Question 1

What does it mean that Israel is a "rebellious house" with eyes that do not see?

Accepted Answer

When God calls Israel a "rebellious house" with eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear, He is saying their problem is not lack of information but a hard heart. They have God’s words, His past acts, and now Ezekiel’s dramatic signs right in front of them, yet they refuse to take it to heart. They choose not to respond. So their blindness and deafness are moral, not physical. This shows how serious it is to keep ignoring God’s warnings, even when they are clear and repeated.

Question 2

Why did God tell Ezekiel to pack his belongings and dig through the wall?

Accepted Answer

God told Ezekiel to pack his belongings in daylight, then at evening dig through a wall and carry his load out on his shoulder with his face covered. This strange act was a living picture of what would soon happen in Jerusalem. The people there, including their leader, would try to escape the siege in secret, as if breaking out through the walls and fleeing at night into exile. Ezekiel’s actions were meant to shock people, make them ask questions, and help them see that God’s warning of captivity was real and near.

Question 3

Who is the "prince in Jerusalem" in this passage and what happens to him?

Accepted Answer

The "prince in Jerusalem" is the ruler who thinks he can escape the coming judgment. God says he will try to slip out at twilight, bearing his burden on his shoulder and digging through the wall, just as Ezekiel acted out. But God describes this as spreading a net. The prince will be caught, taken to the land of the Chaldeans, brought to Babylon, yet not see it, though he dies there. This fits the picture of a king captured, blinded, and carried off, showing that human plans cannot overturn God’s word.

Question 4

Why does God say He will scatter the people and yet leave a few?

Accepted Answer

God says He will scatter those around the prince in every direction and draw out the sword after them. This shows that judgment will reach helpers, guards, and people who trusted in human strength. Yet He also says He will leave a few from the sword, famine, and disease. That small remnant will live among other nations and there admit their sins and shameful acts. In this way, even the scattered ones become a witness. Through both judgment and a spared remnant, God makes Himself known as the LORD.

Question 5

What is the meaning of eating bread with trembling and drinking water with fear?

Accepted Answer

God tells Ezekiel to eat his bread with shaking and drink his water with fear and worry. This is another acted sign. It pictures how the people in Jerusalem will live under siege and then in exile, always anxious about whether they will have enough to eat or survive another day. Their land will become empty because of the violence of those who lived there. By watching Ezekiel eat and drink in this fearful way, the exiles were supposed to feel ahead of time the distress that was coming and turn from their sins.

Question 6

What proverb about delayed judgment does God end in this chapter?

Accepted Answer

The people were saying a smug proverb, something like, "The days are prolonged, and every vision fails." In other words, they felt that God’s warnings took so long that they could be ignored. Others said the visions were for "many days to come," as if judgment was far off and not their concern. God answers that He will end that saying. His word will no longer be delayed, and empty visions and flattering messages will stop. What He speaks will happen in their own days, showing that His threats are not empty talk.

Question 7

What does this passage teach about God’s character and His word?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows God as patient but not soft toward sin. He sends clear, repeated signs and explanations through His prophet, even acting them out in front of a scoffing crowd. Yet when people keep resisting, He says His word will no longer be postponed. He controls kings, armies, and exile like a net that no one can escape. At the same time, He does not wipe everyone out. He keeps a remnant and uses them to tell the truth about their sins. So His word is both firm in judgment and steady in mercy.

Question 8

How can the message of Ezekiel’s acted signs apply to believers today?

Accepted Answer

Ezekiel’s actions remind us that God often warns before He judges, and that ignoring these warnings is itself rebellion. It is easy to think judgment is far off, or that God’s words will not really come to pass. The people in this passage thought that way and were wrong. For believers today, this calls us to take God’s word seriously, even when it confronts our habits or seems delayed. It also encourages steady obedience, like Ezekiel’s, even when others scoff, trusting that God sees and will fulfill what He has spoken.

Ezekiel 12:1

The word of the Lord also came unto me, saying,

Signs of the Coming Captivity

The Presumptuous Proverb

Signs of the Coming Captivity

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Ezekiel 12:1

The word of the Lord also came unto me, saying,

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Signs of the Coming Captivity

The Presumptuous Proverb

Signs of the Coming Captivity

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