Ezekiel 2 Study Notes: Ezekiel Called to a Rebellious People
The Spirit raises Ezekiel to his feet, and God sends him to the stubborn, rebellious people of Israel to speak God’s words whether or not they heed. He must not fear them or rebel himself, and a hand holds out to him a scroll covered on both sides with lament and woe.
General
True or False: God told Ezekiel he need not fear the people because they would welcome him and treat him kindly (2:6).
Answer: False
This is false. God did tell Ezekiel not to be afraid, but not because the people would be kind. He warned that Ezekiel would live among briers, thorns and scorpions, pictures of people who would wound him with hostility and stinging words, and still commanded him not to fear their words or be shaken by their looks (2:6). He was to bring them God’s words whether they listened or refused, for they were rebellious (2:7). God gave Jeremiah the same command, with the promise that He was with him to rescue him (Jeremiah 1:8), and told him not to be intimidated by his hearers (Jeremiah 1:17). Jesus likewise told His disciples not to fear those who can kill only the body, but to fear God (Matthew 10:28).
- Ezekiel 2:6-7 (BSB)“But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns surround you, and you dwell among scorpions. Do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their presence, though they are a rebellious house. But speak My words to them, whether they listen or refuse to listen, for they are rebellious.”God tells Ezekiel not to fear the people or their words, though he lives among briers, thorns and scorpions, and to speak God’s words regardless.
- Jeremiah 1:8 (BSB)“Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.”God told Jeremiah not to fear the people, because He was with him to deliver him.
- Jeremiah 1:17 (BSB)“Get yourself ready. Stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not be intimidated by them, or I will terrify you before them.”Jeremiah was commanded to rise and speak all God’s commands and not to be cowed by his hearers.
- Matthew 10:28 (BSB)“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”Jesus told His disciples not to fear those who can kill only the body, but to fear God.
Theological
True or False: God’s reason for telling Ezekiel not to fear was that the people would receive him warmly (2:6).
Answer: False
This is false. The command not to fear stands precisely because the opposition would be real: Ezekiel would dwell among briers, thorns and scorpions, images of hostile and wounding hearers, yet he must neither fear their words nor be dismayed by their looks (2:6). His charge was to speak God’s words whether they heard or refused, for they were rebellious (2:7). Courage in the prophet rests not on a friendly audience but on the God who sends him, as with Jeremiah, who was told not to fear because God was with him to deliver him (Jeremiah 1:8) and not to be intimidated by his hearers (Jeremiah 1:17). Jesus grounds His disciples’ courage the same way, in the fear of God rather than of men (Matthew 10:28).
- Ezekiel 2:6-7 (BSB)“But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns surround you, and you dwell among scorpions. Do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their presence, though they are a rebellious house. But speak My words to them, whether they listen or refuse to listen, for they are rebellious.”God tells Ezekiel not to fear the people or their words, though he lives among briers, thorns and scorpions, and to speak God’s words regardless.
- Jeremiah 1:8 (BSB)“Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.”God told Jeremiah not to fear the people, because He was with him to deliver him.
- Jeremiah 1:17 (BSB)“Get yourself ready. Stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not be intimidated by them, or I will terrify you before them.”Jeremiah was commanded to rise and speak all God’s commands and not to be cowed by his hearers.
- Matthew 10:28 (BSB)“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”Jesus told His disciples not to fear those who can kill only the body, but to fear God.
General
What was written on the scroll held out to Ezekiel (2:9-10)?
Answer: Words of lament, mourning and woe on both sides
Before showing him the scroll, God warned Ezekiel not to be rebellious like the rebellious house, but to open his mouth and take in what God gave him (2:8). The prophet had to obey first, unlike the people he was sent to. Then a hand reached out holding a scroll, and when it was unrolled, it was written on both sides with words of lament, mourning and woe (2:9-10). The message Ezekiel would carry to Israel would be full of grief and judgment. The Servant in Isaiah says the Lord GOD opened His ears and He neither rebelled nor drew back (Isaiah 50:5), the obedience God asked of Ezekiel here. Jeremiah was likewise told to write on a scroll all the words God had spoken to him about Israel, Judah and the nations (Jeremiah 36:2), and John later beheld a scroll in God’s hand written front and back (Revelation 5:1).
- Ezekiel 2:8 (BSB)“And you, son of man, listen to what I tell you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I give you.””God commands Ezekiel not to be rebellious like Israel but to open his mouth and take in what God gives him.
- Ezekiel 2:9-10 (BSB)“Then I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me, and in it was a scroll, which He unrolled before me. And written on the front and back of it were words of lamentation, mourning, and woe.”A hand holds out a scroll written on both sides with lament, mourning and woe.
- Isaiah 50:5 (BSB)“The Lord GOD has opened My ears, and I have not been rebellious, nor have I turned back.”The Servant in Isaiah says the Lord GOD opened His ears and He neither rebelled nor drew back, the obedience asked of Ezekiel.
- Jeremiah 36:2 (BSB)““Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah, and all the nations, from the day I first spoke to you during the reign of Josiah until today.”Jeremiah was also told to write on a scroll all the words God had spoken to him about Israel, Judah and the nations.
- Revelation 5:1 (BSB)“Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the One seated on the throne. It had writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals.”John later sees a scroll in God’s hand written on both sides.
Theological
What did the scroll presented to Ezekiel contain (2:9-10)?
Answer: Words of lament, mourning and woe on both sides
The scroll is preceded by a test of the prophet himself: Ezekiel must not rebel as the house of Israel does but must open his mouth and receive what God gives (2:8). The messenger must first submit to the message. A hand then extends a scroll which, unrolled, is filled on both sides with lament, mourning and woe (2:9-10), the content of the judgment oracles that dominate the first half of the book. The prophet’s willing obedience echoes the Servant who says the Lord GOD opened His ears and He neither rebelled nor drew back (Isaiah 50:5). Jeremiah too received God’s words about Israel, Judah and the nations to write on a scroll (Jeremiah 36:2), and John saw a scroll written on both sides held by the One enthroned (Revelation 5:1).
- Ezekiel 2:8 (BSB)“And you, son of man, listen to what I tell you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I give you.””God commands Ezekiel not to be rebellious like Israel but to open his mouth and take in what God gives him.
- Ezekiel 2:9-10 (BSB)“Then I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me, and in it was a scroll, which He unrolled before me. And written on the front and back of it were words of lamentation, mourning, and woe.”A hand holds out a scroll written on both sides with lament, mourning and woe.
- Isaiah 50:5 (BSB)“The Lord GOD has opened My ears, and I have not been rebellious, nor have I turned back.”The Servant in Isaiah says the Lord GOD opened His ears and He neither rebelled nor drew back, the obedience asked of Ezekiel.
- Jeremiah 36:2 (BSB)““Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah, and all the nations, from the day I first spoke to you during the reign of Josiah until today.”Jeremiah was also told to write on a scroll all the words God had spoken to him about Israel, Judah and the nations.
- Revelation 5:1 (BSB)“Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the One seated on the throne. It had writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals.”John later sees a scroll in God’s hand written on both sides.
General
After the LORD told Ezekiel to stand up, how did Ezekiel come to be standing (2:1-2)?
Answer: The Spirit entered him and raised him up
Ezekiel was lying facedown before God’s glory when the voice addressed him as son of man, the name God uses for Ezekiel throughout the book, and told him to stand so that God could speak to him (2:1). Yet Ezekiel did not rise by his own strength. As God spoke, the Spirit entered him and set him on his feet, and then he heard God speaking (2:2). The same thing happens again later (3:24). God gave the command, and God Himself supplied the power to obey it. Zechariah was later told that God’s work is done not by might or power but by His Spirit (Zechariah 4:6), and Paul said that whatever competence his ministry had came from God, not from himself (2 Corinthians 3:5).
- Ezekiel 2:1-2 (BSB)““Son of man,” He said to me, “stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.” And as He spoke to me, the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and I heard Him speaking to me.”God addresses Ezekiel as son of man and tells him to stand, and the Spirit enters him and sets him on his feet.
- Ezekiel 3:24 (BSB)“Then the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet. He spoke with me and said, “Go, shut yourself inside your house.”The same thing happens again: the Spirit enters Ezekiel and raises him to his feet before God speaks.
- Zechariah 4:6 (BSB)“So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.”God’s work is done not by human might or power but by His Spirit.
- 2 Corinthians 3:5 (BSB)“Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God.”Paul says the competence for his ministry came from God, not from himself.
Theological
How was Ezekiel enabled to obey God’s command to stand (2:1-2)?
Answer: The Spirit entered him and raised him up
Prostrate before the glory, Ezekiel is addressed as son of man, the designation God uses for him throughout the book, and commanded to stand so that God may speak with him (2:1). The command is immediately accompanied by the enabling: as God spoke, the Spirit entered Ezekiel and set him on his feet (2:2), a pattern repeated in 3:24. What God commands, His Spirit supplies; the prophet’s ability to stand and hear is a gift of grace, not a native capacity. Zechariah’s word that God’s work advances not by might or power but by His Spirit (Zechariah 4:6), and Paul’s confession that his sufficiency for ministry is from God (2 Corinthians 3:5), state the same principle.
- Ezekiel 2:1-2 (BSB)““Son of man,” He said to me, “stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.” And as He spoke to me, the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and I heard Him speaking to me.”God addresses Ezekiel as son of man and tells him to stand, and the Spirit enters him and sets him on his feet.
- Ezekiel 3:24 (BSB)“Then the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet. He spoke with me and said, “Go, shut yourself inside your house.”The same thing happens again: the Spirit enters Ezekiel and raises him to his feet before God speaks.
- Zechariah 4:6 (BSB)“So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.”God’s work is done not by human might or power but by His Spirit.
- 2 Corinthians 3:5 (BSB)“Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God.”Paul says the competence for his ministry came from God, not from himself.
General
God sent Ezekiel to a rebellious people. What did God say would result whether they listened or refused (2:5)?
Answer: They would know a prophet had been with them
God sent Ezekiel to the Israelites and described them bluntly. They were a rebellious nation who, together with their ancestors, had rebelled against Him up to that very day, children who were obstinate and stubborn (2:3-4). Ezekiel’s task was to deliver the Lord GOD’s message, and his success would not be measured by their response. Whether they listened or refused, they would come to recognize that a prophet had been among them (2:5). God repeats this later: when His word comes true, they will know a prophet was among them (33:33). Stephen told the leaders of his day that they always opposed the Holy Spirit, as their ancestors had (Acts 7:51), and Jesus grieved over Jerusalem as the city that killed the prophets sent to it (Matthew 23:37). A prophet’s faithfulness is measured by speaking God’s word, not by the size of the response.
- Ezekiel 2:3-5 (BSB)““Son of man,” He said to me, “I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me. To this very day they and their fathers have rebelled against Me. They are obstinate and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you are to say to them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says.’ And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them.”God sends Ezekiel to a people who have rebelled for generations, and whether they hear or refuse, they will recognize that a prophet was among them.
- Ezekiel 33:33 (BSB)“So when it comes to pass—and surely it will come—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.””God repeats the promise later: when His word comes to pass, the people will know a prophet was among them.
- Acts 7:51 (BSB)“You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did.”Stephen tells Israel’s leaders that they always oppose the Holy Spirit, as their ancestors did.
- Matthew 23:37 (BSB)“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!”Jesus laments over Jerusalem as the city that kills the prophets sent to it.
Theological
What outcome did God assure Ezekiel of, regardless of whether Israel heeded his message (2:5)?
Answer: They would know a prophet had been with them
Ezekiel’s commission is to a nation in hereditary revolt: both the people and their ancestors have rebelled to that very day, and the present generation is obstinate and stubborn (2:3-4). Their rebellion is not occasional but settled, the long-standing condition of their hearts (compare 3:7). Ezekiel is to deliver the Lord GOD’s word, and its vindication does not depend on their reception: whether they hear or refuse, they will recognize that a prophet stood among them (2:5), a promise God repeats when His word is fulfilled (33:33). Stephen’s indictment that Israel always opposed the Holy Spirit, as their ancestors did (Acts 7:51), and Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem as the killer of prophets (Matthew 23:37) trace the same long pattern. The prophet is accountable for faithfulness, not for results.
- Ezekiel 2:3-5 (BSB)““Son of man,” He said to me, “I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me. To this very day they and their fathers have rebelled against Me. They are obstinate and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you are to say to them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says.’ And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them.”God sends Ezekiel to a people who have rebelled for generations, and whether they hear or refuse, they will recognize that a prophet was among them.
- Ezekiel 33:33 (BSB)“So when it comes to pass—and surely it will come—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.””God repeats the promise later: when His word comes to pass, the people will know a prophet was among them.
- Acts 7:51 (BSB)“You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did.”Stephen tells Israel’s leaders that they always oppose the Holy Spirit, as their ancestors did.
- Matthew 23:37 (BSB)“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!”Jesus laments over Jerusalem as the city that kills the prophets sent to it.