WAIT… THAT’S IN THE BIBLE? — DAY 31

A lighthearted look at some of the wonderfully unexpected things you discover when you actually read your Bible, context still matters!

“Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement for fuel.” Ezekiel 4:12

I’M SORRY, USING WHAT FOR FUEL?!

There are moments when you’re reading the Bible and you genuinely have to go back and read the verse again.

This is one of them.

God had given Ezekiel instructions for another prophetic demonstration.

There was bread involved.

So far, so good.

Then came the cooking instructions.

USE HUMAN EXCREMENT AS FUEL.

Ezekiel:

“LORD, SURELY NOT THAT.”

And to be fair to Ezekiel

HE ACTUALLY OBJECTED.

He tells God that he has never defiled himself by eating anything ceremonially unclean.

And God responds:

“Very well, I will let you bake your bread over cow dung instead of human excrement.” Ezekiel 4:15

Ezekiel:

“THANK YOU?”

Let’s just appreciate this for a moment.

GOOD NEWS:

God changed the cooking instructions.

BAD NEWS:

COW DUNG WAS THE IMPROVED OPTION.

Imagine Ezekiel explaining dinner to somebody:

“What’s cooking?”

“Barley bread.”

“Smells interesting. What are you using for fuel?”

Ezekiel:

“YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW.”

Context REALLY matters with this one!

This wasn’t God giving Ezekiel an unusual Bible recipe.

Ezekiel was acting out a prophetic sign of what was coming upon Jerusalem.

The city would experience siege.

Food would become scarce.

People would carefully ration what little they had.

And the people would eventually eat defiled food among the nations where they were being driven.

Ezekiel’s uncomfortable demonstration was meant to be confronting because the reality he was warning them about was confronting.

Once again, we discover that being an Old Testament prophet sometimes meant considerably more than simply standing up and saying:

“Thus says the LORD”

Sometimes the prophet had to become the visual aid.

And apparently Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry came with some particularly unusual assignments.

THINGS NOT MENTIONED IN THE PROPHET JOB DESCRIPTION:

☑ Speak God’s Word.

☑ Warn the people.

☑ Act out prophetic messages.

☑ Lie on your side for hundreds of days.

☑ Cook your dinner over

ACTUALLY, LET’S JUST STOP THERE.

But underneath the strange details was a serious warning:

God was showing His people what their continued rebellion would lead to.

The prophetic sign was uncomfortable because God wanted them to PAY ATTENTION.

Still

You have to imagine Ezekiel hearing:

“You may use cow dung instead.”

and thinking:

“Well apparently that’s the good news today.”

Sometimes God gave the prophets a message to preach.

Sometimes He gave them a message to demonstrate.

And sometimes

THE PROPHETIC OBJECT LESSON CAME WITH COOKING INSTRUCTIONS NOBODY ASKED FOR.

Context still matters!