Ezekiel, the son of Buzi, was both a priest and a prophet taken into Babylonian exile around 597 BC during King Jehoiachin’s deportation. His prophetic visions began in 593 BC and continued for about twenty-two years among the Jewish exiles living by the Kebar River in Babylon. A contemporary of Jeremiah, who prophesied from Jerusalem, Ezekiel ministered from within captivity itself, addressing a disheartened people who believed they had been forsaken by God.
The once-prosperous kingdom of Judah had fallen under Babylonian domination, and by 586 BC, both Jerusalem and the temple lay in ruins. The exiles wrestled with despair, their faith waning amid the weight of judgment. Many were even deceived by false prophets who claimed that God would soon restore them to their homeland. Ezekiel’s mission was to help the people understand that God’s judgment was just, and to let them know that even in their exile, His mercy and purpose would ultimately prevail.
The Glory of the LORD
Ezekiel received his first vision by the Kebar River in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity. A mighty storm came from the north—flashing with lightning and filled with radiant fire—and within it appeared four living creatures. Each had a human form but four faces—a human, a lion, an ox, and an eagle—and four wings. Their movements were perfectly coordinated, directed by the Spirit, swift as flashes of lightning. Above the creatures stretched a crystal-like expanse, and over it was a brilliant throne made of lapis lazuli. Upon the throne sat a figure with the appearance of a man, glowing like molten metal and surrounded by radiant light, like a rainbow after the rain. This vision revealed the glory of the LORD—majestic, holy, and beyond comprehension.
This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
Ezekiel 1:28 (NIV)
The Mission
Ezekiel was to bring God’s Word to a stubborn and rebellious people who continually resisted His authority. Ezekiel’s mission was not dependent on their response but on his obedience. God warned him not to fear their hostility or rejection but to remain faithful and away from their rebellion.
And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions.
Ezekiel 2:6 (NIV)
Are we willing to share God’s message with others, even when we face hostility or resistance from them? In the Bible, scorpions are often associated with evil forces, and the exiled people of Jerusalem reflected this in their hardened resistance to God’s message. It is easy to share God’s Word with those who are open or eager to hear it, but it becomes far more difficult when faced with eye-rolls, mockery, or hostility. Often, such reactions discourage us and cause us to withdraw in fear or silence.
If our will and desire to serve God are weak, we will struggle to carry His Word to others. Hostility from people can easily stop us from doing what God has called us to do. At times, we may not even recognize the opposition we face, yet it subtly hinders us from speaking the truth. If we find that we cannot respond to hostility with love, it can only mean two things. Either that we have drifted from God’s presence and are not able to let His love flow from our hearts, or it is not His will for us to stay among those people and we are ignoring that He is redirecting us elsewhere.
Ezekiel himself faced this challenge. As a priest, he was accustomed to temple service and order, but God called him beyond his comfort zone to be a prophet—one who would deliver a harsh and unpopular message to a rebellious people. The transition was not easy, yet it reminds us that obedience to God often requires courage to stand firm in the face of rejection and to trust that His Word will accomplish its purpose, even when people resist it. Ezekiel saw a hand reaching out toward him, holding a scroll. It was unrolled before him, and on both sides were written words of sorrow, mourning, and distress.
Eating the Word of God
But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people; open your mouth and eat what I give you.
Ezekiel 2:8 (NIV)
What does it mean for us to eat God’s words and the revelations He gives us? To eat God’s words and the revelations He gives us means to fully receive and apply His truth in our lives until it becomes part of who we are. It is to consume God’s Word in such a way that it fills our hearts and transforms us from within. What enters our hearts matters most, for when we feed on His Word, it becomes our source of strength and life.
Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God
Matthew 4:4 (NIV)
God’s Word is living, and when it truly takes root in us, it shapes our thoughts, words, and actions. It should flow naturally from our mouths and be reflected in how we live. As we allow the Word to become our very life, even those who are hostile or resistant will be moved by the change they see in us.
You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language, but to the people of Israel— not to many peoples of obscure speech and strange language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you. But the people of Israel are not willing to listen to you …
Ezekiel 3:5-6 (NIV)
Even those who did not know God were more willing to listen to Him than His own people. Despite being chosen and set apart, they had become complacent and unresponsive to His voice. Similarly, many Christians today can be least concerned with doing the will of God. While countless new believers around the world receive the message of Christ with open hearts and genuine faith, many who claim to follow Him remain caught in traditions, rituals, and self-made comfort zones, unwilling to change their ways.
Those deeply rooted in religious habits often lose the ability to discern God’s voice or respond to His leading. In contrast, those outside the religious system sometimes perceive their life’s purpose more clearly and walk in God’s direction—often without realising it. We have taken God’s grace for granted, failing to build our faith upon it. Over time, the Word of God has been diluted and replaced by empty traditions that act as spiritual placebos, numbing us to the truth. Many do not even realise that what they are clinging to is harmful, keeping them from the living Word that brings transformation and life.
The Watchman of Israel
The Spirit lifted Ezekiel and carried him away as the sound of God’s glory and the living creatures’ wings filled the air. Overwhelmed and troubled in spirit, yet guided by God’s strong hand, he went to the exiles living at Tel Aviv by the Kebar River. There he sat among them for seven days, silent and deeply distressed by the weight of his calling and the condition of his people.
After seven days, God appointed Ezekiel as a watchman for Israel, responsible for warning the people of impending judgment. If he failed to warn the wicked or the righteous who turned to sin, their deaths would be on his hands. But if he faithfully delivered God’s warning, he would be free of guilt, whether or not they listened. His duty was to speak God’s word faithfully, ensuring that every person had the chance to turn from sin and live. God’s hand came upon Ezekiel and told him to go to the plain, where he again saw the glory of the LORD and fell facedown. The Spirit lifted him up and instructed him to stay inside his house, warning that the people would bind him and that God would silence him except when given a message to speak.
I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious people. But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says.’
Ezekiel 3:26-27 (NIV)
Why did the LORD make Ezekiel a mute and confine him to his house? The LORD made Ezekiel mute and confined him to his house so that he would not speak or act out of his own emotion or understanding, but only when directed by God. By silencing him, God ensured that Ezekiel would become a pure vessel—one who spoke only the words God gave, at the time God appointed. Left to his own feelings, Ezekiel might have responded in anger or sympathy toward the people, acting hastily and allowing emotion to overshadow obedience. But God separated him from the noise and influence of those around him so that His message would remain undiluted and holy.
This teaches us the importance of restraint and dependence on God’s leading. When we act out of emotion rather than discernment, we risk damaging relationships and hindering God’s work. Like Ezekiel, we must learn to “eat” His Word so that we know when to speak and when to remain silent, allowing God alone to speak through us.
The Jordan Valley 
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