Ezekiel 3:22-27, A bound dumb prophet -1

Ezekiel 3:22-27, A bound dumb prophet
22-27, 22.The hand of the LORD was upon me there, and he said to me, "Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you."
23.So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the LORD was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown.
24.Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. He spoke to me and said: "Go, shut yourself inside your house.
25.And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people.
26.I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, though they are a rebellious house.
27.But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says.' Whoever will listen let him listen, and whoever will refuse let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.
<Sermon>God tells the prophet Ezekiel to be confined to his house for a certain period of time and become a (limited) mute to fulfill his mission as a watchman. Let us listen to the voice that He gives us.  1. Experience God’s power and obey to see God’s glory (22-23)
 Now Ezekiel is about to conclude the story of the prophet’s calling. He bases it on the vision he had when he received his calling (23). The same Holy Spirit who raised him up when he received his calling raises him up again (24).
 God came to Ezekiel with power. And He said, “Go out into the plain (valley) so that I may speak to you.” Verse 22, “The power of the Lord came upon me there, and He said to me, ‘Get up, go out into the plain, and I will speak with you there. ’” The prophet obeyed the word and went out into the plain, and there was the glory of God that he had seen at the Chebar River. Verse 23, “I arose and went out into the plain, and the glory of the Lord stood there, like the glory that I had seen by the Chebar River. Then I fell face down.” He saw the same glory of God as in the vision in chapter 1. He saw four living creatures (a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle) in blazing fire, wheels full of eyes above them, a firmament above them, a glorious throne above them, a rainbow above them, and a glorious human figure, that is, Jesus Christ before the incarnation. He experienced the glorious presence of God.
 Just as Ezekiel had fallen face down when he saw the glory of God before, he fell face down this time (23). Those who have experienced the glory of God take on God’s mission with humility. Just as the Spirit of God had entered his body before and raised him up, the Spirit of the Lord raised him up this time. Verse 24, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon me, and He raised me up and set me on my feet.” I pray that we all experience the power of God, obey, see the glory of God, and experience the raising of the Spirit of God.
2. Behavior of being bound in the house (24-25)
 Ezekiel had to be bound in the house in order to prophesy through action. God commanded the prophet standing before Him to go to the house, be bound with ropes, and be dumb. Verses 24b-26, “...He spoke to me and said, ‘Go, go into your house and shut the door. 25. And you, son of man, they will put ropes on you, and you will not go out among them. 26. And I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, so that you will be mute and unable to reprove them, for they are a rebellious house.”
 What is happening to him?
 He had to stay in the house to prophesy his first action (3:24).
 Why did God make him do this? Isn’t it urgent to go out and preach the word of God right now? Isn’t that what God called him to do? Ezekiel is told not to perform his official prophetic duties for a certain period of time. This foreshadows that several years later, Jerusalem will be besieged by Babylon and will be locked in the city walls for 18 months, unable to move. He is also bound with ropes (3:25). This symbolizes that he is a captive of God. At the same time, it foreshadows that the people of Israel will be taken captive and taken to Babylon in the future. As prophesied, Jerusalem suffered under siege for 18 months, and 7 years later, in 586 BC, Judah and Jerusalem were destroyed and the people were taken captive to Babylon. And it is said that Ezekiel was persecuted by his own people for rebuking them for their sins and was killed. This foreshadows the path of Jesus Christ, who came to save His people but was crucified and died by His own people (a passage of Messianic prophecy).
3. Behavior of the Mute (26-27): Commandment of silence, he had to be mute for 7 years (limited).
 He became ‘mute’ for 7 years (593-586 BC, he opened his mouth in 33:21-22) and began to serve God. He acts like this because he was captured by God’s command and the Holy Spirit. He became mute and could not speak (26). Now, not only his body but also his tongue (mouth) became a prisoner of God. He acts like this because he was captured by God’s command and the Holy Spirit.  However, he did not become mute at all during the 7 years he lived. In Ezekiel 8:1, we see that God made him mute so that he could mediate the word and prevent them from repenting and returning to God (26). God had already decided to judge them. So Ezekiel mostly did God’s work in silence. However, when God gave him a word, he had to deliver it. Verse 27, “But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God:’ Those who listen, let them listen, and those who refuse to listen, let them not listen, for they are a rebellious house.” When God gave them the calling, He called Israel a ‘rebellious house,’ and He uses this expression again (26, 27). In any case, those who refuse to listen will do whatever it takes to avoid listening. No wonder God called His people Israel a ‘rebellious’ (intentionally opposing and rebelling) people! They are stubborn people who cannot understand God’s word at all. In other words, they are a people who cannot be persuaded by anything. It is close to being impossible. In chapters 2 and 3, God says five times that the people are “rebellious.” Whether you keep your mouth shut or open your mouth to proclaim to them, their results do not change. They are still stubborn and hardened. That is why even God cannot help but watch, and it is very frustrating.
 Let’s not be like Pharaoh of Egypt (Ex.7-12) who hardened his heart ten times and disobeyed God’s word. Let’s soften our hearts and open our soft hearts like good soil and accept the Lord’s word with an amen. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches (the bitter word, the sweet word). Amen.” (It appears a total of seven times in the seven churches of Rev.2-3.) Those who hear the word will hear it. Those who hear it will repent after hearing the word of God and be saved. However, if they continue to stubbornly commit evil according to their own stubbornness, they will end up in death. Here, the blessing of salvation that those who repent and return will receive and the eternal death and curse that those who stubbornly commit evil will receive are emphasized even more strongly. It contrasts. Jesus did so. Mt.11:15, 13:9, “He who has ears, let him hear.” Jesus speaks until the end of the Bible. Rev.22:11, “He who does wrong, let him do wrong still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.” This does not mean that we should do wrong and live filthy lives. It means that we should turn from doing wrong or living filthy lives and live righteous lives and live holy lives, becoming blessed beings who enjoy eternal life and happiness in heaven.  This event of Ezekiel being mute lasted for seven and a half years (593-586 BC) (see 33:21-22). It emphasizes that when we do not deliver God’s word, we should be silent and say nothing at all. However, God keeps the prophet bound and locked in a room, unable to speak, so that he can carry out his mission more effectively. He now attempts an object lesson by showing the people a shocking sight. It is a type of shock treatment in today's psychology. In other words, Ezekiel's body and mouth are under the strict control of God's sovereignty. He will endure humiliation and contempt in order to do what God commands in the future. He lives a mute life through his action prophecy (3:22-5:17) to show the prophet's life of self-denial (Mt.16:24, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me; Mark 8:34"). For example, in Luke 1:20-22, the priest Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, also testifies to God's will through silence.  (Application question) It is truly regrettable to see those who stubbornly refuse to listen to the gospel and choose the path of love, even though they have the opportunity to hear it and gain life. Are my family and neighbors among them? Am I devoting my whole heart to spreading the gospel for them? (27, Mark 16:15, Acts 20:24)