Ezekiel 1:1-3
Preparation for Ministry
~ the Call of God
Open your Bible to…
Ezek. 1:1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
Ezek. 1:2 On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity,
Ezek. 1:3 the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was upon him there.
Pray
Intro
√ The book
The book of Ezekiel is one of what we call the “major prophets” because of the size and scope of the prophecies contained in it.
Many people (including myself!) have a difficult time rightly dividing this book because it seems to be a perplexing maze of incoherent visions, parables, and allegories…
…whirling wheels, dry bones, fire and wings, all that seem to defy interpretation!
Yet, while we might be tempted to skip over the book or just speed-read through it we have to keep in mind that God gave Ezekiel these visions to be understood by His people!
In view of the fact that many of his prophecies give significant details concerning the Last Days, many of which have come to pass in the last 60 years…
…I believe it’s important then that we “belly up” to the feast of God’s Word and do our best to understand it!
I think you’ll find that if you do invest your time in this book you’ll come away greatly blessed and with a better understanding of the nightly news!
√ The author
Ezekiel identifies himself as the author throughout the book by writing in first-person…
“I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God”
Ez. 1:1
…and by name in chapter 1:3, and chapter 24:24.
1) Who ~ he was
Vs. 3 identifies him as a priest, just like Jeremiah and Zechariah, all of whom
ministered for God to the people of
…their exile to
He began his ministry at the age of 30 (ref. 1:1) the age that Jewish priests entered into the ministry and continued until he was 52.
He was a contemporary of Daniel and Jeremiah living in
Babylonian captivity with Daniel while Jeremiah remained in
He lived with the Jewish exiles in the Babylonian city of
Finally, he along with Jeremiah and Zechariah, was one of the few men ever called to be both prophet and priest.
2) What ~ he wrote about
Ezekiel’s prophecies speak of…
God’s coming judgment upon
God’s coming judgment upon other nations ~ chapters 25-32
God’s restoration of
…all of which comes about because of God’s awesome and holy character.
That is, Ezekiel reveals that God interacts in the world of Men because of Who He is.
Another way to look at it, God’s character determines His conduct.
Or, what is “in” God is made known by His involvement with Mankind.
Ex. Jesus ~ made God known to Man
So, we find that God…
Acted to keep His Name from being profaned (15 times)
Acted so that people would know that He is the Lord (60 times!)
The point is that the God revealed in the Bible is a personal God Who takes great interest in the affairs of Mankind and interacts with us to bring all people to a knowledge of Him.
3) Why ~ he wrote
To give people a choice, a choice about how they would live their lives and where they would end up in eternity!
That is, God sent Ezekiel to speak words of warning to the Jewish people so that in spite of their rebellion…
…they would have to acknowledge that God had tried to reach them and protect them from the consequence of their sin.
Note God’s instructions to Ezekiel…
Ezek. 2:3 And He
said to me: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of
Ezek. 2:4 For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, “Thus says the Lord GOD.’
Ezek. 2:5 As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.
The point is that God is going to give each person a choice as to whether to follow Him or not.
Therefore, no one could blame God for the judgment that they would experience.
Rather, each person would be responsible for, and accountable for, the choices that they made in response to the word of God that Ezekiel preached.
God spoke clearly to His people through Ezekiel and each person would have to make a choice about what to do with God’s word.
Ap. Are you listening?
I’m reminded of the cell phone commercial where the man keeps asking…
“Can you hear me now?
I wonder how many people are listening to God today?
He’s spoken very clearly in His word that all of us will live forever…
…either with Him in heaven, or without Him in hell, it’s our choice.
That we can enjoy His blessings, or endure His wrath.
The choice is ours to make.
Ezekiel’s prophecies remind us that God is speaking to all of us and that no one will be able to blame God for where they end up in eternity…
…for God has spoken clearly through His Creation, His Word and His Son.
Are you listening?
The Bible tells us that the Last Day’s “Church” will be characterized by people with “itching ears”…
…no longer wanting to hear truth or the voice of God, but instead a “gospel” that will appeal to their flesh.
As I survey the religious landscape of 21st Century Christianity I see the evidence all around us of those who are no longer listening to God.
Preparation for ministry ~ the call (Vs. 1-3)
Ezek. 1:1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
Ezek. 1:2 On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity,
Ezek. 1:3 the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was upon him there.
√ Preparation for ministry ~ the call
Chapters 1-3 record Ezekiel’s call to ministry which can be outlined like this…
The visions for the work ~ chapters 1:1-2:7
The message for the work ~ chapters 2:8-3:11
The motivation for the work ~ chapters 3:12-27
Before Ezekiel was called to minister as a prophet he had
lived in
…and then under the bad kings Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin.
Bible students believe that Ezekiel was taken captive to
Then, when he turned 30 he was called by God to be a prophet
to the people of
Ezek. 1:1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
Ezek. 1:2 On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity,
Note that he gives us two times stamps to identify the exact day that God called him.
30th year (his 30th year), 4th month, 5th day ~ vs. 1
5th day of the month, 5th year of Jehoiachin’s captivity ~ vs. 2
Scholars have identified the date as July 31st, 593
B.C. ~ important because it places his prophecies about God’s judgment on
…before the events actually happened.
Revealing God’s mercy ~ He warns people before He
judges them so that they have time to repent (ex. Jonah and
Confirming Ezekiel’s inspiration ~ he could only have predicted future events if he was inspired by God.
So, it was on this day that God first spoke to Ezekiel.
Ap. Called to ministry
It’s important that we recognize that it is God who calls a man into ministry.
Ministry is never something we can chose as a “vocation” for ourselves, or something we can learn in school.
Ministry is always the result of the call of God.
The author of Hebrews reminds us that we cannot appoint ourselves to ministry…
“And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was.” ~ Heb. 5:4
Paul writes of his call…
“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry,” ~ I Tim. 1:12
The reason I mention this pattern is that often times people get excited about serving God and wrongly conclude that the only way to do so is as a full-time pastor.
Then they find themselves frustrated in ministry, or in their attempts to minister…
…because they’re not called by God to do so.
Ex. Frank Perretti ~ tried to be a pastor but realized he was called to be a story teller through which he could communicate the Gospel.
So, don’t strive to get into “ministry’, pray and wait on the Lord ~ you can trust Him to show you what He wants you to do.
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