Dr Hill has just finished writing two volumes of commentary on Ezekiel which will be published at Easter-time under the title ‘Today with Ezekiel’. What appears in this series is a foretaste of these books.

Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place. I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing. So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me. Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days (Ezek 3:12-15 KJV).

These verses have great significance for understanding the Book of Ezekiel, but they present difficulties for translators due to differences in the ancient Hebrew texts.
Ezekiel had just eaten the scroll with the word of God on it and he had heard God telling him that he was being sent as a messenger to his fellow countrymen in exile in Babylon. It was overwhelming. His mind simply could not take in the enormity of what he was being asked to do.

Hearing God’s voice

He was still standing high up on the mountainside where he had watched the spectacular storm, and felt the power of the wind and rain sweeping across the valley with terrifying thunder and lightning. In the midst of this he saw a glimpse of the glory of God – and then he heard God’s voice speaking to him – telling him to get up on his feet, followed by the command that he was being sent with a message to his fellow countrymen in exile.

It was overwhelming. His mind simply could not take in the enormity of what he was being asked to do.

Mountaintop experience

Then came another mountaintop experience of God speaking to him out of “a loud rumbling sound” like the last clap of thunder rolling across the valley. It was all too much for him to take in. He went down the mountain almost in a trance, to the village community which had been his home for the past five years. Here he sat by the riverside for seven days - overwhelmed.

Most translations of the Bible, such as the NIV, say, “The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord upon me.” But this is not a good translation.

Some Hebrew scrolls miss out the words “in bitterness”, but all of them have the phrase “in the heat of my spirit”, which the Authorised Version rightly translates.
The phrase “In the heat of my spirit” in the Hebrew, does not mean ‘anger’, as the word ‘bitterness’ might suggest. Rather, it means something very different – ‘excitement’ or ‘exultation’.

The phrase “In the heat of my spirit” in the Hebrew, does not mean ‘anger’ ... Rather, it means something very different – ‘excitement’ or ‘exultation’.

Great excitement

Ezekiel was in a state of great excitement! He was filled with the presence of the Lord – caught up in the Spirit of God. Something incredible had happened to him – something for which he may have longed as a boy in the temple in Jerusalem – to be in the very presence of the living God.

Nothing like this had ever happened to him in Jerusalem! But it was happening now! – here in Babylon! It was almost unbelievable. His excitement knew no bounds – he was certainly not ‘angry’ or ‘bitter’ – he was exulting!

Ezekiel’s dilemma

Here he was, an ex-priest torn away from the temple and its priestly precincts that had been his family home and his world – what he thought was his life’s destiny. He had been taken at the point of a sword from his home to live among an ungodly group of people (his fellow Israelites), with whom he had nothing in common except the experience of that terrible journey to Babylon and building their own homes and sharing their scarce food. Now he was not only forced to live with them, but he was in the alien land of his conquerors, whose language he could not understand, but among whom he was forced to live.

Sitting for seven days

Of course, he was excited! Far from being angry, or bitter – he was elated! He was humbled and bewildered and overwhelmed – a great mixture of sentiment that in modern language we would say 'it blew his mind!' It left him bewildered, overwhelmed – and there he sat for seven days, trying to make sense of it all.

Had God really commissioned him to take his word to the children of Israel in Babylon? It is small wonder that he sat there for seven days – overwhelmed!

So many thoughts were going through his mind – had God really spoken to him? – the living God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? The God who had called his people out of Egypt and given them the Torah; called his servant Moses – had God really spoken to him?! – to him?! Had God really commissioned him to take his word to the children of Israel in Babylon? It is small wonder that he sat there for seven days – overwhelmed!

The mission begins

This was the beginning of Ezekiel’s journey – a journey of faith in which he had much more to learn that would equip him for the incredible task of taking the word of the living God to this defeated, dispirited and seemingly disinherited people, torn from their land and deserted by their God.

This was the task given to ‘Ezekiel of the Exile’, to restore the faith of his countrymen, to teach them the basics of the Torah, to teach them the meaning of the Covenant established at Mount Sinai – to prepare the way for the redeemed people of the Lord who would survive the exile in Babylon, who would one day return to the promised land and prepare the way for Messiah. The call upon his life was so great that it required that mountaintop experience that turned his life upside down!

The living God speaks

Every Christian should have a mountaintop experience at some time in their life. It does not have to be dramatic and ecstatic like Ezekiel’s, but there should be some point where the reality of the presence of the living God speaks to you deeply and personally.

... there should be some point where the reality of the presence of the living God speaks to you deeply and personally.

Martin Luther King had a mountaintop experience shortly before he was assassinated. Of course, it does not happen every day when we are surrounded by the values of the world which dominate our lives – but if you have not already had a mountaintop experience at some point in your life – it is not too late to ask for one.

If it is a long time since you had an experience of the presence of God, He would be delighted if you would ask for another. The Holy Spirit will never ignore such a request.

Just be ready and willing. God will do the rest.