Ezekiel 12:1-28 Exile Play
God is giving Ezekiel another dramatic presentation to show the exiles. It is an “exile play” with baggage, escape, and all. Coming SOON, contrary to their beliefs.
I love the ‘street performances’ God calls Ezekiel to do. They can’t help but get the attention of the people. If for no other reason than to ask, “What is he doing NOW?” In fact, God WANTS them to ask that. He wants to draw them into the story and make them ask questions.
God gives Ezekiel directions for what, where, when, why, and how to perform this lesson for the people. I have a couple of questions that I’m tagging onto the specific instructions.
What: prepare for yourself an exile’s baggage (what is in an “exile’s baggage”?)
Where: in the sight of the other exiles, from one place to another place (from where to where?)
When: by day and also at dusk
Why: because the people are rebellious and maybe they can be reached this way
How: enact escaping through a hole in the wall at dusk: bring your exile baggage out in the day so the people will see it. At dusk, dig through the wall and bring your baggage out through the hole and carry it on your shoulders. Cover your face so you can’t see the land and go from one place to another place. (did the baggage sit outside his house all day or was he to walk to a wall with it and be ready at dusk for the rest of it?)
Ezekiel did exactly as God told him to do. We don’t hear how the people reacted or received his message. We don’t hear any exchange between Ezekiel and the people. But GOD heard it and He tells Ezekiel exactly what to say to those who ask.
Ezekiel was enacting the fall of Jerusalem. Digging through the wall, escaping at dusk, covering the face so you can’t see all happened in a fashion when Jerusalem fell. King Zedekiah, his family, some of the soldiers, and his advisors snuck out through a breach in the wall just before the city fell. They did this at dusk the night before the fall. They were captured and the king’s eyes were put out after he witnessed his family being killed in front of him. He wouldn’t see the land, either Israel or Babylon again. And he died in Babylon.
This ‘street theatre’ would have taken place before the events they depicted. It wouldn’t have been much of a warning if it came afterwards. It would have simply been reenacting history. God wanted the people to KNOW that He is God and has ALL this planned out in advance. He KNOWS what will transpire LONG before it does. And when it does, they can look back and see His accuracy. The fact that God let a few escape, so they could bring the stories of the account, is important. It demonstrates His desire to have His ‘accuracy’ verified. This way the people will KNOW that He is God and has ALL things in His hands.
Another issue God wanted to deal with is the people believing that these things were never going to happen, at least not in their lifetime. They were like King Hezekiah in that they didn’t concern themselves with what the future held. God’s discipline, in their eyes, was forever promised but never received. God is correcting their assumptions. God’s promise of discipline was happening VERY SOON.
I half understand where they are coming from. Since the day Jesus left, it has been promised that He would return. Many times, from Bible days to today, people have pointed to the ‘signs’ and said “It’s NOW!” My mother told me that she was hoping God would hold off on the rapture until after her wedding. That was over 60 years ago so I believe she got her wish. We are seeing many of the signs spoken of in regards to the end times but we will not know for certain if it IS now until ‘now’ passes.
God’s promises ALWAYS come true. His ‘soon’ doesn’t have to look anything like our ‘soon’ to be true. But when He says plainly that certain things WILL take place within a specific person’s lifetime, you can take that one to the bank! It WILL happen as He said. Jeremiah was told that the judgment of Judah would happen in his lifetime. I don’t know for sure if he shared this detail with others but I wouldn’t be surprised if he did. The people Ezekiel is speaking to aren’t getting a ‘save this date’ announcement but a SOON wake up call. What Ezekiel has just portrayed in their sight will happen in their lifetime.
I can’t say that Jesus will come again in my lifetime but He WILL come again, just as He said. ANYONE who tries to give you a ‘save this date’ announcement is NOT hearing from God. Not even Jesus knows the day or the hour. Only God does. And He is NOT sharing it with ANY human being, no matter how ‘religious’ or ‘scholarly’, before He shares it with His Son. Bottom line, work and live as if He coming back any moment but prepare to continue this course for as long as it takes.
Father God, I would have liked to see this ‘street theatre’ and how the people responded to it. I wish You would have shown it to me in my imagination like You sometimes do. Maybe You wanted me to remain in the ‘audience’ today because Your instructions were pretty clear on their own. Except, I still have questions. I don’t think I will EVER run out of questions. I’m hoping You see that as a good thing!
I LOVE how You reach out to us in as many different ways as it takes to get our attention. You don’t subscribe to the ‘one size fits all’ mentality when it comes to presenting Your word. There IS a ‘one size fits all’ element though. It is the fact that ALL must come to salvation through Your Son Jesus and the work He did on the cross. If there was ANY OTHER WAY You would have chosen it. I hold that as my ‘center point’ and let You ‘draw the pictures’ for me from that fixed point. I’m looking forward to seeing the ’pictures’ You ‘drew’ with others when we all meet face to face in Heaven. The ‘art gallery’ will be FULL and RUNNING OVER with Your works!
