“‘你要取小麦、大麦、豆子、红豆，小米、粗麦，装在一个器皿中，用以为自己造饼。’” - 结 4:9
在某些杂货店里你会看到出售“以西结书 4:9面包”，这种面包的成份，与神吩咐以西结用来造饼的材料相同。
然而，神给以西结做饼的食谱，原意不是要生产一种昂贵的高级食品。各种谷物混合起来确实构成了完全的蛋白质，神吩咐以西结吃小量的饼，然而这饼能够为他提供很多重要的养份，然而，做这饼时用的成份却与他的文化传统不相符。这表明他是在物质贫乏和环境危机时为了削减开支才采用的日常饮食。麦子、谷物、和豆类的混合物构成少量的素食，不是最令人满意的食物。而更糟的是，以西结竟然要用粪便作燃料来做饼！
这个匪夷所思的故事令人感到不安：神为什么吩咐以西结这样做？尽管以西结对此感到实在难以忍受，但他为什么仍然照着做了？
我们没有简单的答案。神在这里的用意，似乎是要表达以色列民的叛逆将会带来严厉的后果，然而这特别的饼却能够维持人的生命。将要临到的围困会带来可怕的困境，然而神的子民不会完全被毁灭。这是一个唤醒他们归向神的警钟。多年之后，耶稣也向人发出同样的呼召，衪呼召他们看到神就在他们中间。
祷告
主啊，你的作为有时令我们感到困惑，然而我们相信你会呼召我们回到你那里的。阿们。
以西结书 4章
1“人子啊，你要拿一块砖，摆在你面前，将一座耶路撒冷城画在其上。
2又围困这城，造台筑垒，安营攻击，在四围安设撞锤攻城。
3又要拿个铁鏊，放在你和城的中间作为铁墙。你要对面攻击这城，使城被困。这样，好做以色列家的预兆。
4“你要向左侧卧，承当以色列家的罪孽。要按你向左侧卧的日数，担当他们的罪孽。
5因为我已将他们作孽的年数定为你向左侧卧的日数，就是三百九十日。你要这样担当以色列家的罪孽。
6再者，你满了这些日子，还要向右侧卧，担当犹大家的罪孽。我给你定规侧卧四十日，一日顶一年。
7你要露出膀臂，面向被困的耶路撒冷，说预言攻击这城。
8我用绳索捆绑你，使你不能辗转，直等你满了困城的日子。
9“你要取小麦、大麦、豆子、红豆、小米、粗麦，装在一个器皿中，用以为自己做饼，要按你侧卧的三百九十日吃这饼。
10你所吃的要按分量吃，每日二十舍客勒，按时而吃。
11你喝水也要按制子，每日喝一欣六分之一，按时而喝。
12你吃这饼像吃大麦饼一样，要用人粪在众人眼前烧烤。”
13耶和华说：“以色列人在我所赶他们到的各国中，也必这样吃不洁净的食物。”
14我说：“哎，主耶和华啊！我素来未曾被玷污，从幼年到如今没有吃过自死的或被野兽撕裂的，那可憎的肉也未曾入我的口。”
15于是他对我说：“看哪，我给你牛粪代替人粪，你要将你的饼烤在其上。”
16他又对我说：“人子啊，我必在耶路撒冷折断他们的杖，就是断绝他们的粮。他们吃饼要按分量忧虑而吃，喝水也要按制子惊惶而喝，
17使他们缺粮缺水，彼此惊惶，因自己的罪孽消灭。
Make Bread For Yourself
"Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself." - Ezekiel 4:9
In some grocery stores you can find "Ezekiel 4:9 Bread," which contains the same ingredients God told Ezekiel to use here to make bread.
But the recipe God gave Ezekiel wasn't intended to be an expensive specialty food. Although the combination of grains forms a complete protein and would have given Ezekiel a lot of important nutrients as he ate the small portions he was told to eat, the mixture of those ingredients was not part of his cultural tradition. It pointed to a pared-back diet for times of poverty and crisis. The wheat was to be mixed with grains and legumes that made for a scant vegetarian diet and weren't very desirable. To make matters worse, Ezekiel had to cook the bread over manure!
This strange story is unsettling: Why would God ask Ezekiel to do this? And why did Ezekiel follow through even though it was awfully uncomfortable to do so?
There are no easy answers, but it seems that the message God intended here was that there would be harsh consequences for Israel's disobedience, and yet this unusual bread would sustain people. A coming siege would bring horrible discomfort, but it would not completely obliterate God's people. It would be a wake-up call to turn back to God. Many years later, Jesus would sound a similar call for the people to recognize God in their midst.
Prayer
Lord, your ways puzzle us sometimes, and yet we trust you to turn us back to you. Amen.
