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Chapter 3: The watchman

Again God told Ezekiel he was being sent to a rebellious people.
This is said so many times over in this book -- no wonder the
rabbis were uneasy. Foreign people would listen, but not Israel--
cf. the other texts cited just above this point.

Where is Ezekiel at this point? It surely seems he has been
transported to Jerusalem, even though that trip is not mentioned
before this line. He should go to the exiles at the River Chebar.
Ezekiel was so overwhelmed by the experience he sat overwhelmed
for seven days.

After 7 days God told him He was appointing him as a watchman. If
they listened to him, they would be saved; otherwise not. The past
righteous deeds of the righteous man will not be remembered if he
sins. The other side of the same picture comes in 18.21 saying
that if the wicked man turns, none of his sins will be remembered.
(More comment on this point later in notes on chapter 18).

Then God told him to go out on the plain. There he saw the glory
of the Lord, but was told to go into his house where he would be
bound with cords and in general unable to speak. Yet when God
would so order, he could reprove them. -- Was he literally bound
with cords, or was it that God in some other way rendered him
immobile. We cannot say: It could well be part of the pattern of
acting out a prophecy, such as we shall see soon in other
instances.