Phenomenon - Ezekiel 1-3 Daily Study Questions
The Big Idea: A genuine appreciation of God’s glory is necessary to faithfully speak God’s word to others.
I. Initial Revelation of God (2:1-18) / Key Idea: When God chooses to reveal Himself it is majestic and glorious and completely humbles us.1. Read Ezek 1:1-3. What 3 divine contacts did Ezekiel have (v1, 3) and what did each mean? Where was he and when did this happen (v1, 2)? / Ezekiel saw visions of God, the Word of the Lord came expressly to him, and the hand of the Lord came upon him. These were three different ways the Lord communicated to Ezekiel – he saw with his eyes a vision that told him things about God. This was at least a reference to the first chapter where God is seen in His judgment. The word of the Lord coming to Ezekiel was God speaking to him – this is an often recurring phrase throughout this book. The hand of the Lord being upon Ezekiel is like the urges of the Spirit moving Ezekiel to do or say things that the Lord was prompting him to do. God has many ways of communicating to us and leading us. These verses probably represent Ezekiel’s initial call to the ministry that happened in Babylon by the ChebarRiver (a large canal of the EuphratesRiver that bypassed Babylon to the east) in probably about 593BC. Ezekiel was in the second wave of captives taken to Babylon (605, 597, 586) and was probably 30 years old. He was both a priest and a prophet (like Jesus) and his title “son of man” was used by Jesus of Himself often, so there are similarities in the ministries of Ezekiel and Jesus. Apply: It is amazing that God goes to such trouble to make sure we understand what He wants us to know. We would do well to make sure we understand and communicate His thoughts accurately and faithfully.
2. In 1:4-14 describe what Ezekiel saw in the storm (v5-9, 10, 11). What directed them (v12) and what was in the middle of them (v13-14)? / The vision occurred in the middle of a great storm coming from the north and the characteristic of it was brightness – fire flashing continuously, a bright light around it, and something like metal glowing in a fire in the middle of it. This is essentially was “glory” is – “light shining forth”; that which glows, gleams, beams, radiates, etc has a certain beauty or aura to it. God’s glory is the shining out of His inner nature. In this particular vision the glory of God in judgment (a storm, coming from the north where the great ungodly world empires began – Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome) is clearly seen. Within this great cloud were four living beings, each having a human form with four faces – that of a man (intelligence), a lion (strength), a bull (servility), and an eagle (speed); if this pictures angels that attend to God’s judgment then each of them is highly intelligent, strong, willing to serve and fast. If each one represents God it also shows that He is the ruler over every aspect of living creation – man is the ruler over all, the lion is the king of the jungle, the bull is the head of the land animals and the eagle is the chief of the birds. Each of these living creatures had four wings (speed), a hand under each wing (dexterity to carry out God’s will), and they had legs that were straight. These were upright, rather than creeping, angels emphasizing their dignity and righteousness. They were directed by the Spirit of God and in the midst of them were burning coals that darted back and forth like torches, and lightning flashed from the fire. The living beings ran back and forth like bolts of lightning. Apply: The first part of this vision was awesome and this is God’s reason for the vision – to show Ezekiel how awesome He is so that Ezekiel will be able to stand against his skeptics. We must have a deep impression of God’s awesomeness to be able to continue in the mission to which He has called us.
3. From 1:15-21 what was at the side of each living being (v15) and what did they look like (v16, 18)? How did they move (v17, 19-21)? / At the side of each living being was one wheel on the earth. These were very large, appeared as sparkling beryl (a precious yellow colored stone like topaz), and had eyes all around the rims. They moved whenever the living beings moved, thus moving wherever the Spirit moved them. The Spirit of the living beings was inside of them. Apply: These wheels remind us that God’s eyes are watching everywhere to righteously judge all that we do. The vision of the storm of judgment conveys the certainty of God’s judgment, but also the justness of it. The wheel’s show also the swiftness with which this judgment can come – we can never escape His watchful eye.
4. Using Ezek 1:22-28 describe the rest of Ezekiel’s vision (v22-23, 26-28) and what he heard (v24-25, 28). What was this a vision of (v28) and how did Ezekiel react (v28)? / Over the heads of the living beings was an expanse that had an awesome gleam like that of crystal. Above this expanse was a throne that looked like lapis lazuli (a dark blue semi-precious stone of great value) and on it was a figure that looked like a man. This “man” (Jesus pre-incarnate) looked like glowing metal above the waist and fire below His waist. The entire appearance was like a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day. This was a vision of God – in His glory, in His covenant (rainbow), in His nearness (He went where the exiles were), and in His majesty (it was awesome). As a result of seeing this “likeness of the glory of God” Ezekiel fell on his face. Apply: This part of the vision reminds us that God is not merely an impersonal majestic force; He is very personal and involved with His people. Having said that He also has a distinct “otherness” that drops us on our face when we try to take it in. We must get back to that sense of awe in the presence of God.
II. Immediate Response to God (2:1-3:11) / Key Idea: A person’s mindset - receptivity or stubbornness - determines their response to God.
5. According to 2:1-7 what was God’s mission for Ezekiel (v3-5, 7)? How would the people react (v3, 4, 5, 6, 7) and how should Ezekiel respond to this (v6)? / When God spoke to Ezekiel the Spirit entered him and set him on his feet. The Lord told him He was sending him to the sons of Israel who were rebellious. “Rebel” (verb) or “rebellious” is used 7 times in this chapter to describe Israel, and they are also called stubborn and obstinate and transgressors of God’s law. Needless to say they would refuse to listen and would attempt to silence Ezekiel through intimidation, but he was neither to fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence. Apply: We are not to merely do things for God that appear successful by our evaluation; sometimes His purpose won’t look that way to us at all. Pure obedience to Him is what defines success because that fulfills His purposes which are always glorifying to Him. Even when it is difficult or the response seems to be negative we must still persist in carrying out God’s call on our lives.
6. Based on 2:8-3:3 how did Ezekiel internalize God’s message (v8, 3:1-3)? What was sad about the message (v9) and what was sweet (v3)? Why? / God told Ezekiel to “open his mouth and eat what He was giving him, which was a scroll written on both sides (this was unusual because normally scrolls had writing only on one side). The message of this scroll was sad, because it had so many lamentations, mournings, and woes that it filled up two sides. Although many commentators say that this was figurative language (which it may have been since this was apocalyptic literature) it has all the appearances of being literal – God told him to eat it, feed his stomach and to fill his body with this scroll. And, when he ate it the taste was sweet in his mouth. Given the many literal “object lessons” in Ezekiel it would seem to be a literal event. It portrays two things; first, Ezekiel was to speak only what God told him to speak and secondly, the message, although sad, was sweet because it showed that God was still communicating with Israel even though they had been cast out of their land by the enemy (under the direction of God’s discipline). Apply: This object lesson pictures the way we should relate to God’s Word – we should “eat it” because it is our food. As Jesus said in the wilderness to Satan, “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God”. His Word sustains us and we must make it our very life. Then, when we speak, it will be God’s word that comes forth.And this word, even though it may seem harsh or difficult at times is still sweet because God’s judgments and wisdom are the very best thing for His creation.
7. From 3:4-11 why would Israel not listen to Ezekiel (v7) and how was he equipped to handle this (v8-9)? What was he to do (v4, 10-11)? Apply. / Even though Israel and Ezekiel spoke the same language they would not listen to him because they had not been willing to listen to God. They were stubborn and obstinate, unwilling to repent of their sins. With this outcome in view God told Ezekiel that He had made his face as hard as their faces and his forehead as hard as theirs – like emery harder than flint. He was not be afraid or dismayed at them even though they were rebellious house. Ezekiel was to simply speak God’s words to them, take all of these words into his heart and listen closely to them. He was to do this whether they would listen or not. This tells us that our job is not to convince others of God’s truth; it is simply to communicate that truth - in love. God desires that people respond positively to the truth, but when they don’t He is justified because He has revealed truth to them. Apply: No matter what the enemy throws against us, and no matter how the world responds we can be sure that God will equip us to withstand it. This doesn’t mean it will be easy, but it does mean that we will succeed when we obey Him.
III. Impact of Hearing God (3:12-27) / Key Idea: When faithful people hear God they are changed, but when rebellious people hear Him they are unfazed and further hardened.
8. In 3:12-15 what did Ezekiel hear (v12-13), what happened to him (v14-15), and how was he affected (v14-15)? Why do you think he was? / Ezekiel heard a great rumbling sound behind him saying, “Blessed by the glory of the Lord in this place”, and he heard the sound of the wings of the living creatures flapping and the wheels rumbling beside them. Then the Spirit of God lifted him up and took him away (apparently “this place” was the temple to which Ezekiel had been transported in his vision) to the ChebarRiver area where the captives were living. He was taken away in the rage of his spirit – over the rebelliousness of Israel presumably – and when he returned he mourned for seven days with the captives. This caused them consternation because they were probably expecting a hopeful word from the Lord – they still didn’t believe they would be there 70 years even though Jeremiah had so prophesied. Ezekiel, however, could do nothing but mourn because of the sin of Israel that had compromised the world’s view of God’s glory.Apply: Those who are one with God’s heart are upset by sin and mourn over it – especially when it occurs in the lives of God’s people. Ezekiel’s reaction should be our normal response towards sin, rather than the casual attitude that is so prevalent in the world today. People don’t really like that response however; they would rather everyone be okay with it. So, when we are upset about sin, it upsets others towards us. They feel “judged” by our position. That’s why the world is so upset that Christians don’t “tolerate” sin today.
9. Using 3:16-21 what was Ezekiel’s role (v17) and how would he be evaluated (v18, 20; 19, 21)? What can we learn from this? / Ezekiel was to act as a watchman on a watchtower would act – to warn the people. He was to warn not about an approaching enemy, though; he was to warn the people of God’s impending judgment whenever God spoke to him. He would be evaluated according to his responsiveness to God. If God told him to say to the wicked, “you will surely die” and he didn’t do it, then the blood of the wicked would be required at his hand. This doesn’t mean that Ezekiel would die necessarily, but he would be punished for it. On the other hand if he did warn him and that man refused to turn from his sin, then Ezekiel would be exonerated and that man would pay for his own sin. Similarly, if Ezekiel saw a righteous man sinning and he did not warn him, that man would pay for his sin even though he had also carried out righteous acts. But Ezekiel would bear some consequences as well because he had not warned him of God’s judgment. Apply: We have a responsibility to tell others, especially Christians, what God thinks when they are in rebellion against Him. They need to know that God won’t simply overlook it, but will discipline them because He loves them. If we truly love them and love God we must tell them, although it needs to be with a humble and loving attitude.
10. Looking at 3:22-27 what did God reveal to Ezekiel (v22-23), what did He tell him to do (v24), and what would happen to him (v25-26)? How was he to respond to Israel (v27)? / God told Ezekiel to get out to the plain so that He could speak to him. When he got there the glory of the Lord was standing there like the “glory” that Ezekiel saw by the river. This must have been the vision of the living creatures and wheels and it caused him to fall on his face. Again, though, the Spirit entered Ezekiel and made him stand on his feet as He spoke to Him. He told him to go and shut himself up in his house and when he did Israel would tie him up with ropes so that he could not go out among them. God, in turn, would cause his tongue to stick to the roof of his mouth so he could not speak to them. God would not lead Ezekiel to rebuke them because they were rebellious – instead He instructed Ezekiel to simply speak the truth and let the response be whatever it would be. Apply: God will not be mocked; even though He wants His people to respond obediently to Him, if they refuse to listen He will simply allow them to get harder until they repent. There are times when God will not lead us to speak to someone, and there are times when He will. We must be sensitive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit as we relate to people. We do not need to “beg” others to listen when we represent our glorious God, although we must be ready to share when God leads us to do so.
11. Look back over Ezek 1-3. Put yourself in Ezekiel’s place. Why do you think God gave him such a revelation of Himself in view of the message and promised response? Apply. / Ezekiel was a faithful man in exile among an unfaithful people. He personally needed the reassurance that such a vision of God would give him, but also needed such a powerful vision to be able to persist in speaking God’s truth to these obstinate people. Such a vision would be so overwhelming that it would indelibly imprint his mind and heart with the glory and majesty of God. No matter what these people did to Ezekiel and no matter how they responded to God’s message there would be no doubt in Ezekiel’s mind about what or Who was true. This vision would also remind him that God had not left His people and that if he would continue to speak the truth they might possibly repent and return to faithfulness to Him. We also need to be impressed with God’s glory and nearness so that we can continue to minister to people whether or not they respond favorably. Apply: We must seek everyday to get a fresh vision of God. This is the basis for us to represent Him in an honoring way. Sometimes God will overwhelm us when we meet with Him and walk with Him, but oftentimes He communicates through the still, small voice. It really doesn’t matter; the essential thing is that we have genuinely received a glorious picture of Him to present to the world.