Ezekiel
About the Book of Ezekiel
Ezekiel belonged to the Israelite tribe of Levi. He knew all about the work that the priests in Israel did. But he could not do a priest's work in God's house in Jerusalem (the temple). He was living in Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar had taken many important people from Jerusalem. He had taken them to his city, Babylon. God had let him do this because Israel's people had worshipped other gods.
God spoke to Ezekiel, and God made him a prophet. We think that God began to give him messages in about 593 BC. Ezekiel became God's messenger to Israel's people. He spoke to all the Jews who lived in Babylon.
Some Jews remained in Jerusalem. They thought that they were important. They thought that they were better than the Jews in Babylon. God said that Ezekiel must speak to the people in Babylon. He said that he would punish the people in Jerusalem. That was because they had not obeyed his rules. The prophet Jeremiah had already said this to the people in Jerusalem. But they would not listen to Jeremiah.
The Bible says that the Lord God rules all the earth. Ezekiel believed this. He believed that God was holy. And he gave great honour to God. The Israelites in Babylon listened to Ezekiel. They believed that he was God's prophet.
1:0The Israelites were the descendants of Jacob, who was also called Israel. Jacob's 12 sons became the ancestors of Israel's 12 tribes. The land that God gave to them as their home was called Israel. After King Solomon died, the nation of Israel became two kingdoms. The kingdom in the north was called Israel. The kingdom in the south was called Judah.
1:0Jerusalem was the capital city of Israel and Judah. The temple of God was in Jerusalem.
1:0Babylon was a rich and powerful city on the Euphrates River. The king of Babylon ruled many other countries.
1:0A Jew was someone who belonged to the Israelite kingdom of Judah. The name was first used at the time of their exile in Babylon. The people of Israel who still remain after that time are called Jews.
