Ezekiel 12
v.2
“Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.
Though the elders had ears and eyes, they had neither heard his messages or seen his visual signs in chs. 8-11 (cf. Isa 6:9-10; Jer 5:21). Ezekiel had to speak to this rebellion. The exiles had not grasped the serious consequences of Ezekiel’s warnings. They still hoped for an early return to Palestine, for they viewed the continued preservation of Jersualem and Judah as signs of security.
v.3
“Therefore, son of man, pack your belongings for exile and in the daytime, as they watch, set out and go from where you are to another place. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house.
Ezekiel’s symbolic acts undoubtedly drew curious spectators. Even though the exiles had failed to grasp the significance of Ezekiel’s previous messages, once again God graciously sought to convey his warnings to them. Maybe they would understand this time. The Lord repeatedly encouraged Ezekiel to perform new dramas for everyone to see. Ezekiel would be a “sign” to them.
v.15-16
“They will know that I am the Lord, when I disperse them among the natios and scatter them through the countries. 16But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine and plague, so that in the nations where they go they may acknowledge all their detestable practices. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
The deportations were designed to show the deportees that the Lord was the faithful, loving, and powerful God over Israel, to which they would return. Lest the foreign nations misunderstand Judah’s dispersion, God had the exiles testify that their abominations precipitated the deportations. In this way the nations would realize the the Lord was holy and righteous, and that he cared for his people.
v.22-23
“Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by and every vision comes to nothing’? 23Say to them, ‘The days are near when every vision will be fulfilled.
It had become obvious that the apathy of the Jewish exiles had blunted their understanding of his symbolic acts and oracles (12:2). They did not think that Ezekiel’s prophecies were valid. Through a contemporary proverb the captives asserted that they believed all the previous judgements proclaimed by Isaiah, Micah, and others were not true, for they had not come to pass. Why should they now accept Ezekiel’s prophecies as valid? Their outlook presumed on God’s grace, long-suffering, and forbearance. It showed an unbelief in God’s immutability and the trustworthiness of his word as revelead in the Scriptures. It was only because of his grace that God had not disciplined Israel sooner. He had waited so Israel might change her mind and return to him. Instead, the people had strayed further living in the fantasy of security when judgement was imminent.