it, building a rampart and a mound against it, putting an iron frying pan
between himself and the “city,” and sleeping on his left side and then on
his right side. He also had to take wheat, barley, lentils, millet, and spelt
and make bread out of them. He also had to make a cake of barley with
human excrement; but because he begged not to have to do that, he was
allowed to make it with cow dung instead. He was told,
Lie on your left side and put the injustice done by the house of Israelon
it. For the number of days during which you sleep on that side you
will carry their injustice.For I will give you the years of their injustice
according to the number of days, 390 days for you to carry the injus-
tice done by the house of Israel.But when you have finished them, you
will lie again on your right side to carry the injustice done by the house
of Judah.(Ezekiel 4 : 1 – 15 )
[ 2 ] By these actions the prophet Ezekiel carried the injustices done by
the house of Israel and the house of Judah; but he did not take away
those injustices or atone for them, he only represented them and made
them visible. This is clear from the following verses in the same chapter:
“Like this,” says Jehovah, “will the children of Israel eat their unclean
bread. Behold I am breaking the staff of bread so that they lack bread
and water. A man and his brother will become desolate and will waste
away because of their injustice.” (Ezekiel 4 : 13 , 16 , 17 )
The same thing is meant by the statement about the Lord that says,
“He bore our diseases, he carriedour pains. Jehovah put on him the
injustices committed by us all. Through his knowledge he justified many
as he himself carried their injustices”(Isaiah 53 : 4 , 6 , 11 ). This whole chapter
in Isaiah is about the Lord’s suffering.
[ 3 ] The following details of the Lord’s suffering make it clear that he
was the ultimate prophet, embodying the Jewish church’s treatment of the
Word: He was betrayed by Judas. The chief priests and the elders arrested him
and condemned him. They hit him repeatedly. They beat his head with a
cane. They put a crown of thorns on him. They tore up his clothes and cast lots
for his undergarment. They crucified him. They gave him vinegar to drink.
They pierced his side. He was buried, and on the third day he rose.
His betrayal by Judas meant his betrayal by the Jewish nation, among
whom the Word existed at that time. Judas represented that nation. The
chief priests and the elders who arrested and condemned him meant that