On June 11 1963, a Buddhist monk sat down in the middle of a busy street in Saigon, Vietnam. After being doused with gasoline, he struck a match and lit himself on fire. The monk had previously offered written protest of the South Vietnamese government. But he knew the power of an image. A photograph of the burning man won a Pulitzer Prize. President Kennedy said, "No news picture in history has generated so much emotion around the world as that one." Images have the power to accentuate ideas.
In Ezekiel 4, God instructs his prophet to act out the judgment which would soon confront God's people. Commentators disagree over whether these instructions were actually meant to be performed or if the power of the illustration was merely in their telling. Regardless, God portrays—either by verbal or physical image—what stubborn sinners should anticipate. Let's try to picture Ezekiel's illustrations, understand his message, and put it into practice.
