Intro to the Prophets: Ezekiel

Introduction

This week we are looking at the third Major Prophet, Ezekiel. Ezekiel probably had the hardest “calling” of being a prophet, with his ministry marked with terrible object lessons for the people, the worst of which was the death of his wife.

The book of Ezekiel was one of the few Old Testament books that were actually questioned on whether or not they should be included in the canon. Each of those 5 books (Esther, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and Ezekiel) had their own reasons for being in dispute. Ezekiel’s reason? Just how weird and strange the book is.

I like to say, of the top 10 “weirdest” stories in the entire OT, most of them can probably be found in Ezekiel. Ultimately Ezekiel was accepted as inspired and part of the canon. And after everything he endured, he deserved it!

Background of Ezekiel

We saw how Jeremiah lived in Jerusalem during the fall of the city to Babylon in 587 BC, taking the inhabitants into captivity. Ten years prior, Babylon sacked the city and took a smaller group into captivity. Ezekiel was among this group.

The book opens with Ezekiel, apparently 30 years old, living among the captives in Babylon. As the book progresses, we realize that these captives seem to assume that their captivity won’t be lasting long and that God will return them to their homeland. They also apparently viewed Jerusalem and Israel through “rose-colored” glasses.

God’s message to the captives, through Ezekiel: You aren’t going home anytime soon, so get comfortable.

This message comes through a series of messages and object lessons on behalf of Ezekiel (or perhaps at his expense).

The people are constantly reminded of the sin that ultimately landed them in this position - and yet, they are still arrogant enough to believe that God will rescue them anytime soon.

Worse yet, they are reminded regularly that the people back home aren’t having a good time like they think. In fact, they are committing worse and worse sins.

This ultimately culminates in the people learning that the city has fallen in Ezekiel 33:21 “In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, a fugitive from Jerusalem came to me and said, “The city has been struck down.””

In the aftermath of the destruction of Jerusalem, most of Israel’s neighbors took advantage of the people. This background forms the basis for most of the prophecies against those various nations in the back half of Ezekiel.

Spiritually, these same oracles can be interpreted as against the enemies of the Church.

Little is known about Ezekiel himself. We are told however that he was a priest, the son of a priest (named Buzi). The book opens with “in the thirtieth year”, but with no reference to the thirtieth year of what. It is safely assumed that this was Ezekiel’s age when he was called to be a prophet. It would also have been the first year he was to formally become priest.

He was also married.

Ezekiel’s ministry can best be summed up as a “watchman” and this is articulated in chapter 3 and 33. Ezekiel 33:7 ““So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.”

Unfortunately, like most of the prophets, Ezekiel’s message often fell on deaf ears. Still, he faithfully served his duties as the watchman, doing everything God told him to do. Even after his wife died, he got up the next day and continued to preach.

What to expect when reading Ezekiel

Actually, there is plenty of unexpected things in Ezekiel.

As I mentioned, of the top 10 “weird” or “strange” stories of the OT, most of them probably occur in Ezekiel. Here are a few of them.

The book opens with an incredible vision Ezekiel has of the Lord rolling up in his Rolls-Royce Chariot.

This is one of my favorite scenes in the OT. Many people get caught up in the details of the description, including the “angels” and “wheels” without seeing the big picture: it’s an ancient vehicle that is carrying God himself.

At the top of the ride, Ezekiel sees “a likeness with a human appearance” seated on a throne, and having a very similar description of Jesus as given by John in Revelation 1 (in fact, John was probably using Ezekiel’s language on purpose).

And just like John did, Ezekiel also falls flat on his face. Ezekiel 1:27–28 “And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.”

In this vision, the Lord calls Ezekiel and tells him to go preach to the people. But it’s not going to be a happy message like the people expect to hear. This is symbolized by God having Ezekiel eat a scroll (!) with “words of lamentation and mourning and woe” written on both sides of it. (Zeke notes that it tasted as sweet as honey. Yum!)

After this Ezekiel says he sat “overwhelmed” for 7 days. No kidding!

In his first “message” Ezekiel was locked in his house and apparently “bound by cords” and made mute, until it was time to actually speak to the people. But it gets better!

He has to take a brick and make a little model of Jerusalem with seigeworks around it, and then he has to lay on his left side for 390 days to symbolize the number of years the kingdom of Israel had to suffer!

After that he has to flip over and lay on right side for 40 days, a day for each year, against Judah and Jerusalem. (For good measure, God had Ezekiel tied down so he couldn’t move.)

And what will Ezekiel eat during this year and a half? Bread of course! Cooked over a fire made from human poop, to symbolize how Israel will eat during captivity. But Ezekiel protests! So God compromises and says he can cook it over cow poop instead. (As a preacher once said, ‘In ministry, you get options!’)

On another occasion, Ezekiel has to preach to the mountains of Israel - symbolic of the idolatry the people had performed upon them.

Next, Ezekiel is taken by the Spirit to the temple in Jerusalem. This appears to be a vision, but also it seems like Ezekiel is really there, but it’s as if he’s watching what takes place and nobody else knows he’s there. Although at one point he does seem to have a very real confrontation with the leaders.

The Lord brings him to the temple to see all of the idolatry that is taking place there. Worship of the sun, worship of animals, ect. and much of it is being done by Israel’s “leaders” in secret.

This culminates with Ezekiel seeing the Lord leaving the temple, and ultimately the city, abandoning Israel.

But before he leaves, the Lord promises that He will return the people and destroy the idolatry. Ezekiel 11:18–20 “And when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations. And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.”

This promise was fulfilled in Christ and the New Covenant. (This promise is also repeated in Chapter 36)

Next (chapter 12) Ezekiel has to pack his bags and pretend he’s going into exile in front of the people. Specifically he has to act out the king’s escape from Jerusalem only to be captured, blinded, and dragged into exile (which is exactly what happened to King Zedekiah when Jerusalem fell).

Ezekiel has to preach a several explicit (as in don’t read these to the kids!) sermons describing Israel and their idolatry and unfaithfulness towards God. Among the most notable are chapters 16 and 23. In between are a series of messages using different allegories to portray Israel, Babylon, Egypt and the judgement God is bringing upon them all.

Another sermon Ezekiel has to preach is one where he compares Israel to a “cooking pot” on the very day that Babylon started it’s seige on Jerusalem.

In perhaps the most painful illustration, Ezekiel’s wife dies - but he is not allowed to mourn her death. He has to keep it together and preach to the people how this symbolizes the “death” of Jerusalem - and just like Ezekiel they will not be allowed to mourn its loss.

Ezekiel then gives a series of prophecies against the various nations around Israel (most of whom had taken advantage of them during the crisis).

A part of one of these prophecies in particular, against the king of Tyre in Chapter 28:11-19, has long been understood to not be about a human king, but instead Satan himself and his “fall” from heaven.

Now I am all for finding the spiritual meaning in a text, but personally I am skeptical of this interpretation - however, it is a strange description for “just a man”, if that is in fact all it is.

In chapter 37, Ezekiel is sent to a valley - whether physically or in a vision, it’s hard to tell (“he brought me out by the Spirit”). The valley is full of dry bones. Zeke is told to preach to them and to tell them to come to life - and they do! They are given flesh and a new Spirit.

The Lord makes it clear that this is a symbol of the future resurrection when he says in Ezekiel 37:13 “And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people.”

This is followed by another brief sermon to the people where Ezekiel combines two sticks to illustrate how God would unite the people under one king, a descendent of David. This king of course, is Christ!

Ezekiel 37:24–28 ““My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.””

Now if that language at the end sounds familiar, that’s because John uses almost the same language to describe heaven in Revelation - when God (Christ) will dwell among his people, the Church. And speaking of Revelation...

The end of Ezekiel parallels that of the end of Revelation. Chapters 40-48 are a vision Ezekiel has of a “new temple” being built. It’s a much more extensive vision, but it roughly parallels Revelation 15, and Revelation 21-22 and a few other passages.

This is important because it shows us that John wasn’t necessarily seeing anything “new”, but he was trying to tell us that what Ezekiel saw, John himself is now seeing being fulfilled in Christ.

The ultimate outcome of both visions is that the Lord (in Christ) returns to His people and dwells among them. This is something we the Church get to experience in part now, but will fully experience in eternity.

One last note on Ezekiel: Despite the tough messages and punishments God gives the people, he consistently makes clear that he doesn’t want this outcome. He tells them over and over that it’s their sin that is bringing these things upon them, and if they only repent he will heal them.

This is summed up in Ezekiel 18:23 “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?” and Ezekiel 18:31–32 “Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.””

Conclusion

The book of Ezekiel is a tough read. He had a tough life and ministry. But throughout his messages we see a God who was a hurt by a people He loved so much. A heartbroken Father, a spurned Lover. He simply wanted His people to repent of their idolatry and come back to Him. All of Ezekiel’s messages to Israel were ultimately about us, the Church, and the Lord has brought to fruition all of the promises He made through Ezekiel in Christ. So not only would we do well to praise God for that, but also to remember that the warnings apply to us as well: as Christ’s bride, our sin and idolatry pains Him today, just as it did then.