The Old Testament is a closed book to many people. Even regular churchgoers who hear portions read at Sunday Services rarely read the writings of the Hebrew Prophets for themselves.

That is probably because most Christians find the prophets difficult to read with understanding, so they are neglected. Yet the whole of the Old Testament and especially the prophets, set the scene for the coming of Messiah and the message of the Kingdom in the Gospels and the New Testament writings. The Apostle Paul’s letters are infused with Hebraic concepts drawn from his rabbinic background and knowledge of what we know as the Old Testament.

Babylon

The book of Ezekiel, written in Babylon in a time of war, death and destruction, has great relevance for today. We are therefore presenting a Lenten series of studies to bring alive for today the first five chapters of the book of Ezekiel which show how the prophet learned to listen to God and to discern the message that would transform the history of Israel.

 A unique characteristic of the Book of Ezekiel is that it was entirely written in Babylon during the period 583 to 571BC

Most biblical scholars recognise Ezekiel as the most difficult to translate due to problems with the Hebrew text, where there are a number of words that only occur here so they cannot be compared with other books in the Bible. A unique characteristic of the Book of Ezekiel is that it was entirely written in Babylon during the period 583 to 571BC. Ezekiel was a young priest who was one of the exiles taken from Jerusalem in 597 BC. He lived at Tel Abib, which was a town near Nippur in Babylonia.

Oral tradition

The Book of Ezekiel falls firmly within the prophetic tradition of oral character. Prophets such as Amos, Isaiah and Jeremiah were not writers who sat in their studies composing their lines. They were impassioned speakers who walked the streets of cities, proclaiming words they were hearing from God. Ezekiel was firmly within this prophetic tradition and numerous times he was commanded to speak, preach or prophesy in the name of God. “Speak to them” (Ezek 14:4), or “preach against the south” (20:4); or “prophesy against Egypt” (29:2).

Dramatic presentations

There were other times when Ezekiel was told to perform a dramatic presentation of the message, such as when he took two sticks and wrote ‘Judah’ on the one and ‘Ephraim’ on the other (37:15-23). They had to be bound together and held tightly in his hand when he declared the message of God’s intention to heal the division between the two kingdoms and restore them to the land. This ‘action prophecy’ would have been remembered by his hearers far more than if he had simply spoken words.

 This ‘action prophecy’ would have been remembered by his hearers far more than if he had simply spoken words.

Jeremiah did many similar dramatic presentations, as when he bought a clay jar and smashed it in front of the elders of the people in Jerusalem, signifying the utter destruction that would come upon that city unless there were repentance and turning (Jer 19:1).

Ezekiel had a number of visions, such as the Valley of the Dry Bones, the Vision of the New Temple, the New Jerusalem, and the River of Life flowing from the temple, which were all given later in his ministry.

Solitary figures

Ezekiel was a prophet closely in line with the 8th century prophets, such as Isaiah and Amos, who received words from the Lord that they declared in public. Although each of them constituted a solitary figure, their words were recorded, and they clearly read as spoken rather than written messages. We know that Jeremiah had a close companion, Baruch, who went with him everywhere, writing down the words of prophecy that he spoke in Jerusalem.

On one occasion the scroll he had written was torn up and burnt by King Jehoiakim, but he took a new parchment and wrote out all the words again (Jer 36). We know that Ezekiel also had some close friends. This is how the words of the prophets were preserved, and is known as the ‘Oral Tradition’.

 The special place accorded to Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible is in recognition of the significant part that he played in the formation of postexilic Judaism after the destruction of the temple in 586 BC

Importance of Ezekiel

The Book of Ezekiel occupies an important place among the major prophets in the Hebrew Bible, appearing in the company of Isaiah and Jeremiah. These are followed by the Minor Prophets of the 8th century, such as Amos, Hosea, Micah and postexilic prophets such as Zechariah and Malachi. The special place accorded to Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible is in recognition of the significant part that he played in the formation of postexilic Judaism after the destruction of the temple in 586 BC, when Judaism could no longer depend upon the sacrificial system and morning and evening prayers in Jerusalem. Ezekiel prepared the way for this in his final vision of the restoration of Jerusalem and of sacrifices in the newly rebuilt temple.

Danger of extinction

It was Ezekiel, more than anyone else, who rescued the people of Judah from extinction following the destruction of Jerusalem, the devastation of the countryside and the slaughter of its population. Without Ezekiel’s ministry, firmly based upon the word of God given at Mount Sinai, together with the covenant, the people of Israel could have been absorbed into the general population of Babylon along with people from numerous other countries who had been drawn into the Assyrian and Babylonian Empires.

 It is not an exaggeration to say that Ezekiel saved the nation of Israel from extermination in Babylon.

The people of the northern kingdom of Israel were dispersed around Assyria after the destruction of Samaria in 722 BC. The same could have happened to the people of Judah after Babylon destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC. It is not an exaggeration to say that Ezekiel saved the nation of Israel from extermination in Babylon.

Judaism born in Babylon

10,000 people in Judah and Jerusalem had been taken to Babylon according to 2 Kings 24:14. They settled in village communities scattered around Babylon and their elders began coming to Ezekiel’s home to sit at his feet for teaching (Ezek 20:1). His first task was to dispel the depression among the people who sat weeping beside the rivers of Babylon (Ps 137) and to teach them that God had not deserted them and they could still pray to Him in exile.

The Synagogue and most of what we know as modern Judaism was born in Babylon, under Ezekiel’s inspired leadership after the destruction of the temple and the city of Jerusalem. Ezekiel’s ministry started as a house group leader in his village community. He was a gifted musician with a lovely voice, who led worship, with the singing of psalms and songs of his own composition (Ezek 33:32).

Ezekiel’s wife, described as “the delight of your eyes” (Ezek 24:1), died at the same time as the temple was destroyed. Ezekiel then threw himself totally into teaching the elders, who relayed his words to their village communities scattered around Babylon. He taught them to use their meeting places (knessets) for teaching, later adding worship and ceremonies such as weddings and infant naming – transforming knessets into Synagogues.

Ezekiel speaks more about the wrath of God than any other book in the Bible. But in the midst of it all he discovered the love of God ...

Ezekiel for today

I have just finished writing two volumes on the book of Ezekiel which have gone to the publishers. This is the fruit of many years’ study, from which I have learned a great amount and I am really excited to see how relevant Ezekiel is for today.

I want to thank the editors of Prophecy Today for allowing me to share a few of Ezekiel’s pearls in a Lenten series covering the 10 years between the beginning of the Exile in 597 BC and the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, showing the prophet’s call to ministry and how he learned to listen to God and to deal with the devastation of bereavement and catastrophe.

Ezekiel speaks more about the wrath of God than any other book in the Bible. But in the midst of it all he discovered the love of God, who was longing to give His people a new heart and a new spirit.

This is the relevance of Ezekiel’s message for today!