Then I answered them, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Ezekiel spoke these words as his direct answer when the people asked him what his actions were meant to signify, presenting his reply as the coming of the word of the Lord to him. The message he had received declared that the sanctuary in Jerusalem, the pride of the nation, was to be profaned and defiled in judgment. That same word announced that the sons and daughters left behind in the city would fall by the sword.
What the people were to endure would exactly mirror the sign given in Ezekiel's own experience and restraint. The siege of Jerusalem and its punishment came because the people had refused to heed the Lord's word. In that reckoning no lot would be cast to decide who escaped and who was destroyed.
Ezekiel spoke these words as his direct answer when the people asked him what his actions were meant to signify, presenting his reply as the coming of the word of the Lord to him. The message he had received declared that the sanctuary in Jerusalem, the pride of the nation, was to be profaned and defiled in judgment. That same word announced that the sons and daughters left behind in the city would fall by the sword.
What the people were to endure would exactly mirror the sign given in Ezekiel's own experience and restraint. The siege of Jerusalem and its punishment came because the people had refused to heed the Lord's word. In that reckoning no lot would be cast to decide who escaped and who was destroyed.