Ezekiel 2 - Bible Study, Explanation, and Application

Ezekiel 2 Bible Study

TIMELINE:

• The Book of Ezekiel opens in the 5th year of the exile of King Jehoiachin. Jehoiachin had been king in Judah but was dethroned by the Babylonians and taken as a captive. Ezekiel was amongst the other exiles from Judah. Ezekiel’s writing began 5 years before Jerusalem was totally destroyed by the Babylonians, which places its beginning in approximately 592 B.C.

• Below is a list of kings of Judah and dates for their reign:

  • Amon (642-640 BC)

  • Josiah (640-609 BC)

  • Jehoahaz (also known as Shallum, 609 BC)

  • Jehoiakim (initially known as Eliakim, 609-598 BC)

  • Jehoiachin (also known as Jeconiah or Coniah, 598-597 BC)

  • Zedekiah (His reign ended when Babylon conquered Judah, (597-586 BC)

WHO WAS EZEKIEL?:

• Ezekiel was from a priestly family (1:3) that once lived in Judah. It is thought that he was 30 years old when the events of Ezekiel 1 transpired (1:1). 30 years old was the age at which a young man was permitted to become a priest in the Temple, but that was out of the question for Ezekiel because he had been taken away from Judah as a captive to Babylon. Instead of taking up priestly duties, Ezekiel’s 30th year was marked by God calling him to be a prophet to his sinful countrymen, which we’ll read about in chapter 2.

EZEKIEL AND JEREMIAH WERE CONTEMPORARIES

• Jeremiah’s work as a prophet stretched from 627 B.C. to around 580 B.C.

• Ezekiel’s work as a prophet spanned from 592 B.C. to approximately 570 B.C.

• Jeremiah worked primarily in Judah, around Jerusalem, while Ezekiel was in Babylon.

OUTLINE:

• EZEKIEL’S COMMISSION AS A PROPHET (2:1-10):

  • After falling on his face before the glory of God’s throne at the end of chapter 1, Ezekiel was told to stand and listen, because God had a job for him.

  • God’s Spirit entered into Ezekiel and set him on his feet.

  • God told Ezekiel He was commissioning him to be a prophet to the rebellious people of Israel.

  • God described His people as rebellious transgressors, which parallels the language we find in Jeremiah.

  • Ezekiel was to deliver the words of the Lord to them, whether they would listen or not.

  • God said, “Whether they hear or refuse to hear they will know that a prophet has been among them (2:5)

  • God told Ezekiel not to fear the rebellious house of Judah, but to faithfully deliver His message to them.

  • He was not to be rebellious himself and fail to do his mission.

  • Then God told Ezekiel to eat what He was about to give him.

  • Ezekiel saw a hand stretched out to him bearing a scroll. The scroll had writing on the back and front, words of lament, mourning, and woe (2:10).

APPLICATION:

• Our commission as Christians is very similar to that given to Ezekiel.

• Ezekiel was tasked with preaching the words of God to the “rebellious house” of Israel.

• His faithfulness or unfaithfulness was not judged on how many people responded positively to the message, but on whether or not he faithfully transmitted the message.

• Likewise, as Christians, we are commissioned to preach the Gospel to the whole world. Like a sower covering a field with seed.

• We are not responsible for the growth, the way people receive God’s words, we are only responsible for the distribution.

• Ezekiel, like Jeremiah, didn’t have a lot of success getting the rebellious people to repent, but he was faithful to God’s call.

• If we reflect Jesus and teach the Gospel at every opportunity, yet no one believes, we will still be counted faithful.