Summary of Ezekiel 1:1-3
Ezekiel has a vision from God.
BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 1, Day 2: Ezekiel 1:1-3
3a) Ezekiel was an exile in Babylon (a lof of Judah had been exiled at this time). It was during the reign of King Jehoiachin. The Lord was with him. 2 Kings adds that Jehoiachin did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
b) I’m sure it was not pleasant being an exile in a foreign land. I’m sure he was doing his best to be faithful to the Lord while being surrounded and captured by pagans. He may have been depressed, anxious, losing faith in God, questioning God, etc.
4a) “The heavens were opened and I saw visions of God” and “the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest” and “There the hand of the Lord was on him.”
b) It shows that God has not abandoned Ezekiel. He is still with him, guiding him, as God does for us, no matter our circumstances. God offers compassion, His word, and His power to us.
5) God directs me and I follow the best I can. He gives me great peace in unsettling circumstances. He is and always has been faithful, even in my darkest days.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 1, Day 2: Ezekiel 1:1-3
I love the emphasis on God’s presence in our lives always, no matter the circumstances and God’s hand on us as we journey through life. Great news!
End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 1, Day 2: Ezekiel 1:1-3
Most likely, Ezekiel was 30 years of age at this time. He was a priest, and priests began their service in the temple at the age of 30. However, Ezekiel was now called to be a prophet.
The time is most likely 597 BC, before the complete fall of Jerusalem and the nation of Judah.
Ezekiel means “strengthened by God,” and he had the hand of the Lord on him.
Map of Kebar River
END NOTES SUMMARIZED
The visions of the prophet Ezekiel are some of the most complex, symbolic, and vivid in the entire Bible. Given to him during the crisis of the Babylonian exile, their details reveal profound truths about the nature and character of God, intended to both challenge and comfort the displaced people of Judah.
Here are some of the key things the details of Ezekiel’s visions reveal about God:
God’s Overwhelming Majesty and Sovereignty
Ezekiel’s first and most famous vision (Ezekiel 1) is of God’s throne-chariot. The details are meant to overwhelm the senses and convey a being of unimaginable power:
- The Four Living Creatures: Each creature has four faces (human, lion, ox, eagle), representing all of creation—humanity, wild animals, domesticated animals, and birds. This reveals that God is not just the God of Israel, but the sovereign ruler over all living things.
- The Wheels Within Wheels: The intricate, intersecting wheels covered in eyes () reveal God’s omnipresence and omniscience. He can move in any direction with perfect agility, and His eyes see everything, everywhere.
- The Dazzling Appearance: The vision is filled with imagery of brilliant light, flashing fire, and glowing metal, culminating in a throne of lapis lazuli. This reveals God’s glory and power as something awesome, terrifying, and utterly beyond human comparison or comprehension.
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