The verse marks the beginning of the Lord's message and divine communication to Ezekiel. He served as God's mouthpiece among the captives in Babylonia by the river Chebar while Jeremiah prophesied in Jerusalem. The wording that the word of the Lord came to him means the message originated with Jehovah and was delivered through the prophet. It teaches inspiration, that the words are both the words of God's Spirit and the words of the prophet, God using the human instrument according to its limitations as a master musician plays upon various instruments.
The verse introduces the Lord's instruction for Ezekiel to act as a sign to the people by dramatizing moving out and captivity in Ezekiel 12:1-16. He was to prepare his possessions as for a hurried departure, dig through the wall, and carry them away under cover of darkness. His actions represented the coming distress and exile. He was to explain their meaning when people asked what he was doing. Being God's sign could require hardship and public acts that are not pleasant or convenient.
The verse marks the beginning of the Lord's message and divine communication to Ezekiel. He served as God's mouthpiece among the captives in Babylonia by the river Chebar while Jeremiah prophesied in Jerusalem. The wording that the word of the Lord came to him means the message originated with Jehovah and was delivered through the prophet. It teaches inspiration, that the words are both the words of God's Spirit and the words of the prophet, God using the human instrument according to its limitations as a master musician plays upon various instruments.
The verse introduces the Lord's instruction for Ezekiel to act as a sign to the people by dramatizing moving out and captivity in Ezekiel 12:1-16. He was to prepare his possessions as for a hurried departure, dig through the wall, and carry them away under cover of darkness. His actions represented the coming distress and exile. He was to explain their meaning when people asked what he was doing. Being God's sign could require hardship and public acts that are not pleasant or convenient.