A Three Part Story
Ezekiel 12
Emmanuel Christian Church 4.14.24
INTRODUCTION: I’ve entitled this morning’s message from Ezekiel
chapter 12: “A Three Part Story”. Now, I use the term “story” carefully
because everything you are about to hear is true and actually took place.
But this morning’s message isn’t merely a history lesson- it’s a story filled
with life lessons.
Life lessons are peculiar things. They are frequently filled with pain
and hardship, but learning them has the power to spare us from future
pain and hardship. They do not seek up on us, but they often surprise us.
They are not the product of our circumstances, but our circumstances are
almost always the product of our choices. Which brings the to the point
behind everything I am about to say:
PROPOSITION: Life’s lessons can be costly, but they are priceless to
own.
TRANSITION: Now, you can pay the cost yourself, or you can learn the
lessons for free by just watching others as they pay the cost. Our “Three
Part Story” comes in three chapters written by the poor choices of the
ancient Jews who just had to learn life’s lessons for themselves, the hard
way, and at great personal cost.
CHAPTER 1: “REBELLION”
Ezekiel 12:1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, you are
living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see
and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.
Ezekiel 12:3 “Therefore, son of man, pack your belongings for exile and in
the daytime, as they watch, set out and go from where you are to another
place. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house. 4
During the daytime, while they watch, bring out your belongings packed
for exile. Then in the evening, while they are watching, go out like those
who go into exile. 5 While they watch, dig through the wall and take your
belongings out through it. 6 Put them on your shoulder as they are
watching and carry them out at dusk. Cover your face so that you cannot
see the land, for I have made you a sign to the house of Israel.”Ezekiel 12:7 So I did as I was commanded. During the day I brought out
my things packed for exile. Then in the evening I dug through the wall with
my hands. I took my belongings out at dusk, carrying them on my
shoulders while they watched.
Life Lesson: Rebellion against God leaves you blind and deaf.
- Maybe not physically blind and deaf, but (even worse) spiritually,
intellectually blind and deaf!
- Listen to God’s warning to us from Israel’s history:
Hebrews 3:7 So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, 8
do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of
testing in the desert, 9 where your fathers tested and tried me and for
forty years saw what I did.
- Although the people had eyes to see, their rebellion kept them
wandering and straying in the desert for 40 years!
- Although the people had ears to hear, they would not listen to their
leader Moses as he spoke the truth of God.
- 860 years later, you’d think that God’s people would have learned to
listen and obey His word- NOT THE CASE! So what was God to do
when His people stopped listening to, and obeying His Word?
PLAYACTING! That’s right! God instructed His prophet Ezekiel to act
out a play!
- Now remember, all the while up until this point Ezekiel has been holed
up in his house. Yes, he has been transported in a vision back to
Jerusalem, but his physical body has been in his house!
- God tells Ezekiel, pack up your bags like your getting ready to “bug-
out”!
- God further instructs Ezekiel, when evening comes, under cover of
darkness, leave your house. BUT don’t use the front door! Instead,
dig a hole through an exterior wall and make your escape- oh, and
cover your face so you can’t see where you are going!
APPLICATION: Weird stuff to be sure! But God had a simple purpose- to
cut through the spiritual blindness and deafness of His people so that they
might learn some important life lessons! What were those lessons? That
brings us to…CHAPTER 2: “THE END”
Ezekiel 12:8 In the morning the word of the LORD came to me: 9 “Son of
man, did not that rebellious house of Israel ask you, ‘What are you doing?’
Ezekiel 12:10 “Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: This
oracle concerns the prince in Jerusalem and the whole house of Israel who
are there.’ 11 Say to them, ‘I am a sign to you.’
“As I have done, so it will be done to them. They will go into exile as
captives.
Ezekiel 12:12 “The prince among them will put his things on his shoulder
at dusk and leave, and a hole will be dug in the wall for him to go through.
He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land. 13 I will spread my
net for him, and he will be caught in my snare; I will bring him to Babylonia,
the land of the Chaldeans, but he will not see it, and there he will die. 14 I
will scatter to the winds all those around him — his staff and all his troops
— and I will pursue them with drawn sword.
Ezekiel 12:15 “They will know that I am the LORD, when I disperse them
among the nations and scatter them through the countries. 16 But I will
spare a few of them from the sword, famine and plague, so that in the
nations where they go they may acknowledge all their detestable
practices. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”
Ezekiel 12:17 The word of the LORD came to me: 18 “Son of man,
tremble as you eat your food, and shudder in fear as you drink your water.
19 Say to the people of the land: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says
about those living in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel: They will eat their
food in anxiety and drink their water in despair, for their land will be
stripped of everything in it because of the violence of all who live there. 20
The inhabited towns will be laid waste and the land will be desolate. Then
you will know that I am the LORD.’”
Life Lesson: You can’t escape the long arm of the Lord.
- Ezekiel tells his confused audience, his one act play was all about what
was just about to happen 900 miles away back in the city of Jerusalem!
- The “prince” of Jerusalem was none other than the last king to reign in
Judah- king Zedekiah.
- Zedekiah had been installed by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon as
his political toady. As long as Zedekiah obeyed Nebuchadnezzar, hecould pretend to be king of Judah. That lasted for a while, until
Zedekiah got too big for his britches and decided to rebel against
Babylon!
- The long and short of the story is this:
- Neb laid siege to Zed.
- The walls of Jerusalem were breached.
- Zed tried to escape in the middle of the night through the wall of the
city, but Neb’s army captured him.
- To put an end to the rebellion, Neb had Zed’s sons all executed
before Zed’s eyes- and then, he had Zed’s eyes GOUGED OUT!
- Blind and defeated, they took Zed back to Babylon- where he died.
APPLICATION: Oh the high price of rebellion! Understand this- this all
took place because it was God’s will! Nebuchadnezzar could not have
done any of this on his own. God was using Neb like a whip to bring
judgment on Zed. Life Lesson: You can’t escape the long arm of the
Lord!
- As horrific was this scene, God promised that the people of
Jerusalem were NOT going to fare any better:
- God promised that they would be pursued by the sword, and
suffer from famine and plague!
- They would eat their food in ANXIETY.
- They would drink their water in DESPAIR.
- They would be stripped to the point of POVERTY.
APPLICATION: The people of Jerusalem would suffer all these things,
because like Zedekiah their “king”, they too had chosen to rebel against
the LORD. Life Lesson: You can’t escape the long arm of the Lord!
That brings unto our final chapter:
CHAPTER 3: “NEVER SAY NEVER”
Ezekiel 12:21 The word of the LORD came to me: 22 “Son of man, what
is this proverb you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by and every
vision comes to nothing’? 23 Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign
LORD says: I am going to put an end to this proverb, and they will no
longer quote it in Israel.’ Say to them, ‘The days are near when everyvision will be fulfilled. 24 For there will be no more false visions or
flattering divinations among the people of Israel. 25 But I the LORD will
speak what I will, and it shall be fulfilled without delay. For in your days,
you rebellious house, I will fulfill whatever I say, declares the Sovereign
LORD.’”
Ezekiel 12:26 The word of the LORD came to me: 27 “Son of man, the
house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision he sees is for many years from now,
and he prophesies about the distant future.’
Ezekiel 12:28 “Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD
says: None of my words will be delayed any longer; whatever I say will be
fulfilled, declares the Sovereign LORD.’”
Life Lesson: Don’t get too comfortable.
- Nobody likes to hear bad news.
- Immediately, we kick into the denial mode. After all, if we can
convince ourselves that “Things aren’t THAT bad.” maybe we will
avoid the consequences for our bad choices!
- Like the frog being slowly boiled to death in a pan of water,
wickedness and rebellion keeps rising the temperature until - well, you
get the picture!
- I’m sure that the residents of Jerusalem were saying things like:
- We’ll be OK, the walls around our city are thick and tall- we’ll be safe!
- Our leaders know what they are doing!
- Hey, this is Jerusalem, GOD’S CITY, that will NEVER happen here!
APPLICATION: Have WE learned this life lesson? This is America! The
“walls” of our financial and military power are “thick and tall”- we’ll be
safe! The leaders of our “world’s oldest constitutional republic” know what
they’re doing! He this is America! Our Founding Fathers built this nation on
godly principles- disaster will NEVER happen here!
Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any
people.
Proverbs 10:27 The fear of the LORD adds length to life, but the years of
the wicked are cut short.
Proverbs 15:16 Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth
with turmoil.Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the LORD leads to life: Then one rests content,
untouched by trouble.
Proverbs 22:4 Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor
and life.
And, my grandmother’s favorite verse (she was a wise woman who had
learned many of life’s lessons):
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your
own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make
your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD
and shun evil.
