Ezekiel 1-5
Ezekiel 1-5
Ezekiel was born in Judah during the great days of Josiah’s reign. He was from a priestly family, and was exiled at about the age when he could have begun to officially serve in the temple; this may explain his emphases of holiness, morality, temple activities, and general Levitical code. While those in Biblical studies are sometimes perplexed as to the exact date of prophetic material, Ezekiel precisely identified the time of origin for his prophecies: the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin (cf. 1.1-3). Ezekiel was thus active in prophetic ministry during the last half of Zedekiah’s reign in Jerusalem—which was not destroyed until about four years later (cf. 2 Kgs 24.10-25.1). A peculiar and significant element of Ezekiel’s prophecies is that they were not concerned with the setting of the exiles in Babylon—as was Jeremiah’s letter (cf. Jer 29.1-14)—but the situation in Jerusalem. It may be that Ezekiel’s prophecies were written down and carried back to the city of David, or that the exiles had some of the same needs as their contemporaries there. If the latter was the case, then it may be safe to infer that for Ezekiel the geographical situation of God’s people was not as important as their covenant relationship with Him. The prophet’s message to these groups was that they needed to acknowledge the LORD as their God and live in covenant loyalty to Him—lest they be removed from their special place in God’s plan just as they had been from God’s special land. Indeed, Ezekiel was called to be a watchman who would warn God’s people of impending danger (cf. 3.17-21). Yet Ezekiel, like Jeremiah, had to contend with false prophets who proposed that—even while they were under Babylonian control because of the fall of Judah!—Jerusalem would endure any external threat (cf. Ezek 13.1-14.11).
Like Isaiah, Ezekiel’s prophetic call was in accord with a vision of the holiness of God (ch 1; cf. Is 6.3). Ezekiel’s vision was marked by the appearance of four creatures, described only in similitude. The mystery of these creatures, and their appearance and activities in the vision, heightened the majesty of the Spirit—who directed the course of even such as these (vv. 12, 20)! Above these magnificent creatures—indeed, above the expanse that was above the creatures—Ezekiel saw a glimpse of God. Unable to describe the Holy One in exactness, Ezekiel had to employ multiple similes—all emphasizing the brilliance of the One on the throne (vv. 25-28). The prophet’s reaction? “The appearance of the brilliant light all around was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the form of the LORD’s glory. When I saw it, I fell facedown and heard a voice speaking” (v. 28). Ezekiel enjoyed a privileged account of the LORD’s glory, and his vision dominated the bulk of his prophetic writing; he would later detail how the glory of the LORD left the Jerusalem temple because of the pagan practices which had begun to dominate services there (cf. ch 8), but also how His glory would return to an ideal temple (cf. ch 43).
Ezekiel’s commission, like that of Jeremiah (cf. Jer 1), included warnings about the difficulties of preaching to rebellious people (chs 2-3). The One who was on the throne above the expanse told the prophet: “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites and to the rebellious nations who have rebelled against Me….The children are obstinate and hard-hearted” (2.3-4). Ezekiel’s boldness toward them would at least provide witness that a prophet had been among them. Ezekiel had to first digest these messages—a scroll of woes, lamentation and mourning—for himself (2.8-3.3). While the prophet was called to preach this hard message to hard people, the LORD equipped him for the task, saying: “Look, I have made your face as hard as their faces and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. I have made your forehead like a diamond, harder than flint” (3.8). While the scroll tasted sweet (3.3), the prophet endured bitterness of soul at the end of his commission (3.14-15). This was the natural response of one who had been charged with the responsibility of being a watchman with the message of life and death (3.16-27).
Ezekiel recounted the destruction of Jerusalem (chs 4-5). Ezekiel—in a moving portrayal of how God arranged the ministry of the prophets in such a way that they felt what He felt concerning the rebellion of His people—was forced to lie down and observe the iniquity of Israel and Judah for an extended period of time (ch 4). The LORD commanded Ezekiel to observe how His people would be divided into thirds; one portion would be killed in Jerusalem, another would be burned, and the final third would be scattered (5.1-4, 12). The LORD had set His people in Jerusalem, “in the center of the nations, with countries all around her” (5.5), to be a witness of His power and redeeming love (cf. Deut 4.1-10), but He said that she “rebelled against My ordinances with more wickedness than the nations, and against My statures more than the countries that surround her” (5.6). The LORD had demonstrated to Ezekiel the justice of His cause in disciplining His people; the purpose? He said: “After I have spent My wrath on them, they will know that I, the LORD, have spoken in My jealousy” (5.14).
The book of Ezekiel parallels other prophetic writings in that it details both the destruction of Judah and the nations, and the re-building of God’s people in the Promised Land. Ezekiel differs from many prophets though in that his messages were apocalyptic; he was revealing God’s secret plans for the future. It is thus readily understood that many of Ezekiel’s themes and phrases would prove useful for especially the apostle John, but other New Testament authors as well, in describing the drama of destruction and re-creation in Christ, the storyline of Scripture:
- In 1.1 Ezekiel reported that when the heavens were opened he received his visions. The observant reader of the New Testament cannot help but notice how the Gospel writers emphasized that following the baptism of Jesus, “as he came up out of the water, He saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending to Him like a dove” (Mk 1.10; cf. Mt 3.16; Lk 3.21). A new era of fulfilled prophecy had dawned
- In 1.5, 13 the prophet noted the significance of 4 living creatures in his vision. In Rev 4.5-8 John described his vision of the heavenly throne room. He noted that, “From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings, and thunder. Burning before the throne were seven fiery torches, which are the seven spirits of God…In the middle and around the throne were four living creatures covered with eyes in front and in back” (4.5, 6b). It may be that Ezk 1.13, “The form of the living creatures was like the appearance of burning coals of fire and torches. Fire was moving back and forth between the living creatures; it was bright, with lightening coming out of it,” was in the back of John’s mind when he saw his vision
- In 1.24 Ezekiel described the movement of the living creatures’ wings as, “like the roar of mighty waters, like the voice of the Almighty.” Likewise, when John saw the vision of the risen Lord speaking to him, he noted that His voice was “like the sound of cascading waters” (Rev 1.15)
- In 2.8-3.3 the prophet described his call experience, and the command the LORD gave him to eat the scroll of lamentation and woe. John had a similar experience concerning the book of the final judgment; he said, “Then I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I ate it, my stomach became bitter. And I was told, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings” (Rev 10.9-10).
*For a complete list of references, please see scripturestoryline.com