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Ezekiel was 25 years old when he was taken into captivity and was 30 when he was called into ministry. Outside of the book named after him, there is no other reference to Ezekiel in Scripture. The book contains a prophetic message as Ezekiel uses visions, parables, signs, and miraculous analogies to communicate the messages God wanted to deliver to the people in exile. Therefore, the text should be read accordingly. He was about the same age as Daniel and about 20 years younger than Jeremiah. Like Jeremiah, Ezekiel was both a prophet and a priest and his prophetic ministry and his priestly ministry both began when he turned 30.
The structure of the book is fairly chronological which is not always the case, especially in the Old Testament. You will notice as you read along that “the glory of the Lord” is a central theme for Ezekiel. In fact, he writes of it on at least 8 occasions within the entire book. Just like Isaiah and Jeremiah, Ezekiel uses a lot of symbolic language. Heis message came at a time of theological crisis.
The people going into exile have slumbered in their relationship with God and need a word that will shock them back into repentance. Enter, Ezekiel. He is arguably one of the most forceful and creative writers in Scripture with his presentation of the message that God has given to him.
Immediately in Chapter 1, we get a picture of Ezekiel’s symbolic language.
Within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form. 6 Each of them had four faces and four wings. 7 Their legs were straight and their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they gleamed like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides were human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, 9 their wings touched one another; their faces did not turn when they moved, each went straight forward.
Ezekiel 1:5-9 NASB
We must remember that since the writing style is apocalyptic, we can read more figuratively instead of literally. The main message here is simply describing the sheer majesty and complexity of God’s angels which surround His all-seeing, all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-present nature.
“The whole conception impresses us with the reality, order, majesty, and humanness, of the Eternal God. Those holy beings surely represent the intelligent company of innumerable angels and servants, while the wheels represent the material creation. All these are sent forth to minister to the heirs of salvation. Angels and nature minister to us, if we are in union with God. All things serve the servants of the Most High.”
FB Meyer
Often we go about our day and forget about the power and mystery of God. We don’t fear Him or stand in awe of His work. We rely on our own intelligence look to material things to find our identity and satisfaction. How can anyone read this chapter and not be mesmerized by the sovereignty and authority of the One True God?