Today, we find ourselves in the Book of Ezekiel. In our text, Ezekiel, the human penman of this book, is thirty years old. He was twenty-five when he was taken captive and brought to Babylon under the first siege of Nebuchadnezzar. His prophetic ministry lasted for 22 years. He was a contemporary of Daniel.
The prophecy before us came to Ezekiel in the thirteenth year, also the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity. This prophecy marks the beginning of the second stage of the Babylonian captivity; it is a show-and-tell prophecy of a coming siege (There were three sieges). Ezekiel is to build a model showing this siege against Jerusalem. And then God commands him to do something interesting. “Then lie on your left side… 390 days, equal to the number of the years of their punishment. … And when you have completed these, you shall lie down a second time, but on your right side…Forty days I assign you, a day for each year…And behold, I will place cords upon you, so that you cannot turn from one side to the other, till you have completed the days of your siege. (Ezekiel 4:4–8, ESV) In other words, God required Ezekiel to live out his message to the people.
What a thought, living out the message one preaches! This reminds me of something Jesus said. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16, KJV) Yes, Christians, we are to show and tell the Gospel. If someone looks at our lives, what message are we sending them?
Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Ezekiel 1-4.