40 lines
2 KiB
Markdown
40 lines
2 KiB
Markdown
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title = "Ezekiel 12:17–28"
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date = "2023-03-31"
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### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Ezekiel12.17-28)
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Ezekiel is given another symbolic action to perform, another layer on top of
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the ones he is already performing, most likely. He is to eat the siege rations
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that have been assigned to him with "trembling and anxiety". (_v. 18_) This
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represents the fear and dismay with which the inhabitants of Jerusalem will eat
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their bread and drink their water because of the terrible things that are
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happening all around them. The Lord reiterates that the desolation has come as
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a judgement upon the people who have filled the land with violence.
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The next time He speaks to Ezekiel, the Lord changes the subject and addresses
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the attitude of the people towards their God. They have been plagued with false
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prophets to such an extent that it has become a proverb to remark that the
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things that were prophesied have not come about. Remember that the people have
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decided that God must have forsaken the land or is otherwise indifferent to the
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things going on in it. I suspect the preponderance of false visions contributed
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to that attitude significantly.
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The Lord declares that He will make it so that this proverb will no longer be
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said. He will give visions, and they will come true. No longer will false
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prophets give flattering predictions because people want to hear what they want
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to hear (as is still true today). Instead, the true visions from the Lord will
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also come true within the sight of those who first hear of it, not just
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"eventually" or "some day".
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This declaration should be understood in the context of Ezekiel's ministry, and
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not applied to prophecy in general. There are plenty of predictions and
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prophecies that have not yet come to pass, even after 2,000 years or more. Some
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of Ezekiel's prophetic messages may still be fulfilled in the end times (he
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says, looking at the end of the book), but the vast majority of them are for
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the near future.
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* * *
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Your word never returns void, and You accomplish all You have decided to do.
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