Ezekiel 5:1

Ezekiel 5:1 says, And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber's razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair.  Ezekiel was then given another command from God that might seem strange.  He was to shave off his hair and beard which represented God’s total rejection of Israel because of their sin.  We may not be called on to take such drastic actions with our physical appearance, but we should be willing to do so if we know that God is calling on us to do so. 

Verse two adds, Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.  Ezekiel was to divide his cut off hair into three equal parts, which Matthew Henry says represented God’s judging in fairness.  All people are equal in God’s sight, but it depends on our accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord whether He continues to see us that way.  One- third was to be burned, representing the total destruction of some of the people of Israel, one-third was to be cut to pieces, representing those who would be killed by the sword during the siege, and the other third was to be scattered, representing the scattering of some of them.  Many would die and some would be dispersed, but nearly all would be affected by God’s judgment on them for their sin. 

Verse three continues, Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy skirts.  Ezekiel was told to take a few pieces of his hair from the part that was to be scattered and bind it in his skirts.  This would represent those who had hope that by remaining faithful to Gedaliah that they would keep possession of the land, according to Matthew Henry.  We may think that if we remain true to a certain leader that we will be spared from any destruction if it comes, but if God has pronounced His judgement on us, no one is going to save us from facing His judgment.   

Verse four concludes, Then take of them again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire; for thereof shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel.  That all would face God’s judgment was signified when Ezekiel was told to take what had been spared and to throw it in the fire also.  Nothing was going to spare the people of Israel from total destruction but coming to God in repentance and obedience and His grace in sparing them.  The only way for us to be saved from everlasting spiritual destruction is by repenting of our sins and accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Anything else that we put our faith in will fail.