are restored spiritually as well as physically to full covenant blessing (Ezek 36–37). God will bring to fulfillment the covenant blessings promised to Abraham and Moses (Ezek 11:16–20; 16:60; 36:8–12; 37:11–14) as well as to David (Ezek 34:23–31; 37:24–28). The whole “covenant package” is assured in the final line of Ezekiel, “Yahweh is there” (cf. Exod 3:12–15; Lev 26:12). Much of the challenge in preaching Ezekiel is to translate these themes for Christian hope and living.
An overview of the book’s structure is as follows:
1. Judgment against Israel (Ezek 1–24)
After seeing a vision of the glory of God (chapters 1–3) and dramatically portraying the siege of Jerusalem (chapters 4–7), Ezekiel envisions the glory of God departing from the defiled temple (chapters 8–11). Then, a dramatic portrayal of exile (chapter 12) is followed by extensive explanation of the reasons for judgment (chapters 13–24).
2. Judgment against the Nations (Ezek 25–32)
The nations, who would exult their own glory over that of the Lord will be humiliated in judgment, including: neighboring nations (chapter 25); Tyre (chapters 26–28); Egypt (chapters 29–32).
3. Renewal of Israel and Restoration to a Glorious Kingdom (Ezek 33–48)
Through a new covenant, Yahweh will restore his people to new life, under new leadership, in a new kingdom in which his glory will again dwell forever. Ezekiel’s messages turn to salvation (chapter 33); new leadership (chapter 34); restoration to the promised homeland (chapters 35:1—36:15); restoration spiritually (chapters 36:16—37:28); final deliverance from chaos (chapters 38—39); and restoration of worship in the blessing of God’s presence (chapters 40—48).
Because Ezekiel’s prophetic oracles are organized chronologically through the book, they present a story in a general way.7 There is no elaborate plotline, but the chronological notices trace a progression of interactions between the prophet and his community, which has been traumatized by forced deportation. The narrative arc begins with the prophet’s call and his confrontation with the exiled compatriots. He labors to convince them that their exile is justified because of sin, and furthermore, that the doom announced against Jerusalem is sure to come. This puts their trauma in theological perspective. This trauma is amplified when news arrives of the destruction of their homeland, recorded half-way through the book. From that point on, Ezekiel’s task changes from confrontation to comfort.
Dividing the Book into Teachable Units
The immensity of the book of Ezekiel presents a challenge for a Sunday morning preaching series as well as for the length usually allowed for many seasonal Bible studies. While all Scripture is God’s word, not all of it is equally important for constructing our faith nor as immediately relevant for Christian living. So it is necessary to be selective about what passages in Ezekiel to cover.
In addition to the difficulty of choosing which passages to preach, there is the challenge of assigning the boundaries of each selection. Breaking up the book into the best literary segments does not necessarily optimize the book for realistic teaching units. So, sometimes I have combined segments of the book that could easily be separated but are difficult to justify as stand-alone teaching or preaching units. In my comments on the context for each section, I explain my decision, and the reader can make his or her own judgment accordingly.
After a statement of Ezekiel’s message, each passage is introduced by a contextual overview, placing the unit in the flow of the book. The bulk of the commentary focuses on the most important and difficult expressions used by the prophet. Then, a paragraph treats a central theological truth from the passage that bridges into discussion about teaching and applying the text to contemporary life.
If I were preaching through the book in an expository series, I would especially want to include the following units, which I judge to be particularly important for Ezekiel’s message:
Ezek 1:1–28 / The God of Glory Calls
Ezek 4:1—5:17 / Failing to Live as Light
Ezek 7:1–27 / The Impotence of Materialism (or Ezek 26:1—27:36)
Ezek 8:1–18 / Rebellion in God’s Face
Ezek 10:1–22 / God’s Parting Judgment
Ezek 18:1–32 / The Individual Responsibility to Repent (or Ezek 33:1–33)
Ezek 20:1–44 / Divine Pursuit of a Purified People
Ezek 28:1–26 / The Corruption of Tyre’s Pride
Ezek 34:1–31 / Two Kinds of Shepherds
Ezek 36:16–38 / Spiritual Transformation for God’s Honor
Ezek 37:1–28 / A Whole Covenant Package
Ezek 40:1—43:12 / The Return of God’s Glory
The reader is encouraged to read through Ezekiel and consider the main ideas stated at the beginning of each passage in the commentary as a guide to what other selections might be particularly relevant to a ministry context. Daniel Block has written an essay on “Preaching Ezekiel” that also offers very helpful guidance for understanding and delivering the message of the prophet.8
The Bridge to Application
We live in a world that has become broken due to human failure. Nevertheless, God has repeatedly intervened to redeem and restore his creation, decisively in the life and ministry of Jesus. But God was at work in Old Testament days as well, calling people into relationship with him, directing them in his ways, and establishing them as mission outposts in a world that naturally drifts into chaos. The Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is the story of the reestablishment of God’s kingdom on a planet in rebellion against him.
One can think of the Bible as the narrative of God’s redemptive intervention, but a narrative that has not yet reached final conclusion in the outworking of history. It reveals to us the ways of God with humanity, it projects before us the world that God envisions to restore, and it invites us to participate cooperatively in this mission.9 If I may use the metaphor of a motion picture, the Bible projects what God is doing in the world, and each passage is a frame in the whole moving story. We must step into roles within this story to advance God’s program, not hinder it. As the instrument of God’s Spirit, the Bible does something to us and accomplishes things by us.
When teaching or preaching the Old Testament, one must ask, What sort of world would God have us inhabit? What should that look like practically in our communities today? What is my responsibility to achieve this? Sometimes it means that we advocate for change in the relationships and social structures around us. Usually it also means that we come face to face with our own rebellion. But because many difficulties in life or society are intractable, sometimes all we can do is to rest in hope for God’s personal intervention to redeem his world.
Answering the question, What is the prophet Ezekiel “doing” with this passage?, is a crucial step in aligning our interpretation and application with the scope of relevance the prophet had in view. Ezekiel chose his words carefully and efficiently to “hook” specific ideas in the mind of his audience. We want to attend to Ezekiel’s message that best connects the prophet’s words and the thought world of his audience. We could call that “contextual relevance,” and it helps us guard against grasping for meanings of the text
