People of Israel: Ezekiel

Like Jeremiah, Ezekiel predicted Jerusalem’s destruction as a consequence of her sin, but Ezekiel’s message was delivered in a very different context than that of his counterpart in Judah. Ezekiel preached in Babylon, the ancient superpower that had conquered much of the ancient Near East. Ezekiel’s audience was the band of exiled Israelites who had already been captured and relocated to Babylon.

Ezekiel spoke much of God’s transcendent holiness. He condemned Israel for turning away from their holy God—but like Isaiah, he had harsh words for some of Israel’s pagan neighbors as well. Although God was using Israel’s pagan enemies as an instrument of divine judgment, God was not blind to those nations’ moral outrages and would visit judgment on them in turn.

But judgment and punishment are not the most memorable themes in the book of Ezekiel. Israel had failed, but God had not forgotten them and would one day restore and redeem them. This hope in an eventual restoration is vividly portrayed in the famous story of the “valley of dry bones:”

From: Tour of the Bible, part 4: the Major Prophets by Andy Rau

EZEKIEL

Roberts, J. (1990). Bible Facts. London, UK: Apple Press

Ezekiel was one of those deported to Babylon and he is writing for the Jews in captivity. Apart from the message of judgement and the need for repentance, the book of Ezekiel is marked by its emphasis on ritual and its descriptions of the prophet's visions,  These include the vision of the valley of dry bones which God brings to life.