Ezekiel has seen a strange sight, a wheel with creatures, and above the wheel and icy plane and above that plane a throne with a bright dramatic being, YHWH, sitting on it. Now God speaks.
Ezekiel 2:1-5, Speak to them
He said to me, "Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you."
As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. He said: "Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their fathers have been in revolt against me to this very day. The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says.' And whether they listen or fail to listen--for they are a rebellious house--they will know that a prophet has been among them.
Ezekiel is addressed as "son of man" (Hebrew ben adam, literally "son of human".) This is a strange phrase which appears (says Alexander, p. 761) ninety times in Ezekiel and twice in the book of Daniel. The term does not appear elsewhere in the Old Testament. In Daniel 8:17, the term is used to address Daniel. In Daniel 7:13, the phrase is in Arabic, not Hebrew, and represents a human messianic figure.
Ezekiel is to be sent to Israel, to speak to them. Regardless of their response, Ezekiel is at least communicating God's message.
Commentators note that the Israelites are described as "a rebellious nation" but the Hebrew word translated "nation" is goyim, which is a plural. It is possible that both Israel/Samaria and Judah are referenced here. Duguid argues that there is a deliberate reversal of roles here: the Gentiles are called "a people" while Israel is called "nations."
Ezekiel 2:6-8, Briers, thorns, scorpions
And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house.
The persistent stubborness of the people of Israelites is a theme of this book. Ezekiel is warned that the people will not listen, but he is not to be afraid. Mackie says that we are to recall the curse of Adam (Genesis 3:17-19) in this passage.
Ezekiel 2:9-10, A scroll
You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you."
Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe.
Ezekiel is told not to be rebellious like the people of Israel. He has a message to give them. Indeed, it is handed to him on a scroll. The scroll has writing on both sides, writing that carry dark and painful words. Ezekiel will be made to internalize (literally) the message of that scroll.
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