Ezekiel 12
OUTLINE:
I. \\#Eze 1:1-23:49\\ Before the Siege (c.593-587)
A. \\#Eze 1:1-3:15\\ The First Message
1. \\#1:1-28\\ God
2. \\#2:1-3:15\\ The Commission of Ezekiel
B. \\#Eze 3:16-7:27\\ The Second Message
1. \\#3:16-21\\ Go as God's Watchman
2. \\#3:22-3:27\\ Hardships for Ezekiel
3. \\#4:1-5:17\\ Signs of Jerusalem's Siege
4. \\#6:1-14\\ Preach to the Mountains and Stomp
5. \\#7:1-27\\ Preach to the Land and Make A Chain
C. \\#Eze 8:1-11:25\\ The Third Message
1. \\#8:1-18\\ Secret Sins of Jerusalem
2. \\#9:1-10:7\\ God Destroyed Jerusalem
3. \\#10:8-22\\ The Divine Image
4. \\#11:1-25\\ The Message
D. \\#12:1-23:49\\ Many Messages
1. \\#12:1-16\\ Message of Skulking Away
2. \\#12:17-20\\ Message of Trembling
3. \\#12:21-25\\ Message of Later
4. \\#12:26-28\\ Message of Now
\\#12:1-24:27\\ Many Messages
Introduction: As the outline suggests, in this section are recorded
some of the many messages that Ezekiel preached. The phrase "the word
of the Lord came unto me" is used 37 times in the entire book with 21
of them occurring between chapters 12-24. Some of the messages are
short and to the point. Chapter 12 is a good illustration of that
with four different messages within it. Some of the many messages
will be illustrated with parables, but Ezekiel will not experience
another vision until Ezekiel 37.
Timing: Whether Ezekiel received most of these messages at the same
time or whether they were spread out over an unknown period of time
is uncertain. We remember that Ezekiel dated at least some of his
messages. I believe he divided and dated each message he received
from chapters 1-11 (being three in number). It may be that Ezekiel
did that in this section too. If so, chapters 12-19 go together being
dated in \\#Eze 20:1\\, the 7th year 5th month, and chapters 12-19 go
together being dated in \\#Eze 24:1\\, the 9th year 10th month.
However, all of that is speculation.
Continuation: The many messages of Ezekiel continue to be recorded
beyond chapContinuationter 24. In fact, they continue through the end of
chapter 36. The reason I put a break at the end of chapter 23 is
because that is when most believe the siege began. The outline used
for chapters 1-23 is "Before the Siege." To stay true to the outline,
the break was required.
Absence: Another unique thing about this section is that there are
no visions of God, His glory, the cherubims, the wheels. God's glory
left the temple and Jerusalem in Ezekiel 11. God's glory will not be
mentioned again until Ezekiel 43:2.
I. \\#12:1-16\\ The Sign and Message of Skulking Away
A. \\#1-7\\ The Sign of Sulking Away
1. \\#1\\ "The word of the Lord also came" - God had a new
sign for Ezekiel to carry out.
2. \\#2\\ "rebellious house" - The term is used twice in
this one verse.
a. God described the people as having eyes but
incapable of seeing and having ears, but they were
incapable of hearing.
b. It would seem that God was speaking of those still
in the land of Israel AND those in captivity.
(1) Sadly, the judgments brought against Israel
had not changed the hearts of the majority of
captives.
(2) Ezekiel will make several references to the
wicked leaders who came to inquire of him
\\#Eze 14:1-3, 20:3\\.
3. \\#3\\ "prepare thee stuff for removing" - Ezekiel was
to gather some belongings and then, while it was still
daylight, leave.
4. "it may be they will consider" - God gave Ezekiel the
explanation for His many signs. They were given with the
hope that they might cause the people to think.
5. \\#4\\ God emphasized to go "by day" and "in their
sight" \\#6\\. God wanted the captives to see Ezekiel's
actions and to hear the corresponding message.
6. \\#5\\ "Dig thou though the wall"
a. Ezekiel was a captive in Babylon but he had a lot of
freedom. The fact that he could leave his immediate
area to go into the plain which surrounded them
\\#Ez 3:22\\, indicates that the captives could move
about freely.
b. Yet, there was some type of wall or enclosure.
Perhaps it was for their safety. Perhaps it was a
reminder that they were captives.
7. \\#7\\ Ezekiel was to "bear it (his belongings) upon thy
shoulders… in the twilight" with his face covered.
8. It was all "for a sign unto… Israel."
B. \\#8-16\\ The Message of Sulking Away
1. \\#8\\ "in the morning" - The message came the next
morning.
2. \\#11-13\\ "I am your sign" - Ezekiel was a sign to show
what would happen to the people of Jerusalem when the
Babylonians came.
a. \\#12-13\\ "the prince that is among them"
(1) \\#12\\ It was interesting that God did not
identify the Jewish king, perhaps because he
did not want to narrow down the time of the
siege.
(2) Why would the king of Israel be called a
"prince"? Because Israel was already
subservient to Babylon. King Zedekiah would
only reign as a servant to the king of Babylon.
b. Israel's king would flee though the walls of
Jerusalem in the twilight with his face covered,
hoping to escape unrecognized.
(1) \\#13\\ "My net… will I spread upon him" - He
will not succeed but will be caught and taken
to Babylon.
(2) "yet shall he not see it" - This prophecy may
not have made much sense to the people, but
when Zedekiah was captured, the Babylonians
put out his eyes \\#Jer 52:11, 2Ki 25:7\\.
(3) "though he shall die there" - Zedekiah died in
Babylon.
3. \\#14\\ "I will scatter… all that are about him" -
\\#Jeremiah 52:6\\ describes Israel's men of war fleeing
as well.
4. \\#15\\ "I shall scatter them among the nations" - Some in
Israel fled before Babylon arrived and even more as
Jerusalem was attacked, but Babylon continued their
campaign of conquest against Israel by attacking all the
surrounding nations.
5. \\#16\\ "But I will leave a few" - God left a few to tell
the world what He had done against sin and the sinners
who committed it.
II. \\#12:17-20\\ The Sign and Message of Trembling
A. \\#17-18\\ Ezekiel was to demonstrate with fear and tremors
how fearful the people of Israel would be as Babylon came
upon them.
B. \\#20\\ the cities… shall be laid waste" - The destruction
by Babylon was not limited to Jerusalem, but all the cities
were destroyed.
III. \\#21-25\\ The Message of the Proverb
A. \\#22\\ "what is that proverb"
1. Three times in Ezekiel will God mention an Israeli
proverb \\#Eze 12:22, 16:44, 18:2\\.
2. A proverb is typically a short phrase that relates a
universal truth.
a. "Charity begins at home."
b. "Clothes do not make the man."
c. "Curiosity killed the cat."
3. Israel had apparently made some proverbs of their own,
mostly relating to God and the Bible, which were not
true or, at the least, would not be true much longer.
4. One such proverb was "The days are prolonged and every
vision fails."
a. Obviously, the proverb mocked God's promises of
judgment.
b. They were saying "God said this a long time ago, but
it is never going to come to pass."
c. Is it not strange how God's mercy is considered
weakness?
B. \\#23\\ "Tell them… I will make this proverb to cease" - God
was about to prove them wrong and end their mocking.
C. \\#24\\ In doing so, God would also remove the "vain vision"
and the diviner who flattered his listeners.
D. \\#25\\ "it shall be no more prolonged" - God had already
begun to move Babylon against Israel as was evidenced by the
fact that Israel had captives in Babylon. But it was going
to get a lot worse.
IV. \\#26-28\\ The Message of Now
A. To further emphasize the imminence of the coming judgment,
God gave Ezekiel another message with almost the same words.
B. Since Ezekiel could not physically re-preach a message
\\#Eze 3:26\\, it was necessary for God to give Ezekiel
a fresh message if it were to be repeated. God wanted this
message repeated.
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