In this chapter God commands Ezekiel to act out a symbolic exile in the sight of the people: take baggage, dig through the wall with his hands, and then flee into the darkness with his face hidden in shame.
” ‘…prepare for yourself an exile’s baggage… You shall go like an exile from your place to another place in their sight… You shall bring out your baggage by day in their sight, as baggage for exile, and you shall go out yourself at evening in their sight… In their sight dig through the wall, and bring your baggage out through it. In their sight you shall lift the baggage upon your shoulder and carry it out at dusk. You shall cover your face that you may not see the land, for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel.’ ” (v3-6 abr)
Ezekiel and many Judeans were already in exile, however some Judeans were still in Jerusalem. The most obvious symbolism is that more Judeans would be going into exile (which they soon did).
I think the most impactful symbolism here is less obvious. I believe God’s heart is that His people be ashamed of their sinful lives, flee any sinful habits, and leave that life far behind. This voluntary exile from a past sinful life allows us to turn toward God and a more eternally-fulfilling life in His protection and guidance. The idea of course is that when fleeing sin we would never intend to go back (unfortunately we sometimes do…).
Do we need to exile ourselves from a sinful habit / life? Is God calling us out of something and toward Himself? Are we too rebellious to even hear him calling? These are all things we can consider as we strive to follow Jesus. Jesus called His disciples (and many others) away from their past lives in order to follow Him. Let’s ask God if there’s anything He’s calling us away from so we can pursue Him more.
Father God, our Glorious Lord, You deserve our obedience. Please open our eyes to any sinful parts of our lives that need to be left behind. May we flee those places of sin, and fill that space in our lives with that which really matters – You. May our life-changing actions be testimonies for others, and may we be salt and light in this world as result of pursuing You. May we honor, glorify and praise You in our quest for obedience, from this day forward, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training