Holman Old Testament Commentary - Ezekiel

Mark Rooker, Max Anders

• Publisher: Holman Reference
• Year: 2006
• Print ISBN: 9780805494754
• eBook ISBN: 9781433674266
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

One in a series of twenty Old Testament verse-by-verse commentary books edited by Max Anders. Includes discussion starters, teaching plan, and more. Great for lay teachers and pastors alike.

Ezekiel 1:1-28

God Reveals Himself to Ezekiel

I. INTRODUCTION

Living in Times of Uncertainty

II. COMMENTARY

A verse-by-verse explanation of these verses.

III. CONCLUSION

Attempting to Understand God

An overview of the principles and applications from these verses.

IV. LIFE APPLICATION

The Pursuing God

Melding these verses to life.

V. PRAYER

Tying these verses to life with God.

VI. DEEPER DISCOVERIES

Historical, geographical, and grammatical enrichment of the commentary.

VII. TEACHING OUTLINE

Suggested step-by-step group study of these verses.

VIII. ISSUES FOR DISCUSSION

Zeroing these verses in on daily life.

“Vision looks inward and becomes duty.
Vision looks outward and becomes inspiration.
Vision looks upward and becomes faith.”

Stephen S. Wise

Ezekiel begins with a formal prologue introducing himself and the date God appeared to him. He then describes the vision of God he received and how this manifestation of God's glory compelled him to fall down on the ground.

God Reveals Himself to Ezekiel

I. INTRODUCTION

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Living in Times of Uncertainty

In 1857 an article appeared in Harper's Weekly, which said: “It is a gloomy moment in history. Not for many years has there been so much apprehension. Never has the future seemed so incalculable. In France the political cauldron seethes. Russia hangs like a cloud on the horizon. All the resources of the British Empire are sorely tried. Of our own troubles in the United States, no man can see the end.”

Little did the author of the Harper's Weekly article know in 1857 that his nation would soon be engaged in a civil war. In a similar way Americans and many across the world fear that the events of September 11, 2001, may not be the last of their kind. There is great uncertainty about our national security and what the future holds. The prophet Ezekiel, along with many of his countrymen, had been sent into exile from their homeland. There was undoubtedly some hope of a quick return, but there was also much uncertainty about the future.

In times of uncertainty, believers need to be assured that God is with them. It is perhaps in the gut-wrenching experiences of life when we are most in need of God's presence. In the New Testament our Lord acknowledged this profound need. He instructed the disciples (during the most uncertain time of their lives) that it was to their benefit that he go away in order that the Holy Spirit, the Comforter/Counselor, might come and abide with them (John 16:7).

God is a revealing God. He desires that we have a relationship with him and sense his presence. Apart from his revelation of himself, we could never know him. He reveals himself in Scripture and most emphatically in sending his only Son, Jesus Christ, who put on human flesh that he might dwell among us. God is also a seeking God. Jesus said that he came to seek and to save people who are lost (Luke 19:10). We, like Ezekiel and his exiled countrymen, need assurance that God is with us. God ministered to the exiles in a mighty way through a vision indicating that he was still with them.

II. COMMENTARY

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God reveals Himself to Ezekiel

MAIN IDEA: After the Babylonians deported the people of Judah to Babylon, God revealed himself in a vision to the prophet Ezekiel.

Jacob saw God at Peniel and his life was changed. He was no longer known as Jacob, but from then on his name was Israel. Moses went up on Mount Sinai and communed with God face-to-face. This was an experience that changed his countenance and shaped his life. Isaiah saw the glory of the Lord in the sanctuary, and his entire ministry was filled with the beauty of the Lord's holiness. Paul saw the risen and glorified Redeemer on the Damascus road and was blinded temporarily. This encounter transformed Paul from the great persecutor of the church to one of its greatest preachers. John saw visions of the glorious unfolding of God's program for Christ, the church, and all the redeemed. As a result he was unmoved by the adverse circumstances that surrounded him.

In the midst of exile, Ezekiel saw visions of the glory of the Lord of Israel. This revelation shaped his life and ministry from that time forward.

The Heavenly Vision (1:1-3)

SUPPORTING IDEA: Five years after Ezekiel and other citizens of Judah were exiled to Babylon, Ezekiel the priest was shown a divine vision.

1:1. Similar to many of the other writing prophets of the Bible, Ezekiel opens with a reference to his time and family background. The book states the precise date when Ezekiel received a vision from God. It was in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day. As the “thirtieth year” is not referenced to any particular event or ruling king, there is not a consensus about the reference of the date. Three options have been suggested. The thirtieth year refers to: (1) the prophet's age; (2) the year Hilkiah the high priest found the book of the Torah (Law) in the temple (cp. 2 Kgs. 22:8); or (3) a year with special reference to King Nabopolassar (627-605 B.C.), founder of the new Babylonian Empire.

Of these options, the first is preferable, since at age thirty Ezekiel as a priest (Ezek. 1:2) was to be installed into his priestly service (Num. 4:3,30). Ezekiel was thirty years old when he received this heavenly vision, the same age as Jesus when he saw heaven open at his baptism (Matt. 3:16; Luke 3:21). Since the thirtieth year was to mark Ezekiel's inauguration into the priesthood, one can only imagine the disappointment he must have felt. In the year he was to carry out his priestly functions, he sat as a captive in Babylon.

Inevitably, whether during the winter or summer Olympics, we hear the heart-wrenching stories of athletes who have trained for years, only to be disqualified, become ill, or make a mistake in their performance. Because of Ezekiel's character we can assume that he looked forward to serving God in the high calling of the priesthood, not for his own glory and exaltation but to minister to God and to God's people. Ezekiel waited and diligently applied himself for almost thirty years. What a disappointment! Instead he was to carry on with the other exiles taken to Babylon at a location near the Kebar River. The historical account of this exile that includes both Ezekiel and King Johoiachin is narrated in 2 Kings 24:14-16.

The fact that the Israelites had been exiled from the promised land to a foreign nation is a clear indication that they were under the judgment of God (Lev. 26:33; Deut. 28:64). Being removed from their homeland not only meant they were cut off from their families, friends, and properties; it also meant they could not worship God properly. Foreign lands were considered unclean (Amos 7:17; Ezek. 4:13).

In mentioning the Kebar River twice and the adverb “there” (Ezek. 1:3) in reference to the location, there is a clear emphasis in these opening verses on being exiled to a foreign land and thus a profound realization that the nation of Judah had violated the covenant. God, true to his promise, had removed them to Babylon. Judah was like the prodigal son—away from home and suffering the consequences of personal choices and actions. On the other hand, the consignment of Ezekiel and his countrymen to live in a foreign land is a reminder to Christians and believers of all ages that we are never at home in this world (Col. 3:1-2; Heb. 13:14).

The fact that the Israelites were undergoing God's disciplinary action in a foreign, unclean land renders the next statement surprising, if not incredible: the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. This is truly a statement of God's intervention and grace. God, who had given his people their land, had allowed their enemies to take them into exile dejected and defeated. Now God was revealing himself at this critical moment, perhaps the most critical moment Judah had yet faced. In a similar way at critical times in history God revealed himself to Moses at the burning bush (Exod. 3) and Isaiah at the temple (Isa. 6). On those occasions as here with Ezekiel, the initiation for the visitation of God lay with God alone. The prophet had nothing to do with the timing or the disclosure. The prophet was certainly not seeking an experience.

1:2-3. The date of the vision is now described in more conventional terms—in connection with the reign of the king of Judah. The rest of the dates in the Book of Ezekiel, which introduce many prophetic oracles (see Introduction), are dated from the time reference of the exiled King Jehoiachin. The time of the vision, the thirtieth year of Ezekiel's life, was also on the fifth of the [fourth] month, of the fifth year after the exile of King Jehoiachin.

While prophets normally dated their prophecies and activities in the times of the reigning king, for Ezekiel the time is set at the exile of King Jehoiachin. Unlike other kings whose dates are given in reference to the length of their reigns as king, for Jehoiachin and the exiles the point of reference is how long he had been in captivity—how long he had not been allowed to reign ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Full Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Old Testament Commentary Contributors
• New Testament Commentary Contributors
• Old Testament Commentary
• Introduction
• Ezekiel 1
• Ezekiel 2
• Ezekiel 3
• Ezekiel 6
• Ezekiel 8
• Ezekiel 12
• Ezekiel 16
• Ezekiel 18
• Ezekiel 20
• Ezekiel 25
• Ezekiel 33
• Ezekiel 35
• Ezekiel 37
• Ezekiel 40
• Ezekiel 47
• Glossary
• Bibliography