◄ 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."
Study Bible
On that day
This phrase signifies a specific, divinely appointed time. In the Hebrew context, "that day" often refers to a moment of significant prophetic fulfillment or divine intervention. It underscores God's sovereignty over time and events, reminding us that He orchestrates history according to His perfect will. This phrase invites believers to trust in God's timing, knowing that He has a purpose for every season.

your mouth will be opened
The opening of Ezekiel's mouth symbolizes the restoration of his prophetic voice. In the Hebrew tradition, the mouth is a powerful instrument for declaring God's truth. This phrase indicates a transition from silence to proclamation, emphasizing the importance of speaking God's word with boldness and clarity. It serves as a reminder that God empowers His servants to communicate His message at the appointed time.

to speak with him
This phrase highlights the personal and direct communication between Ezekiel and the people. The Hebrew context suggests an intimate dialogue, where the prophet conveys God's message with authority and compassion. It reflects the relational aspect of prophecy, where God's word is delivered not just as a decree but as a conversation that invites response and reflection.

and you will no longer be silent
The cessation of silence marks a pivotal moment in Ezekiel's ministry. In the biblical narrative, silence often represents a period of judgment or waiting. The lifting of this silence signifies a new phase of revelation and action. It encourages believers to recognize the seasons when God calls us to speak out and bear witness to His truth, breaking the silence with courage and conviction.

So you will be a sign to them
Ezekiel's role as a sign underscores the prophetic function of embodying God's message. In the Hebrew tradition, signs are tangible demonstrations of divine truth. This phrase indicates that Ezekiel's actions and words serve as a living testimony to God's presence and purpose. It challenges believers to live in such a way that our lives become signs pointing others to the reality of God.

and they will know that I am the LORD
The ultimate goal of Ezekiel's prophecy is the recognition of God's sovereignty. This phrase is a recurring theme in the book of Ezekiel, emphasizing that all of God's actions aim to reveal His identity and authority. It calls believers to a deeper understanding of God's character and a commitment to making Him known in the world. The acknowledgment of God as LORD is both a personal and communal revelation, inviting all to submit to His lordship.

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.
Sermons
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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