Ezekiel's actions as symbolic

EZEKIEL   CHAPTER 4

God told Ezekiel to take a large brick and set it in front of him and then draw a map of Jerusalem on it. He told him to build siege ramps against the city walls and surround it with enemy camps and battering rams. Then he said to take an iron griddle and place it between himself and the city and turn toward it to show how the enemy would attack Jerusalem. This would be Ezekiel's warning to the people.

God continued to tell Ezekiel to lie on hs left side and place the sins of the people on himself. He was to bear their sins for the number of days he lay on his side which would be 390 days, one day for each of Judah's sins. Meanwhile, Ezekiel was to still lay on his side with one arm bared to prophesy the seige.

Then God told Ezekiel to go get some barley,beans, lentils,millet and spelt and mix them togeteher in a storage jar. He was to use this to make bread for the 390 days while he lay on his side. He was urged to ration the food to only eight ounces each day and his water was to be measured each day. The people would be watching him bake his bread over a fire using dried human dung as fuel to heat  the bread. For the Lord said Israel would eat defiled bread in the Gentile lands, where he banished them.

Ezekiel asked the Lord why he must eat food defiled by human dung, as he had never been defiled before. And the Lord changed his mind and let Ezekiel use cow dung instead. He also told Ezekiel of the coming of a time when food and water would be so scarce as to be portioned out drop by drop and the people would waste away.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW : That Ezekiel's acting out of the seige and fall of Jerusalem, came before the seige occurred. Each detail that the Lord gave him, had a specific meaning.

HOW DOES THIS CHAPTER RELATE TO US TODAY? Ezekiel lay on his left side for 390 days and his right side for 40 days to show Judah would be punished for 40 years. During the time he did this, the people of Jerusalem heard his occasional speeches.
It seems an odd request to not use human dung for his fire, but we must remember the strict laws of purity a priest followed in those days.To use human dung for fuel would paint a dramatic picture of ruin. It showed there was nothing left in the city for fuel and thus impossible to follow the Lord's laws for sacrifices.

Use Ezekiel's example and remember how he sacrificed whenever we feel insignificant or feel out of control looking at world events.Knowing that God cares for you can bring you a sense of purpose to our lives. Praise his Holy name!

Yours in Christ,
Mary

Prayer Requests are needed for:


HEALTH:

Pray for my grandson, new baby Gunar who was born with kidney problems.

Pray for my grandson Hunter who is lost and afraid and far away from home.

Pray for Gary and Steve my insurance men who have prostate cancer.

Pray for Arlene’s nephew David and for my neighbor Al who is nearing the end of his life.

Pray for Carolyn’s brother Ronald who has cancer and who recently underwent major surgery.

Pray for our friend Michelle who was diagnosed with a form of MS.

Pray for Robert Sargent who is quite ill with lung cancer.

Pray for Gary Summers, my friend from church, who has cancer.

Pray too for Charly’s husband Robert who has been undergoing chemo. Pray also for Charly who longs to be 100 percent again and walk without an aid.

Pray for James’s sister Cynthia whose chemo has lost its effect as the cancer grows powerful.

SPIRITUAL UPLIFTING: Gail, Mary

RESTORATION OF FAITH: Al, John

LOVE AND SUPPORT: Claire, Hunter, Brian

SUPPORT: Pray for our country’s leaders and our military people who die each day for our freedom. Pray for our farmers and those who raise livestock during this terrible drought. Pray for us consumers who will face higher grocery prices and the poor who won’t be able to adjust what little budget they have.