This week, we
shall begin the study of the book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament.
Ezekiel
The name Ezekiel means “God strengthens”, and this itself was a much needed message for the exiles in Babylon, his main audience at the time. Ezekiel was part of the crowd of the second deportation during the reign of Jehoiachin, king of Judah in 597 B.C. He came from a priestly family, was married, and was allowed to live in his own house in Babylon, enjoying relative freedom of movement.
Many of the visions and events in Ezekiel were dated with pinpoint accuracy (see the chart which follows, showing that his ministry spanned over a period of some 25 years).
It appears that his primary audience was the Jewish people who were in exile with him in Babylon, and God used him to dissuade them from the false hope of their soon return to Jerusalem and the saving of the temple in Jerusalem. In so doing, through 4 major visions, 12 dramatic symbolic acts and 5 parables, the Lord pronounces His judgment on His people (chs. 4-24) and on the nations (chs. 25-32, mainly on Tyre and Egypt), conveys hope of restoration (chs. 33-39) and prophesies renewed worship in a new (spiritual) temple (chs. 40-48).
In the reading of Ezekiel, it is important remember two dates:
- The year 597B.C. when Ezekiel was carried into exile. From this date, many of the dates mentioned were counted.
- The fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. (August 14)
Key Dates in the Book of Ezekiel (world calendar data quoted from Archaeological Study Bible)
|
Chapter Ref. |
Post-exile Yr. |
Month |
Day |
World Calendar |
Remarks |
|
1:2 |
5th year |
4th month |
5th day |
593 B.C. Jul 31 |
His call (chs. 1-3) |
|
8:1 |
6th |
6th |
5th |
592 B.C. Sept 17 |
Judgment of Judah and Jerusalem (chs. 4-24) |
|
20:1 |
7th |
5th |
10th |
591 B.C. Aug 14 |
|
|
24:1 |
9th |
10th |
10th |
588 B.C. Jan 15 |
|
|
26:1 |
11th |
? |
1st |
586/7 |
Judgment on Tyre & Egypt mainly (chs. 25-32) |
|
29:1 |
10th |
10th |
12th |
587 B.C. Jan 7 |
|
|
29:17 |
27th |
1st |
1st |
571 B.C. Apr 26 |
|
|
30:20 |
11th |
1st |
7th |
587 B.C. Apr 29 |
|
|
31:1 |
11th |
3rd |
1st |
587 B.C. Jul 21 |
|
|
32:1 |
12th |
12th |
1st |
585 B.C. Mar 3 |
5 months after the fall of Jerusalem |
|
32:17 |
12th |
(1st/LXX) |
15th |
586 B.C. Apr 27 |
|
|
33:21 |
12th |
10th |
5th |
585 B.C. Jan 8 |
Promise of Renewal (chs. 33-39) |
|
40:1 |
25th |
10th |
- |
573 B.C. Apr 28 |
New Temple, New Worship (chs. 40-48) |
1:1-3—The Setting of the Calling of Ezekiel
(1) 1:1 marks the beginning of Ezekiel’s call as prophet and the 30th year, which likely refers to his age. If so
a. What might be the significance of his age as a priest? (See Num. 4:23, 30, 39, 43)
b. What is the setting in which he received his 1st vision?
c. How meaningful is this setting with respect to his calling?
(2) 1:2 gives the precise date of his calling (as is the case in most of the visions and events in this book)
a. What does the giving of the precise date indicate or signify?
b. As a (godly) priest, given what he has experienced and witnessed, what might he be thinking or even praying about in those days?
(3) 1:3 reinforces that the vision is given in the land of Babylon:
a. Jehoiachin has been taken captive, but Jerusalem had yet to fall. How significant is it that God would reveal His glory in Babylon, the land of their captors?
b. What is meant by “the hand of the Lord was upon him”?
1:4-14—The 1st vision
(4) The setting of the vision (v. 4)—It begins with a very awesome windstorm from the north.
a. What was the windstorm accompanied by?
b. See if you can form a mental picture (or better still, draw a picture) of the scene Ezekiel sees in v. 4?
(5) The four living creatures (vv. 5-14)
a. What is your general impression of the four creatures?
b. Who are these four living creatures? (see Ezekiel’s own explanation in 10:2; also Ps. 18:10; 1 Chr. 28:18)
c. What might the four faces represent? (see note below)
d. The statement that “Wherever the Spirit would go, they would go” is mentioned twice (vv. 12, 20): What might be the significance of this statement?
e. While we really know very little about these cherubim, what does this awesome appearance mean to the following persons?
i. Ezekiel, given the time he is in and the task he is about to receive
ii. You
(6) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
The meaning of the four faces of the cherubim has been a subject of wild speculation throughout history. “Normally cherubim accompanied the manifestation of glory of God. To say any more than that seems to be risky and speculative, since the divine interpreter does not do so.” (Ralph Alexander, 14)
(1) The four living creatures (continued…vv. 15-21)
a. How does Ezekiel describe the wheels that each of the living creatures has? (vv. 15-18)
b. What is the impression of the wheels? (v. 18)
c. What is the emphasis on the movements of the wheels? (vv. 19-21)
d. What might be the meaning of such an emphasis? (see Note below)
(2) The glory of the Lord (vv. 22-28)
a. Where does the Lord appear from? (v. 22)
b. How do the four living creatures respond to God’s appearance? (v. 24)
c. Cross reference Rev. 4:6-8 and see what additional information is given concerning how the four living creatures respond to God’s appearance?
d. Try to form a mental picture (or better still draw a physical picture) of God’s appearance in vv. 25-28.
e. Cross reference Rev. 4:2-6 and note the similarities.
f. How does Ezekiel respond to God’s glorious appearance? (v. 28)
g. How do the 24 elders in Revelation respond to God’s appearance? (Rev. 4:9-11)
(3) Reflection:
a. How might you respond to God’s appearance when you see Him in heaven?
b. Which of the following might best describe your response? Why?
i. Fear
ii. Humble adoration
iii. Thankfulness
iv. Joy
(4) What is the reason God chooses to appear to Ezekiel at this time of calling?
(5) What does it mean to you today?
(6) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
“(T)he
harmony between the wheels and creatures…is attributed to the spirit (ruah) of life…The
precise connection among this ruah, the stormy ruah that had borne
the apparition to the prophet (v. 4), the ruah the would later enter and
energize him (2:2; 3:24), and the ruah that would later lift him up and carry him away
(3:12, 14) is not clear….but in this paragraph ruah is best interpreted as the
life-giving, energizing power of God.”
(NICOT, Ezekiel, 101)
The call:
(1) Why does the prophet who has fallen facedown have to be raised to his feet by the Spirit? (2:2)
(2) To whom is the prophet sent? (2:3)
(3) How does the Lord describe the people to whom the prophet is sent? (2:3-4)
(4) Ezekiel certainly knows his people well, but what does such assertion by the Lord serve to do?
(5) What is the purpose of sending Ezekiel to these people who might not even listen? (2:5)
(6) What does the Lord predict about what Ezekiel will run into in his mission? (2:6)
(7) The Lord repeatedly tells Ezekiel not to be afraid:
a. How could he not be afraid?
b. What should Ezekiel do instead? (2:7-8)
c. Why would the Lord ask Ezekiel not to rebel like the people? Does it mean that the prophet might?
(8) How does the prophet receive the message from the Lord? (3:1-2)
(9) What does such a reception of God’s message signify?
(10) What kind of message is it? (2:10)
(11) How does the scroll taste in the mouth of the prophet? (3:3)
(12) What does it mean?
(13) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) What does the Lord point out about the kind of people Ezekiel is not being sent to? (vv. 4-5)
a. What kind of challenge might such kind of people present to Ezekiel?
b. How does this speak to the difficult task of a missionary?
c. In comparison with the house of Israel,
i. Are they necessarily hard to reach?
ii. Why or why not? (vv. 6-7)
d. What might we learn about the key to “successful” evangelism?
(2) “Do not be afraid” (vv. 8-9)
a. What reason does the Lord give for Ezekiel not to be afraid?
b. What does it mean?
(3) What should Ezekiel’s attitude be toward the word of God? (v. 10)
(4) Who is the primary audience of his message? (v. 11)
a. Since they are in exile, what should they have learned about the fate of their nation?
b. Should they not be receptive to the word of God through Ezekiel? Why or why not?
(5) When the Spirit lifts Ezekiel (when departing from the vision)
a. What does Ezekiel hear? (v. 12)
b. Who might be the speakers of the words?
c. What do these words signify?
(6) How does Ezekiel react after being taken away by the Spirit (likely after internalizing the scroll which he had so eaten)? (v. 14)
(7) Why does he do so?
(8) After his return to the exiles, does he immediately begin his ministry?
(9) Why? Or why not?
(10) What is the message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
The Lord allowed Ezekiel seven days to recuperate after being overwhelmed by the vision of the Lord, and now He speaks to Ezekiel about the importance of his ministry as a prophet:
(1) The Lord says that He has made Ezekiel a watchman for the house of Israel (v. 17):
a. What was a watchman in the OT times? (see 2 Sam. 18:24-27; 2 Ki. 9:17-20)
b. What does it mean for Ezekiel to be a watchman for the house of Israel?
(2) The warning to a wicked man (vv. 18-19)
a. What kind of a warning is given to the wicked?
b. What is the purpose of the prophet in giving out such a warning?
c. What if the prophet does not speak out to warn the wicked man?
d. What might be the possible reason(s) that the prophet does not speak out as told by the Lord?
e. What if the prophet obeys the Lord’s command and yet the wicked man does not listen?
(3) The warning to a righteous man (vv. 20-21)
a. Why would a righteous man turn from righteousness and do evil? (see today’s Meditative Article)
b. What does it mean that the Lord would “put a stumbling block before him” should the prophet fail to warn him?
c. What will happen to the righteous things that the person did in his life?
d. What will happen to the prophet for his failure to warn the person?
e. What if the prophet warns the person and he listens?
(4) In
both cases, what is meant by the following phrases?
a. “will die for his sin” (vv. 18, 20) Does it mean physical death only?
b. “will hold you accountable for his blood” (vv. 18, 20)
c. “you will have saved yourself” (vv. 19, 21) (see the punishment of those false prophets who failed to warn the people in 13:9)
(5) Why do you think the Lord chooses to give a message to the prophet first, before he is to deliver God’s message?
(6) What is the message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
3:22-27—The 2nd Vision of Ezekiel—The 1st Symbolic Act
(1) What is the vision that he sees this time? (3:22-23)
(2) Why does the Lord repeat the same vision of His glory to Ezekiel?
(3) Ezekiel prepares to be God’s watchman.
a. What is the first thing the Lord commands him to do? (3:25-26)
b. Why?
(4) When will Ezekiel's mouth be opened? (3:27)
(5) How does the Lord feel toward Ezekiel’s audience? (3:27)
4:1-8—The 2nd Symbolic Act
(6) The first part of the act (4:1-3)
a. What is he going to draw on the clay tablet?
b. How should he lay siege to it symbolically?
c. Where should he put the iron pan and what does it signify?
d. What does this symbolic act signify?
(7) The second part of the act (4:4-8)
a. What does lying on the left side signify?
b. For how long is he going to lie like this?
c. Why?
d. What does the lying on the right side signify?
e. For how long is he going to lie like this?
f. Why?
(8) What is he going to do at the end? (v. 7)
(9) What does it signify?
(10) What then is the sum of the message to the exiles?
(11) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
The bearing of the sin for the house of Israel for 390 days should point to the time between the setting up of the altars in Dan and Bethel by Rehoboam (1 Ki. 12; roughly in 975 B.C.) to the time of the destruction of Jerusalem (586 B.C.) which totals approximately 390 years. However, for the sin of the house of Judah, the 40 years counting backward from 586 B.C. will fall into Josiah’s reign. Since Josiah was a godly king who carried out a major spiritual reform, it is likely that the sin of the house of Judah does not include the time of Josiah but is traced further back to the time of his father, Manasseh.
The Third Part of the 2nd Symbolic Act
(1) How much can Ezekiel eat during those 390 days?
(2) How much water is he allowed to drink at a time?
(3) What is the picture being depicted by only eating about 8 ounces of food daily and drinking only 2/3 quart (or 0.6 liter) at a time?
(4) What kind of fuel is the prophet commanded to use to bake his bread?
(5) What does this picture serve to depict?
(6) How did the prophet respond to the Lord’s command? (v. 14)
(7) While the Law of Moses contains many rules concerning clean and unclean food and practices, it appears that there is no rule concerning baking bread with human excrement (contrary to many quotes from the Pentateuch by commentators).
a. Why is Ezekiel objecting to what is explicitly commanded by the Lord?
b. Would you have done the same? Why or why not?
c. What was God’s response to his request? Why?
(8) What is God’s message to the people through Ezekiel’s symbolic act? (vv. 16-17)
(9) Which of the following do you think the people cared more about?
Why?a. Eating defiled food while in captivity
b. Wasting away eating only rationed food and drink?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?