Chapter 2: Ezekiel's Call To Be A Prophet

Chapter 2: Ezekiel's Call To Be A Prophet

Collin Leong. July 6th, 2025


(v1-10) Prophet to the Israelites

(v1-2) God told Ezekiel to stand up so that he can speak to him. The Spirit came into Ezekiel and raised him to his feet. 

In those days, the Holy Spirit enters a human to strengthen him or to enable them to do miracles, or to preach God's word. When the task is done, the Spirit leaves the person. Eg: 

  • Samson: “The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him” (Judges 14:6), enabling feats of strength. But when he broke his Nazirite vow, “the Lord had left him” (Judges 16:20).
  • Saul: The Spirit came upon him when he was anointed king (1 Samuel 10:10), but later “the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul” (1 Samuel 16:14).

However, in the new testament, once a person accepted Jesus as their Savior, the Holy Spirit comes into him and stay forever. (Ref: John 14:16-17; 1 Cor 3:16; 2 Tim 1:14; Eph 1:13-14)

(v3-5) God sent Ezekiel to the Israelites, a rebellious nation against God and have been in revolt against God until that day. They are obstinate and stubborn. Ezekiel is to tell them: "This is what the Sovereign Lord says" and they will understand that a prophet is among them, though they may or may not listen. 

"Rebellious" or "Rebelled" occured six (6) times in this 10 verse chapter. God looked at what they have done and called them rebellious, obstinate and stubborn. God looks way back to the son of Solomon, Rehoboam, who caused a split in the nation into Israel and Judah. Subsequently, most of the kings rebelled against God and worship idols and moral decay came to the people. 

God used the Assyrians to destroy northern kingdom (Israel) after 209 years after Rehoboam reign, and God waited 326 years before He exiled Judah to Babylon. God had been very patient with them. God had already warned them that disobedience and worshipping idols will be disciplined with dispersion to other nations. (Deuteronomy 28:15, 36, 64; Leviticus 26:33; Jeremiah 25:11)

(See the dates of exiles in the Appendix)

(v6-8) God told Ezekiel not to be afraid of them or their words, even if briers and thorns are around you and you live among scorpions. He is to speak God's words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen. Do not rebel like that rebellious people, open his mouth and eat what God gave him.  

God knows that His message to the Israelites can be harsh, and Ezekiel - a new prophet - may be afraid to convey it. Even though Ezekiel will face opposition and danger. "Briers and thorns" represent obstacles and suffering, a consequence of sin. (Gen 3:18; Isaiah 5:6). A scorpion symbolize danger and pain and also demonic forces (Rev 9:3-5; Deut 8:15; Luke 10:19). Ezekiel is not to be shaped by the people or the environment but to stand firm as God's mouthpiece.

God said to Ezekiel to "open his mouth and eat what I gave you."  Ezekiel must not only listen to God, but go deep into the message and to digest it, making it part of his very being. He must embody the message before proclaiming it. 

Do we just read the bible as a story book, without changing ourselves and knowing what we must do? Would you obey Christ, if what he asked you to do may endanger your life? These are the questions we need to ask ourselves. 

(v9-10) A hand reached out to Ezekiel with a scroll which God unrolled before him. On both sides were written words of lament and mourning and woe. 

An opened scroll was given to Ezekiel, that contains God's word that Ezekiel are to tell the Israelites. We will see in the next chapter that Ezekiel will literally "eat" the scroll. 


Appendix

1. Dates Of The Exiles

a) Assyrian deportation of Israel:  734–732 BCE under Tiglath-Pileser III

b) Fall of Samaria (capital) of Israel: 722 BCE under Shalmaneser V and Sargon II

c) First wave Babylon exile of Judah: 605 BCE – Daniel and other nobles taken

d) Second wave Babylon exile of Judah: 597 BCE – Jehoiachin and Ezekiel exiled

e) Third wave Babylon exile of Judah: 586 BCE – King Zedekiah exiled, Jerusalem destroyed, mass deportation.

Babylon exile was executed by the Babylon King, Nebuchadnezzar II. 

Ezekiel's began prophesying around 593 BCE

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