Mention the Book of Ezekiel, and most will envision the imagery of the Vision of the Chariot and the Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones. It’s amazing to dig deeper into the book, and the oracles of the Prophet Ezekiel, of whom the book is titled. This article will discuss 10 facts of the Book of Ezekiel, including a few of the well-known visions, and some that you may not know.
1. Ezekiel, The Man God Strengthens
Ezekiel, whose name means “the Man God Strengthens,” is the son of Buzi, a priest who prophesied to the exiles by the river Chebar, and one of the four greater prophets. (Ezekiel 1:3; 24:24). Ezekiel’s prophecies extended for approximately 20 years, while in Babylonia, since the date of the first deportation of the Jerusalem elite into exile, which was 605 B.C. Ezekiel was akin to Jeremiah, who was also a prophet and a priest. Because of his priestly lineage (Ezekiel 40-46), as well as foregleams of the high priestly character of the Messiah (Ezekiel 21:25; 45:22), Ezekiel is every inch a churchman, and his strong ecclesiastical characteristics pervade and give tone to his prophecies.
2. Calling, Vision, God
Ezekiel was called by the Lord (Ezekiel 1, 2) to serve as a conduit for the impartation of the prophetic gift (Ezekiel 3:22), which also aligned with the prophecies of the prophet Jeremiah, the downfall of Judah and Jerusalem, and judgment upon foreign nations.
Ezekiel’s vision of God marked the beginning of his profound prophetic journey. By the river Chebar, the heavens open, and he sees visions of God, unlike any earthly thing. The LORD spoke to Ezekiel, and there, the hand of the LORD was upon him.
A whirlwind, storm, and fire from the north, a great cloud of self-consuming fire, and light shining with the likeness of four living creatures with their appearance having the likeness of a man (Ezekiel 1:4-5) is Ezekiel’s vision.
The LORD, approaching in them both, was revealed in this vision, carried by four living creatures with faces of a man, lion, ox, and eagle, all representing God’s creation characteristics under His rule. Furthermore, throughout Ezekiel chapter one, there are the wheels full of eyes, representing the Lord's omniscience and His sovereignty. Over their heads was the likeness of a throne, where the LORD sits, proclaiming His holiness, majesty, and dominion over all nations, affirming that His presence is not confined to one place but reigns over all.
3. The Silent Prophet
Because Israel was a “rebellious house” that would not heed the words of the Lord, God tells Ezekiel that his inability to speak would be because of Himself, God. God told him to go out into the plain, and there He would talk with him. The Spirit came and spoke to him, silencing him by making his tongue cling to the roof of his mouth, so he would not be able to rebuke them, the people of Israel (Ezekiel 3:22-23). This muteness is also seen in the case of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, who did not believe the words of the angel Gabriel that came to pass. The stark difference lies in Israel's refusal to believe the messenger of the Lord, and Zechariah's own disbelief.
4. The Glory Departs
Because the holiness of the Lord has been profaned, His glory departs from the inner sanctuary (the holy of holies) to the threshold of the temple, to the east gate. Finally, He stands on the mountain east of the city before lifting up (Ezekiel 10:18-1 and 11:11-23).
After judgment and rebuilding promises (Ezekiel 36-37), Ezekiel sees a measured and dramatic re-entering of God’s glory coming in by the east gates and filling the house (Ezekiel 43:1-5). Fellowship is restored, the community is transformed (Ezekiel 47), and God renews all through His covenant when Ezekiel heard Him speaking to him from the temple. At the same time, a man stood beside him, “And He said to him, 'Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever. No more shall the house of Israel defile My holy name, they nor their kings, by their harlotry or with the carcasses of their kings on their high places” (Ezekiel 43:6-7).
5. Ezekiel, the Watchman
Ezekiel was the watchman by the Lord who guarded and blew the trumpet through God’s word faithfully (Ezekiel 3 33). If Ezekiel did not warn the people, their fate would be on his hands. Because the people of Israel did not listen, they drew their fate into their own hands. Ezekiel had one of the weightiest prophetic callings.
6. The Reappearance of Satan?
In the twenty-eighth chapter of Ezekiel, the lament over the King of Tyre is often read as a metaphor for a human king’s fall, but also as a symbolic reference to Satan’s pride and downfall. Ezekiel condemns King Tyre’s political pride as he boasts in his heart about being wise, secure, and untouchable because of his wealth, self-exaltation, rebellion, and trading power.
Like King Nebuchadnezzar, they both show the dangers of pride and arrogance, and how the Lord uses earthly rulers to invoke judgment. From King Tyre in Ezekiel chapter twenty-six, it is predicted that Nebuchadnezzar II would break the main city of Tyre and sack it, and Tyre would be destroyed and never rebuilt, and would never be found. To this day, this is so.
7. The Power of Symbolic Actions
Because Ezekiel could not speak freely due to his captivity in Babylon, his symbolic acts spoke louder, making him a true shepherd of souls by lying bound for 390 days (Ezekiel 4:4-6), which symbolized Israel’s years of sin. Eating defiled bread (Ezekiel 4:9-17) represents the coming scarcity in exile. Shaving his head and beard (Ezekiel 5:1-4), showing judgment and scattering, and packing exile bags (Ezekiel 12:3-7), acting out the impending exile of the people of Israel.
Judgement, Restoration, Glory
Weaved from the beginning to the end, we see Israel’s unfaithfulness, judgment falling on Israel and the nations, and the promise of the renewal of the LORD through heart and Spirit (Ezekiel 36-37), reunification of His people and His glory returning to dwell in the new temple forever (Ezekiel 40-48).
Jeremiah, also a prophet and priest, focuses on the immediate consequences in Jerusalem, preaching about ethics. In contrast, Ezekiel, another prophet and priest, preaches about hope, the return from exile, holiness, and ritual. Both were contemporaries living at the same time, but in different locations during the Babylonian exile period. Their lives and messages intersected, warning the people of God’s judgment for their sins.
In God’s restoration, the book of Jeremiah focuses on the New Covenant as it relates to the return to Jerusalem. In the book of Ezekiel, the focus is on the renewed covenant relationship and the restoration of Israel, but no matter what, Ezekiel reminds us that the Lord is holy. Yet even in judgment, He promises restoration, a new heart, and His glory returning to dwell with His people. God departs from pride and rebellion, but He restores all who humble themselves before Him.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Tim Wildsmith
