Section I The Call to Be a Prophet
Ezekiel 1:1—3:27
A. PREFACE TO THE CALL, 1:1-28
Ezekiel…the son of Buzi (3) had been a priest in Jerusalem. Now, a captive of Nebuchadnezzar in the land of the Chaldeans, the Lord called him to be a prophet.1 As a priest, he had brought men to God; as a prophet, he will continue this ministry but will need to be nearer to God than before. As a priest he was near to men in their sorrows in order to bring them to God. As a prophet he must be near enough to God to receive His messages for men.
1. What Precipitated His Call (1:1)
The opening words of Ezekiel's prophecy are, Now it came to pass…I saw visions of God (1). What had occurred that precipitated Ezekiel's call? False prophets had arisen among the exiles who told them what they wanted to hear, that there would be a speedy return to the homeland. Jeremiah, prophesying at the time in Jerusalem, had sent a letter to the exile community telling them that their captivity would endure for seventy years and that meanwhile they should submit themselves to God's will and ways (Jeremiah 29). Not everyone liked what Jeremiah had said, and there was unrest along the Chebar. This message had been sent during the fourth year of Zedekiah's reign (Jer. 51:59), which was also the fourth year of the Captivity. Soon after, in the fifth year of the Captivity, God raised up Ezekiel from among the exiles. He, like Jeremiah, would authentically declare God's truth to the people.
2. The Time of His Call (1:1-2)
a. “The thirtieth year” (1:1). No one knows to what event or point in time the thirtieth year refers. It had been thirty years since the book of the law had been located in Temple debris, which precipitated a change in Judah's worship. But there is no general dating of events from that time. Indeed, it was not customary to date from the time of a significant happening within a king's reign.
Some scholars have suggested that this was the thirtieth year since the last year of jubilee. But again, such a method of dating was not customary.
Perhaps those are correct who suggest that this is the thirtieth year in Ezekiel's own life. The thirtieth year of a Jewish man's life was peculiarly significant in his attaining maturity. The fourth month would correspond to our late June or early July.
b. “The fifth year” (1:2). Jehoiachin's captivity began in 597 B.C., after he had been king only three months. Ezekiel's call came during the fifth year of the king's imprisonment,2 which was also the fifth year of Ezekiel's exile in Chaldea.
3. The Place of the Call (1:1-3)
Ezekiel was among the captives by the river of Chebar (1)(meaning “great river”) in Chaldea—of which Babylon was the capital city. This river is perhaps the same as the Chaboras River of Mesopotamia, which finally empties into the Euphrates near Kirkesion (see map 1).3
Because Ezekiel is so familiar with the Temple and seems often to speak to the people of Jerusalem, some scholars say that he actually wrote from there and not from Babylon. However Babylon is specifically indicated as the place of his call; it is also repeatedly mentioned as the place of his labors (1:3; 3:11, 15, 23; 10:15, 20, 22; 11:24-25).
4. The Manner of His Call (1:1-3)
The heavens were opened (1). This means that Ezekiel began to see things which were not revealed to other men. Since he was to be God's spokesman, God revealed to him the high and holy things of heaven. It is a good day for any man when the heavens are opened above him. Until this happens, a man is earthbound indeed. When it happens, he can see higher things than men can see to whom the heavens above are closed.
He saw visions of God. Reasoning, the art of making thought fit into rational moulds, characterized the ancient Greek philosophers. Vision, in which a man sees to the center of things and into the future, is what most characterized the Hebrew prophets. Of none of them was this more true than of Ezekiel. He was a seer of the Most High God, a mystical man of refined faith whom God could entrust with visions of himself and of other high verities.
Daniel was also in Babylon at this same time, holding high political office and foretelling the things which were to come. Ezekiel did not move among the Chaldeans as Daniel did, but rather among the exiles along the banks of the Chebar. Both were apocalyptic seers of things to come. Ezekiel saw visions predominantly of the near future. They required men to line up with the Lord, then and there. In contrast, Daniel's visions were primarily of things a great way off.
5. The Purpose of His Call (1:3)
Ezekiel was called, not to dispense his own opinions, nor to tell the people what they wanted to hear. He was called, as all prophets are called, to declare the truth of God. This is why we read, The word of the Lord came…unto Ezekiel (3). He would deliver messages to the forlorn and forgetful exiles, but they would not be his own messages. They would not be his own ideas—truths of his own choosing. Instead, they would be the Lord's word. This word came to him expressly. The word “verily” or “authentically” would give the sense of what is meant.
6. Assurance in the Call (1:3)
The account goes on to add, And the hand of the Lord was…upon him. It had not been easy for a patriot such as Ezekiel to spend five years in exile. And it is never easy for a man to declare for the Lord what he must declare when the message is precisely what willful men do not want to hear. Besides, Ezekiel was a young man, probably only thirty, and the Israelites did not listen to young men. At least from Moses onwards the Israelites had special respect for the words of old men—elders in the land. But in spite of all this—perhaps because of it—Ezekiel was peculiarly aware that the hand of the Lord was…upon him to guide him, to strengthen him, to free him from his fears.
God's hand was upon Ezekiel not only during this preface to his call. Six other times it is stated that God's hand was upon the dutiful man from the side of the Chebar (3:14, 22; 8:1; 33:22; 37:1; 40:1). Any man who will hear and obey God's word will receive the needed strength from God's hand to implement that word in the lives of men and nations.
“God Cares for a Captive” is the theme of 1-3, with 1 as the key verse. In the context of Ezekiel's circumstances as a captive along the Chebar, two special points are made: (1) God gives him an uplook, opening the heavens and giving him visions, 1; (2) God gives him an outlook, enabling him to help others with messages from the Lord, 3. This passage speaks to all who are captives in times that try the soul. God cares and offers both an uplook and an outlook.
7. Summary in a Vision (1:4-28)
The preface to Ezekiel's call is concluded with an account of his first vision. This vision suggests something of the compelling reality and at the same time the baffling mystery of God's revelations of himself to the human spirit.
a. A whirlwind (1:4). Ezekiel looks and first sees a whirlwind (“stormy wind,” ASV), significant of a judgment with destruction in it. The wind came out of the north—the direction from which judgment came at various times in Israel's checkered history (e.g., Assyria, 721 B.C.; see map 1). At the time Ezekiel wrote, 10,000 leading citizens were already in exile, as judgment from Babylon. After six more years Jerusalem would be utterly destroyed by this “stormy wind” from the north. Chapters 4—24 recount predictions of that destruction.
A great cloud and fire were in the midst of the “stormy wind.” Both of these symbols signify God's presence—in this instance, His presence in judgment upon Judah.
b. The four living creatures (1:5-14). In his vision Ezekiel saw four living creatures who had the likeness of a man (5). These probably represent the forces of Nebuchadnezzar which were to be loosed in their full fury upon Jerusalem. They had wings (6), suggesting peculiar abilities which ordinary armies, not led of Jehovah, do not have. The living creatures, although they represent heathen forces, were being sent by the Lord, so there would be no stopping them.
Their wings joined one to another (9; cf. 11), implying unity of purpose; and they went…straight forward (cf. 12), suggesting the resoluteness of their intention.
Each of these living creatures had four faces (10): that of a man, showing their basic identity as human avengers; that of a lion, indicating their power and terror;4 that of an ox, suggesting their steady strength in God's service; and that of an eagle, showing that they will be swift to rise above even the strongest opposition that Jerusalem will offer (see Rev. 4:7).
These living creatures were being guided by the Lord, for Ezekiel says, Whither the spirit was to go, they went (12).
c. The wheels (1:15-25). Ezekiel also saw some wheels (15 ff.). He saw them on the earth (15), and lifted up from the earth (19). Each living creature had a wheel within a wheel; and around the rims there were eyes. These wheels, with their perfection in roundness, signify God's presence even as do the cloud and the fire. When Ezekiel says that the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels (21), he means that the Lord was in them (cf. “the Spirit impelled them,” Moffatt). The eyes on the rings (18; “rims” ASV) of the wheels signify God's ability to observe in all directions. His omniscience is basic to His being an all-wise Judge. The general appearance of the wheels and their work (construction) was like a beryl (16), or perhaps a “chrysolite” stone (RSV). The gem intended is a matter of uncertainty. If beryl, it would be perhaps deep green or blue-green. If chrysolite, perhaps a yellow-green (see Exod. 28:20; 39:13; Ezek. 28:13; Rev. 21:20).
Over the heads (22) of these living creatures, winged and accompanied by wheels, was a firmament, an expanse, the visible arch of the sky. The KJV says the firmament was upon their heads, but ASV and RSV makes the meaning clearer with “over.” Above this firmament was the likeness of a throne (26), again signifying judgment.
d. The mention of mercy (1:26-28). Exciting indeed is what follows in this vision. Up to this point the Lord's judgment has been portrayed; but now is pictured the mercy of the Mighty One. Ezekiel is to prophesy about God's judgment on Jerusalem (cc. 4—24) and of seven heathen nations (cc. 25—32); but at last the prophet is to speak comfortably to the people about restoration and hope (cc. 33—48). The last part of this early vision sums up the final message which Ezekiel is to deliver and there is hope in it.
The prophet seems to get a glimpse of the Christ, who will one day come forth transmuting judgment into mercy. The RSV makes this clear: “And seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness as it were of a human form” (26). The fire that enveloped this figure is characteristic of Bible accounts of the revelation of God (cf. Exod. 3:2; 19:16-18; II Kings 18:36-39). Supporting the interpretation that this was a vision of Christ, the promised Redeemer, is the fact that the brightness of this “human form” gives the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain (28). The rainbow had been given to Noah as just such an everlasting promise (Gen. 9:13-17). Evidently this inclusion of a rainbow in the vision means that mercy is in the offing. When Ezekiel saw the glory of the Lord, he took the only appropriate posture for a man in these circumstances—I fell upon my face.
Chapter 1 is a sort of preface to the prophet's call. Chapters 2 and 3 describe the call itself.
1. The Prophet's Designation (2:1a)
In v. 1 and in eighty-six other instances, the Lord addresses Ezekiel as Son of man (cf. Num. 23:19; Job 25:6). Only Ezekiel, of all the prophets, is so addressed. This designation is a reminder to the man called to a prophetic ministry that he is still a creature, frail and finite. He is of no use as a prophet except the Lord fill his mouth with the things he is to speak.5 In Ps. 8:4 and Dan. 7:13 this term, “Son of man,” has a Messianic significance. There may be a degree of such significance in its use in the case of Ezekiel. As spokesman for God along the Chebar, he anticipates the One who will later come in human flesh to speak for the Father once and for all. It is significant that according to all four Gospels the title “Son of man” became Christ's favorite designation of himself—but He added the definite article to make it “the Son of man.”
The fact that the designation “Son of man” appears throughout the prophecy of Ezekiel testifies to the book's unity, as does the recurrence of other phrases (e.g., “Lord God,” 217 times; and “the hand of the Lord was upon” him, 3:14, 22; 8:1; 33:22; 37:1; 40:1).
2. The Prophet's Summons (2: 1b-3a)
Ezekiel was told, Stand upon thy feet (1); and as he recounts the experience, he says, The spirit (“the Spirit,” RSV) entered into me…and set me upon my feet (2). He was to stand up and stand out for the Lord, but the Holy Spirit helped him to obey the command. He was weak, admittedly, if only his own resources were taken into account. But it was just such a man whom God could place before the exiles to warn them of the necessity for personal righteousness.
To this man, drafted for divine service, the Lord says, I send thee to the children of Israel (3).6 There does not seem to be any churchly ordaining act here, as in the New Testament (Acts 14:23). There is, however, a divine ordination. Ezekiel was sent by the Lord to declare stern, yet hopeful messages to all the children of Israel, both those in exile and those still in Judah.
3. The People to Whom He Is Sent (2:3b-8a)
Israel is a rebellious nation (3; “a nation of rebels,” RSV). Its people are impudent (4; lit., hard of face, i.e., hardheaded, brazen). They therefore would not weep in repentance over sin, nor in any other way break up in contrition. Also, they are stiffhearted, i.e., stubborn. Their hard faces meant that their hearts were also hardened. It is not far from a hard face to a hardened heart. Their fathers bad rebelled against the Lord, and so do they. God describes them as briers and thorns (6), even scorpions. Notice the progression here in hurtfulness: from small needlings as briers, to piercing as thorns, to poisonous stinging as scorpions.
As briers, thorns, and scorpions lie in wait to damage men, so the rebellious house would strike back at Ezekiel with their words and their hard looks.
It was a difficult work to which the Lord God (4) called the young priest. But God's man was being sent by One who knows all about the emotionless faces and the stubborn hearts of the people. It was God himself who would give him the messages which he was to bear. A man can be strong when his message is backed up by Thus saith the Lord God (4).
4. The Prophet's Preparation (2:8b—3:3)
God's true spokesmen never bear a message which is impersonal to them, with which they have not wrestled firsthand, over which they have not wept or exulted. The word they deliver to the souls of men has first gone through their own souls—gladdening them or saddening them.
So it was with Ezekiel. He is to speak for God, but that word must first be internalized. Therefore, as the Lord held forth a roll of a book (9),7 He said, Open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee (8; cf. Rev. 10:8-11). The book was filled with messages to be delivered, lettered not only on one side, as was usual in those days, but written within and without (10; “on the front and on the back,” RSV).
What the Lord gave Ezekiel may have been a figurative representation of the words which he was to deliver. Or as some think, it might have contained the Book of Jeremiah. Whatever it was (a) it was from the Lord, and (b) it was not very pleasant, containing as it did lamentations, and mournings, and woe (10). Heartbreaking though it was, Ezekiel must get the message internalized. No superficial mouthing of the truth would do, no telling of it without first being heart deep in it, no pronouncement of such woes without his first feeling those woes and weeping over them. Insistence in our time upon a divine-human encounter, or upon an I-Thou kind of relationship, has been thought to have “a new look” about it; but it is not new at all. Ezekiel had living, authentic encounter with the Thou who was his God, and every dimension of his being was touched by the things he was to teach. His prophecies would be his own, and God's, even at points where another man of God (such as Jeremiah) may have been the first to declare these truths and may have influenced Ezekiel.
Still receiving “visions of God” (1:1), the prophet was told to eat this roll, and go speak (3:1). First there would be the intake, and then the issuing forth. In receiving the message, Ezekiel had to open his own mouth (2), but God caused him to eat. The man's preparation was not made apart from his own effort, but neither was it made apart from God's decisive help. Since the preparation had about it this two-way-ness, the word he received was in his mouth as honey for sweetness (3; cf. Ps. 19:10; 119:103).
5. The Prophet's Commission (3:4-15)
As was so with the later Son of Man, Ezekiel's great Antitype, the prophet was commissioned to go to the house of Israel (4). Broadly, he was to prophesy to all Israel, but more specifically to them of the captivity (11).
He is reminded that they are not many people (6), not small and divergent tribes; and that they are not of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words he would not be able to understand. Instead, he is sent to his own people, the people of God. Heathen would have hearkened, but not these light-and- mercy-rejecters “of a hard forehead and of a stubborn heart” (RSV; cf. Isa. 48:4).
Ezekiel is to find the people stubborn indeed, but God will make him more stubborn for the divine message than the people are against it. They are as hard as flint, but Ezekiel will be an adamant harder than flint (9). The word for adamant is sometimes translated “diamond” (Jer. 17:1). He is not to fear them nor their flintlike looks, rebels though they be. Greater is He who will be for Ezekiel than those who will be pitted against him. Ezekiel is the most poetic of all the prophets, an idealist who was inclined to teach by symbolic act in which the message was dramatized. He was not a man for whom controversy came naturally, and would tend to shrink from “crossing swords” with those hard after what they wanted. But even as a weeping Jeremiah was given strength for a task not natural to him (Jer. 1:18; 20:7-18), so was Ezekiel.
Whether the people will hear, or whether they will forhear (11), Ezekiel is commissioned and strengthened to pronounce their doom (cc. 3—24), that of their pagan neighbors (cc. 25—32), and also the dawning of a new day (cc. 33—48).
Again the spirit (12) takes him up. The wings of the living creatures…touched (lit., kissed) one another (13); there was a noise of a great rushing (earthquake); and the hand of the Lord (14) was strong upon the prophet.
Ezekiel sat for seven days (15; the time set for mourning, Job 2:13) in the midst of the captives at Tel-abib—the word means “hill of young ears [of barley].” As he sat he was astonished, i.e., overwhelmed, amazed, and silent. This was perhaps also a part of Ezekiel's preparation for his task. A time of silence, in a place apart, has been given to many at the outset of their service (e.g., Jesus after His baptism and Paul in Gal. 1:17).
6. The Prophet's Responsibility (3:16-27)
When the seven days of sitting and silence had passed, the Lord revealed to Ezekiel what a responsible office had been given to him. He is to be a sentry, a watchman over the interests of many, warning them against folly (17). Habakkuk had also been a watchman (Hab. 2:1), as had Isaiah (Isa. 56:10) and Jeremiah (Jer. 6:17). But they had been principally watchers over the destiny of Israel as a whole. Ezekiel is likewise a watchman for the nation; but his charge here was particularly to warn individuals.
Take a given wicked man. If Ezekiel were not to warn him, and he should die, the man would suffer the consequences of evil—and Ezekiel would be guilty of his blood (18), i.e., of manslaughter or murder. But if Ezekiel were to warn the man, Ezekiel would not be responsible, even if the man continued headlong and headstrong in his sin (19). Delivered thy soul means “saved your life” (RSV) or “saved yourself” (Smith- Goodspeed).
Also, Ezekiel was to warn the righteous man (20) not to turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity. When…I lay a stumbling block before him is translated by Moffatt, “when I put temptation before him.” Not until a thousand years later was unconditional election and eternal security taught, when Augustine, steeped in Stoic and Gnostic ways, became a Christian in middle life and soon a theologian. Calvin and Calvinism would not appear for some two thousand years. Ezekiel could hardly have conceived that their teaching would one day be advocated by a broad segment of the people of God. But as if to prohibit the birth of such teaching he says simply that a man, ever so righteous, might fall away and die in his sin, and that his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered. Surely it would take a twisting of texts to teach that believers can never be lost, in the face of teachings such as this (see also Rom. 11:22).
Ezekiel, then, is called to be a watchman to warn individuals that they must turn from iniquity to righteousness and that they must continue in righteousness as long as life lasts.
The prophet who is to speak words of warning to Israel is first to shut himself up in his own house (24), refraining from prophetic utterance, and practice God's presence. Then, at such times as God will open his mouth (27), he will announce God's word for the rebellious house. It is not known what plain is indicated in 22-23.
“The Call of the Chebar Captive” reflects truths relevant to Christian workers. The text could be, “Son of man, I send thee” (2:3); and the scripture reading all of c. 2. (1) The messenger's audience (2:3b-8a; (2) The worker's preparation, 2:8b—3:3; (3) The commission, 3:4-15; (4) The responsibility, 3:16-27.