EZEKIEL
Posted by preachgospelblog.com | Filed under Bible Peoples
Key Fact: Prophesied from exile in Babylon concerning the reason for Israel’s fall and its hope for the future
Father: Buzi (Ezek 1:3)
Wife: Unnamed (Ezek 24:18)
Occupation: Priest and prophet (Ezek 1:3; 2:3-4)
Total Bible References: 93
Key References: Ezekiel chs. 1-48
Ezekiel Speaks
My wife and I were newlyweds when Nebuchadnezzar took us away from our homeland as captives. How good it was to see Daniel, who had suffered the same fate some eight years earlier. God has certainly elevated him; as I write this he holds a position second only to the king himself. (Ezek 1:1; Dan 1:1-6; 6:1-3)
I was only 25 upon arriving in Babylon. Then, five years later, beside the Kebar River, the Lord called me into full-time service. A watchman on the wall! That was to be my assignment. What an ordination ceremony it turned out to be, with angelic cherubim in attendance! (Ezek 1:3-28; 3:17; 10:1; 40:1)
My wife was so proud of me. How we loved each other! She was the dearest thing on earth to me. Then, seven years later, with no warning, God suddenly removed her! I still remember those dreadful words: “Son of man, I am going to take away your dearest treasure. Suddenly she will die.” And as if that were not hard enough, he forbade me to give even a hint of my unbearable sorrow! With a heavy heart, the next morning I told the people what was going to happen. Then, after what was certainly the longest and most anxious day of my life, my precious wife died. Yet with God’s help the next day at her funeral, I restrained my emotions just as he had commanded. (Ezek 24:15-18)
God then consoled my broken heart, explaining that all this was to be a sign to my people in Babylon, for on the very day of her funeral, Nebuchadnezzar’s armies were laying siege to Jerusalem! In other words, the joy of my people’s lives – their Holy City – would be removed just as my joy had been removed. (Ezek 24:1,15-27; 33:21-22)
In reality, of course, my supernatural visit to the Temple had already shown me the need for divine judgment. The blasphemy and filth occurring right in the house of God had sunk to a new low! And then, to my horror, I witnessed the departure of God’s glory cloud. (Ezek 8:1-16; 10:1-19; 11:23)
I know I shall die here in Babylon, a lonely widower. But God has not left me without hope. Through the visions he gives me, the grievous past gives way to the glorious future. Think of it: All of our foes will be defeated, and we shall be resurrected, redeemed, and returned to the Promised Land! (Ezek 34:28-29; 36:24-25)
Then a beautiful new Temple will be built, with a life-giving river flowing from it, purifying the Dead Sea and causing the Jordan valley to blossom as a rose! Then, Jerusalem will be elevated and will become the worship center of the world! (Ezek 40-42; 47:1-12; 48:30-35; Isa 35:1-2)
But to me, the most exciting vision was the one showing the return of God’s glory cloud through the eastern gate, never again to depart! (Ezek 43:1-5)
Spiritual Lessons from Ezekiel
* Ezekiel was commissioned to be a watchman, warning his people of impending danger; as Christians, we have the same commission (Ezek 3:16-21; 1 Tim 4:1-3,6; Heb 13:17).
* He faithfully and fearlessly proclaimed God’s word to a hard-hearted and rebellious people (Ezek 2:3-4) in spite of great personal difficulties and heartache:
* He had been taken from his homeland as a captive (Ezek 1:1 see Ps 137:1-6).
* His beloved wife suddenly died (Ezek 24:15-18).
* For a long time, he was unable to exercise his faculty of speech in a normal way (Ezek 3:26; 24:27; 33:21-22).
* But Ezekiel had learned what Paul would learn – what we should learn today: “[God's] gracious favor is all you need. [God's] power works best in your weakness” (2 Cor 12:9).
* Ezekiel learned from the very beginning how to feed on God’s Word (Ezek 3:1-3). We should seek spiritual nourishment from the same source (2 Tim 2:15; 3:14-17).
Key Verses on Ezekiel
“Then he added, ‘Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. Then go to your people in exile and say to them, “This is what the Sovereign LORD says!” Do this whether they listen to you or not’” (Ezek 3:10-11).
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