3: 3. As the vision continued,
Ezekiel ate the scroll and it tasted as sweet as honey. This symbolized the joy
that Ezekiel experienced in his new relationship with God, which would not be
taken from him while he• continued in his prophetic task, however difficult
this proved to be.
3:4-11. Ezekiel is commanded by
God to speak to his fellow exiles, whether or not they want to listen to him.
God will enable him to do this: 'I will make you as firm as a rock, as hard as
a diamond; don't be afraid of those rebels.' Absolute obedience is required of
Ezekiel, however hostile his fellow exiles prove to be. It is often much more
difficult to speak to those we know than to those we do not.
3: 12-13. At the end of God's
message, the prophet experiences again the mighty power of the presence of God,
hearing a great voice of heavenly praise.
3: 14-15. As the vision leaves
the prophet, he is left with a feeling of bitterness and anger at the knowledge
of the hostility which he knows his fellow exiles will show towards him and his
message. This hostility is basically against the great God whose power and
glory have just been revealed to Ezekiel, and it is the spiritual blindness and
ignorance of his fellow-men that makes Ezekiel angry and bitter. For a week he
stays at the main community of the exiles, at Tel Abib by the river Chebar,
preparing himself to begin his prophetic ministry. Seven days were the time of
mourning for the dead. Ezekiel had become a new man, filled with God's Spirit,
and the week of impurity for his old life must pass before he begins to speak
for God. Seven days were also the period of consecration for a priest. Ezekiel
is to serve God in Babylonia as a priest-prophet in a new kind of ministry for
a priest.
3: 16-21. God's message comes to
Ezekiel after the seven days of preparation. Ezekiel is to be like a watchman
to his fellow exiles. He is to speak to the individual as well as to the
community. The responsibility and privilege of the prophetic task are made
clear in the command to Ezekiel to be like a watchman to other people. If he is
obedient to God's command, he will not be held responsible by God if people
reject his message. The responsibility for their actions lies on them
themselves. But if the prophet remains silent when God has given him a message
for others, he will be responsible if they sin and die because they were not
warned and given the opportunity to repent and live. The duty of a watchman is
to warn others of danger, but he is not held responsible if they ignore his
warnings. What God requires of Ezekiel is his obedience. Chapter 33: 1-9
reiterates this teaching.
3: 22-27. Ezekiel experiences
another vision of the presence of God and receives another message which is
difficult to interpret and can be explained in several ways. It may mean that
Ezekiel was to be dumb for a time during which he was to shut himself up in his
house, tie ropes round himself, and refuse to go out or to communicate with
anyone. If this is the correct interpretation, then this prophetic action was
intended) to draw the attention of his fellow exiles to his strange behaviour,
to make them aware that Ezekiel would only speak to them in future as God
directed him. The time was past for normal conversation; his fellow men would
only hear the words of God from Ezekiel, as God revealed messages to him.