OVERVIEW:
Ezekiel receives a vision of God’s glory; Ezekiel receives his commission; Ezekiel is instructed to physically typify the siege and judgment of Jerusalem.
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
As we make our way into the book of Ezekiel today, let’s seek to get our bearings about what is unfolding in this powerful book. First, recognize that the name Ezekiel means “strengthened by God”. Along with Jeremiah and Daniel, Ezekiel is called upon by God to prophesy against Israel during the time of exile. (Ezekiel 1:1–2) The first two verses of chapter one, provides for us the historical context of the book.
To understand the actual tone of Ezekiel’s message, it is essential to understand how Ezekiel fits into the story of the Old Testament. The Old Testament breaks down into six natural chronological divisions:
- Genesis – The time of Genesis begins with the creation of the world and ends with Jacob’s sons in Egypt.
- Exodus – The time of Exodus begins with Jacob’s sons in Egypt and ends with Joshua leading the nation of Israel to possess the land promised to them.
- Judges – The time of Judges covers the period in Israel’s history when a variety of judges ruled.
- Kings – During the time of the kings, a host of different kings ruled Israel. Keep in mind that after the reign of Solomon, the nation of Israel was divided into two kingdoms: the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah). The Northern Kingdom was ultimately defeated by Assyria and carried away captive in 722 B.C. The Southern Kingdom was ultimately defeated by Babylon and carried away captive in 606 B.C.
- Exile – The time of exile covers the nation of Israel’s 70 years of exile.
- Return – The time of the return covers the time of Israel’s return to their homeland, and the time when both the temple and Jerusalem were rebuilt under the leadership of Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah.
The exile had been prophesied as far back as Moses (Deuteronomy 28), and as recently as the prophet Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 25:11–12) Israel’s disobedience culminated in the fact that they had failed to keep the sabbath for the land. (2nd Chronicles 36:21) God had kept track of Israel’s failure to let the land rest and had decided to exile Israel for seventy years in order that the land finally might have its rest. This is a chilling reminder of the consequences of sin. There is no doubt that Israel had grown accustomed to ignoring the sabbath for the land. Note, however, that God had kept track! God will not ignore sin. (Galatians 6:7)
Judah had temporarily turned to God under the reign of Josiah (640-609 B.C). After Josiah was killed by the Egyptian army, however, Judah (southern kingdom) plunged back into sin under their four remaining kings:
- Jehoahaz (609 B.C.)
- Jehoiakim (609–598 B.C.) – Daniel was taken captive during his reign.
- Jehoiachin (598–597 B.C.) – Ezekiel was taken captive during his reign.
- Zedekiah (597–586 B.C.) – He was more of a puppet king under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar.
The exile had begun in 606 B.C. and ended in 536 B.C. During those 70 years, both Daniel and Ezekiel were taken captive to Babylon. Eventually, Babylon, under the leadership of Nebuchadnezzar, would burn the temple and destroy Jerusalem.
Ezekiel and his wife are among 10,000 Jews taken into captivity along with king Jehoiachin in 597 B.C. (2nd Kings 24:11–18) Ezekiel is 25 years old when he is taken to Babylon. He is thirty years old when his ministry begins in 592 B.C. (Ezekiel 1:1) He ministers for 22 years (570 BC). Recognize that Ezekiel and his 10,000 fellow countrymen were more colonists than they were captives, being permitted to farm tracts of land under somewhat favorable conditions. Ezekiel even had his own house. It is important to remember that Ezekiel is already in captivity while he is prophesying to the Jews who had not been taken captive.
Ezekiel chapter 1 records one of the most incredible visions in the word of God. The vision includes four living creatures flying through the air like a flash of lightning; a crystal sea; creatures with multiple eyes and faces ushering in a throne; and an appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ. Ezekiel is ushered into the presence of the Lord and catches a glimpse of the Second Advent. Just like Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1–8) and the Apostle John (Revelation 4–5), Ezekiel is so overwhelmed by the revelation of Christ in all of His glory, the most comfortable position he could find was on his face! Ezekiel’s response will be the response of every person when they see Christ in all of His glory. What a contrast to the nonchalant way much of Christianity approaches the Lord Jesus Christ today! There is no room for pride or selfishness in the presence of God Almighty. One day every knee will bow to the Lord Jesus Christ! (Romans 14:11) Hallelujah!
Chapters 2 and 3 record God’s commission for Ezekiel. He is to prophesy to the nation of Israel during the 70-year exile. One of the key take-aways that we can apply from this passage is that Ezekiel paints a picture for every preacher, and every Christian for that matter, of what it really means to be entrusted with the stewardship of the word of God. The picture begins with having an encounter with Christ. Notice in chapter 1, Ezekiel comes face to face with Christ. (1:28) Notice, however, that the encounter didn’t just involve what Ezekiel saw, but also what he heard. Speaking in the first person, Ezekiel says, “and I heard a voice of one that spake” (1:28), “and the Spirit entered into me when he spake.” (2:2) Likewise, realize that our effectiveness, as a steward of the word of God, must begin with a daily encounter with Christ, that results in our hearing His voice and being filled with His Spirit. (2:2; Ephesians 5:18) But the question is, how could we possibly have an encounter Christ, knowing that He doesn’t (and won’t) appear to us in a vision like Ezekiel’s? Very simply, we encounter Christ by so yielding ourselves to Him that we position ourselves before Him through the pages of His holy word. Through the written revelation of the word of God, we, too, get a glimpse of Christ in all His glory (Ephesians 1:18), and hear, as it were, His voice.
Yet, notice further, that it isn’t enough for us to just “hear” God’s words, we must also “receive” those words in our heart. God instructed Ezekiel, “All my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart.” (3:10) We must receive God’s words into our heart to such a degree that they change the way we think, speak, act, and react. Notice also that God tells Ezekiel to receive “all” His words. Over the course of this prophecy, God is going to give Ezekiel some very difficult things to say and do. When it comes to God’s word, we must learn that we can’t “pick and choose” what we will obey and what we will not obey. The fact is, sometimes the word will be sweet; sometimes it will be bitter; sometimes it will comfort; and sometimes it will sting. Regardless of which it is, we are responsible to “receive” it, and to receive “all” of it!
But notice, that after “receiving” God’s words, God then instructed Ezekiel to “speak” His words. (2:7; 3:23–27). Just like Ezekiel was responsible for receiving “all” of them, he was also responsible for “speaking” all of them. God commanded him to “speak my words unto them” (whether the people liked it or not — 2:7) and “…when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God…” (3:27) Would to God that every pastor and every believer in the world would approach the responsibility of their mission like that! First, allowing God to speak His word to them; them receiving it in their hearts so they are filled with Spirit, having made personal application of the word in their own lives; and then, join the Apostle Paul in saying, “I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God!” (Acts 20:27) Our counsel to others must not be conclusions based on our own life experiences and opinions. We are responsible for declaring the word of God.
It is also interesting to note, in these chapters, that Ezekiel’s actions mirrored his spoken words. God continually asks Ezekiel to demonstrate His truth to Israel by the way He lives (as seen in the sign of the tile, shaving, burning hair, lying on each side, and imprisonment). Our life must reflect the truth of God. Our actions must speak even louder than our words! With all of these things in place, you would think that Ezekiel was ready to go speak to the people. But God knew that if he would truly be effective in imparting His words to them, there were still a few other things that would need to take place. Ezekiel would first need to go and identify with the people. That’s why Ezekiel says in 3:15, that he “sat where they sat”. Before Ezekiel spoke a word to the people, he sat quietly for seven days with those who would be the recipients of his/God’s message. Oh, may we learn from Ezekiel’s example, that we must be willing to spend time with people, and be willing to listen to them, before we expect them to listen to us. How can we expect to share the love of Christ with people with whom we are unwilling to identify? The old cliché is so true: “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”
Finally, God gives Ezekiel a warning. He wanted Ezekiel to realize that he would be held accountable for the mission He had assigned to him. He wouldn’t, however, be held accountable for the response of the people. He would simply be held accountable to hear, receive, and speak the words of God. (3:15–21) At the Judgment Seat of Christ, we, too, will be held accountable for the mission God has assigned to us. (Romans 14:12; 2nd Corinthians 5:10) God will not hold us accountable for how people responded to our message, but He will hold us accountable whether, or not, we heard the word of Christ, received the word of Christ, and shared the word of Christ! (Colossians 3:16; 1st Timothy 4:16)
Are you encountering Christ daily by surrendering yourself before Him through the pages of His word? Are you listening to His words and receiving them in your heart? Does your life give evidence of the filling of the Spirit? Are you actively and purposefully seeking to identify with those around you, so you might be effective in communicating God’s truth to them? Are they able to see and hear God’s truth by observing it in how you live your life?
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
As the APPEARANCE OF A MAN UPON THE THRONE — Ezekiel 1:26 (Revelation 1:13–17)