Title: Ezekiel’s Redemptive History (6)-The Brick
Ezekiel 4:1-3 “Now you son of man, get yourself a brick, place it before you and inscribe a city on it, Jerusalem. 2 Then lay siege against it, build a siege wall, raise up a ramp, pitch camps and place battering rams against it all around. 3 Then get yourself an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between you and the city, and set your face toward it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This is a sign to the house of Israel.
God ordered Ezekiel to draw the city of Jerusalem on the brick. This is the first prophecy of action he performed. The reason why God ordered Ezekiel to perform the prophecy of action is because the prophecy of action has the greater power to awaken people than the normal prophecy of lips. As the prophecy of action was weird and strange, it was more powerful to draw people’s attention.
When Ezekiel received God’s vision for the first time was 593 BC and 7 years later, in 586 BC Jerusalem was destroyed. With such situation, the first prophecy of action God ordered to perform was to draw the city of Jerusalem on the brick.
- To inscribe the city of Jerusalem on the brick
Hebrew word for brick is ‘lebenah’ that is clay tablet or clay tile. It is a thick strong brick.
John 19:13 Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
Here, the pavement is made with the bricks placing next to each other. God ordered to draw the city of Jerusalem on this clay tile to show that Jerusalem is about to be destroyed.
Ezekiel 4:2 Then lay siege against it, build a siege wall, raise up a ramp, pitch camps and place battering rams against it all around.
- Siege wall – high tower that has wheels so that archers can attack from
- Ramp – hills made by dirt
- Camp – military camp
- Battering ram – device to break the gate of the city
This prophecy was fulfilled :-
2 Kings 25:1-2 Now in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, camped against it and built a siege wall all around it. 2 So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
- Action after inscribing Jerusalem
- Get an iron plate and set up an iron wall
An iron plate means an iron pan or iron pot that is used to boil water or oil. This iron pan has to be set up like an iron wall between Ezekiel and the Jerusalem on the brick.
- It shows that the surrounding of Jerusalem cannot be penetrated. Thus, it means that the destruction of Jerusalem is already determined.
If it is God’s will, we must obey. No matter how hard we try to change it, the will of God is going to be fulfilled anyway.
- It shows that the sin blocks the relationship between God and Israel. Prophet Ezekiel was representing God because he delivers the Word of God and Jerusalem on the brick repented the people of Israel. In between them, there was an iron pan that blocks. So, whether small or big, if there is a sin then there won’t be God’s blessing. When there is sin in us, our prayers won’t be answered. These prayers are called the empty cry.
Isaiah 1:15 “So when
you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you;
Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands
are covered with blood.
2) Set your face toward the city
Hebrew word is ‘baha Kinoha et paneka eleah’ means to raise your face toward it (the city of Jerusalem). It means that Ezekiel should look at the city with an angry face. It shows that God determined to destroy Jerusalem.
3) Besiege the under-sieged city
In Hebrew word is means to attack to siege the city. It also shows that there is no way to escape from this destruction because this will be God’s severe judgement. As we saw above, this prophecy contains a great warning of tragic destruction. However, to the eyes of the people of Israel, this prophecy was seen as the child playing the dirt of crazy action.
Conclusion: This prophecy was the sign
Hebrew word for sign is ‘ot’ and it means something that must be happening.
Matthew 16:3 And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?
Jesus was the sign but the people in Jesus’ time didn’t understand Jesus.
Today, the Word of Redemptive History is being preached to us. Let’s examine ourselves whether we understand the Words and the signs. Pray that may all of us, by the help of our merciful God, understand the Word that is preached to us and the sign that God shows to us, so that if there was any iron pan that blocks the blessing of God, if there was any sin that blocks the answer of our prayers, may all be lifted up from our lives, we may receive God’s blessing and the answer to our prayers. Amen!
The Lord's Covenant Church Malaysia 