INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL

The Jews classified the books of the Old Testament into three groups: Torah (Law), Prophets, and Writings. One modern classification of the Old Testament includes four sections: Law (Genesis-Deuteronomy), History (Joshua-Esther), Poetry (Job-Song of Solomon), and Prophets (Isaiah-Malachi). Ezekiel is in the category of the Prophets in either classification.

The work of a prophet was more than just telling the future (foreteller). The prophet was a “forth-teller”, a spokesman for God, a herald of God’s message.

Those who count such things tell us that less than 5% of Old Testament prophecy concerns the NT age, only about 2% is messianic (dealing with Jesus and his coming), and only 1% foretells the future.

Prophets could proclaim their message from God in at least three ways: orally, in written form, or through symbolic acts. Ezekiel was the master of prophesying through symbolic acts. There are many in the book that bears his name.
There were many prophets in Old Testament times. There were schools of prophets (see 2 Kings 2:5, 15). Only 16 have books in the Old Testament.

The prophetic books of the Bible are collections of spoken prophecies called oracles. The oracles were not usually given all at once. One must read carefully to learn where one oracle begins and ends. A single oracle can be one or two verses or several chapters.

The messages of many of the prophets are very similar, differing only to fit the particular circumstances of the people to whom it was delivered. The function of the prophets was to speak God’s message, not their own. A primary purpose was to remind the people of their covenant with God made at Mt. Sinai. That covenant had blessings and curses connected with it—blessings if the people obeyed, curses if they did not (see Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28-30). The core message of the prophet was often unoriginal, at its heart it was the same message preached by all the other prophets. Sometimes the message was given in very creative, attention-getting ways.
The writing prophets lived in a time of political, social, military, and economic turmoil. Because of their general unfaithfulness, God withheld his blessing from his people. They were deeply affected by all the wars of the nations around them, which led to general upheaval in society. There were shifts in populations and in national boundaries. The fall of the northern kingdom of Israel is a case in point. When Assyria conquered Samaria, they took many of its inhabitants into captivity (exile) and repopulated the area with other peoples.

The most important keys to understanding Ezekiel:

1. God spoke to his people through each prophet in a particular setting (time and place) with a particular purpose. Do you remember your studies of literature in school? Those discussions of background, setting, and author’s purpose have validity in Bible study, too.
2. Think about what the people who first heard the prophet would have understood.
3. Read in terms of oracles. Try to get the message of a complete oracle. Don’t put oracles together that don’t go together.

One value of the Old Testament prophets is that, in general, what God wanted from them is the same thing he wants from us: faithfulness, obedience, and our worship.

Ezekiel was born in the time of King Josiah’s reforms (see 2 Kings 22-23). Judah, the southern kingdom was a vassal state of Assyria from the time of Josiah’s grandfather, King Manasseh (697-642), until the time of Jehoiakim. Manasseh was deported around 645 BC.

Some other key dates (remember that OT dates descend as time goes forward):

• King Josiah of Judah reigned from 640
• The ancient Assyrian capital of Asshur fell to Babylon’s ally , the Medes, in 614
• Ninevah, capital of Assyria, fell to Babylon in 612
• Josiah fought against Pharaoh Neco at Megiddo and lost his life in 609; Josiah’s son, Jehoahaz assumed the throne
• After Neco defeated Josiah, he went on to help Assyria battle against Babylon at Haran in 609, but both Assyria and Egypt lost to Babylon
• When Neco returned, he replaced Jehoahaz with Jehoiakim (his elder brother), so now Judah is a vassal of Egypt
• Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon fought against Assyria and Egypt again in the battle of Carchemish in 605 and won, chasing Egypt almost back to its homeland. In the process, Nebuchanezzar made Jehoiakim a vassal of Babylon.
• Within a few years (601), Babylon and Egypt fought another battle that was a stalemate, so Jehoiakim became a vassal of Egypt again.
• Jehoiakim died just before Nebuchadnezzar came to put down the rebellion in Judah again in 598 and his son, Jehoiachin, became king
• Babylon besieged Jerusalem in 597 and took everything of value. Jehoiachin was captured and taken to Babylon. Ezekiel and his contemporaries were exiled to Babylon also. Zedekiah was appointed by Nebuchadnezzar to rule as vassal-king over Judah.
• When officials of Zedekiah’s administration rebelled against Babylon in 588. Babylon responded with a siege against Jerusalem in 587. An army from Egypt caused Babylon to withdraw for a time, but in 586 overran and destroyed the city and temple (see 2 Kings 25:2-3). This was the beginning of the 70 year captivity.
• Many date the 70 year exile (captivity) predicted by Jeremiah (see Jeremiah 25:11) from the fall of Jerusalem in 586 until the dedication of the new temple by Zerubabel in 516. There are other ways to date this time period also.
• You can read the biblical material about these kings of Judah in 2 Kings 23-25 and 2 Chronicles 33-36.

Ezekiel was a captive of the Babylonians, living near the capital city of Babylon during the time of his prophecy.

He began his prophecy in 593, shortly after he had been taken into exile. Everything in Ezekiel is dated from the time of Jehoiachin’s exile in 598. Ezekiel says he received his call, his first vision “in the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin” (Ezekiel 1:2). Many assume he was 30 years old, meaning he was born in 623. Ezekiel’s father was a priest. Perhaps he was to have been a priest also, but was unable to perform his duties in exile. A man entered the Levitical priesthood at 30, according to Numbers 4:3.

Basic Outline of Ezekiel

I. Introduction (1:1-3)
II. Ezekiel’s First Vision: Call to be a prophet of God (1:4-3:15)
III. Oracles (prophecies) of judgment against Israel (3:16-24:27
IV. Oracles of judgment against the nations (25:1-32:32)
V. Oracles of consolation and hope for Israel (33:1-48:35)

There are 3 visions in Ezekiel:

1. His call to be a prophet (1:4-3:15)
2. God leaving the temple in the section on judgment against Israel (8:1-11:25)
3. God returning to the temple in the section on hope for Israel (40:1-48:35)

There are a few key themes in Ezekiel:
• The covenant relationship with God is central to the book
• God is faithful to his covenant
• Then they will know that I am the Lord (Yahweh, God’s covenant name with Israel) occurs many times. It is called the recognition formula. God wants to be known among his people.
• Judah’s unfaithfulness. His chosen people violated the covenant. God was more than justified in sending covenant curses upon the people.
• God’s sovereignty over the nations
• God’s holiness