Background:
Ezekiel was carried away to Babylon in the second deportation in 597
B.C. He lived with the exiles “by the river Chebar ” (1:1,2), which perhaps was a canal off the Euphrates. He preached among the Jewish captives, while Daniel (who had been deported in 605 B.C.) ministered in the palace. Ezekiel & Daniel probably knew each other well (14:12,20; 28:3).
Ezekiel had two tasks as a prophet: {1} Before the destruction of Jerusalem, he had to combat undue optimism. The optimism of the exiles was based on three things: They were Abraham’s seed, a descendent of David was still on the throne, and the temple of God still stood. {2} After the destruction of the city, he had to combat undue despair.
Ezekiel used a variety of teaching methods. Often God had Ezekiel act out what would happen; many of these symbolic acts were hard on Ezekiel personally. The most difficult parts of the book are the visions. It is easy to get involved in the details of a vision & lose sight of the main idea being presented. Each vision can be thought of as a panoramic view of a basic truth.
Outline:
I. BEFORE THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM: THE PREACHER OF JUDGMENT (1-24).
A. Fifth year of the Exile (1-7).
B. Ezekiel’s commission (1-3).
C. Destruction of Jerusalem foretold (4-7).
D. Sixth year of the Exile (8-19).
E. Ezekiel’s vision-journey to Jerusalem (8-11).
F. Allegory of the unfaithful wife (16).
G. Seventh year of the Exile (20-23); the sins of Israel & Judah.
II. Ninth year of the Exile (24).
A. As the siege begins, Ezekiel’s wife dies.
B. Ezekiel is struck dumb.
III. THE SIEGE & DESTRUCTION: PROPHECIES AGAINST
THE NATIONS (25-32).
IV. AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM: THE PREACHER OF COMFORT (33-48).
A. Twelfth year of the Exile (33-39; note 32:17; 33:21).
B. The commission renewed (33); word comes that Jerusalem has fallen.
C. The indictment of Israel’s shepherds (34).
D. The land to be re-inhabited & the nation revived (36,37).
E. Twenty-fifth year of the Exile (40-48); the vision of the rebuilt temple.
Lessons from Ezekiel
Ezekiel illustrates the task of a preacher: to comfort the afflicted & afflict the comfortable. As preachers & teachers of God’s Word, it is not our responsibility to convert everyone, but to proclaim faithfully God’s message (3:17). When we do so, we fulfill our responsibility, whether or not our hearers respond in a positive manner (3:18-21; 33:7-9).
We often want to blame others for our problems. Some blame their environment. The Israelites blamed their ancestors (18:2). The Bible, however, teaches personal responsibility; we cannot blame someone else for our own sins & their consequences (18:3,4,19,20).
Ezekiel’s passage on false shepherds (34:11-31) is important reading for God’s shepherds (elders) today (1st Peter 5:1-3). The Chief Shepherd is Jesus (John 10:8-11; Hebrews 13:20; 1st Peter 2:25; 5:4).
The vision of the temple (40-48) does not refer to Zerubbabel’s or Herod’s temple; those structures were not like the one in Ezekiel. Nor do the chapters present a blueprint for a future millennium age; animal sacrifices were still being made at this time (43:18ff.), but they were banished after Jesus’ perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 10). Rather, this vision is a prophecy of the Christian Age, when God’s people, the church, are God’s dwelling place, or temple (1st Corinthians 3:16). The prophecy refers to Jesus’ spiritual sacrifice (Hebrews 9:11-15, 23-28) and to the Christian’s sacrifice of service (Romans 12:1).
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