A Study in Ezekiel-Week 03

Israel Like an Abandoned Baby

A Continuation of the Overview (Get your Bible out and read the verses as we study.)

Chapter 15

Verses 2-5 – A vine is not good for lumber or for fuel. Its purpose is to bear fruit. The vine is the symbol of the nation Israel (Isaiah 5:7). The vine “Israel” has been replaced. Jesus said, “I am the vine.” He expects us to bear fruit. Israel was not bearing fruit. She was fit only for destruction.

Verses 6-8 – Jerusalem likened to abandoned baby adopted by God,

Chapter 16

Verses 1-5 – The origin of Jerusalem (historically an Amorite city – Genesis 15:16) is likened to an abandoned baby, deserted, dirty, repulsive, and obviously illegitimate.

Verse 6-14 – Jehovah adopted this baby, cleaned her up, raised and trained her with loving care and concern. Then this baby girl grew up to play the harlot and deny the only One who befriended, loved, and nurtured her. We are all sinners, just as dirty as Jerusalem. Jehovah must judge, discipline, and purify her (and us), but He has not forsaken her (or us). He made a covenant with her. He will yet fulfill it (verse. 53). He has made a New Covenant with us. Jesus fulfilled it.

Chapter 17

Verses 1-11 – Here God speaks to Ezekiel a riddle of two eagles. The first great eagle is Babylon (reference Jeremiah 48:40 & 49:22, speaking of Nebuchadnezzar). The tree is Israel. God is going to clip off the royal house of David. The second eagle is Egypt (check today’s news about Egypt).

Verses 12-24 – This is the answer to the riddle: The king of Babylon will besiege Jerusalem again. He will destroy the city and the temple and will take Zedekiah and all but a small remnant of the people into captivity. The wages of sin is death; Jerusalem is the awful example. The New Covenant (Jesus) is our only hope of salvation.

Chapter 18

Verse 1-2 – Ezekiel quotes Jeremiah 31:29 & Lamentations 5:7 and proclaims them “false proverbs.” (They were NOT proverbs given by God). God deals specifically with individuals. Life and death are set before Israel. Life and death are set before every person. Each person is given a choice.

Verse 3 – “As I live you will no longer quote this proverb.” “Live” or “alive” occur thirteen times in this chapter. “Die,” “dieth” or “death” occur fourteen times.)

Verse 4 – “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” omits no one. If the sins of the father come upon the children, it is because the children follow the wickedness of the father. Every man shall be put to death for HIS OWN sin (Deuteronomy 24:16).

Verses 5-9 – If any person can live a perfect life, God will receive him with open arms. Don’t count on that, though. You can’t do it. You are only perfect to God when He sees you through the eyes of Christ. God offers life, both her and for eternity.

Verse 10-18 – If a son does NOT do the evil his father did, he will NOT die for his father’s sin. People love to find fault in others. They think it makes them look more righteous. The Jewish leaders had adopted the idea that a man DOES die for his father’s sin. Here, even in the Old Testament, we see that not to be the case.

Verse 30 – God will judge each person individually.

Verses 31-32 – Consider the principles laid down in these verses! God is righteous in all that He does. 

We are to receive a NEW HEART and a NEW SPIRIT! When does this happen? When, and only when, we come to Christ and become children of the NEW COVENANT! God asks, “Why would anyone choose death when life is available to them?

He concludes by admonishing Israel and us to REPENT and LIVE.

“Repent” means ultimately to change your heart’s attitude about who Jesus is and to turn from sin to Him. Without repentance, there is no salvation. But when we repent and trust in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary, we receive God’s greatest gift of grace: eternal life.

A Study in Ezekiel-Week 01

One rendering of Ezekiel's vision

This book will be studied in an overview fashion.  The basic meanings of the passages will be dealt with.

Ezekiel was a priest (Ezekiel 1:3) but never served in that office, as he was still a young man when he was taken captive during the reign of Jehoiachin (2 Kings 24:10-16). He was contemporary with Jeremiah and Daniel. Ezekiel spoke to the captives who had been brought to the rivers of Babylon. 

While the other captives wept when they remembered Zion, Ezekiel exulted in the greatest visions ever given to any prophet.  “Ezekiel is the prophet of the Spirit, as Isaiah is the prophet of the Son, and Jeremiah the prophet of the Father.”

Ezekiel was the prophet of the glory of the Lord. The meaning of Ezekiel is seen in the coming glory during the kingdom. Ezekiel looked beyond the sufferings of Christ to “the glory that should follow” (1 Peter 1:11).

Chapter 1 - Displaying the glory of God

Verse 1 - Whereas Jeremiah was the "weeping prophet," Ezekiel is the prophet of visions. His visions were not like those of the founders of the cults: Mary Baker Eddy, Charles T. Russell, Joseph Smith and the like. Ezekiel's visions conform to the message of the Bible, theirs did not.

Verses 2-4 - This is a vision of the presence of God, a Theophany. The lights are brighter than the sun. 1 John 1:5 tells us that God is light. Hebrews 12:29 describes Him as a consuming fire. Acts 26:13 reveals that Paul saw a light from Heaven brighter than the sun.

Verses 5-14 - Intelligent purpose is demonstrated. They reflect the power of God over the whole earth. In each of the creatures we see the face of a man. This is prophetic of the incarnation. It looks to Christ.

The cherubim's job is to show the holiness of God. They are the servants of God. They follow Him going where He orders them to go and doing what He tells them to do.

Verses 15-25 - In the wheels we get a sense of the ceaseless activity and never ending omnipotence of God. God is moving forward. He never goes backward. If we go backward, we are not following God.

These are not the wheels of a UFO, an airplane or some futuristic vehicle. There were eyes around the edge of the wheel. They could see all things. We cannot escape God. He sees and knows everything.

When the cherubim moved, the wheels had to go with them. The Spirit of God had control of the cherubim. Where the Spirit went, the cherubim had to go. God spoke and the cherubim stood still and lowered their wings. His voice was like a mighty army; like an ocean whose waves could not be stopped. His voice brought fear into the heart of a man; a fear that was the beginning of knowledge and wisdom.

Verses 26-28 - Ezekiel saw a throne. It shone like sapphire. On it was a person like a man. This was the preincarnate Christ and Ezekiel had to fall on his face in front of Him and he worshipped Him.

The four faces (Revelation 4:6-8) remind us of the four Gospels in which Christ is revealed in four aspects: in His kingship — symbolized by the lion (Matthew); as a servant — symbolized by the ox (Mark); in His perfect humanity — symbolized by the face of a man (Luke); in His deity  — symbolized by the flying eagle (John).

We must recognize the power and sovereignty of God. When we do, we will recognize our sin and its consequences. We must repent of our sin and turn in faith to Christ. We must trust in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary. Then will not only survive being in the presence of God, we will joyfully be with Him in eternity.

Chapter 2 – The Prophet’s call and enduement with power for the office.

Verses 1-2 – The Holy Spirit comes upon Ezekiel in preparation for his office. Israel had once again been rebellious. 

Verses 3-5 – This is about the prophet’s call. He is to speak for God, but will not be heard or obeyed. What they need is a savior. We’ll see the Savior later in the book.

Chapter 3 – The Prophet’s preparation; office as watchman

Verses 1-6 – Ezekiel is told to eat the scroll. The scroll represents the Word of God (Christ).

Verses 7- 8 – God warns of the reaction to and the reception of the message of Ezekiel.

Verses 9-14 – God prepares Ezekiel for the resistance of his people. When we share Christ, we will likely encounter resistance. But we have to share, because Christ said to.
Chapter 7 – Prophecy of final destruction of Jerusalem

Verse 15 – He is a prophet to the captives. His message was heavy duty, and Ezekiel brooded over it before delivered it.

Verses 17-19 – As the watchman on the city walls, Ezekiel is responsible for giving God’s warning. When we are righteous in our own “power,” we will fail. It is when we receive the righteousness of God through Christ that we will succeed by being saved from the penalty of unrighteousness.

Chapter 4 – The Judgment of Jerusalem – The false prophets were telling the people they would have peace. Ezekiel will confirm the word of Jeremiah: You’re not going to have peace. Jerusalem will be destroyed. Governments think they can bring peace. They cannot and they will not. Paul wrote: “When they say ‘peace, peace’ sudden destruction looms. There is only one Prince of Peace, Jesus.

Verses 1-3 – Sign of the tile. Ezekiel was to draw the city of Jerusalem and then break it. The iron pan between him and Jerusalem showed that the city would fall. The defiled bread symbolizes the other issues Israel would face. The bread of the world leads to destruction. The Bread of Life (Jesus) leads to eternal life.

Verses 4-5 – In symbolic action, the prophet lies 390 days on his left side and eats defiled bread.

Verse 6 – The prophet lies forty days on his right side (one day equals one year), depicting the coming siege.

Chapter 5 – The Sign of prophet shaving hair

Verses 1-5 – Ezekiel shaved off his hair (unusual for a priest), divided it into three parts. The three parts depict the three judgments of Jerusalem.

Verses 12- 17 – The judgments are spelled out: The destruction, the judgement of the survivors and the scattering of Israel. The world should heed the warning that without Christ they are doomed. But they will resist the warning.

Chapter 6 – The Sword is to fall upon Jerusalem & the remnant will be saved.

Verses 1-7 – The Word of the Lord is to show the God is the Lord. Choose Him or judgement. The world will not provide shelter. Only God can---through Christ.

Verse 8 – The remnant. There will be a few who will be saved. The road to eternal life is narrow and there are few that will find it. Christianity is a very narrow, by design of God. We need to be warning the world that God will judge their sin. They need to come to God through Christ.

 Verses 1-11 – The concept here is that God is not to be “fooled” with.

Verse 12 – The time is come. This is the prophecy of the final judgement of Israel.

If you are a Christian, God has chosen you to live triumphantly and to tell others about Christ. Whether they want to hear it or not is irrelevant. We are to tell them that to be saved they must place their faith in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary.