Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Succinct Summation

Outline

Ezekiel 1-24 - Oracles against God’s People

Ezekiel 1:1-3 - Ezekiel the Priest

Ezekiel 1:4-28 - The Glory of the Lord

Ezekiel 2:1-3:15 - Ezekiel Commissioned

Ezekiel 3:16-27 - Ezekiel the Watchman

Ezekiel 3:16-21 - The Watchman’s Job

Ezekiel 3:22-27 - Ezekiel’s Rejection

Purpose of Book

The purpose of Ezekiel is Yahweh rebukes His people for their sinfulness and He promises to restore His glory so all nations will know He is the one true Lord.

In short, the purpose of Ezekiel is the glory of God.

Main Point

Yahweh gives Ezekiel his specific role for his prophetic ministry - He is a watchman warning the house of Israel of their wicked ways and sin

Ezekiel 3:16-21 - The Watchman’s Job

16 And at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me: 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel.

16 And at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me:

After the seven days the word of the Lord comes to Ezekiel

17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel.

Ezekiel’s prophetic calling becomes more specific - he is a watchman for the house of Israel

Furthermore, the word for “made” carries a sense of divine appointment

A watchman was responsible to warn a king, city, or field of an oncoming enemy - they would strategically watch the enemies movements

Ezekiel’s call was to warn the people of Israel regarding their wickedness and sin

This word of being a watchman is not meant for public, but private

There are still watchman today

Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.

As a watchman, Ezekiel was responsible to warn the house of Israel of the enemy - God YET God issues the warnings as well

The warnings are defined by God as lamentations, mournings, and woes

18 If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.

18 If I say to the wicked

The wicked are those who blatantly disobey Yahweh and willfully violates the covenant

Though the wicked person is “in” the covenant community he has shown that he is not in the covenant and is in fact the enemy of Yahweh

‘You shall surely die,’

Here Ezekiel is delivering a death sentence to the wicked who has been found guilty of a capital offense

The result of the warning is an untimely death - Ezekiel is delivering a death sentence from Yahweh Himself

The wicked person has repeated the sin of Adam and Eve deciding for himself what is life-giving, but his true path is to death

And you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand

The death penalty is still enacted regardless if Ezekiel fulfills his watchman role

Ezekiel will suffer the same fate the wicked person will - a death sentence

19 But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.

This is the same scenario as vs. 18, but Ezekiel does not face the death sentence because he is an obedient watchman

20 Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die.

The righteous person - language used here is judicial in nature revealing the person upholds the covenant and Yahweh is his supreme desire

Notice there are only wicked and righteous in the eyes of God - no middle ground

20 Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die.

Four stages of backsliding:

Righteous (In appearance)

Turns to evil

God puts calamity before him equivalent to the death penalty

Death

Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand.

Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin

The death of the backslider comes because he was not warned by Ezekiel

And his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand.

The backsliders “righteous” life will not be remembered, but the way he ends his life will

Ezekiel is once again held responsible for a lack of obedience for his God-given responsibility as a watchman

21 But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”

21 But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning

Here the response of the righteous person is positive and instead of receiving the death sentence he receives the life sentence

And you will have delivered your soul.

Ezekiel’s role as watchman is in view here once again

Christ Connection - Jesus is the Ultimate Watchman

Those who reject the Gospel (the good news) of Jesus receive the death sentence, but those who repent and believe in the Gospel receive a sentence of eternal life

Ezekiel 3:22-27 - Ezekiel’s Rejection

22 And the hand of the Lord was upon me there.

This repetition reveals this section is still part of his commissioning

The Spirit of God comes upon Ezekiel and more than all others he is a man possessed by the hand of God

And he said to me, “Arise, go out into the valley, and there I will speak with you.”

And he said to me, “Arise, go out into the valley

The valley is the broad Mesopotamian plain in Babylon and was a wasteland where Ezekiel 37 occurs

And there I will speak with you.

The purpose for this command was so that Yahweh could speak to Ezekiel

23 So I arose and went out into the valley, and behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, like the glory that I had seen by the Chebar canal, and I fell on my face.

23 So I arose and went out into the valley

Ezekiel on his own power goes out to the valley

And behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, like the glory that I had seen by the Chebar canal

And I fell on my face.

The scene from Ezekiel 1:4-28 plays itself over again

24 But the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and he spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself within your house.

24 But the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet

Once again, the glory of God is so overwhelming that a mortal cannot stand in it’s presence - the Spirit of God has to pick Ezekiel up

And he spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself within your house.

After the Spirit sets Ezekiel on his feet the Lord is able to speak with him

God does not give Ezekiel the ability to have a public ministry yet - He must stay within his own home for a period of time

25 And you, O son of man, behold, cords will be placed upon you, and you shall be bound with them, so that you cannot go out among the people.

25 And you, O son of man, behold, cords will be placed upon you, and you shall be bound with them

Fellow exiles will tie Ezekiel up with cords/robes physically binding him because of their hostility towards him

So that you cannot go out among the people.

Ezekiel is unable to interact with the exiles as he is bound by cords

26 And I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and unable to reprove them, for they are a rebellious house.

26 And I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth

So that you shall be mute and unable to reprove them, for they are a rebellious house.

Ezekiel’s speechlessness is lifted only when Jerusalem falls

27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’

27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them

Ezekiel is only able to speak what Yahweh speaks - words of judgment and warning

This fills Ezekiel 1-24 - he is only able to pronouncement judgment upon the house of Israel… until Jerusalem falls to the Babylonians

The role of Ezekiel is not to intercede to God on behalf of the people, he can only issue judgments and warnings at this point and time

‘Thus says the Lord God.’