Prophecy Drama

 

    A life of a prophet is not easy.  It is one thing to hear from God in a way that no one else can.  It is another thing to see visions to implant God's plans in your mind.  It must have been terrifying for Ezekiel.  It was definitely dramatic.  It was meant to produce intense feelings because feelings pushes your motions with conviction.

    The angry spirit had Ezekiel draw Jerusalem on a brick.  Then it laid siege upon the city.  Once Ezekiel saw what was destined to happen the spirit told him to lay down on his left side.  Ezekiel put Israel's sin upon himself for 390 days.  That is a lot of sin.  That is an intense weight for one person.  

    Once that was complete, Ezekiel laid on his right side.  Then he took on Judah's sin for 40 days.  Talk about dramatic.  It was a very unpleasant experience for the prophet, but he did it because he believed in God.  It would be hard to bare one person's sins on top of your own, but an entire nation, twice.  I don't think I would be strong enough.  

    During all of this Ezekiel was only allotted wight ounces of food a day: wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt.  You know he was thin and probably felt weak with no protein, fruit, or vegetables.  He got to drink six gallons of water a day, but was only allowed to drink at set times.  Ezekiel willingly represented the people wasting away for their lives of sin.  He was the forerunner for what Jesus would do for all nations.  

Ezekiel 4