6. Ezekiel had to pack his bags and dig through the wall of Jerusalem (12:1–14).
2:12. to save his life. This refers to physical death, not eternal damnation, though that would be a consequence for many. In the Pentateuch, God had commanded death for many violations of his law and warned that it could be a consequence of any kind of consistent sin (cf. Josh. 1:16–18). The people of Israel had long abandoned that severe standard of purification, so God took execution back into his own hands, as in the destruction of Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem. On the other hand, God had also promised special protection and life to the obedient. Cf. Ezek. 18:9–32; 33:11–16; Prov. 4:4; 7:2; Amos 5:4, 6.
EZEKIEL—NOTE ON 3:18, 20 his blood I will require. Though each sinner is responsible for his own sin (cf. 18:1–20), the prophet who is negligent in his duty to proclaim the warning message becomes, in God's sight, a manslayer when God takes that person's life. The responsibility of the prophet is serious (cf. James 3:1), and he is responsible for that person's death in the sense of Gen. 9:5. The apostle Paul had this passage (and Ezek. 33:6, 8) in view in Acts 18:6 and 20:26. Even for preachers today, there is such a warning in Heb. 13:17. Certainly the consequence for such unfaithfulness on the preacher's part includes divine chastening and loss of eternal reward (cf. 1 Cor. 4:1–5).
EZEKIEL—NOTE ON 3:20 a righteous person. Here is a person who was obeying God by doing what was right, but fell into sin and God took his life in chastisement. The "stumbling block" was a stone of judgment that kills. Psalms 119:165 says: "Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble." The crushing stone always falls on the disobedient. Hebrews 12:9 says it is better to obey and "live." Cf. 1 Cor. 11:30; James 1:21; 1 John 5:16.
Ezekiel's Sign Experiences
Ezekiel's Sign Experiences (cf. Ezek. 24:24, 27) 1. Ezekiel was housebound, tied up, and mute (3:23–27). 2. Ezekiel used a brick and an iron plate as illustrations in his preaching (4:1–3). 3. Ezekiel had to lie on his left side for 390 days and his right side for 40 days (4:4–8). 4. Ezekiel had to eat in an unclean manner (4:9–17). 5. Ezekiel had to shave his head and beard (5:1–4). 6. Ezekiel had to pack his bags and dig through the wall of Jerusalem (12:1–14). 7. Ezekiel had to eat his bread with trembling and drink water with quivering (12:17–20). 8. Ezekiel brandished a sharp sword and struck his hands together (21:8–17). 9. Ezekiel portrayed Israel in the smelting furnace (22:17–22).