DAY 15: 31-Days Journey in Faith through the Book of Ezekiel

Ezekiel Speaks Through Prophesies and Parables:

Ezekiel 12:1-16:

Ezekiel digs a hole in the wall of his house and departs like a refugee in the night – as a prophesy of how King Zedekiah will escape from his palace in Jerusalem before being captured and taken to Babylon. "Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled at night by way of the gate between two walls, which was by the king’s garden, even though the Chaldeans were still encamped all around against the city. And the king went by way of the plain. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him. So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they pronounced judgment on him. Then they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, put out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with bronze fetters, and took him to Babylon" 2 Kings 25:4-7 (NKJV).

Ezekiel 13:1-23:

Ezekiel speaks out against false prophets and women who use charm bracelets and magic veils to control people.

Ezekiel prophesied to the exiles in Babylon at the same time that of Jeremiah was prophesying to the Jews who remained in Jerusalem. This was during the early years of the prophetic ministry of Daniel. Ezekiel’s ministry was to remind the exiles that their sins had brought God’s judgment and to assure them of God’s future blessing and His faithfulness to keep His covenant.

Ezekiel 14:1-21:

Ezekiel prophesies that God will punish Jerusalem with wars, famine, wild animals and disease. God gave Ezekiel the prophet to give to the captives in Babylon. Each parable described another aspect of Israel’s coming judgment. In the second section God debunked a common belief of the people, and gave Ezekiel the divine principle of personal accountability.

Ezekiel 15:1-8:

Ezekiel uses a vine as a parable – just as the wood from a grapevine is useless for anything except burning, so too Jerusalem will be burned.

Ezekiel 16-17:

Ezekiel tells two further parables – one about a faithless woman and the other about two nest-building eagles.

Ezekiel promises that a new king will come to reunify one people under a new covenant by the transforming power of the Spirit.