Introduction
Ezekiel was the son of Buzi an Israelite priest who was an emigrated Israelite in Babylonia. It is believed that he lived through the teachings of Josiah and Jeremiah and he began his own ministry in about 592 B.C. when he was about 30 years of age and continued until about 571 B.C. .God raised up Ezekiel to serve as a prophet during a most difficult time in Israel’s history. He provides a tremendous illustration of a leader with backbone and conviction. In the beginning God first brought up Ezekiel as he received a revelation about four angelic figures. Ezekiel saw this vision in great detail and explained it to all. They got a clear picture also because he was a good speaker.
Ezekiel demonstrates for us three leadership skills. First a leader can lead off of vision, even in tough times. Second a leader can stay true to core values, even in tough times. God had told Ezekiel that the task before him was not easy that the people were stubborn, “They are a stubborn and hard-hearted people. But I am sending you to say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says!' (Ezekiel 2:4) The third leadership quality is a leader can compel people to grapple even with hard truth.
Ezekiel clearly led out of vision. God consistently provided him with unusual visions that drove him to speak in unusual ways. From hands and scrolls descending from heaven, to four abominations committed in the temple to vines, eagles, lions, dry bones, and fires, Ezekiel trafficked in strange but memorable pictures , these pictures often arrived with divine interpretation and instructions on how he was to communicate God’s Word to the people. Ezekiel closely followed the leadership axiom on vision: See it clearly, show it creatively, and say it constantly
Ezekiel managed to stay true to his convictions and core values despite the people’s response this alone was more than many men would have be able to put up with. God said from the beginning, “As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse-for they are a rebellious house-yet they will know that the prophet has been among them. And you son of man do not be afraid of them or be afraid of their words, or dismayed by their looks for they are rebellious. house yet they will know that the prophet is among them An you, son of man, do not be afraid of them not to be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks though they are a rebellious house. You shall speak My words to them whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious. But you some of man hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house, open your mouth and eat what I give you (Ez2:5-8). Even though the greatest of the prophets was Moses, Ezekiel did not have an easy task but seemed to help the people understand with the Word of God .
Ezekiel compelled the people hear him and wrestle with the pressing issues. He was extremely creative communicator, often using visual aids or dramatics to acting our message. He quickly obeyed the Lord’s instructions even when many of the symbolic actions God called him to enact looked difficult or cumbersome or embarrassing. His dynamic ministry won the respect attention and administration of Judah’s elders. But while they listened to him, they refused to act on what he said. This disappointed Ezekiel for no one took greater pains to cast a vision on his own generation than he did.
God described Ezekiel as a watchman. He called the prophet to warn the Jews of impending danger if they did not repent. Like a watchman who sees an invading army in route, he admonishes the people to get ready or be destroyed. God describes Himself to Ezekiel as the one who supplies the right words . Ezekiel sounded the trumpet against the religious apostasy. God is the Director of the great drama that Ezekiel acts out. He is the writer of the script when the play ends. A finale in the form of the invading Babylonian army when it’s too late for the people to discover the play is no mere act.
Ezekiel Communicates the Vision
Similar to Jeremiah, Ezekiel knew how to speak to the people so that they understood the message that God was sending through him. Ezekiel was successful as a communicator though often people referred to his ways as theatrical to an extent. His vision was memorable and his words were inventive. God instructed the prophet how to cast his vision. He is told to use object lessons using material like a brick an iron plates his own body ropes, ingredients for bread cow manure God’s instructions seemed so radical that even Ezekiel felt repulsed by them. The people though seemed to remember these techniques much longer than prophets who just talked to them. In a way he was similar to Jesus in using everyday things and giving it a new meaning. In this way no one ever forgot their messages and techniques. However Moses and Isiah knew the meaning of their prophesies, Ezekiel did not
His vision was measurable and his words were insightful. Ezekiel spoke about the future events. He gave no fuzzy, ambiguous word about what God wanted the people to follow, should they decide to cooperate. He delivered a compelling and detailed word about how long Israel had drifted from God, the siege of Jerusalem, the how long the exile would last, and what conditions would be like when God brought about His long threatened punishment. He did not always understand why God had him do the things that he did but could feel the words come out o his own mouth. He knew that it was god speaking through him. Even the ministry of the difficulties of the Scripture is a ministry to us. They at least teach us our own ignorance and ask God for more light. Rabbis had asked for portions of Ezekiel’s prophecy that contains secrets .His vision was motivational and his words gave incentive.
Ezekiel didn’t talk merely to pronounce judgement. He wanted to compel the Israelites to repent and return to God. He discussed how defiling life would be under a foreign leader and the horror of submitting to a power that didn’t understand them. He gave them a reason to act.
The Prophet Ezekiel is credited with two significant parts to his visons and one is that the temple of the Lord is full of glory and the other is the bones in the valley to which Lord gave new life (Ez 37:1-14). The vision was a mysterious figure of man who became free. The enemy could no longer harm him and the church of Christ was built. The door to the gate would be open and this was so much like the son of God opening the gates of heaven for sinners. Jesus had to die on the Cross for this though. Ezekiel talked about the gates opening back to the people of Babylon and their sufferings would be over then. The dry bones are rather graphic. God gave life to the dry bones. We know this as a resurrection and that after death our bones or bodies are given to the eternal salvation. The bones in the dream would come back to life and be risen up. Of course to Ezekiel this was a strange dream. To us after Jesus’s coming it is not so strange.
Non Verbal Communication in the Prophets
Jeremiah and Ezekiel are part of a group of seven biblical accounts of communicative nonverbal actions that were performed. These actions were a part of their public ministries . The nonverbal communications that they both used included but were not limited to sign gestures, facial expressions, animation and body language. The body motions were used to include the posture and facial expressions that both of these prophets were known for.
God inspired the prophets to tell the people what they needed to be able to live in God’s light. God inspired inspires all prophets especially Jeremiah and Ezekiel to reveal to the Israelites why they needed to suffer and be captives and endure the life that they have instead of the life that they want.
As Ezekiel went on through his mission that God had for him, his mannerism became more and more pronounced. The animation that he used when speaking with the people helped to convey the message especially to the people in the Babylonian captivity.
Influential People of Ezekiel
Isaiah is the prophet who first spoke of the Temple and wrote much of his prophecies in poetry. Isiah spoke of the destruction of the Jewish state. The Jews claim to Israel as they had the right to nationhood. His own grandfather murdered him when he spoke of the troubles that were to besiege the Jews. Isaiah is one of the four major prophets of the Old Testament. These four men had the responsibility from God to carry the message from God directly to the people.
Isaiah probably had the most influence on the later developments of Judaism and Christianity as he was charged to deliver the message that no one wanted to hear. The people had turned from God and Isaiah had to tell them to shape up and return to God. If they chose to go along their current paths the result would be judgement where people would be held responsible for their actions. Isaiah spoke to kings and the faithful alike. The kings were not thrilled to hear that they would have to face judgement.
In addition Isaiah was tasked with describing to the people the Messiah. The most famous verse of Isaiah is Isaiah 53:
Yet He Himself bore our sicknesses,
And He carried our pains
But we in turn regarded Him stricken,
Struck down by God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced because of our transgressions,
Crushed because of our iniquities,
Punishment for our peace was on Him,
And we are healed by His wounds.
We all went astray like sheep,
We all have turned to our own way,
And the Lord has punished Him
For all the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:4-6)
Jeremiah risked his life to plead with the Jewish king to change his ways and prevent the destruction and paltry happenings of the Jews. Jeremiah suffered throughout his life and he authored the Book of Lamentations while in prison. He was totally dedicated to the Jews of the time. He marched with the Jews into Babylon and was a leader who was great enough to lead a great nation.
The Book of Lamentations was written by Jeremiah as he was so unhappy over the destruction of Jerusalem. Since he was a contemporary of Ezekiel he was charged with winning the people back to God in a time of trouble. Hence the Book of Lamentations give the people hope in a very troubling time.
Daniel, also a Babylonian captive as Ezekiel is thought of in the story of the small person who was thrown into the lion’s den and he came out which was due to the grace of God. God gave favor to Daniel in authority over Nebuchadnezzar.
Pelatiah was a man spoken of in the Book of Ezekiel as on the princes. Pelatiah deviced “mischief and gave wicked counsel”. Ezekiel was greatly troubled by his death. Ezekile begged God to cast aside his wrongdoings and judge Pelatiah in a favorable light. God however, “will not make a full end of the remnant” (Ezekiel 11:13).
Nebuchadnezzar was the King of the Babylonian Empire who had the Hanging Gardens built and ordered the destruction of the Jewish temple. He was plagued by many dreams and when the magicians of Babylon failed to interpret a troubling dream, Nebuchadnezzar threatens to have them killed. In one of his recurring dreams the Babylonian armies exiled three thousand Jews from Judah. He forced Ezekiel to write the Book of Ezekiel in captivity.
Three pious men went to Ezekiel to ask if they should go before Neuchadnezzar and ask for exception as they did not want to bow before the pagan gods. Ezekiel told them not to go. The three pious men, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah went anyway and there had been no dreams before they went but when they were along the journey God appeared to Ezekiel. In that dream he pointed it out to Ezekiel that he actually believed that God would let harm come to these pious men. God treated Ezekiel as one of little faith in this episode. God said to Ezekiel “Thou dost believe indeed that I will abandon them. That shall not happen, but do thou let them carry out their intention according to their pious dictates and tell them nothing” .
Conclusion
The four Major Prophets included Ezekiel and since they were all foretelling of the goodness of God as much of their messages were similar to that of Ezekiel’s. Only Ezekiel’s message was more animated and he was a fan of the hand and body motions that people began to remember as a lively and energetic prophet. The four Major Prophets were not doom and gloom prophets but very clear in their message as to the goodness that was God’s. They all encouraged the people of the time to remain faithful to God. The time of captivity was difficult without a doubt but God would be their salvation. The prophets spoke of the coming of the Messiah who would rid them of the trauma of the captivity. It was not an easy task that the prophets had but the grace of God helped these four prophets to be successful.
When God sends a person on a mission the mission is bound to succeed. God has a plan for all of us and in that plan we are not going to fail. Ezekiel made sure that the people knew of his mission. Jesus was coming. The gates of heaven were to be opened and the “dry bones” would rise again in glory. God was clear with Ezekiel in his dreams that the people needed to know this and believe in the words that he was hearing in his dreams.
As Jeremiah, also says, the times that they lived seemed very difficult. These two prophets kept the line of Jesus intact for us to enjoy the promises of salvation that come only from remaining faithful to God. Ezekiel was a truly great prophet and offered many people the promise even before Jesus came to earth.
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