In Today's Email:
Welcome to the Book of Ezekiel!
Ezekiel (“God will strengthen”) was a priest that was taken captive to Babylon, likely in 597 B.C. (II Kings 24:10-15). His early messages are to the Jewish captives like himself, countering the false idea that the captivity will be short-lived. His later messages focus on the hope of restoration beyond judgment and even to the ultimate restoration under the Messiah.
A few quick facts about Ezekiel:
The author is Ezekiel, a priest among the captives in Babylon.
This book was written around 570 B.C.
The key verses are 3:24-27 – “Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house. But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them: And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house. But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.”
A brief outline:
Judgment on the Jews – Chapters 1-24
Judgment on the Gentiles – Chapters 25-32
Restoration of Israel – Chapters 33-48
Key Chapters:
Valley of Dry Bones – Chapter 37
Ezekiel 1 Notes
In this chapter Ezekiel sees God’s glory and the cherubim.
vs. 1-3 – The year is 593 B.C. as Ezekiel begins his prophecies. The “thirtieth year” of vs.1 is believed to be the prophet’s age. He is among the captives near the Chebar, which is believed by many to be the royal canal built by Nebuchadnezzar that connected the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. His ministry begins with a glimpse of God’s glory. Then a few days later the call and commission came to him.
vs. 4-28 – It is easy to get distracted by the strange details of Ezekiel’s prophecies. The bottom line here is that he is seeing the glory of God similar to the scenes in Isaiah 6 or Revelation 4-5. The “living creatures” are the cherubim that surround God’s throne. These are described in great detail because the prophet can see and understand them. God Himself is shrouded in glory, with only a passing description in vs. 27-28. The purpose of this vision is to show that God was moving in the judgment against Judah.
Ezekiel 2 Notes
In this chapter Ezekiel is commissioned as a prophet.
vs. 1-7 – Ezekiel is commissioned to proclaim God’s truth to His rebellious children that were being judged in Babylon. This commission bears a strong resemblance to Jeremiah 1. Both of these prophets had unpopular messages but stood strong for the Lord.
vs. 8-10 – The message Ezekiel is given is represented by a scroll. It is rolled up but some of the writing is visible on the outside. This gives him a preview of its contents. The entirety of the scroll is a message of woe.
Ezekiel 3 Notes
In this chapter Ezekiel is commissioned as a watchman over Israel.
vs. 1-14 – Ezekiel eats the scroll containing his prophetic message, picturing his reception of it. He is told to faithfully bear this message to a people that will not rejoice in receiving it.
vs. 15-27 – Ezekiel is supernaturally transported to his home in Telabib (“hill of grain”). Note the effect of his first visions and commission on him as he sits astonished for an entire week. This is likely a mourning ritual. He is then commissioned to be as a watchman, which has a grave responsibility to warn the people of what he sees coming. He then receives another vision of the glory of God. He is to be bound in his home and will only be allowed to speak the messages from the Lord. The timing of this loss of his ability to speak coincides with the fall of Jerusalem (see Chapter 33:21-22).
Ezekiel 4 Notes
In this chapter Ezekiel uses strange object lessons to foretell the fall of Jerusalem.
vs. 1-3 – Ezekiel is told to create a model of Jerusalem being besieged as an object lesson.
vs. 4-8 – The next part of the object lesson is Ezekiel laying beside it. Doubtless the strange actions of the prophet garnered curious onlookers. He laid on his left side for 390 days and then on his right side for 40 days. The meaning of these is not explicitly stated, but the numbers appear to coincide with the years of unfaithfulness of the Northern Kingdom turning from God to idols thanks to Jeroboam, a period of 390 years. The 40 years has to do with Judah’s unfaithfulness.
vs. 9-17 – The next part of this dramatic object lesson regards the food Ezekiel eats. The meager rations (8 ounces of bread and 20 ounces of water) reflected the state of starvation inside Jerusalem during its final siege. To heighten the message’s shock factor, he is to bake his small meal using dung as fuel.
Closing Thoughts
One of the first things most people will say after being exposed to the Book of Ezekiel is that it is very strange. A man building a model of a city being besieged, laying next to it for over year, and eating barely any food… and we are just getting started! Sometimes God has to use extraordinary means to get His message across. I am reminded on I Corinthians 4:10, which says that “we are fools for Christ’s sake” in the eyes of this world. Faithfulness may look like foolishness sometimes, but we should be willing to bear any scorn or mockery for the cause of Christ.
Hymn for Today
Our hymn today is “Missionaries Encouraged” written by Bourne H. Draper in 1805. It encourages us to boldly proclaim the Gospel just as God encouraged Ezekiel to prophesy.
Ye Christian heralds, go proclaim
Salvation through Emmanuel’s name;
To distant climes the tidings bear,
And plant the Rose of Sharon there.
Ruler of worlds, display Thy power,
Be this Thy Zion’s favored hour;
Bid the bright morning star arise,
And point the nations to the skies.
Set up Thy throne where Satan reigns,
On Afric shores, on India’s plains;
On wilds and continents unknown,
And be the universe Thine own!
Speak and the world shall hear Thy voice;
Speak and the deserts shall rejoice!
Scatter the shades of mortal night;
Let worthless idols flee the light!
Trusting in Him, dear brethren, rear
The Gospel standard void of fear;
Go seek with joy your destined shore,
To view your native land no more.
God shield you with a wall of fire,
With flaming zeal your breasts inspire,
Bid raging winds their fury cease,
And hush the tumult into peace.
And when our labors are all o’er,
Then we shall meet to part no more;
Meet with the blood bought throng to fall,
And crown our Jesus, Lord of all!