Ezekiel - Chapters 1-23

Ezekiel, the priest, was taken into exile when king Jehoiachin was also taken to Babylon in 597 BC. Ezekiel received his first vision during his fifth year while in exile, which would place it at 592 BC. Zedekiah is now king of Judah, and the prophet Jeremiah is there declaring that Babylon was coming, which was the Lord's plan, and they would destroy both Jerusalem and the temple, but the king does not listen. Ezekiel is in Babylon, and the Lord has the same message for him, but to the Jewish people who were already in exile in Babylon. Since Ezekiel was a priest and a prophet, he fully understood the purpose of the temple, and how the people had desecrated it with idolatry, and why in his visions, he saw the Lord's Spirit and glory leave the temple and head east. Ezekiel is called a watchman, because he was to warn the people of the disaster that was heading their way, but would they listen? One thing this book makes clear is that judgment is coming to Judah because of their sin, which was worse than the surrounding nations and Israel, but the Lord was also calling them to repent and come back to Him. All of this was so that the people, both Jews and nations, "would know that the Lord is God." The Lord holds each person accountable for his actions, and He does not delight in the death of anyone (18:32), so He calls them to "repent and live."