Ezekiel 4 Thru 6 - A Pulse On Prophecy

### Ezekiel Chapter 4
In this chapter, God commands Ezekiel to enact a series of symbolic acts to illustrate the coming siege and suffering of Jerusalem:

1. **Siege of Jerusalem (4:1-3)**: Ezekiel is instructed to take a clay tablet and draw the city of Jerusalem on it. He is to lay siege against it using an iron plate as a wall between him and the city, symbolizing the siege and God's unyielding opposition.

2. **Lying on His Side (4:4-8)**: Ezekiel is to lie on his left side for 390 days to symbolize the years of Israel's sin and then on his right side for 40 days to represent Judah's sin. This act demonstrates the burden of the people's iniquity.

3. **Eating Defiled Bread (4:9-17)**: Ezekiel is commanded to eat a meager diet of bread made from mixed grains, symbolizing the scarcity of food during the siege. He is initially told to bake it over human dung, but after protest, God allows him to use cow dung instead. This symbolizes the defiled conditions and scarcity that will come with the siege.

### Ezekiel Chapter 5
In this chapter, God continues to communicate His judgments on Jerusalem through further symbolic acts:

1. **Shaving His Head and Beard (5:1-4)**: Ezekiel is instructed to shave his head and beard with a sword, divide the hair into thirds, and use each portion differently. One third is to be burned (representing those who will die by plague or famine), one third is to be struck with the sword (representing those who will die by the sword), and one third is to be scattered to the wind (representing those who will be exiled).

2. **Judgment Against Jerusalem (5:5-17)**: God pronounces judgment against Jerusalem for their rebelliousness and abominations. The city will face severe punishment, including famine, pestilence, and sword. The destruction will serve as a sign and a warning to the nations, highlighting God's fierce anger and the consequences of disobedience.

### Ezekiel Chapter 6
This chapter contains prophecies against the mountains of Israel, representing the high places where idolatry occurred:

1. **Prophecy Against the Mountains (6:1-7)**: Ezekiel is to prophesy against the mountains and high places of Israel, where the people have engaged in idolatrous worship. These places will be destroyed, the altars will be broken, and the idols will be smashed. The people who worshipped there will be slain.

2. **A Remnant Will Remember (6:8-10)**: Despite the destruction, a remnant will survive and be scattered among the nations. They will remember their sins and recognize that God’s judgment was just.

3. **Further Destruction (6:11-14)**: The chapter concludes with further declarations of devastation, emphasizing that the land will be desolate, the high places ruined, and the idols obliterated. This destruction will demonstrate that the Lord is God, and His judgments are righteous.