“I Am Your Sign”

The record of the prophet Ezekiel is one in which many principles can be seen which are “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). His life was a practical example of one performing “willing service”, no matter what the consequences, so long as he fulfilled his duty as a “sign” for the Lord.

The manner of Ezekiel’s call to service as a prophet was strange. It is the usual practice (when one is selected to undertake a difficult mission) to give words of encouragement. But that was not the case with Ezekiel. Never has a man been called, issued with a mission and then given such a definite assurance, that no matter how hard he was to try all his efforts would fail.

“But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard hearted” (Ezek. 3:7).

So he was informed that they were stubborn and rebellious; that they had forsaken their God and for this reason he would be unsuccessful. This mission was a hard one to accept. But it was an important mission as God points out:—

“And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house), yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them” (Ezek. 2:5).

God was a just God and in his love for Israel, provided this last opportunity to them to mend their wicked ways. If they refused to do so, they would realise that those things which befell them were from God, in fulfilment of the warnings of his prophet.

If we allow ourselves to be stirred at what God asks his servants to do we must surely be “exhorted to action” when we read how obediently they carried out his instructions to the precise detail no matter what the danger or discomfort. Ezekiel was such a servant. Selected to be the Lord’s witness (or sign) to Israel there was nothing that he would not do. It seems he was reluctant at times, but his feelings never hindered him in performing the tasks appointed to him.

Let us briefly review some examples of Ezekiel’s willing response which illustrate him as a living “sign” to Israel.

3:1-3 He eats a scroll, written on the front and back with “lamentations, and mourning, and woe”. But because he was performing the Lord’s will, it tasted “as honey for sweetness”. The fact that God would be glorified was his greatest pleasure.

3:25-26 He was bound and made dumb. He could speak only when he had a message to deliver.

4:4-8 For 390 days he had to be on his left side, to “bear their (Israel’s) iniquity”. Each day represented a year of their punishment. Then for 40 days he lay on his right side to “bear the iniquity of the house of Judah”. The 40 days were to equal 40 years. (For over 14 months he carried out this sign). Ropes were used to fix him firmly in position.

4:9-12 Even the food he was to eat and the way of preparing it was to be a sign to them. Ezekiel was to warn them of the extreme shortage of food, so much so, that each meal would be carefully weighed. This starvation diet when mixed together weighed only nine ounces. Water too was carefully measured. There was also an acute shortage of fuel.

5:1-4 Ezekiel takes a sharp knife and cuts off his beard and the hair from his head. This was to illustrate how they could not escape that which was coming upon them.

12:1-7 On yet another occasion he was to dig through the wall with an exile’s baggage on his back “as a sign for the house of Israel”. He continued to do this until the curiosity of the people caused them to ask “What are you doing?” And so in this way, by drawing attention to his strange actions he would gather an audience to hear the warning of God.

12:17-20 He was to eat and drink trembling with fear as a sign of what was to happen.

Of all the signs though, the hardest thing that Ezekiel had to bear was the loss of his wife whom he loved very much. In losing his wife he was instructed that he was not to mourn (Ezek. 24:15-18). Once more, because of his actions, the curiosity of the people got the better of them and they were compelled to come to him to find out the reason (24:19-27). He explained that all he had done was to show what was to come upon them. The scarcity of food, the manner of dress, the loss of their loved ones etc., were to be their lot in the near future.

Truly Ezekiel was a “sign” to Israel (as have been all God’s prophets). His suffering and disappointments remind us also of Jeremiah. He was placed in stocks, put in prison, thrown into a dungeon of mire and yet he was still undaunted. His courage was unyielding. Again and again he proclaimed the defeat and destruction of Jerusalem. (Even in modern times this would be a crime. During the Second World War, it was a criminal offence to proclaim defeat — here was Jeremiah doing precisely that).

One final example is that of the prophet Hosea. He was instructed to take a harlot as his wife and to love her. His action was to be a sign to Israel that they were “playing the harlot” with God. Hosea’s wife, because of her adultery, degraded herself to such an extent that she was only fit for the market place. Hosea purchased her back for the price of a slave. He was a man who, because of his love, wouldn’t forsake his unworthy wife, and so he goes to great lengths to bring about reconciliation.

In the example of Hosea we see the extent that God was prepared to go to redeem His adulterous people. The price was the precious blood of His son, who was willing to be a slave so that God might buy back all those who were prepared to accept him through baptism and life-long service. The response of Jesus to the Father’s will indicates his willingness to stand in the market place of degradation to redeem the called. Ezekiel uses the example of a beautiful wife in chapter 16 to illustrate Israel. She is shown (in verses 1-14) as the perfect wife of God who became a harlot (verse 15 onwards. Note v.35-36). It is of little wonder that we read in Ezekiel 21:27 that God was to punish them — “UNTIL he come…”

But, because to God “Israel is my son, even my firstborn”, He sent men like Ezekiel to sound out a warning to them that they might hear and turn from their “whoring”. This was exactly Ezekiel’s role — that of a watchman over the house of Israel (Ezek. 3:17) to “give them warning from me”. In Ezek. 33:1-6 God sets on record the responsibility that must be borne by those who are appointed watchmen. They must feel compelled to cry out a warning. If the warning is given and not heeded, then the watchman has performed his duty and is not responsible for the fate that befalls those who choose to ignore his warning. But on the other hand, if in any way he fails to sound out an adequate warning then he will be held responsible and will have to answer for his failure.

We see in the case of the watchman Ezekiel a man that relentlessly and fearlessly sounded and resounded the warning and so upheld the responsibility placed in his hand. Do we? We should, because WE ARE THE WATCHMEN OF TODAY and as such, have the same responsibilities as the watchmen of old. Yes, our lives should be like Ezekiel’s, a “sign” to all people that we are the Lord’s watchmen. When we see, as indeed we do, the time indicated in Ezek. 33:2. “When I bring the sword upon the land” then we must shout out the call irrespective of whether the people will listen or not. For we are told in verse 4 that by ignoring the call they reap the consequences BUT if we do not adequately warn the people of the “last day” fast approaching then we ourselves will be held responsible and reap the consequences.

As the day of the Lord is so near at hand, it behooves each one of us to be an active watchman to see that we each live a life which reveals “Christ in us” so that we can truly say each time we pray to our Heavenly Father “I am your sign”.