What is the meaning of Ezekiel 5:3? But you are to take - “But” turns from the masses to the few, signaling mercy amid judgment. - “You are to take” demands personal obedience, echoing, “Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel” (Ezekiel 3:17). - God’s commands invite action, not discussion—“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22). a few strands of hair - The hair represents Jerusalem’s people; the “few” show God’s faithful remnant: “For though your people, O Israel, be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant will return” (Isaiah 10:22). - “Yet I will leave a remnant” (Ezekiel 6:8) confirms that mercy threads through judgment. - From Noah’s eight to Elijah’s 7,000, salvation consistently flows through a minority preserved by grace. and secure them - Ezekiel must bind the strands so none slip away, picturing divine protection: “I give them eternal life… no one can snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28). - “The LORD… will not forsake His saints; they will be preserved forever” (Psalm 37:28). - Rescue is deliberate; God never misplaces His redeemed. in the folds of your garment. - The hem lies nearest the body—intimate, guarded space. Ruth used the same image: “Spread the corner of your garment over me” (Ruth 3:9). - God’s pledge remains: “They will be Mine… and I will spare them” (Malachi 3:17). - Believers today live the reality, “Your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). summary Ezekiel 5:3 softens a scene of judgment with a tender act: a few hairs, carefully taken, firmly secured, lovingly tucked close. They picture the remnant God will always preserve—evidence that His justice never eclipses His enduring covenant mercy. |
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