Ezekiel 5:1 “‘As for you, son of man, take a sharp sword; take and use it as a barber’s razor on your head and beard. Then take scales for weighing and divide the hair.’”
MAKE THE TRUTH VISIBLE
I have learned through my almost four decades of ministry that people learn best when they can see what you are talking about. It doesn’t matter if they are 4 or 40. Using objects to describe a Biblical truth helps them “hold” something in their mind. Now, no object lesson is perfect, but they can sure help us “see” the Word concretely.
Ezekiel is told to shave his head and beard and use the hair as an object lesson for the people of God’s impending judgment on them. It is a harsh lesson he is teaching. I guarantee you when those individuals were carried off into exile or were going through this judgment, their minds flashed back to a bald, beardless Ezekiel scattering and burning hair in the city.
TEACHING MOMENT
When you read God’s Word to your children or grandchildren, think of some way in which you can fully explain it to them. Use an object to help them connect the truth to the Word. Pick something they can hold if possible. Touching and feeling helps us remember.
Ask them when reading a passage what object comes to mind. Let them have input into the object and then go find it. It may be something as simple as a ball or toy. It could be a tree or flower. The point is to make sure they come away understanding the truth God is showing them in the Word. The next time they see that object, hopefully this truth will pop in their head.
Look around the room you are in right now. Do it! Is there something in the room that reminds you of someone? I bet there is. That’s how it works. Shouldn’t everything around us remind us of the Lord? He is in everything. He is everywhere. He is!