Ezekiel: ‘They shall know that I am God’

The *sin of Judah and the judgement of God

An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on Ezekiel chapters 1 to 24

www.easyenglish.info

Ian Mackervoy

This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

Words in boxes are from the Bible.

A word list at the end explains words with a *star by them.

About this book

1. History

After the death of King Solomon, the *Israelite nation became divided. 10 of the 12 *tribes set up a separate country with their own kings. These 10 northern *tribes *turned away from the *Lord their God. After several centuries, God sent the nation called Assyria to fight against them. In the year 722 *BC the 10 *tribes went into *exile in Assyria.

At that time, God did not remove the two southern *tribes. These two *tribes formed the nation called Judah. But during the next 100 years, the people in Judah became very evil. They became as bad as the 10 *tribes, or even worse.

Ezekiel does refer to Judah as *Israelites. During Ezekiel’s life, Judah was all that remained of the original nation called *Israel. But some of the *prophecies in the book are for all the *Israelites.

The agreement that God made with *Israel warned the people. It said that the people must obey God. If they did not obey, God would send them into *exile among the nations. This happened to the 10 *tribes. It would soon happen to the people who lived in Judah.

In the year 598 *BC, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Judah. After three months, the new king of Judah, Jehoiachin, handed over the city called Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar.

In the year 597 *BC, Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin, his family and the leaders of the people to Babylon. Among these was a priest, Ezekiel. Nebuchadnezzar made Zedekiah, who was the uncle of Jehoiachin, king in Jerusalem.

Zedekiah was not loyal to the king of Babylon. So, the *Babylonians destroyed the cities in Judah. Then in the year 586 *BC, they destroyed Jerusalem. The *Babylonians killed most of the people in Jerusalem. But they took some people to Babylon.

2. Ezekiel the *prophet

All that we know about Ezekiel is in this book. His name means ‘God gives strength.’ Ezekiel was born in the year 627 *BC. He was a priest, the son of Buzi the priest. He belonged to the family of Zadok, who was a famous priest. Ezekiel went into *exile at the same time as King Jehoiachin in the year 597 *BC. Ezekiel lived with other *exiles at the river called Chebar. His home was in Tel-Abib town. His wife died in the 9th year of his *exile.

The book is full of personal experiences:

·        Ezekiel shut himself in his home and bound himself. The *Lord made him dumb – Ezekiel 3:24-26.

·        God told Ezekiel to lie on his right side and then on his left side for 430 days – Ezekiel 4:4-8.

·        God put a limit on Ezekiel’s food and drink during that period. And Ezekiel obeyed – Ezekiel 4:12.

·        Ezekiel had to shave his head and his beard – Ezekiel 5:1.

·        God did not permit Ezekiel to be sad at the death of his wife – Ezekiel 24:15-24.

·        Ezekiel lost his speech – Ezekiel 24:27.

God intended Ezekiel to give a message to *Israel by means of the experiences in his life – Ezekiel 24:24.

Ezekiel lived at the same time as Jeremiah the *prophet. But Ezekiel does not mention Jeremiah. Jeremiah was still in Judah while Ezekiel was with the *exiles.

Ezekiel’s first *prophecy was in the year 593 *BC and he continued to *prophesy for about 20 years. Ezekiel dates his last message as in the year 571 *BC. Through the book, he is careful to date each message. He spoke to the *exiles from Judah who lived with him near the river Chebar.

The first part of the book (chapters 1-24) deals with the failure of God’s people. Ezekiel tells how God will punish them. He tells the *exiles that God will destroy Jerusalem. When this had happened, he changes his message. Then he tells about the punishment of the nations (chapters 25-32). Chapters 33-39 look forward to the future. These chapters describe the return of the people from *Israel to their country. The last part of the book (chapters 40-48) describes the future *temple. And the *tribes of *Israel will divide the country in a new way.

3. The shape of the book of Ezekiel

Part One	The *sin of Judah and the judgement of God	1:1-24:27
Part Two	Punishment of the nations	25:1-33:20
Part Three	God will bring *Israel back to the country	33:21-39:29
Part Four	The future *temple and *sacrifices	40:1-48:35

 

Part One The *sin of Judah and the judgement of God – Ezekiel 1:1-24:27
The *vision of the *glory of God	1:1-28
The *Lord tells Ezekiel what he must do	2:1-3:27
The *Lord will destroy Jerusalem	4:1-5:17
Enemies will destroy the country called Judah	6:1-7:27
The *Israelites and their false gods	8:1-18
Judgement on Jerusalem and God’s *glory leaves	9:1-11:25
The *Lord’s reply to the *exiles	12:1-19:14
*Prophecies of *disaster for Judah	20:1-24:27
Part Two Punishment of the nations – Ezekiel 25:1-33:20
Punishment of the countries near Judah	25:1-17
Punishment of Tyre and Sidon	26:1-28:24
God will bring his people back to *Israel	28:25-26
Punishment of Egypt	29:1-33:20
Part Three God will bring *Israel back to the country – Ezekiel 33:21-39:29
The country that God promised to *Israel	33:21-33
True and false leaders	34:1-31
The *Lord will cure the country	35:1-36:15
*Israel returns to the country	36:16-37:28
Defeat of those who attack the country	38:1-39:29
Part Four The future *temple and *sacrifices – Ezekiel 40:1-48:35
Plan of the new *temple	40:1-43:27
Priests and *sacrifices	44:1-46:24
*Israel’s new country	47:1-48:29
The city with 12 gates	48:30-35

 

Part One – Ezekiel 1:1 to 24:27 The *sin of Judah and the judgement of God

The *vision of the *glory of God – Ezekiel 1:1-28

·        This was a very special experience for Ezekiel. He felt the power of God. He saw the special *angels called *cherubim. He saw God’s *throne. He even saw an impression of God’s *glory. And then God spoke to Ezekiel.

Chapter 1

The time and the place of the *vision – Ezekiel 1:1-3

Verse 1 Ezekiel was one of the *exiles from Jerusalem. He was here with other *exiles by the River Chebar. The *Babylonians knew this river as the Grand Canal. It flowed south and east from the river Euphrates at Babylon. It was deep and wide enough for large boats. They carried goods to and from Babylon. The river also provided water for use on the farms. Ezekiel’s home was in Tel-abib, which was near this river.

‘It was the 30th year.’ The 30th year probably refers to Ezekiel’s age. He was the son of Buzi, a *temple priest. Ezekiel would have become a priest at the age of 30. But he went into *exile before he could begin to work as a priest in Jerusalem. So, he received his first *vision at the date that he qualified to be a priest. It was the 5th year during the *exile of King Jehoiachin. The *exile began in 597 *BC, so this was 593 *BC. This means that Ezekiel was born in the year 623 *BC.

Ezekiel saw these *visions on the 5th day of the 4th month. The 4th month would be, for us, June or July. It seemed that ‘the skies opened’. In other words, it was as if Ezekiel could see beyond the skies. He ‘saw *visions of God’. God gave Ezekiel a glimpse of his (God’s) *glory.

Verses 2-3 King Jehoiachin was still the proper king of Judah. But the *Babylonians took him into *exile in 593 *BC. Zedekiah ruled over Judah instead of Jehoiachin. This was the 5th year during that *exile.

God spoke to Ezekiel as he (God) would do many more times in this book. Ezekiel was aware of God. He felt the power of God upon him.

The country of the *Chaldeans was the southern part of the country called Babylon.

*Vision of the *cherubim – Ezekiel 1:4-14

Verse 4 In the *vision, Ezekiel records the stormy wind that comes from the north. The *glory of the *Lord came from that direction. The cloud hid the complete *glory of God. The bright lights showed something of that *glory as it shone through the cloud. The glowing ‘metal’ was the *creatures and the *throne as they approached.

Verses 5-7 Ezekiel then saw the 4 *creatures in the cloud. He describes these *creatures. He records that their shape seemed like the shape of men. But each *creature had 4 faces and 4 wings. And each *creature had two legs like a man; but the feet were like the feet of a cow.

These 4 *creatures reflect the power of God. The 4 faces of each of the *creatures look in all directions. This is to show that God has power over the whole earth. They carry the *throne of God.

Verses 8-11 These *creatures are the *cherubim. Their task is to show that God is holy. They have hands like the hands of a man. The hands show that they are strong. And, that they can work. They are the servants of God. They go where he orders. They do what he tells them.

Each of them has 4 faces. They each have the face of a man, of a lion, of an *ox and of an *eagle. These faces are in the same order on each *cherub. The human face is to the front. The lion face is to the right. The *ox face is to the left. The *eagle face is at the back. Of all the animals on earth, men and women are superior. The lion is the king of the wild animals. The *ox is the best of the animals that farmers keep. The *eagle is the leader among the birds of the air. These faces are an expression of the power of God in all that he has made.

The face of a man shows that the *cherubim are intelligent. The face of a lion shows that they are very strong and powerful. The face of an *ox shows that they are patient. They are servants of God. The face of the *eagle shows how quick they can be. They immediately do what God wants. And there is no delay.

Each *cherub has two pairs of wings. The upper pair stretches out to touch the wings of two other *cherubs. They moved in the form of a square so that each one touched two other *cherubs. When they moved they were all in perfect unity. Their other pairs of wings covered their bodies.

Verse 12 The *cherubim could move in any direction but they did not turn. Their human faces were toward each of north, south, east and west. As they went, they did not need to turn. The Spirit of God controlled the *cherubim. They went as he directed.

Verses 13-14 The fire was in the middle of the *cherubim. So, Ezekiel saw the bright light and the flames of a fire. The fire was so bright that flashes of lightning came from it. The *cherubim moved at the speed of lightning.

*Vision of the wheels – Ezekiel 1:15-25

Verse 15 There was a high wheel by each of the 4 *creatures. The 4 wheels were the same. Ezekiel saw this vehicle, which carried the *throne of God. Above the 4 wheels were the 4 *creatures. The 4 *creatures carried the *throne.

Verse 16 Each wheel seemed to have a wheel inside a wheel. In other words, each wheel had another one across its centre. The wheels shone with the colour of *beryl. *Beryl was a precious stone that may have been a pale green colour.

Verse 17 The vehicle did not travel on the ground but through the air. So, the wheels were not there to move the vehicle. It moved in all directions but the wheels did not turn.

Verse 18 A wooden wheel would have heavy nails in the edge that touched the road. These were for strength so that the edge of the wheel would not wear out quickly. Ezekiel saw that, instead of nails, there were eyes all round the edge of the wheels. There were many eyes. They looked in all directions. They could see all things. We can hide nothing from God. He sees and knows everything.

Verses 19-21 The *cherubim had control of the wheels. When the *cherubim moved, the wheels had to go with them. The Spirit of God had control of the *cherubim. Where the Spirit went, the *cherubim had to go.

Verse 22 The cover above the *cherubim was a platform for the *throne. From below, the cover was like the sky. Light shone through it as light through ice or a precious stone.

Verses 23-25 The *cherubim had 4 wings each. With two, they stretched out to the next *cherub. With the other two, they covered their bodies. When they moved, the noise of their wings was loud. Ezekiel describes that noise in three ways. It was like the sound of the sea. It was like the voice of God. And it was like sound of a large army.

The sea moves with a force that nobody can oppose. The waves crash in and out. They come and go. And nobody can stop them.

Like the noise of a storm is the voice of God. The power of God as he speaks is awful. It would make the bravest person afraid.

The sound of a large army ready for battle brings fear into the heart of a man.

God spoke. The *cherubim stood still and lowered their wings.

*Vision of the *throne – Ezekiel 1:26-28

Verse 26 Above the cover, Ezekiel saw something that was like a *throne. It shone like a *sapphire and it was bright blue.

On the *throne, there was a person. In form, he was like a man. But he was not a man. God shows himself here in a form similar to a man.

Verse 27 The effect of the *vision hid God from direct view. The lower part of the figure glowed as with fire. The upper part glowed with an inner light. It had a colour like metal, when it glows in a fire. There was a bright light that shone with many colours round the *throne.

Verse 28 The light was like the colours of the rainbow. All this light reflected the *glory of God. The whole *vision showed the *glory of God.

Ezekiel felt that he was standing there in front of God. The sight was so magnificent that he fell down. Clearly, he was full of fear. Nobody can see God and live. Ezekiel did not see God himself. Here was an impression of the character and *glory of God.

This *vision of the *Lord was to prepare Ezekiel for the work that he had to do. Then God spoke to him.

The *Lord tells Ezekiel what he must do – Ezekiel 2:1-3:27

·        God told Ezekiel that he (Ezekiel) would have to obey him (God) completely. The people were already opposing God. So, they would oppose Ezekiel when he told them God’s message. But Ezekiel still had a duty to declare God’s message. God was giving the people one more opportunity to obey him.

Chapter 2

The *Lord sends Ezekiel to the *Israelites – Ezekiel 2:1-7 

Verses 1-2 Ezekiel was face down on the ground. The *vision that he saw was too wonderful for him. It filled him with terror and fear. No human person could continue to stand when the *glory of God was shining all round.

The voice told him to get up on his feet. But he did not have the strength to do so. The Spirit of God came into him. The Spirit took hold of him and lifted him up. He stood in front of the *vision of God’s *glory. Then he was ready to hear what the voice would say to him.

The voice was the voice of him who sat on the *throne. That is, the *Lord God spoke to Ezekiel. God called him ‘*son of man’ and this title appears 90 times in this book. This title would remind Ezekiel that he was a mere man. He would be so aware of his weakness as the *Lord God spoke to him. He would have to depend on the Spirit to make him strong. Only then could he do what God told him to do.

Verses 3-4 God said to Ezekiel, ‘I am sending you.’ Ezekiel is to be God’s agent to the people. God gives him his authority for the task. He must go to his own people. He must tell them what God says.

The *Israelite nation had not been loyal to God. Through their history, this nation had neglected to obey God. God had sent his servants to warn the people about their behaviour. But most people had opposed God’s message. And those who were alive were no better. They still refused to obey God. Worse than this, they had *turned to other gods. The *Israelites had become enemies of their God.

God sent Ezekiel to speak his messages to them.

Verse 5 Ezekiel had to go and speak to the people on behalf of God. It did not matter whether they listened or not. He still had to speak the words of God to them. This would be hard since the people had *turned away from God. But Ezekiel was to speak to them with God’s authority.

‘They may listen, or they may not listen.’ But it will be clear to them that Ezekiel speaks the words of God. They will have no excuse. They will know that Ezekiel is a *prophet. And they will know that God sent him.

Verses 6-7 When Ezekiel speaks, some of the people will be angry. They may reply with cruel words. They may be fierce and do awful things. But Ezekiel must not be afraid of them.

*Thorns cut into the skin. *Scorpions sting and their sting contains poison. The cuts and stings are pictures in words of things that hurt. Even if he suffers pain, Ezekiel must not be afraid. He must not be afraid, whatever the people may do. This is a command of God to Ezekiel.

The people may oppose him. They may refuse to listen. They may attack him. But Ezekiel must obey God and speak his words to them.

A *scroll with the message on it – Ezekiel 2:8-10

Verse 8 Ezekiel had to hear what God said to him. He had to understand the message that God gave to him. God told Ezekiel to eat what he gave to him. This action had a special meaning. When we eat, the food becomes part of us. God’s words were to become part of Ezekiel’s life.

Verse 9 The *Lord gave Ezekiel the *scroll, which he had to eat. He saw the hand come towards him. We do not know whether this was the hand of God or the hand of a *cherub. But the hand held out the *scroll to Ezekiel.

Verse 10 In those days, people wrote books on skins of animals. They rolled up the book and it was a *scroll. Usually they would only write on one side of the skins. But here there were words on both sides of the *scroll.

The hand spread out the *scroll. Ezekiel could see what was in it. He may not have read the *scroll. But he saw that in it there were funeral songs, sad words and words about troubles. The first 32 chapters of this book are full of these. But the later chapters show a brighter (happier) future for the *Israelites.

Chapter 3

Ezekiel eats the *scroll – Ezekiel 3:1-3

Verses 1-3 The *Lord gave the *scroll to Ezekiel for him to eat it. This action had a special meaning. Ezekiel had to know the message before he could speak it. So, he had to eat the *scroll (accept the message) in preparation for his work. The message in the *scroll was a difficult one. But his task was to speak that message to the *Israelites.

Ezekiel obeyed God and he opened his mouth. He ate the *scroll. He swallowed it and he took it into his stomach. It became part of him. The message in the *scroll was bad. But as he ate it, it had a sweet taste. It was like the taste of honey.

Ezekiel would have many enemies. And people would refuse what he said. But it is a pleasure to serve God. And that pleasure would be greater then those problems. A task may be hard or painful. But it is a joy to do what God wants.

Instructions to Ezekiel – Ezekiel 3:4-11

Verses 4-7 The *Lord now sends Ezekiel to speak to the *Israelites. If the *Lord had sent Ezekiel to foreigners, they would have listened to him. Ezekiel would not understand them but they would still accept (believe) God’s message. But God’s own people would not listen to Ezekiel. They were too *stubborn. They would not listen to God because they had *turned away from him. This situation was awful. God’s people were even worse than the nations round them.

It would seem that Ezekiel had failed in his task. But this is not true. His task was to speak the words of God. He was not responsible for the results of it.

Verses 8-9 The people were strong in mind. They were *stubborn. They had closed their minds; in other words, they would not even listen. And they would oppose Ezekiel and refuse his message. So, God promised to make Ezekiel stronger in mind. Ezekiel would be strong and he would not fail. Ezekiel would declare God’s message by the strength of the *Lord. The people would not be able to stop Ezekiel.

Verses 10-11 The word of the *Lord had to become part of Ezekiel. Then he could go and speak it. He had to think about the message of the *Lord. He had to believe it to be true. If he were not sure of the message, he could not speak it with confidence. But when he was sure of the message then he could speak with the authority of God.

The *vision moves away – Ezekiel 3:12-15

Verse 12 This first *vision now ends. The Spirit lifted Ezekiel up. All that he had seen began to move. He heard the loud sounds as of a voice behind him. It said, ‘Praise the *glory of God’. The *cherubim were praising God, who was on his *throne. Praise God because the *glory belongs to him alone!

Verse 13 As the *vision moved, Ezekiel heard the sounds of the wings of the *cherubim. The wheels also made a loud noise as they moved.

Verse 14 Ezekiel must tell the people the message that God had given to him. The message was about God’s judgement against the *Israelites. They would suffer a terrible punishment because of their evil deeds. Ezekiel did not want to do what God had told him. But he knew that he must do it. This upset him and he was angry. He was unhappy with what he had heard. He knew that the people would not listen to him. They would not accept what he had to say.

God was with Ezekiel. He felt that the power of God was holding him. He knew that he must go to the people. Now he could not avoid the task.

Verse 15 Ezekiel had come back to Tel-Abib town where he lived with the *exiles. There it took him a whole week to think about the *vision. It took all that time for him to recover after that experience. The *vision that he had seen worried him. The terror of the message was almost too much for him. He sat there unable to say anything.

Ezekiel is to be a *look-out for the people – Ezekiel 3:16-21

Verses 16-17 At the end of the week, the *Lord spoke to Ezekiel. The *Lord made Ezekiel a *look-out for the *Israelites. In those days, a *look-out was a special type of guard. The *look-out would stand on the wall of a city. His job was to watch for enemies and other dangers. If he saw any danger to the city, he had to warn the people. Such danger could be from an army that was approaching. Or it could be a problem inside the city such as a fire.

The *Lord would tell Ezekiel about the dangers that would happen. As the *look-out for the people, he had to sound the alarm. That is, he had to make people aware of the danger. He had to tell the people what God had said.

Verses 18-19 Ezekiel must listen to the *Lord and then warn the people. He was responsible for the task that God gave to him. If he did not warn the people then God would blame him for the results. If he did warn the people then he was without blame.

He had to tell the wicked man to change how he lived. The wicked man would die if he did not change. The death of the wicked man would be the result of that man’s own *sin. But if that man did change then he would live. However, if Ezekiel did not warn him, that man would die. But God would blame Ezekiel for that death.

All people are responsible for what they do. They are responsible for their own deeds, whether those deeds are good or bad. But Ezekiel’s responsibility was to declare God’s message. When God sent him, Ezekiel had to warn the people. If Ezekiel did not do so, God would blame him also.

Verses 20-21 A good person may change and do evil deeds. That person will die because of those evil deeds. The good deeds of the past will not save that person. That person will die. If Ezekiel had not warned that person then he (Ezekiel) is to blame for that death.

Perhaps the person would not act when Ezekiel warned him. Then Ezekiel was not to blame. But God did not want that person to suffer. So, God was sending Ezekiel in order to give that person another opportunity. If that person *turned from *sin, then that person would live.

God speaks to Ezekiel – Ezekiel 3:22-27

Verse 22-23 Ezekiel knew that God was there because he felt God’s power. He heard God speak. So, Ezekiel went out to the plain. There the *glory of God appeared to him as it had done before at the river Chebar. This time he did not see the *vision come toward him. But, as before, he fell down with his face to the ground. Although he had seen it before, the effect was as great. He fell down in fear at the sight of the *glory of God.

Verse 24 The Spirit of God came to Ezekiel. The Spirit lifted Ezekiel to his feet and then the Spirit spoke to him. He told Ezekiel what to do and what would happen. He told Ezekiel to shut himself in his own house. He must not go out. He could not continue with his daily duties.

Verse 25 The Spirit told him that the *exiles would bind him. He would not be able to move about. He would not be able to leave his house. His house would be like a prison for him.

Verses 26-27 God would only allow Ezekiel to speak what God told him. He could say nothing else since God would make him dumb. He would not be able to have a conversation with people. He would not be able to discuss or to argue.

When Ezekiel did speak, the results were not his problem. He was just the agent of the *Lord. All that he said was the messages of the *Lord. The people were responsible for their own actions. They could choose to listen or they could refuse to listen.

God made Ezekiel dumb for 7 years. That period continued until the *Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem. But during that period, Ezekiel had to speak many messages from God. He would remain in his home except as God led him.

The *Lord will destroy Jerusalem – Ezekiel 4:1-5:17

·        God gave this *prophecy to Ezekiel. It was an unusual kind of *prophecy. God told Ezekiel to make a model and to carry out certain actions. The purpose of those actions was to show what would happen to Jerusalem and its inhabitants.

Chapter 4

The brick and the iron plate – Ezekiel 4:1-8

Verse 1 The *Babylonians did not have paper so, instead, they made their official records on bricks. They made the bricks out of heavy mud. They would scratch what they wanted to write on the soft brick. Then they would bake the brick in order to make it hard. These bricks were their books.

The *Lord told Ezekiel to draw the plan of Jerusalem on one of these bricks.

Verse 2 He had to make models of armies, fences and camps. He put these in place all round the map of Jerusalem.

Verse 3 The iron plate was an iron pan such as people used in order to cook food. Ezekiel had to put this plate between him and the brick. Then he had to look toward the brick and he had to act the battle against Jerusalem.

This was to show the people that there would be a real battle against Jerusalem. The army of the *Babylonians would destroy Jerusalem.

Zedekiah was the man that the *Babylonians had appointed as ruler of Jerusalem instead of the real King Jehoiachin. Zedekiah promised to serve the king of Babylon. But he did not *keep his promise. He asked the king of Egypt to help him fight the king of Babylon. So, the *Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in the year 586 *BC.

Verses 4-5 After Ezekiel had shown the battle for Jerusalem, the *Lord told him to lie down on his left side. The left side meant that he looked toward the north. This was to show that the message was for *Israel. *Israel here means the 10 northern *tribes in the country called *Israel. Judah was in the south of the country where the other two *tribes lived. (The country of the *Israelites had divided into two separate *kingdoms after Solomon’s death.)

Ezekiel had to lie on his left side for 390 days. Each day was for one year. God would punish *Israel for its *sins during these past years. So, 390 days means 390 years. But experts are not sure when these 390 years began. The 390 years may be from the time that *Israel separated from Judah. The end of that time may be when the *Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem. But these dates would not be quite accurate. Perhaps the meaning is simpler: *Israel’s *sins had continued for centuries. But Judah’s *sins (verse 6) were for a shorter period.

The text does not mean that Ezekiel was on his side for 24 hours each day. But he had to lie on his side for a part of each day.

Verse 6 Then Ezekiel had to lie on his right side for 40 days. The right side meant that he looked toward the south. This showed that God would punish Judah for 40 years. We do not know when these 40 years were. They could have ended with the 390 years or followed after them.

Verse 7 While he was lying on his sides, Ezekiel had to stare toward the brick of Jerusalem. With a bare arm over it, he *prophesied its defeat.           

Verse 8 All the time that Ezekiel was on his sides, he could not turn over. At the end of these days, the *Babylonians would destroy Jerusalem.

The lack of bread – Ezekiel 4:9-17

Verses 9-11 During the days when Ezekiel was on his sides, God told him what to eat. He had to make bread from a mixture of grains. That was his food for the 390 days. Each day he could eat just 8 ounces of this bread. He could drink two pints of water (a 6th of a *hin). In a hot country, this is hardly enough water for a person to drink each day. People would usually drink much more water than this.

When the armies of Babylon surrounded Jerusalem, there would be a lack of food. The people would not have enough wheat or *barley to make their bread. They would not have enough water to drink. The amount of food and water would be just enough to keep the people alive.

Verses 12-13 The *Lord told Ezekiel to bake the bread in front of the people. Ezekiel did not bake it in an oven, but on hot stones.

Ezekiel was to use human *dung as the fuel for the fire to heat the stones. The normal fuel would be animal *dung. But when the armies surrounded Jerusalem, the inhabitants would kill the animals in the city for meat. Then there would be no animal *dung for fuel. They would have to use human *dung.

In the religion of *Israel, the *Israelites could not use human *dung as fuel. (See Deuteronomy 23:12-14.) To do so would make the food *unclean. To eat *unclean food would make the people *unclean. In that state, they could not *worship their God. But in that time, they would have to eat *unclean food or die.

Verses 14-15 Ezekiel complained to God. He had never eaten *unclean food. He had always followed the strict food laws of his religion. So, God let him use cow *dung for fuel.

Verse 16-17 The *Lord would use the *Babylonians to punish the *Israelites. The lack of food is because no food would get into the city. But the real cause is the *Lord.

The people would have just a little food. They would have to make it last as long as possible. So, they would eat a little each day. There would not be enough water to drink. They would be able to have just a little each day. They would become thinner and weaker.

They would become thinner and weaker because of lack of food and drink. But the reason for this lack was their *sin. The *Lord God said that he would punish their *sin. And this situation would be part of that punishment.

Chapter 5

Ezekiel cuts and divides his hair – Ezekiel 5:1-4

Verse 1 The *Lord told Ezekiel to shave his head and his beard. Instead of a razor, he had to use a sharp sword. This was to show that the *Lord would use a sword (in other words, war) against the people. This sword meant the army of the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon was the agent of God to punish the people in Judah.

To shave the head was a sign of shame. For a priest to shave his head meant that he was not holy. He could not act as a priest. But Ezekiel obeyed God and he shaved his head and his beard. He showed that the people in Judah were not now holy to the *Lord.

Ezekiel weighed the hair and he divided it into three parts. This shows the judgement of God. He will divide the people in Judah into three groups. And he will punish them.

Verse 2 When Ezekiel had finished the battle for Jerusalem then he must burn a third of the hair. He burned them on the brick that was his Jerusalem (see 4:1). A third of the people in Jerusalem would die by fire.

Ezekiel must strike a third of the hair with his sword. A third of the people in Jerusalem would die by the sword. That is, the *Babylonian army would kill them.

The third that remained Ezekiel threw to the wind. It blew away. The last third of the people in Jerusalem would go into *exile.

God would use the army of Babylon to punish his people.

Verses 3-4 The final third would not all escape. Some of them would die by fire and some would die by the sword. So most of these families would never return to *Israel. But the few hairs in the clothes are safe. Some of the *exiles would escape and they would be safe. God still had a special plan for these few *Israelites. He would protect them in Babylon. And, in time, he would bring them back to *Israel.

About 4 years later Zedekiah *broke his promise to the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon attacked Jerusalem and the events in this *prophecy happened. The *prophecy was to prepare the *exiles with Ezekiel for the *disaster that would soon happen.

The *Lord will punish Jerusalem – Ezekiel 5:5-17

Verses 5-7 God loved Jerusalem. He had chosen that city for himself. He describes it as ‘the centre’ of the earth. In other words, he considered it more important than any other city. He had given his law to Jerusalem and to the *Israelites by Moses. That law contains promises for those who obeyed its rules. And it contains punishments for those who did not obey them.

The people in Jerusalem had not been loyal to God. They did not obey his laws. They did not even behave as well as the nations round them. They were more wicked than their neighbours. They *worshipped and served false gods. And they turned away from the real God.

Verses 8-9 God himself turned against Jerusalem. The nations will watch as God punishes the city. God has never done this before and he will never do it again. But he will punish them for all the evil things that they had done.

The rest of this chapter is a message from God to Jerusalem and its inhabitants. So, sometimes the word ‘you’ means the city. And sometimes ‘you’ means the inhabitants of the city.

Verse 10 There will not be enough food in the city when the army of Babylon surrounds it. The hunger will be so bad that the people will even kill each other for food. Parents will eat their children. And children will eat their parents.

God will scatter those who remain alive. A small number will go into *exile. But most of the people will die as God punishes them.

Verse 11 The *temple should have been the place where the people would go to *worship God. But the people had brought false gods into the *temple. They did evil things in God’s holy *temple. It was not fit for the *worship of God. God would leave the *temple and he would destroy it.

The people had made the *temple an *unclean place. So, God would *destroy the people. He would not save them from the *disaster to come.

Verse 12 Hunger and disease will kill a third of the people. The *Babylonian army will kill a third of the people. Zedekiah and his men will try to escape but the soldiers will catch them. Those who escape from the city will not be safe. The *Lord will pursue them and many of them will die.

Verse 13 God was angry because of all their *sin. God hates *sin. When he has punished them, his anger will end. Then they will know that he is the *Lord. They will know that he has spoken.

Verses 14-17 The *Lord by Ezekiel gives a list of the *disasters that are to happen in Jerusalem soon. God will destroy Jerusalem. People from other nations will know that the *Lord has done it. They will know that God was so angry with his people. They will know that the *Israelites were not loyal to their God. Because of this, the people from other nations will blame and insult the *Israelites.

The crops will fail and many people will starve to death. Wild animals will attack and kill some of them. Animals will take away children for their food. Many people will die because they are sick. Then the army of Babylon will kill most of those people who are still alive.

God said that all this would happen. And in just a few years, it did.

Enemies will destroy the country called Judah – Ezekiel 6:1-7:27

·        God told Ezekiel about the awful punishment that the people in Judah would suffer. They would suffer because of their *sin, especially the *worship of false gods. They would die because of war, disease and hunger. Those people who did not die would become *exiles. But they would know that the *Lord is God.

·        The events in this *prophecy happened in the year 586 *BC, when the *Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem.

Chapter 6

God will break the *altars and remove the false gods – Ezekiel 6:1-14

Verses 1-3 The *sin that would cause *disaster for Jerusalem was the *worship of false gods. The *worship of false gods in *Israel started in the time of the judges. (In other words, the people who led *Israel before the country had kings. See the Book of Judges.) Men like Samuel, David, Asa and Hezekiah had tried to stop it. But the *worship of false gods did not stop. In the time of King Manasseh, the *worship of false gods increased. He ruled for 55 years. By the time of Ezekiel, this evil *worship was out of control.

God told Ezekiel to look toward the mountains in *Israel. Ezekiel had to look in that direction as he spoke this *prophecy to the *exiles.

The *Lord was speaking to the mountains and hills in *Israel. The tops of hills were the places where the people *worshipped the false gods. The main gods were Baal and the sun god. In the streams and valleys, they *worshipped other gods such as Molech.

The *Lord would cause the *Babylonians to attack the country. They would destroy all these places of *worship.

Verses 4-5 Those who are at these *altars will die there. The *Lord will break down all the *altars and kill the people. The dead bodies and the bones will ruin the *altars. So, the *altars will be *unclean and people cannot again use them again for *worship.

Verses 6-7 The *Lord now speaks to the people. He says that he will destroy their towns. He will destroy the high places where the people served the false gods. The high places were stone platforms on which the people built their *altars. He will break the false gods in pieces. He will break down the *altars. He will kill many of the people.

By these actions, the people will know that God is the *Lord. They must *worship him as the only God.

Verse 8 All the *Israelites deserved the punishment of God. But God will not destroy the whole nation. God will always preserve some of the *Israelites. When he destroys Jerusalem, he will pity some of the people. They will escape but they will go into *exile.

Verses 9-10 When the people live as *exiles in foreign countries, they will think about the past. They will remember the days when *Israel *worshipped God. They will realise how wicked they have been. But it will be too late to prevent God’s punishment.

They will understand that God suffered pain because of their *sin. He loved them but he had to punish them. They had *broken the agreement that they had with God. They had promised to love God and to serve only him. Yet, they had not been loyal to him. They *turned away from him. They *worshipped and served the gods of the nations about them.

In *exile, they will realise how evil their actions really were. They will regret it. They will hate themselves for what they have done. They will agree that God was right to punish them. He had to do it. But he had pity on those whom he sent into *exile.

They will know that the *Lord is God. There is nobody like him. All the false gods are as nothing because he is so great. He is the *Lord God. And he always does what he says. He warned them about the results of their evil deeds. They refused to obey him and so they suffered.

Verse 11 To clap the hands can be an expression of joy or pain. Here it is the pain of what is to happen to their people. The *exiles will clap hands and they will put their feet down hard. They will cry out with strong emotions. They will feel how terrible it will be for the *Israelites.

God will punish the *Israelites for all the evil things that they have done. Apart from some of those in *exile, they will all die. The means of their deaths will be war, hunger and disease.

Verses 12-13 There will be no escape from the anger of God. Wherever the people may go, they will die of diseases. If they remain in the country called *Israel, they will die by the sword. (In other words, their enemies will kill them.) Those who are in Jerusalem will die because of a lack of food. Where they *worshipped their false gods, there they will die.

Those whom God has allowed to live will see this. They will know that God has done it. He has punished his people, and they deserved it because of their *sin. They will know that God is the *Lord.

Verse 14 God will destroy all the *altars and high places. God will destroy all the false gods of the *Israelites. No part of the holy country will escape the anger of God. God will destroy from the desert to Diblah. This means he will destroy from the south to the north of the country. The whole of the country will be as an empty desert.

The *Lord will keep some of his people alive. Then they will know that he is God.

Chapter 7

The *disasters will happen soon – Ezekiel 7:1-13

Verses 1-4 The *Lord speaks by Ezekiel to the country called *Israel. His message is to the 4 corners of the country. This means that he speaks to the whole of the country called *Israel. He uses the word ‘country’ to mean all the people who live in the country. To the *exiles, the country called *Israel is their home where they belong. To them this must have been a sad message.

The end has come. Most *Israelites would die. And the *Lord would remove the rest of the *Israelites. God would not allow them to continue to live in *Israel. He was so angry at their wicked deeds.

God was the judge of what the people had done. He is a fair judge. He always does what is right. He would punish them and they deserved it. They had not obeyed his law. They had not done what they agreed to do. They had chosen to follow other gods. They had *turned away from the *Lord their God.

The people would suffer for all the evil things that they had done. The *Lord had often warned them but they would not change. So, they had no excuse. The *Lord would punish them as he had said. He always does what he says. He would not reduce the punishment. He would not pity them.

God would bring this *disaster on the *Israelites. Then they will know that he is the *Lord.

Verses 5-7 There will be not one *disaster but many. They will come quickly one after another, because the end has come. The *Lord sends them against the people who live in the country. The time had almost come when God would punish *Israel.

That day will be one of terror. There will be no joy but only pain and shock. It will be so sudden that all will be in confusion. There will be no escape. Then it will be too late to *turn back to God. He had warned them but they had not listened to him.

Verses 8-9 These verses say the same as verses 3-4. God is angry against *sin. All the wicked things that people do are *sin. God will punish *sin. These people had *turned from God to false gods. They did such evil things. God warned them what would happen. But they would not come back to God. So, God had to punish them for their wicked behaviour.

All these *disasters will come on the people. Then they will know that God is the *Lord.

Verses 10-11 The *sin of the people had become worse than ever before. God could not allow them to continue their wicked behaviour. The day of judgement had come.

The power of the *Babylonians had increased. They were a cruel and evil people. But God chose to use the king of Babylon as a stick to punish *Israel. That king was Nebuchadnezzar. His armies destroyed Jerusalem in the year 586 *BC. Many of the people had died of hunger or disease. The *Babylonian army killed most of those who remained alive. Some they sent into *exile. They took all that was valuable away from the city.

Verse 12-13 Normal life would not be possible in that day. There would be no purpose in commerce. To buy or to sell would be in vain. The anger of God is against both the seller and the customer. Neither of them will escape. They will both suffer death or *exile.

The effect on those who did not die – Ezekiel 7:14-27

Verses 14-16 The army of Babylon is round about the city called Jerusalem. The soldiers are ready for the battle. But the people in Judah will not go out to fight. They are so weak that they cannot form an army for the battle.

The army of Babylon will kill any of them who are not in the city. Their army is the agent of the anger of God.

The army will not allow food to come into the city. Soon, there will be no more supplies of food in the city. The people will be hungry and sick. They will grow weak and they will die because of disease and hunger.

The *Lord will allow some people to live. These will escape to the mountains. The sound of *doves is a sad cry. Those who escape will cry like the *doves. They will know that they suffer because of their *sin.

Verses 17-22 Terror will fill the hearts of those who remain alive. They will be sad and they will put on rough clothes. Because of their despair, they will shave their heads.

Neither silver nor gold can save them from the anger of the *Lord. Money will be of no use. They cannot even buy food because there is none.

When they were wealthy, they *turned from the *Lord. They made false gods and *worshipped them. Now their wealth would be of no use to them. It would be no better than rubbish.

The *Babylonians were very evil and cruel soldiers. They would destroy Jerusalem. They would take all the wealth and the beautiful things from the city. They would ruin the *temple. They would remove from it everything that had any value.

Verses 23-27 It was not only in Jerusalem that the people in Judah did their wicked deeds. The people in the country were as bad as those in the city. So, the *Lord would bring the worst of nations to punish them. He sent the *Babylonians. They would attack the country. They would occupy all the houses. They would destroy all the places where the people had *worshipped their gods.

The people will desire peace but there will be no peace. As the *disasters increase, they try to find help. The *prophets pray to the *Lord but the *Lord does not answer them. Their leaders and wise men have no answers. There is no hope and they are in despair. Even the king and the prince are afraid of the terror that will come upon them.

They deserved all their troubles. The *Lord was punishing them because of their evil behaviour. Then they will know that God is the *Lord.

The *Israelites and their false gods – Ezekiel 8:1-18

·        In a *vision, God took Ezekiel to Jerusalem. There, Ezekiel saw how wicked the people had become. Even in God’s holy *temple, people were *worshipping false gods. And Ezekiel saw that the leaders, the women and the priests were all guilty of this *sin.

Chapter 8

The false god in the *temple – Ezekiel 8:1-6

Verse 1 Ezekiel records the exact date of this *vision. That was during September in the year 592 *BC. At the end of the *vision, the *Lord tells of the punishment that will happen. After it happens, the people will be able to see this record. Then they will know that God brought about these events.

This *vision continues from chapter 8 to chapter 11.

The leaders of the *exiles came to the house of Ezekiel. They had come to the *prophet in order to hear from the *Lord. But Ezekiel could bring no message of comfort to them. He told them about the *vision that God had given to him. But that was all that he could do.

Ezekiel felt the power of God. It was as if God laid his hand upon Ezekiel. It was so sudden and he seemed to rise up with the *Lord. God raised him up into this *vision.

Verse 2 As Ezekiel looked, he saw a strange person. This person was a *vision of the *Lord. The fire and the bright metal show something of the *glory of God. The description here is similar to Ezekiel 1:27.

Verse 3 Since Ezekiel had to cut off all his hair (Ezekiel 5:1), it had now grown again. God grasped him by his hair. The Spirit of God lifted Ezekiel into the air. In the *vision, they flew to Jerusalem.

They went to the *temple’s north gate. This gate was by the inner area at the north side of the *temple. In this area, there was a large image of a false god. Such an image ought not to be there. It caused God to be angry. This place was to be holy for the *Lord. It was a terrible *sin to erect there the image of a false god.

Verse 4 There was the false god. But there also was the *glory of the real God. Ezekiel saw the *glory of God as he had seen it before (Ezekiel chapter 1; Ezekiel 3:23).

Verses 5-6 The *Lord told Ezekiel to look toward the north. And he saw the image of a false god. Here the people *worshipped the false god. But they still would say that they *worshipped God as well. But they cannot *worship false gods and the real God. God’s command is that his people must *worship him alone. They must have no other gods. (See Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7.)

The *worship of other gods by the people in Judah made God angry. Because of the wicked things that the people did, God could not remain in his *temple.

Ezekiel saw what the people were doing by the north gate. These things were terrible but they were just the beginning. God warned that Ezekiel would see much worse things than these.

The leaders burn *incense to false gods – Ezekiel 8:7-13

Verses 7-10 The *Lord brought Ezekiel near to the entrance of the area about the *temple. Here was a secret room. All that Ezekiel could see was a hole in the wall. God told him to open up the wall. As he did so, he found a door.

The *Lord told him to go in. He went into the room. He saw there the 70 leaders of Judah. He watched them. And he saw what they were doing.

There were awful pictures all over the walls. These were of things that crawl and of *unclean animals. Also, the false gods of *Israel were there.

Verse 11 These 70 men were the leaders of Judah. They stood in front of the false gods. This means that they *worshipped the gods.

Shaphan had been a good man. He served King Josiah. When the builders found the book of God’s law in the *temple, he took it to the king. He read it. He helped to bring the people back to the *Lord God. (2 Kings 22:3-14). Now one of his sons, Jaazaniah, *worshipped false gods.

The name Jaazaniah means ‘the *Lord hears.’

In the *worship of God, only the priests would have *incense. These men were not priests. They burned *incense to the false gods. In the proper *worship of God, *incense was a sweet smell that the priests offered to him. Here the leaders took what belonged to the *Lord. And they offered it up to their false gods.

Verses 12-13 In this secret room, Ezekiel saw what the leaders did. Each one of them *worshipped his false god. The *Lord God sees all that happens, even in secret. We cannot hide anything from him. Yet, these men said that God did not see them. They said that God had gone from the country. But God is always there and he is everywhere. However, the *glory of God would not remain in that place. Soon the *glory of God would leave. And then the army from Babylon would destroy Jerusalem.

The leaders’ secret *sins were worse than anything that Ezekiel had seen before. But God said that Ezekiel would see even worse *sins.

The women *worship Tammuz – Ezekiel 8:14-15

Verses 14-15 Tammuz was a false god that the people had brought, long before this time, from Babylon. Another name for him was Dumuzi. This name means ‘the son of life.’ At first, he was the sun god. But later he became the god of the spring. His parents were the gods Ea and Sirdu. His wife was the female god Ishtar. His home was under the tree of life. And this tree was in the garden of Eridu. Eridu was between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates.

There were many stories about him. They tell of the death of Tammuz and how Ishtar wept for him. Then in the story Tammuz became alive again.

Tammuz became the name of a month in the year. This is about our months of June and July. In that month, the people who *worship Tammuz weep for his death. They weep as people weep after the death of their only son. This is what the women were doing at the north gate of the *temple.

It was not just the men who were *worshipping false gods. The women too had *turned away from the *Lord.

*Worship of the sun – Ezekiel 8:16-18

Verse 16 The inner area of the *temple was a holy place for the *worship of God. Here there were 25 men. These men would have been priests who served in the *temple. Yet, they had *turned their backs to the *temple. They had *turned away from the real God. They *worshipped the sun as it rose in the east. They were *worshipping Shamas, the sun god of Babylon. It is not possible to *worship false gods and the real God.

Verses 17-18 It was not just in their *worship that the people *sinned. Their whole manner of life had become wicked. (This is similar to the situation that Paul described in Romans 1:18-32.) The *Israelites were so bad that God was angry with them. He was so angry that he would punish them. He would destroy the city and the people. He would not listen even if they cried out to him for help.

Judgement on Jerusalem and God’s *glory leaves – Ezekiel 9:1-11:25

·        Even in God’s holy *temple, people were *worshipping false gods. But God’s *glory was still present in his *temple. This situation could not continue. The punishment of the inhabitants of Jerusalem would happen soon. But first, the *glory of God would leave Jerusalem.

Chapter 9

The man with a writer’s case – Ezekiel 9:1-4

Verses 1-2 God ordered 6 men to come. These men were *angels and not ordinary men. The Bible often speaks of *angels as men. They came through the same gate as Ezekiel had done. They came from the upper gate, which is at the north of the *temple. Each of these men had *weapons in his hands. The task of these men was to kill the people in the city. They were the agents of the *Lord, who would punish the people.

Another man came with the 6 men. He was different from the other men. He wore good clothes. He did not have any *weapons. But he had a writer’s case.

These men went and they stood by the *bronze *altar. This is the *altar where the priests burned *sacrifices to God.

Verses 3-4 In the *temple, there was the most holy place. In this room, there was the box of the agreement. Above this box were the *cherubim. Over the *cherubim was the place where the *glory of God stayed. It was here that the high priest brought the blood of the special *sacrifice for *sin (Hebrews 9:7). Here he asked God to forgive the people. Now the *glory of God left that room. God would not forgive the people. God went to the entrance ready to leave the *temple. As he left, the punishment would begin.

God spoke to the 7th man. God told him to go through Jerusalem. He must find all the people who hate the evil deeds of the city. He must mark the head of each of these with his pen and ink. This mark was the last letter of the *Hebrew alphabet. This was the letter ‘t’ (called ‘taw’). It was in the shape of a cross. The mark on the head would protect those people. The 6 men would not kill them.

6 *angels would kill the people. One *angel would mark those who would not die. The *Lord would save only a few of the people.

Punishment of the people – Ezekiel 9:5-11

Verses 5-7 The *Lord then told the 6 men to kill the people. He told them to kill the old people, the young people, men, women and children. But they must not touch those who had the mark. They started at the *temple first. The 25 men who *worshipped the sun (8:16-18) would be among the first to die. The 70 leaders who *worshipped false gods in the inner area (8:11) would die.

The punishment of God starts at his house. The people should have *worshipped and obeyed him there. But they had used the *temple for the *worship of false gods. They had refused to obey God.

Verse 8 Ezekiel was alone in the inner area of the *temple. He saw the events in the *temple. He knew what was happening in the city. And it was terrible. It upset him so much that he cried out to God. He knew that the cause of the *disaster was the *sin of the people. God was so angry that he sent the men to kill them. Ezekiel’s cry was in fact a prayer for God to stop. God must save some of those who were still alive. Ezekiel’s prayers had no effect because the *sin of the people was too great.

Verses 9-10 God answered Ezekiel that it was too late. The *Lord had warned the people in *Israel and Judah. They had refused to hear God. They would not listen to him. They had *turned away from him and they *worshipped false gods. They would not *repent of their *sin.

The people did such bad and cruel things. Their whole way of life was wicked. It was not just in their *worship but in their politics as well. They said that God could not see them. They did not believe that God would punish them. But God does see. God will do as he has said. There comes a time when God has to punish *sin. That time had come.

Verse 11 The man with the pen and ink came back. He reported to the *Lord that he had completed his task. All those who hated evil deeds had received the mark. That mark had saved them from death. (Compare Exodus 12:13.)

Even in the worst situation, God saves those who trust in him.

Chapter 10

Coals of fire over the city – Ezekiel 10:1-8

Verses 1-2 Ezekiel then saw again the *cherubim as he had seen them before. Above them was the *throne of the *Lord. The *Lord spoke to the man in good clothes. The man was not still carrying his writer’s case. The *Lord had a different task for him to do.

God told him to take fire coals from between the wheels. He told the man to scatter these coals over the city. These coals would cause fire to destroy the city. The man went in between the wheels, which were below the *cherubim.

Verses 3-4 The *cherubim were in the inner area to the south of the *temple. The *glory of God had moved to the *temple door. The *glory of the *Lord was like a cloud. It spread through the *temple and the areas round it.

Verse 5 The *cherubim were ready for the *Lord to leave the *temple. Their wings moved as they prepared to go. The sound of their wings was loud. The sound was like the voice of God. It seemed to declare that God would leave the *temple.

Verses 6-8 The *angel (the man with the good clothes) did what the *Lord told him to do. He went in between the wheels and he stood by one of them. A *cherub reached into the fire. The *cherubim had hands like human hands. This *cherub took coals in his hand from the fire that was among them. He put these coals of fire into the hands of the *angel.

Ezekiel does not tell here about the *angel’s next action. But God had told the *angel to pour the coals of fire over the city. Fire destroyed Jerusalem in the year 586 *BC (2 Kings 25:9).

The *cherubim and God’s *glory leave the city – Ezekiel 10:9-22

Verses 9-11 Ezekiel describes again the wheels and the *cherubim. These were the same as he saw by the River Chebar (see chapter 1). The wheels moved as the *cherubim moved. The *cherubim moved as the Spirit of God moved. The wheels did not turn. They went forward as the *cherubim led them. Each wheel seemed to have a wheel inside a wheel. That is, each wheel had another wheel across its centre. The *cherubim went in any direction but they did not turn their bodies.

Verses 12-14 All the *cherubim and the wheels were full of eyes. The *cherubim had eyes in their backs, hands and wings. The eyes show that they can see all things. As they see all things, so does God. Nobody can hide anything from the eyes of God (Hebrews 4:12-13).

There were 4 *cherubim and each one had a wheel. Someone called the wheels, ‘the wheels that spin.’ They did not turn to move in any direction. But they did spin and they made a noise.

The *cherubim each had 4 faces. Three of these are the same as in the first *vision (see chapter 1:10). But the 4th face here is not the face of an *ox. It is the face of a *cherub. We do not know the reason for the change.

Verses 15-17 The *cherubim and their wheels were preparing to leave the *temple. They rose from the ground and the wheels rose with them. The *cherubim and the wheels always move together as one.

Verses 18-22 The *glory of God left the *temple. It had come out of the most holy place already. It had come to the door. Now it moved away from the door to stand above the *cherubim. The *cherubim, their wheels and the *throne moved. They stopped about 50 yards away at the east gate. As they went the *glory of God went above them.

God had left his *temple. God had warned *Israel that he would do so. This is what God told Moses in Deuteronomy 31:17.

The *glory of God had been present at the *temple for about 4 centuries. You can read how the *glory of God entered the *temple in 1 Kings 8:6-11. But now Ezekiel watched as God’s *glory left the *temple. And because God’s *glory left, his special protection for Jerusalem ended. Now nothing prevented the punishment of the people in the city. These things were happening because their lives were so evil.

Ezekiel saw that the 4 *creatures were the *cherubim. They were the same as he had seen by the River Chebar (see chapter 1).

Chapter 11

How God would punish the leaders of *Israel – Ezekiel 11:1-13

Verse 1 Ezekiel watched the *glory of the *Lord move to the east gate of the *temple. Then the Spirit took him there. He saw 25 men who met by that gate. They were leaders of the people in Judah.

They are not the same men that he had seen before. He recognised two of them, Jaazaniah and Pelatiah. In the other group, there was a man with the name of Jaazaniah. That man was the son of Shaphan but this one was the son of Azzur.

Verses 2-4 These leaders had lied to the people. The *prophets warned the people that God would destroy Jerusalem. These leaders told them that this was not true. This shows their false security and how proud the leaders were. They said that the city was safe. No injury would come so the people should build houses. They wanted to obtain as much profit as they could from such actions. And they plotted evil things against God and the people.

The meat inside the pot is safe from the fire. These men said that the people are safe like meat in the pot. They did not believe that God would allow the *Babylonians to destroy the *temple or the city. The people would be safe in the city.

The *Lord told Ezekiel to *prophesy against these men. God had a message for them. Ezekiel must tell them that God will punish them.

Verses 5-6 The *Lord knew the thoughts of these leaders. They could hide nothing from God. He knew all that they did. He heard all that they said. God knew that they had refused to believe the words of the *prophets. These leaders had *turned from God to *worship false gods. And they did not obey the law of God.

Many people died because of their evil schemes. By their actions, they had murdered many of them. These people had not died in the war. They died because of the evil political actions of their leaders.

Verses 7-8 The people put the best meat in the pot. The leaders had used this as a picture in words of safety for them. The city of Jerusalem was the pot and they were safe in it. God would not destroy his *temple and city. But the *Lord changed the picture in words. The ‘best meat’ meant the people whom they had killed. These dead bodies will remain in the city. Those who remain alive will not stay there. The *Lord will force them out of the city.

They were afraid of the sword. That is, they were afraid of the *Babylonian army. But they thought that God would save Jerusalem. Therefore, they would be safe there. But what they were afraid of, would happen. The *Lord would send the *Babylonians to destroy the city.

Verses 9-10 The *Lord will hand over those people who remain alive to their enemy (the *Babylonian army). The enemy as the agent of God will punish them. There will be no escape. They may try to run but they will not reach the borders of *Israel. Then they will know that God is the *Lord.

Verses 11-12 The city will not be a safe place for them. They will not be like the best meat in the pot. They will not be able to stay there. The *Lord will force them out of Jerusalem. They will have no escape because the *Lord will punish them. Then they will know that God is the *Lord.

Their crime was that they were like the nations round them. They had *turned away from God. They had not obeyed God’s laws. The *Jews had made a contract with God but they did not do it.

Verse 13 One of the 25 men that Ezekiel had seen at the east gate was Pelatiah. As Ezekiel was speaking this message, Pelatiah died. The name Pelatiah means ‘God provides escape.’ There would be no escape.

The death of Pelatiah was an awful shock to Ezekiel. He cried out aloud to the *Lord. He was afraid that God would *destroy all the *Israelites.

God’s promise for the future of *Israel – Ezekiel 11:14-21

Verses 14-15 The people who were still in Jerusalem spoke about the *exiles. They thought that the *exiles had gone away from the *Lord. Their God was the God of the country called *Israel. But the *Lord had sent the *exiles away from *Israel. So, the people in Jerusalem said that the *exiles must have been bad people. The *exiles had left the country. There could be no hope for the *exiles. The *exiles had gone and they would not return.

So, the people in Jerusalem thought that they were better people than the *exiles. And the people in Jerusalem said that the country now belonged to them. They said that because they remained there. They were God’s people and they were safe in the country. That is what they thought. But of course, they were wrong.

Verse 16 The truth was that God sent the *exiles away. However, he did it so that he might save them. He sent them to live in other countries for a period of time. The *Lord would take care of them in those countries.

Verse 17 Here is the first of many promises of God to bring the *exiles back. God would gather them from the nations. God would bring them back to the country called *Israel. God would give the country to them again.

Verse 18 The *exiles will be God’s people. They (or their families) will return to live in the country that God gave to *Israel. They will *worship the *Lord their God. They