The Writings of Ezekiel

Ezekiel’s story isn’t told as often as some of the other prophets’ stories.  Ezekiel was training to be a priest, and came from a family of priests. He was a friend with the Daniel, the same Daniel that was thrown into the lions’ den.  Ezekiel was also a student of Jeremiah. He was taken captive by the Babylonians and became a member of a group of exiles in Babylon.  

 Ezekiel was a visionary, thinking higher and beyond anything he ever experienced on earth, yet he still was aware that God was powerful and present in day-to-day life.  His visions were action packed and futuristic, full of images that seem like you are watching a movie with special effects and strange characters.  These visions were meant to display the glory of God. Like many of the other prophets, the visions Ezekiel shared at times showed the wrath and judgment of God, but they also displayed the restoration and hope that comes when someone, is committed to God. 

When Ezekiel speaks of God’s judgment he is speaking from a place that is a result of God’s judgment, because Ezekiel was already in captivity. This message is coming from Ezekiel to the people of Israel after they had been taken out of their promised land and were being held as captives by Babylon. The purpose of the message and display of God’s judgment was not to show how cruel God was, but to show how loving God is. This message was meant to show that God disciplines a people He loves.  For their own good, God brings them to their knees in repentance. Ezekiel needed to show that living without God worshipping idols, is not life-giving.  Ezekiel wanted to make sure that the people knew that the message of being reconciled to God was for the whole world, not just for the people of Israel.  In his later visions, Ezekiel addressed foreign nations. This was to show that no one and no other gods are above the one true God. 

Ezekiel saw visions of things that were far before his time.  When you see a vision of something no one has seen before, all you can do is describe it.  You can’t even fully explain it.  The vision must speak for itself.   Ezekiel shares visions and some explanations of a time yet to come.  He talks about times and events, such as the thousand-year reign.  He talks about weeks and days.  Reading visions can be confusing without help to understand them.

One vision in particular is very important to Ezekiel’s message.  This is his vision of dry bones.  This vision, like others, points to the New Testament and the hope of Jesus.  In this vision, Ezekiel sees a valley that is filled with dry bones. These skeletons litter the ground.  Skeletons make the reader think of death..  Not just any kind of death, but a permanent death with no hope of life.  God tells Ezekiel to prophesy over the dry bones. The bones miraculously come back together.  They are covered with muscles and new flesh.  But the body is still a dead carcass. God completes the work by commanding Ezekiel to prophesy over the bodies, commanding them to breathe.  It is with visions like this that the beauty of what Christ will do for mankind is presented. This is where the hope is found.  Where there was nothing but death, there will be new life.  Ezekiel was a strange man living in a strange time having strange visions.  God uses all types to teach and reveal His way.