In chapter 24, two deadly, life-altering events are linked: the siege of Jerusalem (1-14) and the death of Ezekiel’s wife (15-27). The first event brings devastation on a macro scale (Israel); the second causes devastation on a micro level (Ezekiel).…
Category: Ezekiel
Tuesdays with Ezekiel (Chapter 23)
Chapter 23, like chapter 16, presents a graphic, explicit extended metaphor to uncover the political and spiritual adultery of God’s people. In this chapter, the Lord likens the northern kingdom (Samaria) and the southern kingdom (Jerusalem) to two immoral sisters: …
Tuesdays with Ezekiel (Chapter 22)
In chapter 22, we read three more messages from the Lord given to Ezekiel, each beginning with the phrase “And the word of the Lord came to me” (1, 17, 23). Once again, each message assesses the wicked condition of…
Tuesdays with Ezekiel (Chapter 21)
Chapter 21 is structured around three prophetic words given to Ezekiel by the Lord, each beginning with the phrase, “The word of the Lord came to me” (1, 8, 18). Each of these prophecies is a message of lethal judgment,…
Tuesdays with Ezekiel (Chapter 20)
The message from the Lord recorded in chapter 20 is triggered when “some of the elders of Israel” pay a visit to Ezekiel to “inquire of the Lord” (1). The Lord’s response is not what they expected or, at least,…
Tuesdays with Ezekiel (Chapter 19)
The opening and closing verse of chapter 19 announce that this word from the Lord is a “lamentation” (1, 14). Specifically, the Lord provides his people a lamentation “for the princes [kings] of Israel” (1). The lament divides into two…
Tuesdays with Ezekiel (Chapter 18)
This “word of the Lord” to Ezekiel has the feel of a legal defense and indictment. The Lord addresses a complaint currently circulating among the Jews; they are accusing Him of being unjust and unfair towards the people still in…
Tuesdays with Ezekiel (Chapter 17)
“Son of man, propound a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel.” So begins the vision recorded in chapter 17. As the Son of God would speak in parables during his earthly ministry, so the LORD has…
Tuesdays with Ezekiel (Chapter 16)
From the shortest chapter in Ezekiel (15), we move to the longest chapter. Dan Block points out that chapter 16 is longer than six of the minor prophets. But what makes chapter 16 so memorable is not primarily its length…
Tuesdays with Ezekiel (Chapter 15)
With only eight verses, Ezekiel 15 is one of the shorter chapters in the book. The Lord makes one powerful point through one simple illustration. The chapter opens with the Lord asking Ezekiel a question about a wild vine that…
Rick and Linda Reed 