Ezekiel: God who travels Chapter 7

 

Ezekiel: The Watchman of Israel

A Prophet, a Messenger, and a Living Sign

After God's majestic call upon Ezekiel—after the vision of wheels, fire, and glory—came the commissioning:

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel…” (Ezekiel 3:17)

This wasn’t a symbolic title. It was a divine responsibility with soul-level consequences.

To be a watchman meant to see what others could not.
To hear God’s voice when others were deaf.
To speak when silence was easier.
And to suffer for a people too stubborn to listen.

---

Drawing God's Judgment

In Chapter 4, God commands Ezekiel to draw the city of Jerusalem.
But not with beauty. Not with hope.
With siege ramps, battering rams, and symbols of war.

God turns Ezekiel into a living prophecy—a man who would:

• Lie on his side for 390 days for Israel’s sins,

• And on the other side for 40 more for Judah’s guilt.

• Eat measured, defiled food, representing famine and uncleanness.

• Bear shame and weight on behalf of a rebellious nation.

This is not mere theater.
This is obedience through suffering.
Ezekiel is not just speaking God’s word—he is embodying it.

---

Why So Extreme?

Because God's people had forgotten.
They had polluted the temple with idols.
Their leaders were corrupt.
And their worship had become meaningless.

Ezekiel was chosen not just to warn—but to demonstrate judgment.
God could have destroyed them silently.
But He sent a prophet instead.
Because even in wrath, God remembered mercy.

"Then they will know that I am the Lord." (Repeated throughout the book)

---

Scattered but Not Forsaken

The House of Israel—ten tribes—were scattered like seed among the nations.
Judah remained in Jerusalem, but even there, sin corrupted the worship center.

Ezekiel’s task was to remind them both:

• That God is not confined to a building or border.

• That His glory can depart from the temple and go with His people into exile.

• That even in scattering, God is still sowing for a harvest.

He reveals the future restoration—the building of a new temple, the return of glory, and a worship center that would one day be the heart of a renewed Earth.

---

The Cost of Obedience

Ezekiel bore their sins, lived in isolation, and grieved for a people who refused to listen.

So now we ask ourselves:

If God called you to be a watchman,
To speak to a stubborn generation,
To act out truth even when it costs you your comfort,
Could you do it?

Would you be willing to stand in the gap between judgment and mercy?

Ezekiel was not just a prophet.
He was a sign.
A symbol.
A warning.
A whisper of God’s heart, both broken and just.

---

Final Thought: The Watchman Still Speaks

God has not stopped calling watchmen.
Today, in a world numb to truth,
He still appoints those who will see, hear, and speak.

Not to predict, but to warn.
Not to condemn, but to intercede.
Not to stand above, but to stand between.

Ezekiel was one man.
But his obedience lit a path for many.

Will you walk it?

AC

Next