Welcome to Ezekiel! What are today’s readers to make of this strange book, and of this weird prophet – someone who saw visions of fire, wheels and creatures with multiple wings and faces, and who shaved off his hair with a sword and did not mourn his own wife’s death?
He was one of the writing prophets, men who were convinced that God spoke to them and through them. Their all-holy God controlled not just his own people but also the surrounding pagan nations and would definitely judge sin. Eventually, however, he would restore his people and all creation. When did they write?
These prophets were active for several centuries after the time of King Solomon. Following his death in 931 BCE the kingdom divided into two territories: Israel to the North and Judah in the South.
THE PRE-EXILIC PROPHETS
The prophets addressing Israel (and the approximate dates of their ministries) were;
Jonah c. 780 -753 BCE
Amos c. 765-753 BCE
Hosea c. 755-725 BCE
In 722/721 BCE the Northern nation Israel was taken into captivity in Assyria and the Southern nation, Judah, continued as an independent state.
The early pre-exilic prophets in Judah were:
Micah c. 735-690 BCE
Isaiah c. 740-680 BCE
The late pre-exilic prophets in Judah were:
Nahum c. 630 BCE
Zephaniah c. 625 BCE
Habakkuk c. 607 BCE
Joel c. 590 BCE
Jeremiah c. 627-580 BCE
In 587/586 BCE the city of Jerusalem fell to the Babylonian army and there was a mass deportation of Jews to Babylon .
THE EXILIC PROPHETS
Obadiah ? c. 585 BCE – we do not know when he prophesied.
Ezekiel c. 593-571 BCE
Daniel c. 605-535 BCE
THE POST-EXILIC PROPHETS
Haggai 520 BCE
Zechariah c. 520-500 BCE
Malachi c 420 BCE
Daniel (Dan chp. 1) had been taken to Babylon in 605 BCE when Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah under King Jehoiakim after defeating the Egyptians at the battle of Carchemish (see Jer 46.) Some years later (597 BCE), ten years before the fall of Jerusalem in 587 and the Exile, Nebuchadnezzar deported King Jehoiachin of Judah and ten thousand of the political and religious elite into captivity in Babylon. Ezekiel was one of those elite. 2 Kings 24:8-16:
8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother’s name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
9 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.
10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.
11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it.
12 And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.
13 And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.
14 And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.
15 And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.
16 And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.
Ezekiel was therefore in exile in Babylon during the final siege and fall of Jerusalem. Although based far away in Babylon, he prophesied to the people living back in the homeland, Judah.
Ezekiel wrote in the first person throughout his long and complex book which is is grim and intimidating. He experienced strange visions and often dwelt on God’s wrath. The Book of Ezekiel, however, is quite easy to follow as it is highly organized and precise. The prophet records the dates of sixteen revelations and for eleven of those he gives the year, the month and the day (1:2; 8:1; 20:1; 24:1; 29:1; 29:17; 30:20; 31:1; 32:21; 33:21; 40:1).
Written Exposition 