EZEKIEL - Spring Lake Church

EZEKIEL
The Year of the Word
A year-long look at the entire Bible
AUTHOR
The opening of the book names Ezekiel, son of Buzi, as
the receiver of the visions (1:1-3). The rest of the book
then continues in first-person.
DATE
Ezekiel is the easiest Old Testament book to date as he
begins each prophecy with the year and day. He was a
captive of the second attack on Jerusalem by the Babylonians
in 597 B.C. His first vision can be dated 593-
592 B.C. and the last around 571-570 B.C.
THEMES
Three primary themes are found: (1) God’s time for
judgment on Jerusalem has come as seen in the departure
of God’s glory from the temple (8:1-11:25), (2)
God’s judgment on the nations surrounding Israel, and
(3) the future restoration of Israel as seen in the vision
of the valley of dry bones (37:1-14).
KEY VERSES
Chapter 37 is one of the central passages on the future restoration of Israel. The valley of the dry bones
is a picture of God restoring life to the nation.
CHRIST IN EZEKIEL
The term “son of man” occurs 90 times in
this book as was Christ’s favorite selfdesignation.
Christ is picture as the divine
Shepherd (34:11-16), the king with the
right to rule (21:26-27), and the twig that
becomes a cedar (17:22-24).

EZEKIEL
Ezekiel is a long and challenging book. Consider this assessment of its contents:
“The mode of representation, in which symbols and allegories occupy a prominent place, gives a dark,
mysterious character to the prophecies of Ezekiel. They are obscure and enigmatical. A cloudy mystery
overhangs them which it is almost impossible to penetrate. Jerome calls the book „a labyrinth of the
mysteries of God.‟ It was because of this obscurity that the Jews forbade any one to read it till he had
attained the age of thirty.” 1
Granted, there is plenty that is hard to decipher, but a lot of Ezekiel is straightforward and “in your
face” obvious. So let’s not wait till we are 30, let’s just dig in and learn what we can.
Ezekiel, the son of a priest, was exiled to Babylon in 597 BC. We find him in Chapter 1 by a river in
Babylon…and God’s hand was on him (vs.3). Chapter 1 attempts to describe the indescribable…an
appearance of God in a vision to Ezekiel. God clearly is difficult to describe, yet the vision has a profound
effect on Ezekiel.
Read and Study Ezekiel 2.
What is God asking Ezekiel to do?
How are the people of Israel described in this chapter?
How does God feel about their behavior in the past?
What will Ezekiel encounter in his assignment?
Have you ever had an assignment from God that was difficult? How does fear keep us from carrying
out God’s will in our lives?
Read and Study Ezekiel 16. God is at an end with his people. Judgment has begun and will continue
for a period of time…his patience has run out. God, in an attempt to help the people see what they are
doing and what they have become, speaks through Ezekiel to Jerusalem (Judah) via an allegory. Read
this graphic chapter of Scripture and make a list of observations.
How is Judah described?
What did God do for her?
How did God’s people respond?
How does God feel about their behavior…to what does he compare it to?
For personal reflection…and confession.
Have we underestimated how much our sin breaks God’s heart? Where are we being consistently unfaithful
to God? What do you intend to do about it?
1
Easton, M.G.: Easton's Bible Dictionary. Oak Harbor, WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1996,
c1897
PREPARATION FOR NEXT WEEK: READ HAGGAI, ZECHARIAH 9-14, MALACHI