The Gospel According to Ezekiel, Chapters 2-4

The Central Theme: The Glory of God

There is a central theme within the book of Ezekiel presented in these chapters: the glory of God is what is absolutely most important to each and every one of our lives. The foundation for the calling of Ezekiel is the demonstration of the glory of the Lord so that Ezekiel would stand in awe of the glory of the Lord as a foundational principle for his commissioning as a prophet.

We know that he was a priest who was carried off with King Jehoiachin into exile. But as far as the commissioning of him as a prophet, it is essential that he would be wide-eyed and mystified by the glory of the Lord. He would stand in awe of the glory of God, and that would be his primary motivation for ministry. This remains the primary theme throughout the book of Ezekiel.

It is also important to recognize several themes evident within these chapters, including the need for absolute trust in the absolute sovereignty and grace of God. In the midst of all the profound and difficult things taught throughout Ezekiel, it is essential to grasp the mercy of God and the grace of God displayed in these pages. That is why the title of this series is The Gospel According to Ezekiel—there is not just judgment presented, but revelations of the heart of God.

Gospel Motivation: Awe of God's Glory and Filling of the Spirit

Then he said to me, “Son of Man, stand on your feet that I may speak with you.” As he spoke to me, the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet and I heard him speaking to me. Then he said to me, “Son of Man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ As for them, whether they listen or not, for they are a rebellious house, they will know that a prophet has been among them. And as for you, Son of Man, do not fear them or their words, though thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions; do not fear their words or be dismayed at their presence, for they are a rebellious house. But you shall speak My words to them whether they listen or not, for they are a rebellious house. Now you, Son of Man, listen to what I am speaking to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.” Then I looked, and in the hand there was extended to me a scroll. When He spread it out before me, it was written on the front and back, and written on it were lamentations, mourning, and woe. (Ezekiel 2:1-10)

At the end of chapter 1, Ezekiel is prostrate before the Lord. He has seen visions of God’s glory, and as a right response, he has fallen on his face in worship and adoration. God instructs him to stand, but then supplies the Holy Spirit to enable him to do so. This is the first gospel principle: Ezekiel shows us gospel motivation.

In chapter 1, Ezekiel stands in awe of the glory of the Lord. He is compelled by the magnificence of God to fall prostrate in awe, adoration, humility, and worship. He then listens to God and is sent out. The progression is: awe of God’s glory motivates worship, which motivates mission. Ezekiel is sent out—like an apostle—to announce an Old Testament gospel to Israel in exile.

As F.F. Bruce says, “Ezekiel had very naturally fallen prostrate before the vision of the glory of God. But when a man who has thus humbled himself is raised to his feet by God, he can stand square in the face of every adverse wind that blows.” Examining God first grants us the ability to know our purpose. Ezekiel did not stand on his own initiative; the Spirit animated him.

Two forms of gospel motivation: first, understanding who God is; second, receiving God himself—the Spirit grants power to be and do what he could not otherwise. Be overwhelmed by the awesomeness of God. Stagnant Christians lack the awe of God, like unmoving water that grows to stink.

Second, be filled with the Holy Spirit. Ezekiel is animated by the Spirit—like a puppet of God, moving when the Spirit moves. Ephesians 5:18 commands, “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.” Dissipation is anti-salvation living. Being filled means being under the Spirit’s control and satisfied with him—crucial for enduring suffering or temptation. We receive the Spirit more permanently than Ezekiel, but we still need to be filled, satisfied with his separation from the world.

The people are revealed as stubborn and obstinate—hard-faced and hard-hearted, stone-faced and stone-hearted. This stubbornness resists God, and only God can change it. Ezekiel demonstrates that God must remove that hardness, giving the Spirit to cause them to live rightly.

Gospel Stubbornness: Eating the Scroll

Then He said to me, “Son of Man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll. And He said to me, “Son of Man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you.” Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth. Then He said to me, “Son of Man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel, nor to many peoples of unintelligible speech or difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. But I have sent you to them who should listen to you; yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, since they are not willing to listen to Me. Surely the whole house of Israel is stubborn and obstinate. Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. Like emery harder than flint I have made your forehead. Do not be afraid of them or be dismayed before them, though they are a rebellious house.” (Ezekiel 3:1-9)

The people of Israel are hardened because of sin. They love their sin and do not see its gravity. Hebrews 3:13 warns, “Encourage one another day after day… so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” Sin’s deceitfulness is grotesque.

Yet the second gospel truth: gospel stubbornness. Be stubborn for the truths of Scripture—immovable. Do not bail on Scripture’s teachings, especially now when denominations cave to calling good evil and evil good. God makes Ezekiel more stubborn than the people.

Take God’s words into your heart—value them, be pleased with them. Not just hearing or doing, but being well-pleased with Scripture, even when it convicts sin. Be pleased with its commands on marriage, submission, contentment, obedience, slavery to one another. Come to church to receive God’s agenda, not push your own. Every word from God must be pleasing.

Moreover, He said to me, “Son of Man, take into your heart all My words which I will speak to you and listen closely… Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me, ‘Blessed be the glory of the Lord in His place.’… The Spirit lifted me up and took me away; and I went embittered in the rage of my spirit, and the hand of the Lord was strong upon me.” (Ezekiel 3:10, 12, 14)

We should exhibit gospel rage—intense desire and passion for God’s message, tenacity to a stubborn people. Ezekiel’s presence torments them, as true holiness torments those in love with sin. Romans 1 shows sinners suppress conscience with more iniquity; holiness resurges that torment.

The Watchman and Spirit-Empowered Obedience

At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of Man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity, but you have delivered yourself. Again, when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, I place an obstacle before him; he will die, since you have not warned him. He shall die in his sin… However, if you have warned the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; and you have delivered yourself.” (Ezekiel 3:16-21)

Ezekiel is a watchman: warn the wicked and righteous, or their blood is required at his hand. The righteous here are not saved believers but those living morally apart from wickedness—warned not to apostatize.

God holds Ezekiel responsible, yet prevents him from speaking except when God opens his mouth. God makes Ezekiel stubborn, instills awe to remove fear, shuts his mouth, and speaks through him. This continues until chapter 33—seven years of only speaking God’s words.

Go, shut yourself up in your house. As for you, Son of Man, they will put ropes on you and bind you with them so that you cannot go out among them. Moreover, I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be mute and cannot be a man who rebukes them, for they are a rebellious house. But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you will say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house. (Ezekiel 3:24-27)

No commands of God are fulfilled outside his empowerment. True obedience is Spirit-empowered. God gives impossible commands so we rely on the Spirit, and he receives glory. As in Ezekiel 36:25-27, God cleanses, gives new hearts, puts his Spirit in us to obey.

Paul exemplifies: “By the grace of God I am what I am… yet not I, but the grace of God with me.” Trust only God’s glory and grace in all of life—for marriages, suffering, temptations—or you will fail.

Bearing Iniquity and the Siege of Jerusalem

Now you, Son of Man, get yourself a brick, place it before you and inscribe a city on it, Jerusalem. Then lay siege against it, build a siege wall, raise up a ramp, pitch camps and place battering rams against it all around. Then get yourself an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between you and the city, and set your face toward it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This is a sign to the house of Israel. As for you, lie down on your left side and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel on it; you shall bear their iniquity for the number of days that you lie on it. For I have assigned you a number of days corresponding to the years of their iniquity, 390 days; thus you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. When you have completed these days, then you shall lie down a second time, but on your right side and bear the iniquity of the house of Judah; I have assigned it to you for 40 days, a day for each year. (Ezekiel 4:1-6)

Ezekiel visually demonstrates the siege of Jerusalem, bearing Israel’s iniquity (390 days) and Judah’s (40 days)—430 years total. Approximately 430 years earlier, David made Jerusalem the capital and brought the ark there, centering worship. Now, after 430 years of iniquity, Jerusalem is besieged and the temple destroyed.

Moreover, He said to me, “Son of Man, behold, I am going to break the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they will eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and drink water by measure and in horror, because bread and water will be scarce; and they will waste away in their iniquity.” (Ezekiel 4:16-17)

Ezekiel rations food, bakes over dung to depict famine and uncleanness among the nations—losing distinction. This shows 430 years of sin like the nations would not commit. God vindicates his holiness, judging intolerance of such sin.

Some call this cruel, but after 430 years of rebellion? God, as sovereign Creator, determines reality, law, and decree—not subservient to man. Judgment is delayed justice (Ezekiel 18). They waste away in iniquity—a festering wound, cancerous, oozing to demise. Sin is horrific.

The Gospel Principle of Repentance

The final gospel principle: repentance. Grace is seen in God revealing sin’s horrors to his remnant. It is gracious to expose sin’s effects, as in Ezekiel 18: “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked.” God’s justice and holiness prevail.

Love is not tolerating sin but exposing, convicting, correcting with the gospel. Picture two fathers: one lets his son jump off a cliff for “freedom”; the other tackles him to save him. Which loved more? God tackles us from sin’s cliff—incorporating idols with Yahweh worship.

God graciously shows his sovereignty and sin’s ruin, granting means to avoid it: cling and believe in him. Do not miss the grace in this text. ```