Prophecy #3 – Ezekiel: The Watchman and the Glory of God
- Ken Kalis
- Jan 24
- 5 min read
(622–570 BC, Ussher)
4
Ezekiel, the son of Buzi, was born in 622 BC. He was a priest by calling and training, and the third of the “major prophets,” following Isaiah and Jeremiah. Though his ministry overlaps historically with Jeremiah and the rise of Nebuchadnezzar, Ezekiel’s calling and emphasis are markedly different.
Jeremiah and Nebuchadnezzar move largely within the realm of political and military power—kings, nations, siege, and exile. Ezekiel, by contrast, is sent to the people themselves. His concern is not primarily geopolitics, but the obedience of God’s people to the Word of the LORD.
In that sense, Ezekiel is best understood as a pastor—a shepherd of God’s scattered and rebellious flock.
A Vision of Overwhelming Glory
Ezekiel’s ministry begins not with a warning, but with a vision—one of the most glorious in all Scripture:
As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.(Ezekiel 1:28)
The prophet who will speak of judgment first sees glory.
Then comes the call:
Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation… thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD.(Ezekiel 2:3–4)
Ezekiel is sent not because the people are receptive, but because they are rebellious.
The Watchman’s Burden
Though Ezekiel acts as a pastor, the LORD gives him a sterner title:
Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel.(Ezekiel 3:17)
With this title comes a solemn responsibility. Ezekiel is accountable not for the people’s response, but for his faithfulness in warning them:
When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning… his blood will I require at thine hand. ---(Ezekiel 3:18)
If Ezekiel warns and the people refuse to listen, he is innocent. If he fails to warn, he bears guilt. Few prophetic callings are described with such gravity.
Obedience in Word and Deed
Ezekiel obeyed the LORD completely—not only in what he said, but in what he did.
Some of his actions are among the most dramatic and perplexing in Scripture: lying on one side for 390 days, then on the other for 40; shaving his head and beard and dividing the hair into thirds—burning, striking, and scattering it.
These were not theatrics. They were embodied prophecy—living sermons meant to awaken a dull and stubborn people.
Ezekiel sees Dry Bones and Living Hope
The most famous of Ezekiel’s visions comes in the valley of dry bones:
Son of man, can these bones live? O Lord GOD, thou knowest.(Ezekiel 37:3)
As Ezekiel prophesies in obedience, breath enters the bones, and they stand upon their feet:
An exceeding great army.---(Ezekiel 37:10)
Here, judgment gives way to resurrection. Exile gives way to restoration. The Spirit gives life where none seemed possible.
Glory at the Beginning—and the End
Ezekiel is granted visions of astonishing depth: wheels within wheels, living creatures full of eyes, the LORD departing from—and later returning to—His temple.
His book anticipates the Revelation given to John: both begin with the glory of God and end with the vision of a renewed city.
One of Ezekiel’s final visions is of a river flowing from the temple:
It was a river that I could not pass over… waters to swim in.--(Ezekiel 47:5)
It is a vision echoed centuries later in Revelation 22—a stream of living water flowing from the throne of God.
The Watchman Who Saw Great Things
Ezekiel was faithful. He warned. He obeyed. He spoke—even when the people would not listen. And because he did, God showed him “great and mighty things.”
I cannot read Ezekiel without thinking of these words spoken to Jeremiah:
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.---(Jeremiah 33:3)
That promise was fulfilled abundantly in the life of Ezekiel—the watchman who saw the glory of God.
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The following poem is dear to me. My father, Rudolph Kalis, used to cite it from memory, running around the pulpit on the platform of Emmanuel Pentecostal Church in Elizabeth, NJ in the 1950s. I think it will bless you too!
EZEKIEL’S BONE-YARD
Twas down on bone-yard circuit,
There was no way to shirk it,
A preacher named Ezekiel was sent;
He landed at the station,
And saw the situation,
A valley full of bones his audience;
By way of a suggestion,
The Lord asked him a question
“Can these dry bones be raised up
from the dead?”
The Spirit was beseeching,
Ezekiel went to preaching,
And from the pulpit this is what he said;
Chorus:
O ye old dry bones, hear the word of the Lord,
“Stand upon your feet, and His goodness repeat,
Lay aside your dry profession,
Get a Holy Ghost possession.
You’ve been bleaching in the valley long enough.”
The bones began to rattle, Like muskets in a battle,
When ‘Zekiel took his text and started in.
‘Twas plain it didn’t matter, In spite of all the clatter,
For ‘Zekiel kept right on a-clubbing sin;
The bones all came together, In spite of stormy weather,
To hear the message from the Lord’s right hand.
It made them sit and wonder, To hear this “Son of thunder,”
As from the pulpit issued this command:
The rattle was terrific, The message was specific,
“REPENT,” the preacher roared in thunder tones;
There’ll be no absolution, Till you make restitution.
The muscles then appeared upon the bones.
You’ll have no good beginning, Until you quit your sinning.
The muscles soon were covered o’er with skin;
His breathless congregation Was filled with consternation,
As ‘Zekiel’s voice arose above the din:
Chorus:
O ye old dry bones, hear the word of the Lord,
“Stand upon your feet, and His goodness repeat.
Lay aside your dry profession. Get a Holy Ghost possession.
You’ve been bleaching in the valley long enough.”
They sat and warmed the benches,
While ‘Zekiel rushed the trenches,
And preached the word with all his might and main;
It caused a big commotion, When he, with deep emotion,
Said, “Breath of God, come breathe upon these slain.”
The wind was soon a-blowing, The bones were soon a-going,
Around the place as fast as they could run;
They got the second blessing,
And now the real excitement had begun.
~~C. C. Mourer
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