God instructed Ezekiel to construct a model of Jerusalem under siege. Then he was to lay on his left side for 390 days, symbolic of the years of Israel's sin. For an additional 40 days he was to lay on his right side, symbolically bearing the years of Judah's sin. To further illustrate the confinement of the siege, God had Ezekiel tied up with ropes. During this symbolic incarceration, Ezekiel also ate meager portions of bread made of wheat, barely, beans, lentils, millet and spelt. This bread was to be baked using human excrement as fuel, representing the scarcity of other sources and the defilement they would experience. When Ezekiel protested such a detestable act, God allowed him to use cow manure instead. (Ezek. 4:1-17)
