Ezekiel 2 - Outline of Ezekiel (Book Notes menu page)

1. And he said unto me,
Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.
2 And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me,
and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.
  ...Son of man {HB= ben 'adam}...- The LORD addresses Ezekiel, by this title, 91 times in this book.
    The Lord Jesus, referred to Himself as the "Son of man" 79 times in the Gospel accounts. Our Lord was the representative man, who provided the remedy for the fall of Adam's race (1Cor 15:45-47). He is the Savior of the world, not only of the Jewish people (Luk 19:10; Joh 10:16-18).
    Ezekiel was born into the priestly tribe of Israel. But that nation, through which God had chosen to reveal Himself, had forgotten Him and disgraced His Name (Eze 5:5-8). While the LORD must judge Israel and set them aside temporarily, He chose to call Ezekiel to serve as His representative before all men, not merely as a priest of Israel.
    As a 'son of man,' Ezekiel was (a) chosen of God, (b) endued with the Spirit, and (c) sent by God. These points also apply to Christ, as the representative man, the head of regenerate humanity.
    [This section, on 'Son of man,' was adapted from the ScofRB.]
  ...stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.
    But having fallen as one dead, before the Glory of God, this son of man was in no condition to comprehend God's Words (Eze 1:28).
  ...and the Spirit entered into me... and set me upon my feet... that I heard him that spake unto me.
    Ezekiel's experience was like that of Daniel and John, who were dumbfounded and without strength in the Presence of God, until the Lord strengthened them. Dan 10:8-11,15-19; Rev 1:17
    - The command to 'stand' could not be obeyed until God's Spirit entered and 'set me {lit., caused me to stand} upon my feet.'
    - Likewise, the ability to hear God's Word, was dependent upon the entrance of the Spirit (1Cor 2:9-14).
    (Oh, how we need God's Spirit to teach us, as we study His Book!)
3 And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel,
to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me:
they and their fathers have transgressed against me, [even] unto this very day.
4 For [they are] impudent {ie., obstinate, stubborn} children and stiffhearted.
I do send thee unto them;
and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD.
5 And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear,
(for they [are] a rebellious house,)
yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.
  ...I send thee to the children of Israel...
    Ezekiel would not be sent far. His ministry would be to the Israelite exiles among whom he already lived near Babylon. Yet, his assignment would be difficult, not due to the hardships of travel, but because of the hardness of rebellious hearts. Israel's rebellion will be described in detail, in the first half of Ezekiel's book. In addition to preaching sermons, Ezekiel will be instructed to use unusual methods (eg., symbolic object lessons, dramatic presentations, riddles, and supernatural visions) to get the attention of the unhearing nation.
  ...thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD...
    Every true pastor and teacher, whom God has called and sent (Rom 10:15), is likewise commissioned: to proclaim the whole Word of God, holding nothing back, and speaking unapologetically with His authority, as the oracles of God. eg., Acts 20:18-21,26-31; 2Cor 4:1-5; 1Pet 4:11
    Ezekiel's message was not from himself, but rather directly from "the Lord GOD" {HB= 'Adonay Yahweh}. Ezekiel uses this compound name of God 217 times (more than twice the number of occurrences elsewhere in the OT). The first biblical occurrence of this name is closely associated with the LORD's covenant with Abraham (Gen 15:2,8). As GOD (the LORD {Jehovah}), He is the ever-living One, who has all power to fulfill His purposes and to keep His promises. As the Lord {Adonai}, He is the Master and Husband, who deserves the wholehearted love and obedience of His people. While both aspects are present in the combined name, the emphasis is upon His Lordship (ie., His rightful authority over those under His rule).
    It is imperative for a 'son of man' to be faithful to the message of the Lord GOD, who sent him. The messenger must not modify the Lord's message to suit the ears of the hearers. eg., 2Tim 4:2-5
  ...whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear {lit., cease (to hear)}.
    The Lord GOD will hold everyone accountable for what they do with His Word.
6. And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words,
though briers and thorns [be] with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions:
be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks,
though they [be] a rebellious house.
7 And thou shalt speak my words unto them,
whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear:
for they [are] most rebellious.
8 But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee;
Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house:
open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.
  Like other prophets sent by God, Ezekiel would suffer rejection and persecution
    at the hands of his own people. According to an apocryphal source, Ezekiel was slain by a leader of the Jewish exiles near Babylon, for preaching against idolatry, and Jeremiah was stoned to death, by the exiles in Egypt, for the same reason.
    eg., Jer 18:18; Amos 7:10-17; Mat 10:16-18; 1Cor 4:1,2; 1Pet 3:14-16
    To remain faithful, the messenger of the LORD must feed on His Word.
9 And when I looked, behold, an hand [was] sent unto me;
and, lo, a roll of a book [was] therein;
10 And he spread it before me; and it [was] written within and without:
and [there was] written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.
  ... a roll of a book {HB= cephar}... written within and without...
    In ancient times, all 'books' were in the form of a scroll, where the pages of the writing material (eg., skin or papyrus) were sewn together and rolled up. The word translated "roll" {HB=megillah (from a root word meaning 'to roll')} is often rendered "volume" (eg., Psa 40:7).
    Scrolls were usually written on only one side of the page material. The message in this scroll was full to overflowing, like that of Rev 5:1-6.
  ...there was written therein lamentations, mourning, and woe.
    God's Word declares the certainty of judgment upon sin. It is a bitter message to declare.
    In the future Tribulation period, as Jesus Christ, opens the seven sealed scroll (of Revelation ch.5), multiple woes will be poured out upon the earth.
    Ezekiel was charged with declaring God's Word concerning impending judgment upon Israel, in his day.
    [This vision continues into the next chapter.]

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