Ezekiel is one of the most dramatic books in the Bible. It opens with a dazzling vision of God's throne, includes strange symbolic actions, and ends with a vision of a new temple from which a river of life flows. At its heart is one great truth repeated more than sixty times: "they shall know that I am the LORD."
Who was Ezekiel?
Ezekiel was a priest, the son of Buzi. He was taken to Babylon in 597 BC with King Jehoiachin and other leaders — about eleven years before Jerusalem was destroyed. He lived among the exiles by the river Chebar (1:1–3). He began to prophesy in about 593 BC, at around thirty years old, the age when priests normally began their service.
The structure of Ezekiel
| Chapters | Theme |
|---|---|
| 1–3 | Ezekiel's call and vision of God's glory |
| 4–24 | Judgement on Jerusalem (before its fall) |
| 25–32 | Judgement on the surrounding nations |
| 33–48 | Hope and restoration (after Jerusalem's fall) |
The fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC divides the book: before it, Ezekiel warns; after it, he comforts.
The vision of God's glory (chapters 1–3)
Ezekiel saw a storm approaching from the north, with four living creatures, each with four faces and four wings, and wheels "full of eyes" moving in every direction. Above them was a throne, and on it "the likeness as the appearance of a man" surrounded by brightness like a rainbow. "This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD" (1:28).
The message was powerful: God was not confined to the temple in Jerusalem. His glory could appear even in Babylon, among exiles. God then called Ezekiel to be a watchman for Israel, warning the people faithfully whether they listened or not (3:17).
Symbolic actions
Ezekiel often acted out his messages:
- He drew a model of Jerusalem under siege on a clay brick (chapter 4).
- He lay on his side for many days to represent the years of Israel's and Judah's sin (chapter 4).
- He shaved his head and divided the hair into three parts to show the fate of Jerusalem's people (chapter 5).
- He packed his belongings and dug through a wall, as if going into exile (chapter 12).
When his wife died, God told him not to mourn publicly, as a sign of the grief that would come on the nation (24:15–24).
The glory departs (chapters 8–11)
In a vision, Ezekiel was taken to Jerusalem and shown idolatry being practised even in the temple. Then he saw something terrible: the glory of the Lord leaving the temple, moving first to the threshold, then to the east gate, then to the mountain east of the city (10:18–19; 11:22–23). Because of the people's sin, God's presence departed.
Individual responsibility (chapter 18)
The exiles complained that they were being punished for their fathers' sins. God replied, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die" (18:4), but also urged them, "I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth… wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye" (18:32).
Hope after the fall
When news of Jerusalem's destruction arrived (33:21), Ezekiel's message changed to hope.
The good shepherd (chapter 34)
God condemned Israel's leaders as selfish shepherds and promised to shepherd his flock himself: "I will seek that which was lost" (34:16), and to set over them "one shepherd… even my servant David" (34:23). Jesus later called himself "the good shepherd" (John 10).
A new heart (chapter 36)
"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you." (Ezekiel 36:26–27, KJV)
The valley of dry bones (chapter 37)
Ezekiel saw a valley full of dry bones. God asked, "Son of man, can these bones live?" As Ezekiel prophesied, the bones came together, flesh covered them, and when the breath (spirit) entered them, they stood up "an exceeding great army" (37:10). The vision promised that God would bring his "dead" nation back to life and to their land.
The new temple (chapters 40–48)
The book closes with a detailed vision of a new temple. The glory of the Lord returns (43:1–5), and a river flows from the temple, growing deeper and bringing life wherever it goes, even to the Dead Sea (chapter 47). The city's new name is "The LORD is there" (48:35). Revelation 21–22 echoes these images.
Lessons from Ezekiel
- God's glory is not limited to one place.
- God takes sin seriously — even to the point of withdrawing his presence.
- Each person is responsible to turn to God.
- God offers new hearts through his Spirit.
- No situation is too dead for God to bring life.
Continue with Daniel: faithfulness in a foreign land, or read the Babylonian exile.