Clear visual. The prophet lying on his left side for 390 days. Then turning over to lie on his right side for 40 days.
Communicating to Israel and Judah the weight of their sin. And dire consequences. Great discomfort in the coming siege.
By way of illustration.
Daily bread
The Lord gives Ezekiel a recipe for his sustenance. Ingredients collected in a container. Wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt. To make daily bread.
Baked on what? Human excrement.
And Ezekiel recoils at this last detail. Pleads for something that won’t defile.
Okay. Cow dung it is.
Well, alrighty then.
Visual drama
Ezekiel will eat the special bread. And partake of a certain ration of water. All while lying on his side and cooking on cow dung.
Our God sometimes uses visual drama to open our eyes. And bring the truth home.
Jesus painted pictures with parables. Delighting the crowds that gathered.
His disciples often asked, “What does it mean?”
But religious leaders of the day seemed to always know when He was talking about them. And looked for ways to silence the true.
Word of God
Today there may not be a prophet lying on his side for 390 plus 40 days. Or Jesus gathering with crowds by the Sea of Galilee.
But at our fingertips we have a visual.
The very word of God. Speaking in story and psalm. Law and prophecy. Revealing through Gospels and Acts. Epistles and Revelation. Teaching us by His Spirit.
Are we watching? Listening?
Willing to confess? Obey?
What about you?
How are you allowing the written word to pierce and shape your heart and mind daily?
Related posts
Declaration – Paths and prophets – Honey – River of life – Stone hearts – Slow walk in the Word – Love your neighbor –
Ezekiel 4 – Mark 12:12 – Psalm 119:18 –
2 replies on “Visual”
Reading Leviticus today I saw that sin & guilt were described as actions against God even when they affected another person.
A good perspective!
Like David’s recognition after he committed adultery and murder. Thanks for sharing!