Ezekiel's Prophetic Journey

Prior to Ezekiel’s vision regarding the valley of the dry bones, the exiles were likely fearing that God would never restore them as a nation and people as promised (Wilcox, 2014). During Ezekiel’s vision, God transported him to a battle ground, with the bodies of the dead decomposed completely to bones (Tullock, & McEntire, 2012). However, God told him to preach to the field of bones, even though they could no longer hear. When Ezekiel preached to them, the scattered bones reconstructed into skeletons, and God told him to breathe on the bones.

Ezekiel 37:1-14 NIV - The Valley of Dry Bones - The hand of - Bible Gateway. Retrieved from

Ezekiel was a young priest when he was growing up, he was always around the temple in Jerusalem. The exiles in Babylon received hope from Ezekiel. Quickly after the first exiles arrived in Babylon, he began preaching. When Ezekiel received the messages from God, they mostly came from visions. Once he kept receiving these messages, he then realized that God would still take care of his people. The people of Babylon will receive a new life and return back home to their land from God’s spirit. God was with the people in Babylon the same amount of time he was in the Temple. In God’s exile, he would bring everyone closer to him. It was everybody’s responsibility to share group individuality.

The second prophecy that resurfaced originated in Ezekiel chapter thirty-seven with the fulfillment the Israelites returning to the area they originally lost control over. “Then God said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Listen to what they’re saying: ‘Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone, there’s nothing left of us.’ But God says: I’ll dig up your graves and bring you out alive—O my people! Then I’ll take you straight to the land of Israel. When I dig up graves and bring you out as my people, you’ll realize that I am God. Then I’ll lead you straight back to your land and you’ll realize that I am God. I’ve said it and I’ll do it.” (MSG Bible) Similar to the message provided in the first prophecy, this

Turning to 2 Chronicles 7:14, Short read, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Ludicrous. Torturous. Appalling. The unthinkable prophetic acts that God commanded for Ezekiel to perform throughout his ministry were meant to be sensational scenes that demonstrated what was to come for the Israelites. Ezekiel, illustrating the siege of Jerusalem was one of the first prophetic acts God required Ezekiel to complete. God commanded Ezekiel to create a miniature version of an invading army camped around Jerusalem and then place an iron plate between himself and Jerusalem. Ezekiel, while lying on the left side of his body for three hundred ninety days, represented the number of years that Israel was punished, and then lying on his right side for forty days, represented the number of years that Judah was punished. Ezekiel had to portion out water and grain cake, which he was supposed to cook on human manure to demonstrate the unclean bread that Israel would soon eat, but Ezekiel refused as cooking on human manure disobeyed God’s dietary laws. Therefore, God compromised with Ezekiel and allowed him to prepare the food on animal manure instead. Ezekiel, portraying the siege of Jerusalem was just the beginning of what God required Ezekiel to do in order to illustrate the suffering that the Israelites were about to experience due to their unfaithfulness. Not only did God use Ezekiel to perform extraordinary prophetic acts in order to get His message across to the Israelites, but God also allowed for Ezekiel to have visions that reached beyond history and

The glory of the Lord is powerful enough to save the people from their captors. God will restore the people and make his name exalted. Similar to chapter 36, where the people are told there will be a cleansing of the nation and a new covenant, God will put his people back to where they belong. The people are once again shown to not be useful in this restoration, all the work will becuase of God, they can do nothing. God will breath and restore his people, they people themselves continue to sin.

He will also not show the love Israel people, and also will not forgive them. but he will show the love to the Judah and he will also free them from their enemies - not by weapons, or armies, or horses or like this way, but from the power of the God.

8. There are reports that Ezekiel was a priest before he became a prophet (Tullock & McEntire, 2006, p. 252). Nevertheless, it is evident that he was a most unusual man, who had fabulous visionary experiences, acted out many. In 593 B.C.E., he experienced a call of the Lord to be a prophet. However, all his ministry was among the exiles, in Babylon.

Ezekiel was a prophet and a priest Fifty years old (age when ministry of priests and Levites ended) Was called to be a prophet when he was thirty His calling shows he was a priestly prophet After call to be a prophet, he spoke to God freely Full access to God was a priest’s privilege Wasn’t able to speak for 7 years (593-587 BC) Actual prophetic work begins 7 days after he is called to be a prophet Gave much attention to spiritual purity The verb “sanctify” was also important to Ezekiel (occurs fifteen times)

He uses Jeremiah and the families in the city to drive home the point that in the midst of hopelessness we are on mission for God. Ezekiel helps us to think biblically about the family. The diagrams on family systems clearly reinforce the interconnectedness of people. As a part of the human family whether, you live in the city or the suburbs what happens to one part of the family affects the entire family. Bakke clarifies this point by using the city of Sodom. She the (city and her daughters (suburbs) had an ample supply of wealth, pride, and covetousness, and did nothing to aid the poor and needy (94).

One sense that seemed to jut out from the rest was the moral sense. You can argue all day about about the small details, and descriptions, but whats really important are the values that seem to manifest in every sentence. Ezekiel’s story is a great example of mans obedience to God. He was a prophet, a leader, and faithful servant of God, this man literally risked death by false proclamation in order to warn the destruction of

The Jews followed Jeremiah’s explicit instructions to live their lives in exile, which they required in order to feel that they were working for something. The instructions also provided a sense of distraction to the lives of the miserable Jews. Ezekiel’s vision of Dry Bones supplied a clear metaphorical comparison to what the fate of the Jews would be. After hearing Ezekiel’s prophecy, the Jews felt renewed and revived, and restored their faithfulness in God.

"But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand." (Ezekiel

Israelites were essentially living double lives. In 722 B.C. the northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians and yet Judah, where Isaiah lived, was spared largely thanks to the influence of Isaiah. Throughout the book we find both sides of our God’s nature: grace along with discipline. Isaiah prophesies on many aspects, the one we are looking at is found in chapter 42 verses 1-9. It reads: “Here is My servant, whom I uphold, My chosen one in whom I delight; I will put My Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on the earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope. This is what God the Lord says- the Creator of the heavens, Who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who