Illustrations

Ezekiel 4-5 begins a series of actions by Ezekiel to not only tell the people what will happen to Judah for its sins; Ezekiel will symbolically act out God's judgment on His people. By taking a clay tablet and drawing a rough image of Jerusalem on it, laying down on one side and then the other for extended periods of time, eating small rations of low quality food each day, cooked over cow dung, and then shaving his face and head and burning, scattering, and slashing his hair, Ezekiel shows the captives that God is serious and will be heard.

The illustrations serve to make this point: judgment must come for sin. By illustrating the penalty for the sins of the people, Ezekiel warns generations to come about the dangers of living in sin.