The Bible Book

162

T

he Book of Ezekiel charts

the lives and experiences

of the Israelites during

Babylonian captivity. For most

of the book, the picture is bleak

but the last section (Ezekiel 33–38)

offers hope and the prospect of

revival and redemption in the wake

of the destruction of Jerusalem.

Ezekiel was a contemporary of

the prophet Jeremiah and a priest

at the Temple of Jerusalem, prior

to the destruction of the city. He

therefore occupied a prominent

role in Israelite society. Owing

to his elevated status, Ezekiel

was among the first wave of exiles

that went to Babylon with King

Jehoiachin and his court in

around 597 bce, nine years prior

to Jerusalem’s final destruction

in 586 bce. This meant that, while

Jeremiah stayed in Jerusalem,

trying to persuade the Israelites

to reform their ways, Ezekiel was

prophet to the exiles, 1,000 miles

(1,600km) away in Babylon.

Amazing illusions

Ezekiel’s strange, intensely mystical

career as a prophet begins when he

experiences an incredible vision

beside the River Chebar. God

appears before him in the form

of a man, yet from the “waist up

He looked like glowing metal,

as if full of fire ... and brilliant

light surrounded Him” (1:27).

God is standing astride a throne-

like chariot made of lapis lazuli

with wheels that resemble topaz.

The chariot flies through the air at

great speed and is surrounded by a

ring of fire. It is borne by cherubim

with lions’ bodies and eagles’

In Raphael’s Ezekiel’s Vision (c.1518),

the prophet sees God in all His majesty

raised by cherubim—fantastical

winged creatures that perform a

protective role in the Bible.

IN BRIEF

PA S SAGE

Ezekiel 1–48

THEME

God’s people will

be restored

SETTING

c. 590s–570s bce Babylon,

Mesopotamia.

KEY FIGURES

Ezekiel A priest from the

Temple in Jerusalem, now

exiled in Babylon. He is a

prophet of the Lord, appointed

to help instruct the exiles.

The Israelites G od’s chosen

people, now living in exile in

Babylon, Mesopotamia.

I WILL REMOVE ...

YOUR HEART OF

STONE AND GIVE YOU

A HEART OF FLESH

EZEKIEL 36:26, THE PROPHET EZEKIEL

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163

See also: Entering the Promised Land 96–97 ■ The Fall of Jerusalem 128–31 ■ Lament for the Exiles 160–61 ■

The New Jerusalem 322–29

WISDOM AND PROPHETS

wings, each of which have four

aspects to their faces—one of a

human, one of a lion, one of an ox,

and one of an eagle.

God hands Ezekiel a scroll with

the words, “Son of man, eat what

is before you, eat this scroll; then go

and speak to the people of Israel”

(3:1). He tells Ezekiel to eat the scroll,

so that his words will literally be

those of God. Ezekiel does as he

is bidden and then climbs aboard

God’s incredible flaming chariot.

He is then transported to Babylon,

where Ezekiel joins the exiles and

begins his life’s work preaching

about the restoration of the Jewish

people and nation.

Coming redemption

Ezekiel’s strange vision is designed

to emphasize two key points at this

important stage in the plight of the

Jewish people. First, it is made

clear that although God’s chosen

people are in exile in Babylon, He

will still be with them. This is why

He flies in His flaming chariot from

Jerusalem to Babylon. Second,

God’s appointment of Ezekiel as His

spokesman—which is forcefully

underlined by His command to eat

the scroll—shows that the Lord

is leaving an important prophet,

whose word is true, with the exiles.

Thus, the Israelites are assured that

if they follow Ezekiel’s prophecies

and return to God, their nation will

ultimately be restored.

This message is reinforced by

three more significant visions. In

the first, Ezekiel is taken to the

Temple of Jerusalem, and finds it

covered in crawling things and

unclean animals. As he stands

there, the “glory of God” rises

from the sanctuary and leaves

the temple and Jerusalem. In the

second, however, he is shown a

valley of dried human skeletons,

called “the people of Israel,” whom

God restores to full life before

his eyes (37:11). The third is a

profoundly positive vision of the

future. Ezekiel sees Jerusalem’s

Temple—huge and magnificent—

and imagines a “New Jerusalem,”

a fully restored Israelite kingdom

that henceforth will be ruled only

by God (40–48). ■

Visions of Ezekiel

The wheels of

God’s chariot are

able to move “in

any one of four

directions.” This

is a metaphor for

His omnipresence.

Crawling things

and unclean animals

(Ezekiel 8:10) are

symbolic of the

false idolatry that

led to the downfall

of the Israelites.

The dry bones of

“the people of Israel”

are given life in

Ezekiel’s visions,

which represent

their ultimate return

to their own land.

Jerusalem’s

future temple

will be measured

according to God’s

law. Once restored,

it will be honest,

pure, and true.

Glory of God

In the Christian religion, “glory”—

derived from the Latin gloria,

meaning “renown”—is used

to describe the manifestation

of God’s presence when it is

actively perceived by human

beings. In Ezekiel, and elsewhere

in the Bible, God appears in many

different guises and various

fantastical forms—or is merely

heard or sensed by His subjects.

Divine glory is an extremely

important motif in theology, in

which God is the most glorious

being in existence.

However, due to the fact that

human beings are created in His

image, they can share (albeit

imperfectly) in disseminating

divine glory as “image bearers.”

They cannot match the glory of

God Himself, but can spread it

among others. This concept is

best explained in Matthew 5:16,

which states: “let your light

shine before others, that they

may see your good deeds and

glorify your Father in heaven.”

In religious media today,

glory is often conveyed by the

use of a halo, or white robes,

crowns, jewels, gold, or stars.

A tetragrammaton as depicted in

the window of the Karlskirche, Vienna.

Often translated as Yahweh, this

symbol asserts God’s omnipotence.

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