Ezekiel (The NIV Application Commentary)

BACKGROUNDEzekiel was tasked to preach “among the [Jewish] exiles by the Kebar River” who had been carried away into captivity in Babylonia. He saw an astonishing revelation of God's glory.(1:1).This vision took place in the 5th year of king Jehoiachin's exile (593 BC) while Ezekiel lived among the exiles.(1:2)This occurred before King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and its temple in 587/586 BC.After their entire world was destroyed, the Jews would certainly be questioning what happens next between them and God.MAIN THEMES1. The glory and sovereignty of God.The same God who scattered His people among the nations will later gather them back to Himself.2. The utter sinfulness of humans.3. The coming of judgment, but tempered with mercy.4. The return of the King and the restoration of the people to their land.OUTLINEI. Ezekiel's Call and Commission (1:1-3:27)II. Oracles of Doom for Israel (4:1-24:27)III. Oracles Against other Nations (25:1-32:32)IV. Oracles of Good News for Israel (33:1-48:35)EZEKIEL'S VISION(1:4-28)Ezekiel has a vision of God's glory. It comes in “a storm wind,” a “great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light around it, and in its midst something like glowing metal in the midst of the fire.”He saw figures that resembled “four living beings” and had “human form.”They each had four wings.They had four faces each – that of a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle.These were cherubim, God's throne-bearers, identified later in 10:1.The aura of God's presence is compared to “a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day.”When Ezekiel saw “the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord,” he fell on his face and heard a voice speaking.What does all this mean?No one can escape the impending judgment of God.The throne-chariot can proceed to any of the four points of the compass, without even having to turn, symbolizing God's omnipresence.The wheels are covered with eyes, symbolizing the omnipresence of God.As the prophet Jonah discovered, when God stirs the storm there is no where to run!EZEKIEL'S CALL(2:1 – 3:15)God told Ezekiel to stand up (after falling on his face).“As He spoke to me the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet.”(2:2)“I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people” who are “stubborn and obstinate children.”“Neither fear them nor fear their words.”(2:3-6)Then God tells him to “open your mouth and eat” a scroll written with lamentations and woes.(2:8-10)God appointed Ezekiel “a watchman to the house of Israel,”to warn the wicked to to turn from his wicked way, that he may live, andto warn the righteous man that he should not sin.(3:17-21)A SIGN-ACTGod told Ezekiel to lie on his left side for 390 days, facing a clay tablet representing Jerusalem, and with the weight of Israel's sin upon him. Then he is do the same for 40 days on his right side.Throughout this time he is to eat a meager diet of bread grains and water.This strange behavior for 430 days parallels the 430 years the Jews were held captive by Egypt. Afterwards, they were rescued by God.Years later, the ultimate sign-act was God becoming a human being so He could bear the full weight of all sin upon the cross.(4:1-17)JERUSALEM'S JUDGMENTIn another sign-act, Ezekiel shaves his hair and beard.He uses a third of it to burn Jerusalem, a third he strikes with the sword, and a third he scatters to the wind.“Because of all your detestable idols, I will do to you what I have never done before and will never do again. Therefore, fathers will eat their sons among you, and sons eat their fathers."(5:10)God promises the people of Jerusalem that one-third of them will die of plague or famine, one-third by the sword, and one-third will be scattered to the winds [exiled].(5:1-17)These were the consequences of disobedience promised in Leviticus 26.This was not some momentary flare-up of God's anger. He had promised these consequences a long ago.1) plagues (Lev 26:21)2) famine (26:26)3) a sword and pestilence (26:25)4) cannibalism of one's family (26:29)VISION of a MAN LIKE FIRE and GLOWING METALThis vision occurred on Sept 18th, 592 BC, fourteen months after the first vision in 1:2.This man shows Ezekiel 4 scenes of increasing abomination.1. An idol "which provokes [God] to jealousy."(8:3-6)2. 70 elders offering incense to idols in a secret chamber, perhaps because they had concluded that "the Lord does not see us" and has "forsaken" us.(8:7-12)3. Women weeping for Tammuz.This was a Babylonian ritual that hastened fertility.(8:14)4. 25 men turn their backs on the temple and prostrate themselves to the east, worshiping the sun.(8:16-17)THE PRESENCE of GODThe vision is about the presence of God.Ezekiel sees the divine chariot move from the Most Holy Place (10:15) to the threshold of the temple (10:18) to the East Gate (10:19) to the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem (11:23).The God departs from Judah and goes to dwell with those in exile."This says the Lord, 'Though I had removed them far away among the nations and though I had scattered them among the countries, yet I was a sanctuary for them a little while in the countries where they had gone."(11:16)Likewise, when Jesus came, He was the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His nature (Heb 1:3). When He lamented over Jerusalem's history of hardheartedness, He said that "your house [temple] will be left desolate" and Jerusalem will not see Jesus again until they are willing to welcome His coming. He then removes Himself to the Mount of Olives.Thus, the presence of God is once again withdrawn from Jerusalem (Matt 23:37-39).Today, God dwells in the hearts of His people, not a building.Jesus said, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him." (Jn 14:23)ONE HEART"And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be my people, and and shall be their God."(11:19,20) (repeated in 18:31 and 36:26)JERUSALEM'S ORIGINS"Your origin and your birth are from the land of the Canaanite, your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite."(16:3)Jerusalem began as a pagan city with an Amorite father and Hittite mother.However, the pagans abandoned Jerusalem like a rejected, new-born baby.Then God washed off her birthing blood, anointed her, adorned her with fine jewelry, and clothed her feet with materials used to protect the tabernacle in the Exodus ("porpoise skins").(16:9,10)Then God says, "But you trusted in your beauty and played the harlot because of your fame."(16:15-26)"They have forsaken Me and have made this an alien place and have burned sacrifices in it to other gods, that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and because they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My mind" (Jer 19:4,5).Jerusalem's unfaithfulness to the Lord is described in the most graphic detail of adultery.God says, "You spread your legs to every passer-by" when she aligned herself with foreign nations, like Egypt, instead of trusting in God.(16:25,26)Even Solomon used his great wealth to build temples for the gods of his foreign wives (I Kgs 11:7,8).A PROPHECY of THE MESSIAH"Thus says the Lord God,'I will also take a SHOOT from the lofty top of the cedar and set it out,I will pluck from the topmost of its young twigs a tender oneand I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.On the high mountain of Israel I will plant it,that it may bring forth boughs and bear fruit and become a stately cedar.And birds of every of every kind will nest under it;they will nest in the shade of its branches."(17:22,23)Elsewhere, Christ is referred to as a"shoot" (Isa 11:1)"tender shoot" (Isa 53:2)"branch" (Isa 4:2; 11:1) and"righteous branch" (Jer 23:5).GOD IS NOT UNFAIR"Yet you say,'The way of the Lord is not right.'Hear now, O house of Israel!Is not My way right?Is it not your ways that are not right?When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits inquiry and dies because of it, for his iniquity which he has committed he will die.Again, when a wicked man turns away from his wickedness which he has committed and practices which he has committed and practices justice and righteousness, he will save his life...For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,' declares the Lord God.'Therefore, repent and live.'"(18:25-27, 32)ISRAEL'S HISTORY of IDOLATRY"They rebelled against Me and were not willing to listen to Me; they did not cast away the detestable things of their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt."(20:8)"They did not walk in My statutes and they rejected My ordinances, by which, if a man observes them, he will live, and My Sabbaths they greatly profaned."(20:13)THE SINS of the RULERS"See how each of the princes [rulers] of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood."(22:6)Ezekiel lists sins that are previously recorded in Israel's "Holiness Code" of Leviticus 18-20, 25.1. "They have treated father and mother with contempt" (Lv 20:9).2. "the alien they have oppressed" (Lv 19:33).3. "despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths" (Lv 19:30).4. "slander" (Lv 19:16).5. "eaten at the mountain shrines" (Lv 19:26).6. "committed acts of lewdness" (Lv 20:14).7. "dishonoring their father's bed" (Lv 20:11).8. "violate women during their period" (Lv 18:19).9. "committed abomination with his neighbor's wife" (Lv 20:10).10. "lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law" (Lv 20:12).11. "violated one's sister" (Lv 20:17).12. "taking usury and excessive interest" (Lv 25:36).13. "extorting unjust gain from your neighbors" (Lv 19:13).(Ezek 22:7-12)What are the consequences for these sins?"It shall come about if you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish." (Dt 8;19)THE DEATH of EZEKIEL'S WIFE as a SIGNOn the very day that Nebuchadnezzar begins his assault on Jerusalem, God tells Ezekiel that his wife will die and He should not mourn in the traditional ways over her."Groan silently; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover the lower part of your face or eat the customary food."(24:17)This is a sign to the people that when their temple is destroyed they will not even have the normal customs for public grieving. The attack will leave people with nothing to do but "groan silently."This is also a turning point for Ezekiel's ministry.He was permitted by God to speak only about judgment upon Israel (3:26 and 24:27).God now opens his mouth to speak judgment to the nations (chap 25-32) and hope to Israel (chap 34-48).OTHER NATIONS that were JUDGED (Chap 25-32)Why did God judge the other nations?Because of a promise He made to Abraham."And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."(Gen 12:3)1. Ammon, for saying "Aha!" (the ancient equivalent of cheering) over Israel's downfall.(25:3)2. Moab, for saying that "the house of Judah has become like all the other nations."(25:8)3. Edom, for taking revenge on Judah. This is explained in Obadiah. Edom aided the Babylonians in capturing the Jews. (Obadiah 11-14)(25:12)4. Philistia, for taking revenge "with malice in their hearts, and with ancient hostility sought to destroy Judah."(25:15)5. Tyre and her leader, because their leader said,"'I am a god'...Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor...In the unrighteousness of your trade you profane your sanctuaries."(28:2,17,18)Tyre had acquired great wealth from its trade.6. Sidon, who had been "a prickling brier or a painful thorn" to Israel.(28:24)7. Egypt, "because you said, 'The Nile is mine; I made it,' therefore I am against you...At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the nations where they were scattered. I will bring them back from captivity...They will be lowly kingdom. It will be the lowest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself above the other nations."(29:9,13-15).HOPE FOR ISRAEL – ONE SHEPHERDAfter God removes corrupt leaders, He says,"I will set over them on shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them;...And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I the Lord have spoken."(34:23,24)The results from doing this?"I will make a covenant of peace with them and eliminate harmful beasts from the land...They will no longer be a prey to nations, or famine.Then they will know that I, the Lord, their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people."(34:25-31)Israel had already been told by king David that"The Lord is my shepherd."(Ps 23:1)When Christ came, who was of the lineage of David, He said,"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep."(Jn 10:11)In heaven,"the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their Shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."(Rev 7:17)AGAINST MOUT SEIR (EDOM)Because "you harbored an ancient hostility and delivered the Israelites over to the sword at the time of their calamity...I will make you desolate forever...I [Yahweh] will treat you in accordance with the anger and jealousy you showed in your hatred of them...Then you will know that I the Lord have heard all the contemptible things you have said against the mountains of Israel."(35:5)The "ancient hostility" of Edom against Israel was because Jacob stole Esau's birthright in Gen 27-28.Malachi calls Edom "the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord (Mal 1:4).Even so, God says,"Do not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother...The third generation of children born to them may enter the assembly of the Lord. In other words, even the "hated" Edomite may be grafted into the family tree of Israel, and the one who was "not My people" may, by grace, yet become "My people" (Hos 2:23). The electing grace of God knows no limits.PROMISE for ISRAEL"But you, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for My people Israel, for they will soon come home...I will multiply the number of people upon you...No longer will you suffer the scorn of the peoples or cause your nation to fall, declares the Sovereign LORD."(36:8,10,15)A NEW HEART"I [Yahweh] will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all you idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God."(36:26-28)VISION of the VALLEY of DRY BONESEzekiel said,"I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry."Then "tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them."Then "breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet – a vast army."God says,"Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel...I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them, I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then, you, My people, will know that I am the Lord and bring you up from them. I will put My Spirit in you and you will live."(37:2-14)THE REUNIFICATION of the NORTHERN and SOUTHERN KINGDOMSGod says, "I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their land. I will make them one nations...There will be one king over all of them and they will never be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms. They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be My people, and I will be their God."(37:15-28)In the New Testament, Jesus referred to His body as a "temple" (Jn 2:19).Just as in the Old Testament, the temple was the dwelling-place of God's glorious presence, so "in Him all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form" (Col 2:9).Christ is the fulfillment of Ezekiel's temple vision.After Christ came, a physical temple was no longer needed. Why not?Because "it was impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins" (Heb 10:4) and Christ had provided "one sacrifice for sins for all time" which "perfected for all time those who are sanctified" (Heb 10:12,14).WHO IS GOG?Not an historical figure, but a fear-inducing figure of cosmic proportions.A head of seven nations – Magog, Meshech-Tubal, Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, Beth Togarmah – who will attack the restored Israel.God controls Gog."I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen."(38:4)Gog is not the "foe from the north" in Jer 4:6 because that foe was coming to judge Israel and was already fulfilled by the Babylonians, a judgment which is never to be incurred again by Israel.Yahweh is sending Gog not to judge Israel, but to be judged and conquered by Israel and Israel's God!The original recipients of Ezekiel's letter, the Jews exiled in Babylon, would want to know after they returned to Jerusalem, would God ever arrange for them to be exiled AGAIN?!God answers, "No!""I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I will have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel."(39:29)Ezek 38 and 39 are not "coded messages" for those living in the last days.They are a message of hope that if God can defeat the forces of evil in the mother of all battles, He can keep His people secure [those who have faith in Christ].Anyone at anytime who opposes God will be defeated."The kings of the earth take their stand...against the Lord and against His Anointed...He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them."(Ps 2:2-4)A VISION of a LIFE-GIVING RIVEREzekiel says,"I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east,...from under the south side of the temple."(47:1)The river gets progressively deeper every 1500 feet until it empties into the sea.On both sides of this river grow "a great number of trees.""Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing."(47:3-12)Revelation 22 features a similar river that flows from the throne of God and the Lamb out to nourish the (single) tree of life, whose fruit appears every month and whose leaves are "for the healing of the nations." (Rev 22:1-2)Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that the water He gives will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life (Jn 4:14).

Duguid is an excellent and knowledgeable OT scholar with the simultaneous ability to make the text accessible to general readers. This commentary in itself is something of a standard among lighter, less technical commentaries for the book of a Ezekiel (from an Evangelical perspective). But what some have said about the Kindle version of other commentaries in this series does in fact apply here. The TOC does not allow navigation of the commentary section itself except for the link "Text and Commentary on Ezekiel." That's it--no subheadings--that one huge, bulky category to cover what is more or less the entire book. It is possible to jump back and forth between commentary sections using the arrows on the 5-way controller, which at least makes it possible to use without going insane, but it's far from ideal.It really makes one scratch his head over how a professional, major publishing company could put out a Kindle book without a truly navigable TOC. I mean, it's so basic. Partly due to this, I was skeptical of reviews on the series' other commentaries that made this claim; that and the fact that I recently bought the Deuteronomy commentary by Block and it does have a genuinely navigable TOC, complete with the whole long list of subheadings covering the whole commentary section itself (though it, too, has some Kindle problems). Why the inconsistency, I don't know. I really like my Kindle, but the publishing standards for Kindle books--even coming from major publishing companies--are far too often far below the standards for print books, such that sometimes the whole thing just feels somewhat cheap. Anyway, in short, I didn't want to give the fine commentary itself a low rating, but to give potential Kindle-version purchasers a heads up.Update 11/21/2014: The Kindle version has actually been reformatted so that it now has a full, active TOC, and fortunately Amazon allowed me to "update" to the reformatted version. Props to both Zondervan for reformatting the the book and Amazon for allowing me to get the latest version.

Great commentary on the book of Ezekiel. I’ve always enjoyed Duguid’s ability to communicate the author’s original intent while also faithfully following that intent to God the Author’s intent to glorify his Son.This series has a special purpose that drives it. Every chapters exegetes the Scripture, then moves to Bridging the Context between the original audience and us, followed by a Contemporary Significance section.Duguid has written a Christ-exalting, Gospel-centered, and practical commentary on an often overlooked book of the Bible.

Dr. Duguid's comentary is a book I would highly recommend to anyone interested in teaching, preaching or studying the Prophecies of Ezekiel. HIs writing is expository and does not cover every verse of every chapter. However, this commentary is not simplistic by any means as he spends over 450 pages to cover the 48 chapters of Ezekiel. Each chapter is divided into 4 sections: 1. The Text 2. The Original Meaning(of the passage) 3. A "Bridging Contexts" section (which shows the relationship between what was relevant at the time of the prophecy and how it is relevant today) 4. Contemporary Significance (how it applies to the church and world we live in today). He writes in a manner which is clear and concise, and makes this book very practical for today's readers. Ezekiel is not an easy book to understand and good commentaries on it are few and far between. This one is a gem, but don't expect to just sit down and read it like you would a devotional. If you read it a chapter at a time and take notes, you will be greatly blessed.

Book was better that described and shipping was A+ They make regular Amazon shipping look like amatures.

Best commentary I've ever read on Ezekiel, clearing up all sorts of uncertain passages with brisk, purposeful and clear no-nonsense analysis. (Probably comes from his being a Scot working in America...) I particularly liked his approach to chapters 41-48, that bewildering section about the vision of a massive new temple in Jerusalem, as "theology through architecture". If you're a dispensational premillennialist, you will probably not warm to his gently-proffered Reformed amillennial view of many passages, but you'll still learn an enormous amount from his erudition and imaginative, creative approach to interpreting Scripture wisely and appreciatively. Like all of the NIV Application series, Duguid first explores the text of a passage - scrupulously and with an eagle eye for noteworthy details - then proposes "bridging contexts", issues in the text which resonate between Ezekiel's day and ours - then expounds what he takes to be the key applications to our own situation. All of which he does with confidence, brio, and stacks of pastoral discernment.

Whilst enjoying the NIV Application series as a whole, some are better than others. This so far is the best. Duguid takes a difficult book and brings it alive. His application is very helpful and the cross is never far from his thoughts. No doubt some will disagree with his views on the temple chapters, but his arguments against a literal rebuilding of a temple are compelling describing these chapters as theology through architecture and the next ones on the division of the land as theology through geography . However, even if you disagree, the rest of the commentary is well worth the purchase. It is a lengthy commentary but I am on my second reading of it. Whilst Duguid is a professor he comes over very much as a pastor. Buy it, you won't regret it.

A very helpful commentary. Am still working through it and found it useful for study, prayer and some history too. The writer is no ear tickler when it comes to application .

Excellent commentary, seamlessly linking the Old and New Testaments, and clearly demonstrating the relevance of Ezekiel's prophecies for the 21st-century church.

Very practical commentary with clear explanation of original text, what this meant at the time and what it means to us today.