Ezekiel 3 - Bible Study, Explanation, and Application

Ezekiel 3 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.

SON OF MAN

• God often refers to Ezekiel as “son of man.” This title appears dozens of times throughout the book and its constant presence is one of the unique features of Ezekiel. Other biblical authors use the title, and even Jesus referred to Himself as the “son of man” to stress His association with humanity.  

OUTLINE:

• EZEKIEL EATS THE SCROLL (3:1-11):

  • At the end of chapter 2, God presented Ezekiel with a scroll, on which were written “words of lamentation and mourning and woe” (2:10).

  • Ezekiel 3 begins with God telling Ezekiel to eat the scroll.

  • Ezekiel did as instructed, and he recorded that the scroll was sweet like honey in his mouth.

  • God told Ezekiel to preach all His words to the people of Israel.

  • Ezekiel was not being sent to a foreign land, where a foreign language was spoken, but to his own familiar people. God told him foreigners would more readily heed his message than the people of Judah would.

  • Ezekiel’s people had a “hard forehead and a stubborn heart” (3:7).

  • Nonetheless, Ezekiel was not to fail to deliver all of God’s words to them.

• THE END OF EZEKIEL’S VISION (3:12-15):

  • The Spirit of God lifted Ezekiel up and took him away, but he heard behind him the “voice of a great earthquake,” saying, “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from its place!” (3:12).

  • The sound came from the wings of the living creatures touching each other, the wheels, and a great earthquake.  

  • God’s Spirit brought Ezekiel to Tel-abib, where many of the exiles of Judah resided.

  • Ezekiel was so shocked by what he had seen in the vision that he sat overwhelmed for 7 days.

• THE DUTY OF A WATCHMAN (3:16-21):

  • At the end of the 7 days, God spoke to Ezekiel telling him He was appointing him a watchmen over the people of Israel.

  • If God warned a wicked man, Ezekiel was responsible for delivering the message. If he didn’t, he would be punished alongside the wicked man.

  • If God warned the wicked man, and Ezekiel delivered the message. Ezekiel would not be held responsible if the wicked man refused to repent.

• EZEKIEL’S TONGUE STUCK ON THE ROOF OF HIS MOUTH (3:22-27):

  • God instructed Ezekiel to go to the valley.

  • In the valley, God appeared to him again in a similar fashion to His appearance at the Chebar Canal.

  • Ezekiel was told to shut himself in his house, and God would place cords on him to prevent him from going out amongst the people. God would also cause his tongue to cling to the roof of his mouth so he couldn’t speak.

  • When God was ready, He would loose Ezekiel and send him out amongst the people to preach His words.

APPLICATION:

• Following on from our Ezekiel 2 application. The duties of Ezekiel’s watchman role are parallel to our duties as Christians.

• We are watchmen of a sort.

• We have been blessed by the Gospel, and we are now commissioned to preach the Gospel, and to warn others about the consequences and threat of their sins.

• If we fail to do that, we’ve failed at our job.

• If we share the gospel, but people refuse to repent, they will be punished by God, but God will not be angry at us because we fulfilled our commission.