Ezekiel - Introduction

INTRODUCTION

During the reign of Jehoiakim, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon sent raiders to destroy Judah (2 Kings 24:1–2). After he had subdued it, he carried ten thousand JEWS into exile in Babylon, including Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin, who had only been king for three months (2 Kings 24:8,14–15). The year was 597 B.C., eleven years before the fall of Jerusalem. Among those exiles was a young man named Ezekiel, a member of a priestly family (Ezekiel 1:3). After a little more than four years in exile (in the fifth year), Ezekiel received his call to be a PROPHET (Ezekiel 1:2).

Ezekiel’s ministry was primarily directed to his fellow exiles in Babylonia.¹ While Jeremiah was urging the Jews in Jerusalem to submit to Babylonian rule, Ezekiel was urging the Jews in Babylonia to accept their exile as punishment from God and make the best of it.

The first seven years of Ezekiel’s ministry took place prior to the fall of Jerusalem, and so in the first part of the book Ezekiel speaks of God’s coming JUDGMENT upon the city (Chapters 1–24). He tells the exiles that Jerusalem will fall, thus crushing their hopes for an early end to their captivity.

Then Ezekiel gives a series of messages to the surrounding nations telling them that God’s judgment will also fall on them in due course (Chapters 25–32).

Finally, after the fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel delivers messages of hope and consolation to the exiles, prophesying that they will experience restoration and renewal and a glorious future as God’s people (Chapters 33–48).

One of the main themes throughout Ezekiel’s preaching is that God expects to be known and acknowledged by all peoples. God will be revealed through His judgment upon Jerusalem; He will be revealed through His judgment upon the nations; and He will be revealed through the restoration and renewal of His people. Many times throughout the book of Ezekiel, God says: “Then they will know that I am the LORD.” All of God’s judgments are designed to lead people to a knowledge of Him. The book of Ezekiel is designed to do the same.

A second important theme running throughout the book of Ezekiel concerns the COVENANT. In choosing ISRAEL to be His covenant people, God’s desire was to bless them (see Leviticus 26:3–13); but when Israel (both northern and southern kingdoms) refused to keep God’s covenant commands, He was obliged to punish them (Leviticus 26:14–39).

However, God’s love and faithfulness were so great that He spared a remnant of His people—mainly the exiles in Babylonia—and promised to bring them back to their land and restore them as a nation (Chapters 33–48). This promise was fulfilled in part when the Jewish exiles returned to Judah under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah (see the books of Ezra and Nehemiah). But the promise would have its complete fulfillment only in the Messianic age, when God’s people would be given a new heart, a new covenant, and a new King, the MESSIAH Jesus Christ (see Leviticus 26:40–45; 2 Samuel 7:12–17; Jeremiah 31:31–34 and comments).

For further information about PROPHECY and about the role of the Old Testament prophets, see Isaiah: Introduction. For further discussion of prophecies concerning the Messianic kingdom, see Isaiah 32:14–18; 35:1–4; 60:1–3 and comments.