Ezekiel: Prophet from 512-492 BC
I
will give you a new heart and put
a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV)
READ: Ezekiel 3:16-4:17; 34
Ezekiel was a prophet during the Babylonian exile of Judah and was
among those taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar. He grew up in Jerusalem and may have started
working as a priest when his life was interrupted as he was taken with the
other captives to Babylon. It was when he
was there among the exiles that he received his call to be a prophet. He was married, lived in a house of his own
and along with his fellow exiles, had a relatively free existence. Ezekiel was a man of broad knowledge, not
only of his own national traditions but also with general matters of
culture. More than any other prophet he
was directed to involve himself personally in the divine word by acting it out
in prophetic symbolism. He was to draw a
plan of besieged Jerusalem on a brick, lay prostrate on one side and then on
the other side for days and shave himself with a sword and divide the
hair. These dramatic symbolic acts
enhanced the effectiveness of his message.
The first seven years of his ministry saw him faithfully telling the
people words of divine judgment: Jerusalem would fall and they would not
experience early release. He encouraged
the exiles to live at peace with God during their exile. One of the prophetic signs he was to obey was
to not mourn the death of his wife as the people were not to mourn openly for
Jerusalem. Ezekiel also wrote of
judgements to seven nations and that God’s wrath was coming for them too. Once the exiles received the news of
Jerusalem’s fall Ezekiel’s messages from the Lord turned to hope. They would experience revival, restoration
and a glorious future as the redeemed and perfected kingdom of God.
JOURNALING AND PRAYER
1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?
2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?
3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.
