Introduction.
Ezekiel was truly one of the great prophets. It is not because his book is large in scope that he is called great, but because he became one of the most important prophets for the Lord in Old Testament times. God raised up Ezekiel at a very difficult time for God’s people. Ezekiel was richly endowed with spiritual gifts, a great pastor of his people, and as a prophet he saw far into the future, even to the glory of the coming times. He was taken captive to Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar’s second siege of Jerusalem in 597 BC when he was 25 years old, and according to Ezekiel 1:2-3, Ezekiel received his first vision five years later.
Ezekiel was of the tribe of Levi, and his father was the priest Buzi. We do not know whether Ezekiel was a priest when he lived in Jerusalem, but he was at least a priest when he was called to be the Lord’s prophet when he was 30 years old. The name Ezekiel, Yechezqe’l, means God will strengthen, and is composed of H2388 chazaq and H0410 ‘el.
Ezekiel was the pedagogue among the prophets, and he uses numerous images, symbols, allegories and parables. He could teach and explain things by showing this by girding a belt around his waist or putting a yoke on his shoulders. He did this where words had insufficient effect. To us, many of these symbolic actions seem strange. But for his contemporaries, this way of communicating something was quite different but very effective, and they understood better what the prophet meant when he visualized his preaching in such a way. Jeremiah, who was a prophet at the same time as Ezekiel in Jerusalem, also made use of this.
Ezekiel was also a spiritual leader. He had a vision of the value of individual souls and felt the responsibility for them laid on his heart. No other prophet has imposed on himself this spiritual leadership with such great seriousness as Ezekiel.
Ezekiel was, as already mentioned, a priest. He therefore knew well the importance of the divine service and the temple, with all its rituals and forms. He strongly emphasized the sanctification of the Sabbath, the purity regulations and much more. Ezekiel has deep roots in the books of Moses and their laws of holiness. And in this area, Ezekiel helps to lay the foundation for a new era. He has rightly been considered the priest among the prophets.
The books of Ezekiel are full of repetitions. The same expressions keep recurring, and through this the teacher Ezekiel emerges. Through these repetitions, the words stick with the one who reads or hears them. The most significant expressions he repeats are expressions like these: Then shall ye know that I am the Lord … the hand of the Lord was upon me … son of man, which is used here of the prophet Ezekiel.
When Ezekiel was called to be a prophet, it is written that the hand of the Lord was upon me. The prophet is overwhelmed by a great strength that is not his own. The experience of God’s presence and the impressions of the detailed visions he receives are formidable. And he gives strong descriptions of his visions. This has led many of those who claim to be among those who belong to the school that likes to call themselves higher biblical critics to believe that Ezekiel had epileptic seizures that led to these visions. Per Lønning, a Norwegian theolog, says in his commentary on the Old Testament: «It is in any case not inconceivable that God could have also used disease states and abnormal soul reactions to advance his will.» A rather bizarre claim from someone who calls himself a Christian, if you ask me. He simply looks away from God’s sovereign power to give people the abilities to carry out His good will.
Erich von Däniken is another who has addressed the origin of the human race. With his theory, von Däniken rejects God, and claims that we are the result of interference from ‘extraterrestrial’ beings. He has written several books that I devoured as a teenager. These are books where he discusses visits from ‘extraterrestrial’ beings on Earth, and in one of the books he uses, among other things, the book of Ezekiel to ‘prove’ that his theory is correct and writes that the origin of many religions and Christianity, and as already mentioned, specifically mentions the book of Ezekiel, are reactions to contact with an alien race.
Today I have a more balanced view of such speculations, and when I look back at what von Däniken wrote, I ask myself the following question: Where is von Däniken today? Well, he has entered the sea of oblivion. What about the Bible? It is more relevant than ever.
That even theologians can bring themselves to make such a statement as Per Lønning does is really very shocking. A theologian should be concerned with defending God’s prophets from such backbiting, not stepping forward to ridicule one of the greatest prophets God has raised up. But as I have come to ‘know‘ Norwegian theologians, it is really no surprise to me that such things happen. Just look at how the clergy in the Norwegian Church have fallen to their knees the last few decades, where they do everything to act politically correct in all situations.
It has become so bad in the Norwegian church that they must liberalize everything in God’s word at all costs, and do the same thing that Jesus criticized the scribes and Pharisees for doing in His time, and the goal is the same for our day’s scribes and Pharisees: they do all their deeds to show themselves to men. They love the best places at banquets, the best seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the marketplaces and being called great by men.
In Matthew 23:2-7 we read what Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees: … The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, [that] observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne and lay [them] on men’s shoulders; but they [themselves] will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi, (Matthew 23:2-7).
All scriptures are taken from the King James Version 1611/1769, unless otherwise stated.
Chapter 2.
Ezekiel is called to be a prophet in Israel.
In chapter 1 we see a description of what Ezekiel hears and sees. And there is no mistaking it. He sees the glory of God. He hears what is as the voice of the Almighty, and he saw a figure that looked like a man, with the appearance of a rainbow, and Ezekiel says that he fell on his face because he had seen the glory of the Lord, and he heard the voice of One that spake. It is undoubtedly the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who comes to Ezekiel in this vision.
Verse 1: He said unto me, Son of man, stand up on your feet, and I will speak to you.
Verse 2: And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.
Just as Abraham was responsive to God, so was Ezekiel responsive and responded as God wanted him to. Ezekiel had no questions about why; he accepted God’s call right away. He made no objections, nor did he make the kind of comments we usually make when we are given an unexpected task, which begin with: I’m just going to do this or that before … … Ezekiel was ready when the call came, which indicates that Ezekiel had a strong connection to God. We can all learn a lot from the willingness shown by Ezekiel.
Verse 3: And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, [even] unto this very day.
Verse 4: For [they are] impudent children and stiff hearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD.
Verse 5: And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they [are] a rebellious house), yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.
Here Ezekiel gets his commission, and it is a unique and very important commission given to the prophet in these verses. He is to go to all who have rebelled against God. Ezekiel must do this for two reasons. First, everyone who is born into God’s people must be given the opportunity to turn to God. Second, he must do it for his own sake, (see Ezekiel 33:6). This commission is also given to God’s end-time church, they have the same commission to preach to all who call themselves Christians, but who have fallen from the true faith.
This rebellious people. Literally rebellious nations in plural. The word translated nation is the Hebrew word goy {go’-ee}; from the same root as gevah. Biblehub.com says the following about this word: It is used in the sense of a gathering; of a foreign nation; hence a heathen; (it is also used figuratively in the sense of a herd of animals or a swarm of locusts), foreigner, nation, people, and Gentile. The Jews, who were supposed to be the royal nation, a kingdom of priests, (see Exodus 19:6), had sunk so low because of their deliberate apostasy, are now actually referred to with the derogatory title of Gentile, and that with the additional term rebellious. The prophet is further reminded that Israel’s apostasy has lasted a long time, far too long.
Verse 6: And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns [be] with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they [be] a rebellious house.
With the expression and thou, God is telling the prophet that he should not be like the people he is to rebuke. In other words, Ezekiel is to separate himself from the fallen people. In other words, he should not mix with them in such a way that he would follow in their fall.
Be not afraid. Three times in this verse alone the prophet is told not to be afraid for what he will encounter. God knows that he will encounter opposition, be mocked, and be ridiculed. He will also be accused and threatened with death, but he should not give in to their attempts to intimidate him into silence, for the mission he was to carry out came from the God of heaven, and if he carries out the mission as God gives it to him, He will be with him and protect and preserve his prophet.
When God uses expressions like briers and thorns, it was to show the opposition Ezekiel would encounter in his ministry. Nettles and thorns can give us painful experiences if we are careless when we are near plants that have this
Verse 7: And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they [are] most rebellious.
Here Ezekiel is told to preach to the people regardless of whether they will listen to him or not. In other words, there is no reason for us not to preach even if we think no one will listen to us, and even if we will face opposition from the people of the world who are the real pagans of our time, and from the fallen churches who are the rebellious people of our time, (see verse 3 above) who have fallen so deeply that they are like pagans to God.
Verse 8: But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.
Verse 9: And when I looked, behold, a hand [was] sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book [was] therein.
Verse 10: And he spread it before me; and it [was] written within and without: and [there was] written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.
Once again we find the expression but thou, and again God means that the prophet should not do as the people God sends him to. How can Ezekiel rebuke the people if he is like them? It is the same in our days. How can we preach the end-time message with power and anointing if we do the same as the fallen denominations? That is impossible.
And once again God says that he should not rebel against God. He should obey God in everything, and he should begin with a meal that God gives him, and the meal Ezekiel is to eat is the word of God in the form of a roll of a book. Eating a roll of a book means scrutinize the text in order to absorb it.
Written within and without. In ancient times, leather or papyrus was used for writing. These leather or papyrus were sewn together to form long strips that were then rolled up. Normally these scrolls were only written on one side. The one given to Ezekiel was written on both sides. This was not normal, and therefore it must have a special meaning when it is written on both sides of the scroll. It may be that, as many believe, it was to highlight all the subjects the prophet was to preach to the rebellious people. It may also be to highlight the importance of the message that both sides are used. The most important thing, however, was that what was written on the scroll was to be eaten and then the prophet was to go out and preach to this rebellious people.
The message was not a message of joy, such as the angels brought to the shepherds of Bethlehem when Christ our Savior was born (Luke 2:13, 14). Their message was good tidings of great joy, (Luke 2:10), but what Ezekiel was to proclaim was lamentations, and mourning, and woe.
Yet the revelation of the impending calamity was the means by which God awakened His fallen people and called them out of the confusion in which they lived, that He might heal them with the balm of the gospel. Although Ezekiel often preached judgment and destruction, it was also his privilege to point out the love and mercy that God shows to His faithful people.
Chapter 3.
Verse 1: Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.
Eating a scroll is an expression we encounter several times in the Bible, (see Jeremiah 15:16 and Revelation 10:10, among others). This expression cannot be interpreted literally, but we must interpret it and understand it figuratively. So, how is it that a person can eat a scroll? The answer to this can be deduced from the answer Jesus gave to Satan when he tempted the Savior after He had fasted for 40 days in the wilderness and was probably terribly hungry. In Matthew 4:3-4 we read this: And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
First, Satan tries to cast doubt on whether Jesus is truly the Son of God, for he begins his attack with if thou be the Son of God. Then the devil strikes, for it was obvious that Jesus was hungry, and he said: command that these stones be made bread. It is Jesus’ answer that indicates how we can eat a book because Jesus says: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. This means that the word of God is our spiritual food, when we scrutinize the Bible in prayer, this means that we eat the book by taking in the inspired word.
Ezekiel first had to study the scriptures that were available, and in this way he had to take in the revelation given to him by the Lord. Only when he had done this could he go and speak to the house of Israel.
Verse 2: So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.
Verse 3: And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat [it]; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.
Here too there are references to both Jeremiah and Revelation when we see that Ezekiel ate the book he was given by the Son of God, and when he had eaten it, it was sweet as honey in his mouth. But how can a dry scroll be sweet in the mouth? Again it has to do with our understanding of the text. When Ezekiel was given the scroll, he was supposed to scrutinize the writing. He did so and then he discovered that the message he was to go to the house of Israel with was good news. In Revelation chapter 10 John is also asked to eat a scroll, this scroll too was sweet in the mouth.
In Psalm 119:103 David says: How sweet are thy words unto my taste! [yea, sweeter] than honey to my mouth!
It is only when we scrutinize the scriptures and gain a good knowledge of them that they become sweet in our mouths. This is what happened to William Miller when he searched the Bible in the early 19th century when he found ancient truths that the Catholic Church had kept hidden from Christians for centuries, and he also saw how wonderfully everything is connected from the first to the last word of the Bible.
Verse 4: And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.
Verse 5: For thou [art] not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, [but] to the house of Israel.
Verse 6: Not to many people of a strange speech and of a hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.
After Ezekiel had studied the message God had given him and understood it, Ezekiel was given his marching orders. He was to speak to his own people, not to other nations who spoke other languages, but only to the Jews who were in captivity in Babylon. But the problem Ezekiel would face was that they would not listen to him, and Jesus tells him that this will happen, and goes on to say that if he had gone to a Gentile people they would have accepted the message Ezekiel brought.
This is exactly the same thing that Jesus said about the inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida who would not repent despite the fact that Jesus was there and did many powerful works that proved that He was the Son of God. We read in Matthew 11:21-23 the following: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
This is what happened in Nineveh when Jonah prophesied about God’s imminent judgment because the people did not repent. Unlike God’s own people, the pagans of Nineveh listened to God’s servant and repented, and the punishment was not carried out.
Verse 7: But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are of hard forehead and of a stiff heart, (American Standard Version 1901).
It is not an easy assignment that Ezekiel receives from God. The Jews, who are here referred to as the house of Israel, will show the same unwillingness to Ezekiel as they have shown to the Lord. That all Jews have hard foreheads is because they have hardened themselves and will not listen to God’s promptings. It must have been anything but encouraging for Ezekiel to hear such a characterization of the people he is now to work among. But the Lord wants Ezekiel to know what he will face, so he can prepare and equip himself for his work.
God reminds Ezekiel that they had already refused to listen to God, so why should they listen to Ezekiel? See also what Jesus says in John 13:16: … … the servant is not greater than his lord … … He who labours to lead people to Jesus feels strongly the contempt and rejection of men. Many rejected the Lord of glory himself, and should his servants feel superior to their master?
The expression all the house of Israel must be interpreted to mean God’s people in general. There were evidently many who did not have hard foreheads and hard hearts, such as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, Jeremiah, and doubtless many others who, as individuals, maintained their integrity to God.
Verse 8: Behold, I have made thy face hard against their faces, and thy forehead hard against their foreheads, (American Standard Bible 1901).
The root of the Hebrew word H2388 chazaq, which is translated hard is the same root as the first part of Ezekiel’s name, (see also the introduction), and is perhaps used as a play on words to explain that God will be with Ezekiel and strengthen him, which is what his name means.
Instead of the people’s stubbornness spreading to the prophet, the Lord will make the prophet strong and unyielding. God tells Ezekiel that I have made thy face hard against their faces, and thy forehead hard against their foreheads. In other words, the prophet should not show that he is afraid of the people and is yielding and weak but stand firm in the strength of the Lord.
The prophet may have pleaded his own weakness in relation to the stubborn steadfastness of the hardened sinners. The promise God has given to his prophet is that even though the Jews may be hard, the prophet would prevail over them.
Verse 9: As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they [be] a rebellious house.
How is our fear of man? Are we afraid of the reactions we will encounter when we preach the good news? Are we afraid of what the wicked will say? In Proverbs 29:25, Solomon says the following: The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe. Do we trust in the Lord? Do we show that we have confidence in Him? Solomon says that we should be safe in the hands of the Lord. But something that is even a little better is what Jesus says in Matthew 28:20, where He says: I am with you always, [even] unto the end of the world, and in Genesis we read that God says: … … Fear not for I am with thee … …
Verse 10: Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart and hear with thine ears.
Verse 11: And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.
Once again, God impresses upon Ezekiel the message He wants Ezekiel to give to God’s people, and now God explains what it means to eat a roll (see Ezekiel 3:1). The prophet must take in God’s word, that is, scrutinize it, then receive it into his heart. When Ezekiel has done this, he is ready to meet his people who have been taken captive to Babylon, and there he will speak to the people what God has commanded him to do, whether they will listen or not.
When God says all my words, it means all the words of God. There must be no refusal to receive and proclaim everything God commands the prophet. The same applies to us in our time. We must not think that we are different from the people in Ezekiel’s time, and God’s counsel and words apply just as much today.
Verse 12: Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, [saying], Blessed [be] the glory of the LORD from his place.
Verse 13: [I heard] also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing.
Verse 14: So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me.
Verse 15: Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel-abib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.
Ezekiel is called to be a watchman.
Verse 16: And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Verse 17: Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth and give them warning from me.
Verse 18: When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked [man] shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
Verse 19: Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
Verse 20: Again, when a righteous [man] doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
Verse 21: Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous [man], that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
Verse 22: And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee.
Verse 23: Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face.
24: Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house.
Verse 25: But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them:
Verse 26: And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they [are] a rebellious house.
Verse 27: But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they [are] a rebellious house.