I lay a stumblingblock before him] This difficult phrase does not mean that God seelrs to make the righteous fall, but that the temptations of the righteous are under God's providential control. Where there is a temptation He also sends a warning, and the two constitute a discipline by which the righteous man is tested, and under which he has an opportunity of moral growth. The case of a righteous man sinning and perishing in spite of warning is not contemplated at all.
The Third Commission (Ezekiel 3:22-27)
In a plain or valley near Tel-abib the great vision of God's glory formerly seen by the Chebar again appeared to Ezekiel. The divine voice further explained the nature of his commission. His prophetic activity would be subject to a double limitation. He would be restrained from public speech by the opposition of the people, and God would impose silence upon him except when a divine message should be given him from time to time. This intermittent silence became permanent from Ezekiel 24:27 (January, 587 b.c.) onward, till the restraint on his speech was removed altogether three years later (Ezekiel 33:21-22).