Ezekiel

Ezekiel was the priest taken to Babylon in 597 BC, 10 years before the fall of Jerusalem. Although circumstances prevented his service in the temple, God appointed him a prophet to the exiles.

Proven a true prophet

His early prophecies concerning the fall of Jerusalem competed with prophecies by false prophets who claimed Judah and the city would be preserved. Time, of course, showed these prophets to be liars and proved Ezekiel a true prophet of God

With much of his prophecy now fulfilled, we can have the utmost confidence in the remainder of his message

Beyond Israel

The scope of Ezekiel’s prophecy is not restricted to Israel alone but also concerns God’s judgments on the surrounding gentile nations — Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon and Egypt (chps 25-32) He further prophesies Israel’s regathering and his revelations extend to world events in our own day and beyond (chps. 33-39) His final vision concerns the time of the millennium, when a great temple is to be established at Jerusalem (chps. 40-48)

The explicit fulfillment of Ezekiel’s earlier prophecies (e.g. Tyre, ch. 26) supports the belief the last vision speaks of a literal, rather than a figurative, temple and of significant physical changes in the topography of Israel. Spiritual changes will also be evident, for when speaking of Jerusalem, Ezekiel states, “and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there” (48 35)

Our own time

In portions of his prophecy, Ezekiel uses terms that indicate the events he describes would be fulfilled at a time distant from his own. He speaks of the “latter years” and “the land that is brought back from the sword and is gathered out of many people” (38.8)

Careful study of chapters 36-39 by Bro John Thomas enabled him to predict the pre-adventual colonization of Palestine 100 years before Israel became a nation This section of the prophecy demands a careful reading by all of us because it contains precise details of events that are still being completed As these details are filled in before our eyes, we can derive encouragement that God is keeping to His schedule and bringing us ever closer to the time of His kingdom.

Acting out his prophecies

After being shown a vision of God’s glory (ch 1), Ezekiel was warned that he would encounter a rebellious nation. His mission was to speak God’s words to them so that, whether they would hear or forbear, it would be evident that, “There hath been a prophet among them” (2:5).

To dramatize the warning to the exiles, God required Ezekiel to act out some of his prophecies. The prophet was told to draw an outline of Jerusa­lem on a clay tablet and then build siege walls and battering rams against it. After placing an iron pan between himself and the city, he was instructed to replicate the siege of Jerusalem. The sight of these visual props and the prophet’s dramatic actions were intended to drive home God’s message that Jerusalem would not survive.

Sharing the suffering

Yet Ezekiel was required to do more than act out this unpopular message; he was to experience the discomfort of famine himself. God instructed him to lay on his left side for 390 days and on his right side for 40 days. During this time, he was allowed only a meager daily ration (8 ounces/225 grams) of bread and a small amount of water (20 ounces/600 ml).

Although at first God demanded that the bread be baked over human dung (4^.12), He later allowed cow’s dung to be substituted. While Ezekiel’s meager diet was one of slow starvation, those left in Jerusalem would later experience even more adverse conditions (Lam. 2:19-21).

Ezekiel acted out other grim dramas (5:1-4; 12:3-7; 21:18-23; 24:15­-24) but none was powerful enough to persuade his people to reform. The last drama was perhaps his most agonizing; though his beloved wife, the desire of his eyes, died, Ezekiel was forbidden to mourn.

We marvel at the suffering and self-sacrifice God asked of Ezekiel and his willingness to comply with God’s wishes. We, too, need the prophet’s willing spirit if we are to be found pleasing to our Maker.

Israel’s idolatry described

Throughout the prophecy, the idolatrous behavior of the people is detailed in graphic frankness. An image to a pagan god was at the entrance of the temple, detestable things were portrayed on an inner wall, at the north gate women sat weeping for a fertility god and, in an inner court, men worshiped the sun (8:3,10,14,16).

The harlotry of Jerusalem is luridly described in chapter 16, and chapter 23 depicts the harlotry of Israel and Judah. Although the adulterous behavior is spoken of in national terms, it was ultimately individuals who were guilty of these sins. Yet the people of Ezekiel’s day did not take their sins seriously. They had a rationale all worked out for why God’s judgments were upon them.

Blaming the fairness of God

The people claimed, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge” (18:2). They asserted their generation was being punished for their father’s misdeeds. This implied that God was not fair and didn’t really care who suffered.

To expose the folly of such a saying, God speaks of three generations of a family, father, son and grandson. The father does that which is lawful and right (18:5-9), his son does much evil (vs. 10-13) and the grandson, like his grandfather before him, does right (vs. 14-17). God declares how he deals with each person for what he has personally done with his life. The people could not blame God’s unfairness for their suffering. They personally deserved what was coming upon their generation.

We, too, must face the fact that each of us will be held accountable for our own actions, not those of our parents or grown children (18:20).

The hope of mercy

Fortunately for us, God did not end his discourse at this point. Hope is offered for those who have done wickedly in the past. By turning from their wicked ways and doing that which is right, God is willing to forgive the evil and act only upon the right behavior. As He did in His evaluation of three generations, God will not attribute to us “the sins of the fathers.” In fact, He is willing to forgive our past sins provided we repent. By turning from our evil ways, we can become like the son who did the will of God all his days.

Ultimately, this son is our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him, we are enabled to enter God’s kingdom, though at times His teeth are set on edge by our sins (Heb. 4:15).

As we consider God’s forgiveness, the folly of those who mouthed the parable accusing Him of unfairness becomes more evident. A much better summary of God’s actions is found in the responsive phrase in Psalm 136: “For his mercy endureth forever.”