Bible Study: Ezekiel 2 – Rebellious House of Israel

The book of Ezekiel is one of the major prophets in the Old Testament. It was authored by Ezekiel who was set as a watchman to the house of Israel.

Ezek 3:17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me:

The second chapter of Ezekiel is about God calling Ezekiel to be a prophet to Israel, a  rebellious house.

A rebellious house

Ezek 2:1-4 And He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.” Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me.And He said to me: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.

God is sending Ezekiel to Israel to say what He wants to say to them. God Himself described Israel as as a rebellious nation:
  • Rebellious nation
  • Transgressed against God
  • Impudent and stubborn children
Today, many Christians are still rebellious just like the people of Israel even after having the knowledge of God.

Heb 3:7-13 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you will hear His voice,  Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness,  Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty years.  Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.’  So I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter My rest.’ ”  Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

As the author of Hebrews writes, let us therefore not be rebellious and not harden through the deceitfulness of sin.

A prophet among a rebellious house

Ezek 2:5-6 “As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse–for they are a rebellious house–yet they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house.

God gives a title called scorpion for the rebellious people. Irrespective of whether God’s words through Ezekiel were listened or not, God whats to show there was a prophet among those rebellious house.

Heb 6:4-8 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.

Just as the rebellious house of Israel was like briers and thorns, those who backslide without bearing good fruits but are like the briers and thorns who will be rejected, cursed and their end is to be burned.

Do not be rebellious

Ezek 2:7-10 “You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious. But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” Now when I looked, there was a hand stretched out to me; and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. Then He spread it before me; and there was writing on the inside and on the outside, and written on it were lamentations and mourning and woe.

God gives a warning even to prophet Ezekiel that he must not be rebellious. God asks him to eat the scroll. The scroll has writing on the inside and on the outside and there were written on it, lamentations and mourning and woe.

Rev 10:9-11 So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.” And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.” Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”

Opening the mouth and eating the scroll signifies prophesying to the house of Israel.
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