Ezekiel I. Introduction A. Ezekiel B. An interesting prophet 1. Many visions, exhortations 2. Sees history unfold before him C. Let us consider the book II. Ezekiel: The Details A. Authorship 1. Ezekiel seems not just responsible for prophecies, but also for most of their written form 2. Authorship, inspiration relatively unchallenged B. Dating 1. Dates provided within book show Ezekiel prophesying ca. 593-573 2. Ezekiel one of the first exiles: the Jehoiachin exile 3. Prophesies from Babylon just before, during, after fall of Jerusalem 4. Final form compiled not much later C. Audience 1. Exilic, post-exilic Israel 2. Much to be gained D. Purpose 1. To indicate God's judgment on Jerusalem, message to the exiles, expectation of restoration 2. To set forth Israel's future hope in God's Kingdom III. Ezekiel: The Story A. Main Sections 1. Inauguration of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1-3) 2. Judgment on Jerusalem, Judah (Ezekiel 4-24) 3. Nation Oracles (Ezekiel 25-32) 4. Jerusalem's Fall (Ezekiel 33-40) 5. Restoration (Ezekiel 41-48) B. The Vision (Ezekiel 1-3) 1. 593 BCE: Ezekiel sees initial vision (Ezekiel 1:1-3) 2. Great cloud seen; four creatures described; wheels described; expanse above them; movement of creatures described; throne above them, a figure upon it; likeness of glory of LORD, Ezekiel falls on face before it (Ezekiel 1:4-28) 3. God tells Ezekiel to stand; Spirit enters Ezekiel; Ezekiel sent to the people of Israel, rebellious, tell to them the word of the LORD; will speak whether they hear or not; Ezekiel not to be rebellious; scroll given to Ezekiel, message of lamentation and woe (Ezekiel 2) 4. Ezekiel to eat the scroll; tastes like honey; sent to Israel, who will speak the same language yet refuse to hear; stubborn hearts; Ezekiel's face made as hard as their faces; not to fear (Ezekiel 3:1-11) 5. Spirit lifts Ezekiel up; great voice; bitter in spirit, hand of LORD upon him; Ezekiel sits overwhelmed for a week (Ezekiel 3:12-15) 6. Ezekiel as watchman: responsible if does not speak God's word, not held responsible if he speaks God's word (Ezekiel 3:16-21) 7. Glory of the LORD appears again: told to shut self into house; bound there; not able to speak, since people rebellious; God will open mouth, Ezekiel will speak to people (Ezekiel 3:22-27) C. Jerusalem's Fate (Ezekiel 4-7) 1. God tells Ezekiel to take brick, engrave Jerusalem, put siege works against it; besiege it: sign for Israel of what will take place (Ezekiel 4:1-3) 2. Ezekiel to lie on his left side for 390 days, equal to years of punishment of Israel; then to lie on right side 40 days, equal to years of punishment of Judah (Ezekiel 4:4-8) 3. Ezekiel to make specific type of bread during this time, eat and drink certain amounts, and bake it before dung, symbolizing Israel's uncleanness; Ezekiel protests, he has never been unclean; God says to use cow dung, not human dung; God will break supply of bread, water to Jerusalem (Ezekiel 4:9-17) 4. Ezekiel to take sword, shave head and beard; weigh it, divide in thirds; one third to burn, a third to strike with sword, a third to scatter in wind; God will use sword against last third, Ezekiel to take some back, burn more (Ezekiel 5:1-4) 5. This event as Jerusalem: in center of nations, yet sinned more than the nations; God against them, will execute judgment; will do what He has not yet done, will not do again; those who survive scattered to the winds; third will die of pestilence, third by sword, third will be scattered by wind, sword still against them; God's fury unleashed (Ezekiel 5:5-17) 6. Ezekiel to set face toward Israel, prophesy: sword to the high places, desolation, slain cast before idols; some left alive, will repent, will know that God is the LORD (Ezekiel 6:1-10) 7. Ezekiel to clap hands, stamp foot, condemn abominations of Israel; sword, famine, pestilence coming; fury of God upon them; they will know that He is LORD when they all lie dead in front of idols, land desolate (Ezekiel 6:11-14) 8. End upon the land; God's judgment, eye not sparing; disaster and doom upon the land; judgment according to their ways; day of doom is coming; wrath upon multitude; sword without, pestilence and famine within; mourning and lamentation, money worthless; not able to satisfy desires; given into hands of foreigners; chain to be made, land full of crime and violence; pride ended, no peace, disaster coming; vision sought, yet law perishes; all will know that God is the LORD (Ezekiel 7) D. Jerusalem's Condition (Ezekiel 8-11) 1. 592 BCE: Ezekiel lifted up from presence of elders to glory of God; is to look toward Temple; sees image of jealousy; then to dig into wall and saw all kinds of images of unclean animals, certain elders and others offering incense secretly; sees women weeping for Tammuz; sees inner court of Temple, people worshiping the sun; people also committing violence, provoking God to anger; He will not spare, nor have pity (Ezekiel 8) 2. Then cry comes out for executioners of city; six men come with weapons; man called to pass through, mark those who groan over abominations; the six to go out and kill, have no pity; touch not those with the mark; city to be defiled; Ezekiel on his face, wonders if God will exterminate Israel; God says guilt of Israel and Judah great; God will not spare; man has done what was commanded (Ezekiel 9) 3. Ezekiel sees expanse over cherubim; burning coals scattered over city; wheels by cherubim, described; cherubim mounted up; glory of God upon them, departs from Temple (Ezekiel 10) 4. Spirit lifts Ezekiel to east gate of Temple, before officers of land; to prophesy against them; God will bring sword upon the city; they will know that He is the LORD; one of the officers dies in presence of Ezekiel, Ezekiel again wonders if remnant of Israel will be destroyed (Ezekiel 11:1-13) 5. Israel says to go far from God, land as possession; God will eventually gather all His people from various land back into Israel; no more idolatry; new heart and spirit, heart of flesh, not stone; will follow His ways; glory of God departs from Jerusalem, Ezekiel returns to exiles (Ezekiel 11:14-25) E. God's Judgments (Ezekiel 12-17) 1. Ezekiel as dwelling in midst of rebellious house; to prepare baggage of exile, to go into exile; Ezekiel to do various things to demonstrate exile so that Israel may see and learn what will take place; Ezekiel does so, to tell people when asked that what he does is what will happen in Jerusalem; Chaldeans will take them over; Israel dispersed, scattered (Ezekiel 12:1-16) 2. Ezekiel to eat bread with quaking, drink water with anxiety, for so will those in Jerusalem; proverb in Israel regarding visions coming to nothing, will be changed to recognize that visions do come true; proverb regarding prophecy as far off, but God's word will be performed soon (Ezekiel 12:17-28) 3. Prophecy against prophets: woe to foolish prophets following own desires; see false visions; God has not spoken through them; God's hand against them; they say peace when there is no peace; great wrath and anger will come upon them, they will perish; women as prophesying from own minds; woe to them; God will take people from their hands, will no more see visions or practice divination, will know God is LORD (Ezekiel 13) 4. Elders before Ezekiel: God tells Ezekiel how they have idols in hearts, will not be consulted by them; estranged because of idols; Israel to repent and turn away from idols, or they will be cut off; punishment will come so that they will act that way no longer (Ezekiel 14:1-11) 5. When land sins, even if great righteous people in it, only the righteous spared; same true if beasts in land, or sword in land, or pestilence in land; how much more for Jerusalem, and yet God will spare some survivors, so they can repent, console prophet (Ezekiel 14:12-23) 6. Jerusalem as worthless vine; land will be desolate, God against land (Ezekiel 15) 7. Israel's father as Amorite, mother as Hittite; cast off as worthless on day of birth; God came and made her to live, came back when mature, clothed her, made covenant with her; gave her finery; yet she played the whore; served other gods; took things God gave her, used them in her adultery; beauty made an abomination; Israel as brazen prostitute; word of the LORD against her, lovers will be gathered, nakedness will be uncovered; wrath upon her; great guilt, even more than in Samaria; God will eventually restore all their fortunes so that they can bear their shame and disgrace (Ezekiel 16:1-59) 8. God will remember covenant, will restore it; God will atone, but shame will never be forgotten (Ezekiel 16:60-62) 9. Parable of two eagles and vine: involves Babylon and Egypt, why does king of Judah look to Egypt for deliverance? How can he break covenant with Babylon and escape?; God will return it upon his head, judgment will be executed because of treachery; God will make Jerusalem perish (Ezekiel 17) F. Sin, Lament, Rebellion, Destruction (Ezekiel 18-24) 1. Proverb in Israel regarding sons bearing consequences of father's sins; no more to be used in Israel; soul that sins will die; righteous will live, sinners die; son who does not follow father's sins will live; wicked who repents will live; righteous who sin will die; some say way of God not just, but really their ways unjust; God will judge Israel based on what each person does; God takes no pleasure in death-- repent and live (Ezekiel 18) 2. Lament for princes of Israel: mother as lion, caught, caged, taken to Babylon; mother as vine, great, yet broken down, withered (Ezekiel 19) 3. 591 BCE: Elders again before Ezekiel to inquire of God; God will not be inquired of by them; Ezekiel to judge them: abominations of their fathers, God swore good things to them if they would cast off detestable things, yet they rebelled; would have acted in anger against them in Egypt save for His name; led them through wilderness, gave them the Law, Sabbaths; they rebelled; would have poured out wrath in wilderness save for His name; that generation did not make it to land; children told to obey; they rebelled; God swore to scatter them because of rebellion (Ezekiel 20:1-26) 4. Will they defile themselves as their fathers did?; God not to be inquired of by this sinful generation; want to be as the nations; God's wrath poured out, will ingather Dispersion; will judge them face to face; rebels to be purged; if Israel will not listen, let them serve idols; on holy mountain, people will serve God; offerings will be accepted; will know that He is LORD; will repent, be ashamed of misdeeds; will be dealt with on account of His name; Ezekiel to preach against Negeb: it will be as burned with fire; Ezekiel complains that people think he just makes up parables (Ezekiel 20:27-49) 5. Ezekiel to preach against sanctuaries in Jerusalem: God will take sword, cut off both righteous and wicked from the place; all flesh will know He is LORD; Ezekiel to groan before them; when asked, will say it is because of the day that is coming, terrible things; sword sharpened and polished, ready for destruction-- against princes of Israel; Ezekiel to clap hands, have sword come down three times on account of those slain; God's fury to be satisfied (Ezekiel 21:1-17) 6. Ezekiel to make two ways for sword of Babylon to come; to Rabbah and Jerusalem; king of Babylon consults idols, prepares to besiege; makes oaths; final punishment to princes of Israel, humiliation; Jerusalem to be a ruin; slaughter and reproach decreed for the Ammonites also; will be judged, not remembered for their wickedness (Ezekiel 21:18-32) 7. Ezekiel to judge the bloody city; guilt on account of blood, idols; made a reproach to nations; name defiled; princes bent on bloodshed; oppression; profanation of holy things, Sabbaths; sexual immorality; extortion in land; God will strike people for it, courage will fail; scattered among nations; Israel as dross, God will melt it in His anger; land as not cleansed or rained upon; conspiracy of prophets as making widows; priests do violence to law, profane holy things; princes as wolves; prophets speak falsely; people extort, steal; search for the righteous, none found; wrath poured out (Ezekiel 22) 8. Oholah (Samaria) and Oholibah (Jerusalem): sisters; Oholah as playing whore; Assyrians came upon her; delivered into hands of lovers; became byword; Oholibah sees this, becomes more corrupt in whoredom; lusted after Chaldeans; defiled by them; nakedness exposed, God turns away; increased whoring; lovers will be disgusted, will turn on her; will judge and destroy her; will not remember Egypt anymore; delivered into hands of those whom you hate; nakedness to be exposed; will drink sister's cup; Ezekiel to judge the sisters and their iniquity; profanation of sanctuary and Sabbaths; worn out by adultery; blood on her hands; will be made an object of terror; penalty for idolatry borne (Ezekiel 23) 9. 588 BCE: Beginning of siege of Jerusalem; parable to rebellious house: prepare pot, boil in it: woe to the city, the pile will be great; everything will be burned up, cleansed as through fire; fury of God to be satisfied; He will not spare in judgment (Ezekiel 24:1-14) 10. Ezekiel's wife to die; he is not to mourn; sign to Israel regarding destruction of Jerusalem, man Ezekiel as sign of it; on that day, he will not be mute (Ezekiel 24:15-27) G. Nation Oracles (Ezekiel 25-32) 1. Ammon: Because of joy over fate of Jerusalem, God will make Ammon a possession of the east; others will dwell in it; Ammon as plunder for the nations, cut off, destroyed (Ezekiel 25:1-7) 2. Moab and Seir: Believe that Judah as other nations; thus, its glory will be exposed, given to the East as possession; judgment executed (Ezekiel 25:8-11) 3. Edom: Acted with revenge against Judah; God will cut off man and beast from Edom; vengeance upon them (Ezekiel 25:12-14) 4. Philistia: Took vengeance in enmity; God's hand stretched out against it, cut off with rebuke, will know that God is LORD (Ezekiel 25:15-17) 5. Tyre: 586 BCE: Tyre happy about fate of Jerusalem; God against Tyre; nations against her; plunder for the nations; Nebuchadnezzar against Tyre; devastation, death, destruction; merchandise, riches looted; Tyre as a bare rock; coastlands will shake at fall; trembling, mourning of princes of sea; lament over destruction of Tyre, dismay over its passing; God will make Tyre go down to the pit, as in the underworld; never to be found again (Ezekiel 26) 6. Tyre: lamentation over Tyre: boasted in beauty, great finery from other countries; army from other countries; nations around known world did business with Tyre, different locations and products described; at destruction, great lamentation and mourning because of the loss of merchants, profit (Ezekiel 27) 7. Tyre: to prince of Tyre: belief in his great wisdom, exalted seat; despite greatness, deified self, God will bring foreigners upon him, he will die the death of uncircumcised; lament over kind of Tyre: great perfection, described in terms of precious jewels; excellence and blamelessness; heart made proud, sin increased; fire brought upon city, consumed; dreadful end; nations appalled (Ezekiel 28:1-19) 8. Sidon: God against Sidon; judgment executed, God's holiness manifest; pestilence, blood, sword; house of Israel then no longer a source of pain to neighbors; God will ingather Dispersion, will dwell securely in land, rebuild; all will know God is LORD (Ezekiel 28:20-26) 9. Egypt: 589 BCE: God against Pharaoh; Pharaoh believes that he made Nile for himself; God will hook him as a fish, cast him into wilderness; given to animals as food; God will bring sword on Egypt because they have been unreliable ally of Israel; God will make Egypt a desolation because they believe Nile is their creation; 40 years later, Egyptians gathered again, made a lowly kingdom, never again rule over nations; Israel will not rely upon it (Ezekiel 29:1-16) 10. 571: Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre, but did not gain much from it; God will give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar, will despoil it; will obtain because he worked for God; horn to spring up in Israel, will speak, they will know God is LORD (Ezekiel 29:17-21) 11. Egypt: Day of the LORD upon Egypt; slain will fall, wealth carried away; neighbors in league with her shall also fall by sword; they will be humiliated and made desolate; Egypt's wealth to be finished, Nile dried up; idols of Egypt to be destroyed; judgment executed on major cities; will know God is LORD; 587 BCE: arm of Pharaoh broken, will not be healed; Egypt to be broken, people dispersed; Babylon strengthened, Egypt fallen; will know God is LORD (Ezekiel 30) 12. Egypt: 587 BCE: Greatness of Egypt, its value and beauty described; will be handed over to a mighty nation, who will deal with it according to its wickedness; Egypt to be broken; God made nations quake at fall of Lebanon, so it will be with Egypt (Ezekiel 31) 13. Egypt: 585 BCE: Lamentation over Pharaoh: you attempt to conquer, but will be conquered; God will catch him in net, will be hauled up; land will be filled with the slain, Egypt as blotted out; darkness over land; when destruction is known, hearts of many people troubled; people will be appalled, horrified; Babylon to come upon Egypt, will destroy its pride, cause people and animals to perish; land made desolate; daughters of nations will chant the lament; Ezekiel to wail over multitude of Egypt, their destruction; slain by sword; down in Sheol with Assyria, Elam, Meshech-Tubal, Edom, and princes of north, all there because they spread terror in life, but were brought down low; Pharaoh will be comforted by all these when down there (Ezekiel 32) H. Various Prophecies (Ezekiel 33-39) 1. The watchman: responsible for informing people when enemy approaches, responsible only if does not inform; so it is with Ezekiel: if he warns the people, and they sin, not responsible, but if he does not warn them, then responsible (Ezekiel 33:1-9) 2. Israel as saying that they rot because of their sins; God would have them turn, no need to die; righteous cannot be delivered and turn to wickedness; if the wicked repent, they will live; people say God's way not just, will be judged for it (Ezekiel 33:10-20) 3. 585 BCE: fugitive from Jerusalem informs Ezekiel that the city is struck down; Ezekiel no longer mute; Israel's reasoning that they possess the land because of their multitude in error; cannot possess land while sinful; those in the land to be made a desolation and the waste; people come to hear Ezekiel, but do not do what he tells them; when disaster befalls them, they will know he is a prophet (Ezekiel 33:21-33) 4. Prophecy against shepherds of Israel: they feed selves, not sheep; they oppress, people as scattered; sheep have become a prey, God will be against shepherds; God will rescue sheep; He will seek sheep, will rescue all of them; will feed them in Israel; He will be shepherd of sheep, will strengthen the weak, humble the strong; God as judging His sheep, both the fat and the lean, and will do justice; He will make a covenant of peace, remove beasts from land; they will dwell securely; they will know that God is LORD, no more hunger, no more reproach; Israel as God's sheep (Ezekiel 34) 5. Prophecy against Mount Seir: God will make it a desolation and waste; cherished enmity against Israel, will pay the penalty; blood will pursue them; cities uninhabited; God will deal with them according to their anger and hatred; Edom vaunted self against Israel, God will make it desolate, nations will rejoice (Ezekiel 35) 6. Prophecy to the mountains of Israel: became possession of nations, nations will suffer reproach; mountains will again be filled with Israelites; will multiply and be fruitful; will no longer bereave of children; reproach of nations not heard, no longer disgraced (Ezekiel 36:1-15) 7. Israel defiled land like menstruating woman; wrath poured out on it; God will act not because of them but because of His name; holiness of His name will be vindicated; nations to know that He is LORD; ingathering of Dispersion, cleansing from uncleanness; Spirit in them, will make sure they obey His rules; dwell in the land, God their God, they His people; blessings and abundance, repentance, mourning over previous sinful ways; cities to be inhabited, rebuilt; land ruined as Garden of Eden; people to increase (Ezekiel 36:16-38) 8. Ezekiel in middle of valley; full of dry bones; Ezekiel to prophesy over them, make them live; God provides them with flesh and skin; God makes them live; bones as Israel, God will make them live in the land (Ezekiel 37:1-14) 9. Ezekiel to write on sticks for Judah and Joseph; to be joined as one; indicating that Israel to be restored, reunited, Dispersion ingathered; no more defilements, saved from backsliding, will be God's people; ruled over by David; will dwell in land, perpetual covenant of peace; nations will know that LORD is God who sanctifies Israel (Ezekiel 37:15-28) 10. Prophecy against Gog and Magog: God against them, will draw them out; they will be mustered, go against Israel; evil schemes in their minds to raid the land, carry off plunder; will see that Israel dwells securely; on that day when they come to Israel, God will cause all creation to quake before Him, judgment against God, His holiness known; God will drive Gog and Magog to the extremities of the north, will be struck down; God's holy name to be known in Israel; Israelites will make fires of all the weapons for seven years, no need for wood; they will plunder those who despoiled them; place for burial of Gog in Israel; seven months of burial to cleanse land; birds to come in and eat the flesh of the mighty; God's glory among the nations; Israel will know that LORD their God; nations will understand that Israel went into captivity because of iniquity (Ezekiel 38:1-39:24) 11. God will restore fortunes of Jacob; will forget treachery, will dwell securely in land; will know LORD is their God; will not hide face from them; Spirit poured out on them (Ezekiel 39:25-29) I. A Vision of Israel Restored (Ezekiel 40-48) 1. 573 BCE: Ezekiel brought to Jerusalem in vision; man tells him to declare all he sees to Israel; Ezekiel sees wall, siderooms, gateways; such described, measured; outer court described, measured; gates and inner courts described; measured; chambers and vestibules for priests described, measured (Ezekiel 40) 2. Most Holy Place, wall of Temple, buildings facing yard on west side, back described, measured (Ezekiel 41) 3. Outer court, chambers in northern section described, measured; eastern and western sides measured (Ezekiel 42) 4. Glory of LORD then enters this Temple, as Ezekiel saw at the beginning; demonstration that such was where God was to live, people will dwell securely, no more defilement; Ezekiel to describe the temple to Israel so they will be ashamed of their sins so that they can repent and later return and do God's will (Ezekiel 43:1-12) 5. Altar measured, ordinances established for offerings (Ezekiel 43:13-27) 6. Eastern outer gate left shut; Ezekiel sees front of Temple through north gate, sees glory of LORD, falls before it; told to tell Israel regarding the specifications of this temple, how they profaned the first Temple; foreigners not to be in sanctuary, but Levites who allowed it will bear punishment; will be ashamed, but will minister; rules for Levites from Leviticus repeated (Ezekiel 44) 7. Holy district of land to be apportioned; its dimensions, purposes specified; prince shall obtain land on sides of holy district and city; sin and oppression to be put away; just balances, weights established; offerings, Passover specified (Ezekiel 45) 8. Inner eastern gate open only on Sabbath, new moon; prince will enter it; offerings specified; processions on festival days specified; more offerings specified; property inheritance rights made known; places specified for boiling offerings (Ezekiel 46) 9. Water flowing from below threshold of Temple; Ezekiel taken to where water trickled out, measurements made; water gets increasingly deeper; river that will be in the land that brings abundance and prosperity, will never fade; fruit will always be there for food, leaves for healing; land will be divided by inheritance; boundaries of the land specified (Ezekiel 47) 10. Individual tribes enumerated, their land portions indicated; measurements of the various land divisions, including the "holy portion" and who will live there; gates of the city specified, measurements; gates named for tribes of Israel; name of city, LORD is There (Ezekiel 48) IV. Ezekiel: Important Passages A. Ezekiel 1 / Revelation 4 B. Ezekiel 2:9-3:3 / Revelation 10:9-10 C. Ezekiel 26-28 / Revelation 18 D. Ezekiel 34 / John 10:1-21 E. Ezekiel 39:17-20 / Revelation 19:17-18 F. Ezekiel 40:1-4 / Revelation 11:1 G. Ezekiel 40-48 / Revelation 20-22:6 V. Conclusion A. Ezekiel: prophet concerned with God's name, holiness 1. Demonstration that God's name to be known to nations 2. His holiness will be exalted B. Message of condemnation, hope 1. Condemnation of Israel for its sin 2. Confidence in God's name, holiness leading Him to cleanse Israel 3. The future hope of Israel set forth C. Let us not fall by the same example of disobedience, but seek to live forever with God in the new Jerusalem! D. Invitation/songbook