Ezekiel 24:27
On that day your mouth will be opened to him who has escaped; you will speak and no longer be mute. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the LORD."
On that day
This phrase refers to a specific time appointed by God, often associated with significant events in biblical prophecy. In the context of Ezekiel, it points to the day when Jerusalem falls, fulfilling the prophecies of judgment against the city. This emphasizes God's sovereignty over time and events.

your mouth will be opened
Ezekiel had been rendered mute by God as a sign to the people, only speaking when God gave him a message (Ezekiel 3:26-27). The opening of his mouth signifies the end of this period of silence, marking a new phase in his prophetic ministry. It underscores the idea that God controls the prophetic voice.

to him who has escaped
This refers to a survivor from the destruction of Jerusalem who would bring news of the city's fall. The escapee serves as a witness to the fulfillment of God's judgment, highlighting the reality of the prophecies given through Ezekiel.

you will speak and no longer be mute
Ezekiel's ability to speak again symbolizes the completion of a prophetic cycle. His silence had been a sign of impending judgment, and his restored speech indicates a shift towards a message of hope and restoration. This transition is crucial in understanding the role of prophets as both warners and comforters.

So you will be a sign to them
Ezekiel himself becomes a living sign to the people, embodying the message of God. This concept of a prophet as a sign is seen throughout scripture, where the lives and actions of prophets serve as tangible demonstrations of divine truth (e.g., Hosea's marriage in Hosea 1-3).

and they will know that I am the LORD.
This phrase is a recurring theme in Ezekiel, emphasizing the ultimate purpose of God's actions: to reveal His identity and sovereignty to His people. It reflects the covenant relationship between God and Israel, where recognition of God's lordship is central. This acknowledgment is not just intellectual but involves a relational understanding of God's character and authority.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Ezekiel
A prophet of God, called to deliver messages of judgment and hope to the Israelites during their Babylonian exile.

2. The Exiles
The Israelites who were taken captive to Babylon, experiencing God's judgment for their disobedience.

3. Jerusalem
The city whose fall and destruction are central to Ezekiel's prophecies, symbolizing God's judgment.

4. The Day
Refers to the specific time when Ezekiel's prophecy would be fulfilled, marking a significant event in God's plan.

5. The LORD
The covenant name of God, emphasizing His sovereignty and faithfulness to His promises.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty in Communication
God controls when and how His messages are delivered. Ezekiel's muteness and subsequent ability to speak demonstrate God's authority over prophetic communication.

The Role of Prophets as Signs
Prophets serve as living symbols of God's messages. Ezekiel's life and actions were a sign to the Israelites, reminding us that our lives can also reflect God's truth to others.

The Importance of Obedience
Ezekiel's obedience in speaking only when God allowed underscores the importance of following God's timing and instructions in our own lives.

Recognition of God's Authority
The ultimate purpose of Ezekiel's sign was for the people to know that "I am the LORD." Our actions and words should point others to God's sovereignty and faithfulness.

Hope in Restoration
While Ezekiel's message was one of judgment, the opening of his mouth also signified a turning point, offering hope for future restoration and reconciliation with God.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Ezekiel's experience of being mute and then able to speak reflect God's control over our lives and circumstances?

2. In what ways can our lives serve as signs to others about God's truth and character?

3. How can we discern when God is calling us to speak or remain silent in our own lives?

4. What are some modern-day examples of prophetic voices that point us to God's sovereignty and faithfulness?

5. How can we find hope in God's promises of restoration, even when facing judgment or difficult circumstances?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Ezekiel 3:26-27
Earlier in Ezekiel's ministry, God made him mute, except when delivering specific messages. This connects to the opening of his mouth in 24:27 as a sign of a new phase in his prophetic role.

Isaiah 6:5-8
Isaiah's commissioning as a prophet parallels Ezekiel's role as a sign to the people, emphasizing the importance of prophetic voices in times of judgment.

Luke 1:20, 64
Zechariah's temporary muteness and subsequent speaking at John the Baptist's birth mirrors Ezekiel's experience, highlighting God's control over speech as a sign.

Acts 2:4
The apostles speaking in tongues at Pentecost signifies the empowerment of God's messengers, similar to Ezekiel's role as a sign to the people.
Death of a WifeHomiletic ReviewEzekiel 24:15-27
Ezekiel's Wife not Merely SymbolicA. B. Davidson, D. D.Ezekiel 24:15-27
Funeral SermonS. Palmer.Ezekiel 24:15-27
Graduated LessonsJ.D. Davies Ezekiel 24:15-27
Loneliness Through Bereavement Relieved by ServiceR. J. Campbell, M. A.Ezekiel 24:15-27
Sin the Worst SorrowUrijah R. Thomas.Ezekiel 24:15-27
Speechless and Tearless SorrowJ.R. Thomson Ezekiel 24:15-27
The Departure of FriendsHomilistEzekiel 24:15-27
The Desire of the Eyes Taken AwayR. Young, M. A.Ezekiel 24:15-27
The Prophet's Discipline of SorrowA. Mackennal, D. D.Ezekiel 24:15-27
The Stroke of DeathD. Taylor.Ezekiel 24:15-27
The Stroke of Death Under the Direction of GodSketches of Four Hundred SermonsEzekiel 24:15-27
Unwept Bereavement: Or, a Great Soul in a Great SorrowM. Brokenshire.Ezekiel 24:15-27
People
Ezekiel
Places
Babylon, Jerusalem, Samaria
Topics
Dumb, Escaped, Fugitive, Got, Hast, Lips, Longer, Mouth, Mute, Open, Opened, Safe, Shut, Sign, Silent, Speak, Speakest, Thus, Type
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ezekiel 24:27

     5168   muteness

Library
Divine Sovereignty.
In this discussion I shall endeavor to show, I. What is not intended by the term "sovereignty" when applied to God. It is not intended, at least by me, that God, in any instance, wills or acts arbitrarily, or without good reasons; reasons so good and so weighty, that he could in no case act otherwise than he does, without violating the law of his own intelligence and conscience, and consequently without sin. Any view of divine sovereignty that implies arbitrariness on the part of the divine will,
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

The Jews Make all Ready for the War; and Simon, the Son of Gioras, Falls to Plundering.
1. And thus were the disturbances of Galilee quieted, when, upon their ceasing to prosecute their civil dissensions, they betook themselves to make preparations for the war with the Romans. Now in Jerusalem the high priest Artanus, and do as many of the men of power as were not in the interest of the Romans, both repaired the walls, and made a great many warlike instruments, insomuch that in all parts of the city darts and all sorts of armor were upon the anvil. Although the multitude of the young
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem

That the Ruler Should not Set his Heart on Pleasing Men, and yet Should Give Heed to what Ought to Please Them.
Meanwhile it is also necessary for the ruler to keep wary watch, lest the lust of pleasing men assail him; lest, when he studiously penetrates the things that are within, and providently supplies the things that are without, he seek to be beloved of those that are under him more than truth; lest, while, supported by his good deeds, he seems not to belong to the world, self-love estrange him from his Maker. For he is the Redeemer's enemy who through the good works which he does covets being loved
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

The End
'1. And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about. 2. And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. 3. And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land. 4. And the city was broken up, and all the
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

How those who Fear Scourges and those who Contemn them are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 14.) Differently to be admonished are those who fear scourges, and on that account live innocently, and those who have grown so hard in wickedness as not to be corrected even by scourges. For those who fear scourges are to be told by no means to desire temporal goods as being of great account, seeing that bad men also have them, and by no means to shun present evils as intolerable, seeing they are not ignorant how for the most part good men also are touched by them. They are to be admonished
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

How Christ is the Way in General, "I am the Way. "
We come now to speak more particularly to the words; and, first, Of his being a way. Our design being to point at the way of use-making of Christ in all our necessities, straits, and difficulties which are in our way to heaven; and particularly to point out the way how believers should make use of Christ in all their particular exigencies; and so live by faith in him, walk in him, grow up in him, advance and march forward toward glory in him. It will not be amiss to speak of this fulness of Christ
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

The Seventh Commandment
Thou shalt not commit adultery.' Exod 20: 14. God is a pure, holy spirit, and has an infinite antipathy against all uncleanness. In this commandment he has entered his caution against it; non moechaberis, Thou shalt not commit adultery.' The sum of this commandment is, The preservations of corporal purity. We must take heed of running on the rock of uncleanness, and so making shipwreck of our chastity. In this commandment there is something tacitly implied, and something expressly forbidden. 1. The
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Ezekiel
To a modern taste, Ezekiel does not appeal anything like so powerfully as Isaiah or Jeremiah. He has neither the majesty of the one nor the tenderness and passion of the other. There is much in him that is fantastic, and much that is ritualistic. His imaginations border sometimes on the grotesque and sometimes on the mechanical. Yet he is a historical figure of the first importance; it was very largely from him that Judaism received the ecclesiastical impulse by which for centuries it was powerfully
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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