Ezekiel

Ezekiel

Finding the Context:

Ezekiel was written to the people of Judah who were living in captivity in Babylon. It was written to a hopeless people who had just lost the land that they had originally been promised by God. They were now facing questions about who there God really was and whether or not He truly was stronger than the Babylonian god Marduk (1:1,3; 3:15; 4:23; 8:1; 20:1). The prophet Ezekiel was the one who wrote this book (1:1-3; 2; 3:1-3). He was a priest from the clan of Zadok. Zadok’s clan were Levites who were appointed as high priests. Ezekiel was sent exiled into Babylon with the first deportation of Jews and it was there that He received his visions from the Lord (1:3). Ezekiel was written because the people had committed adultery and turned away from the Lord and now as punishment were living in exile. The book was written to show Judah their sin and ultimately to provide them with hope that God would eventually restore them (2:3-8; 3:1-11; 37:20-28; 40-43). The most repeated phrase in this book is, “Then they will know that I am the Lord” which is spoken numerous times throughout the book along with other mentions of God wanting His people to know who He is (6:7,13,14;7:27; 12:16,20; 13:9,23; 14:8,11; 17:21; 20:38; 22:16,22; 23:49; 25:5,11; 26:6; 29:16,21; 30:19,26; 35:4,9,12; 37:6; 39:6). The book can basically be divided into thee sections and three major themes: The doom pronounced on Judah (1-24), Oracles to the Nations (25-35), and the promise of restoration to God’s people (36-48).

Theme Tracing:

1.     What does this book show about the character and nature of God?

You see from Ezekiel that God wants His people to know who He is. He is a God who longs to be known. He speaks throughout the entire book stating over and over that, Then his people will know Him (see above references). God also portrays Himself as a Good Shepherd. Despite the fact that Judah has had shepherds that did not care for them (34:2-9), God says that He is not like that but rather He will rescue them and give them good pasture. He will feed them and put them in safe places (34:11-31).

2.     What does this book show about God’s redemptive plan for mankind?

God again promises His people that He will bring them back to the land that He brought them out of (36:8-12, 22-37; 37:15-28). God also gives a detailed description of what the temple will look like when it is rebuilt offering hope to His people once again (40-42). You also see several references to “My Servant David and “The Prince” foretelling the coming Messiah (34:23,24; 37:24; 44:2,3; 45:13-17; 46).

Application Questions:

1.     Personal Application

In Ezekiel 33:1-11 God tells Ezekiel that those who hear an alarm and do not warn people are held responsible for what happens to those people. Ezekiel is told that he is a watchman for the people and if he fails to warn them to change their ways and the people die in their sins, Ezekiel is held responsible for their deaths. That is quite a bit of responsibility to carry. I know in my life God has blessed me with an abundance of truth through His Word. He also talks to me in various other ways and He is kind enough to bless me with His revelation. I am held responsible for the revelation that He gives me. What do I do with that revelation? How do I use my gifts? Am I faithful to speak out the truth that He gives me that others need to hear or do I shelf it somewhere to gather cobwebs? Ezekiel is just a reminder to me to take what God gives me and use it the way that God wants me to use it. When He says “Speak”, I need to speak. When He says, “Pray” I better pray and when He says, “Be quiet” I better keep my mouth shut.  I want to always remain faithful with the words that He gives me, never taking them for granted, abusing them or using them for my own personal gain. Nor do I want to be guilty of failing to act when God tells me to. I want to be faithful to speak into people’s lives what I am called to convey to them, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem to me. I want to live out obedience, always speaking truth no matter how scary or unpopular it may be.