
camps
against
it
also,
and
place
battering
rams
against
it
all
around.
3
Moreover
take
for
yourself
an
iron
plate,
and
set
it
as
an
iron
wall
between
you
and
the
city.
Set
your
face
against
it,
and
it
shall
be
besieged,
and
you
shall
lay
siege
against
it.
This
will
be
a
sign
to
the
house
of
Israel”
ii)
To
Israel,
Jerusalem
was
the
heart
and
center
of
its
life
and
spiritual
activity
(1)
Represented
the
glory
and
the
uniqueness
of
Israel
–
cf
Psalm
48:2,
“
Beautiful
in
elevation,
The
joy
of
the
whole
earth,
Is
Mount
Zion
on
the
sides
of
the
north,
The
city
of
the
great
King.
”
(2)
Back
home,
false
prophets
had
persuaded
the
people
that
invaders
would
never
capture
it!
(3)
Rebellion
would
bring
destruction:
“
Zedekiah
rebelled
against
the
king
of
Babylon
”
(2
Kings
24:20)
Ezekiel – Living Epistles
Lesson
3
–
12/20/2009
Page
2
iii)
Clay
tablet
…
used
for
writing
(1)
On
this
city
map
(?)
portrayed
(2)
A
mound
was
set
(3)
Soldiers
and
siege
instruments
set
iv)
Iron
plate
(1)
Ezekiel
takes
the
role
of
besieger
–
“
Set
your
face
against
it
”
(2)
Iron
smashes
clay!
(3)
Iron
plate
may
also
represent
God’s
will
being
set
against
Israel:
“y
our
iniquities
have
separated
you
from
your
God;
And
your
sins
have
hidden
His
face
from
you,
So
that
He
will
not
hear
”
(Isaiah
59:2)
c)
Sign
of
the
prophet’s
position
(4:4
‐
8)
i)
Left
side
=
390
days
/
vs
5
/
Israel
ii)
Right
side
=
40
days
/
vs
6
/
Judah
iii)
What
does
this
represent?
(1)
His
position
may
have
pointed
to
the
N
(left
side)
then
the
S
(right
side)
(2)
390
days
for
390
years
from
division
of
the
kingdom
to
end
of
the
Babylonian
captivity
(931
BC
to
539
BC)
(??)
(3)
40
days
for
40
years
from
final
deportation
(586
BC)
to
return
(538
BC)
??
(4)
“you
shall
bear
the
iniquity
of
the
house
of
Israel”
(5)
(5)
“you
shall
bear
the
iniquity
of
the
house
of
Judah”
(6)
d)
Sign
of
the
defiled
bread
and
measured
water
(4:9
‐
17)
i)
Mixed
bread
grains
a
sign
of
poverty
&
defilement
ii)
Symbol:
“So
shall
the
children
of
Israel
eat
their
defiled
bread
among
the
Gentiles,
where
I
will
drive
them”
(vs
13)
iii)
Note
that
Ezekiel
protested
(vs
14)
iv)
Not
only
was
the
food
itself
symbolic
but
also
the
food
preparation:
(1)
Human
waste:
polluting
and
repulsive!
(vs
12,
“bake
it
using
fuel
of
human
waste
in
their
sight.”)
Cf
Deuteronomy
23:12
‐
14
&
14:3)
(2)
In
response
to
Ezekiel’s
complaint!
“I
am
giving
you
cow
dung
instead
of
human
waste,
and
you
shall
prepare
your
bread
over
it”
(15)
v)
Water
was
“by
measure,
one
‐
sixth
of
a
hin”
(11)
(1)
1/6
hin
=
0.6
liter
/
not
much
in
a
hot
parched
climate!
(2)
Symbolic
of
God’s
judgment
on
Jerusalem
:
“that
they
may
lack
bread
and
water,
and
be
dismayed
with
one
another,
and
waste
away
because
of
their
iniquity”
(17)
Ezekiel – Living Epistles
Lesson
3
–
12/20/2009
Page
3
e)
Sign
of
the
shaved
head
and
beard
(5:1
‐
4)
i)
“And
you,
son
of
man,
take
a
sharp
sword,
take
it
as
a
barber’s
razor,
and
pass
it
over
your
head
and
your
beard;
then
take
scales
to
weigh
and
divide
the
hair.
2
You
shall
burn
with
fire
one
‐
third
in
the
midst
of
the
city,
when
the
days
of
the
siege
are
finished;
then
you
shall
take
one
‐
third
and
strike
around
it
with
the
sword,
and
one
‐
third
you
shall
scatter
in
the
wind:
I
will
draw
out
a
sword
after
them.
3
You
shall
also
take
a
small
number
of
them
and
bind
them
in
the
edge
of
your
garment.
4
Then
take
some
of
them
again
and
throw
them
into
the
midst
of
the
fire,
and
burn
them
in
the
fire.
From
there
a
fire
will
go
out
into
all
the
house
of
Israel”
ii)
1/3
burn
iii)
1/3
strike
w
sword
iv)
1/3
scatter
to
the
wind
v)
Bind
“a
small
number”
vi)
Of
that
small
number
burn
some
vii)
The
small
number
represented
a
remnant
to
be
saved!
(1)
5:12,
“
One
‐
third
of
you
shall
die
of
the
pestilence,
and
be
consumed
with
famine
in
your
midst;
and
one
‐
third
shall
fall
by
the
sword
all
around
you;
and
I
will
scatter
another
third
to
all
the
winds,
and
I
will
draw
out
a
sword
after
them.
”
(2)
Cf
Ezekiel
6:8,
“
Yet
I
will
leave
a
remnant,
so
that
you
may
have
some
who
escape
the
sword
among
the
nations,
when
you
are
scattered
through
the
countries.
”
II.
Causes
for
Judgment
(5:5
‐
6:14)
a)
God
intended
Israel
to
be
the
great
monotheistic
missionary
to
the
nations
of
ancient
world
b)
Instead
had
excelled
the
heathen
nations
in
idolatry!
c)
Rebellion
(5:6,7),
“
She
has
rebelled
against
My
judgments
by
doing
wickedness
more
than
the
nations,
and
against
My
statutes
more
than
the
countries
that
are
all
around
her;
for
they
have
refused
My
judgments,
and
they
have
not
walked
in
My
statutes.
”
d)
Idolatry
(5:8,9),
“
And
I
will
do
among
you
what
I
have
never
done,
and
the
like
of
which
I
will
never
do
again,
because
of
all
your
abominations.
”
e)
Defilement
(5:11),
“
because
you
have
defiled
My
sanctuary
with
all
your
detestable
things
and
with
all
your
abominations,
therefore
I
will
also
diminish
you;
My
eye
will
not
spare,
nor
will
I
have
any
pity
”
f)
Spiritual
Adultery
(6:8
‐
10),
“T
hen
those
of
you
who
escape
will
remember
Me
among
the
nations
where
they
are
carried
captive,
because
I
was
crushed
by
their
adulterous
heart
which
has
departed
from
Me,
and
by
their
eyes
which
play
the
harlot
after
their
idols
”
(9)
g)
Horrendously
portrayed
in
5:10
‐
17
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