Intro to the Book of Ezekiel – Real Raw Wonderings, Confused But Also Awed Thoughts
Okay okay okay wait a sec… have u ever like sat down to read the Bible, maybe just planning on doin a chill quiet time or tryna like connect with God for real, but then boom, you land in a book like Ezekiel and suddenly you're just like… wait WHAT even is this??? 😳 no for real tho, that’s exactly what happened to me. one minute i’m thinking ok let’s be holy today and read some prophetic stuff, and the next thing I know i’m deep into spinning wheels with eyeballs and creatures that got four faces and then a glowing throne with something like a man on it but not really a man and the whole sky is fire and lightning and glory and I’m just sittin there like uhhh 😅 ok now what.
and the WILD part? that’s only chapter one. not even exaggerating. it’s like the Bible decided to go full sci-fi/fantasy for a moment and no one told me. i ain’t mad tho. it’s just… unexpected. and honestly kinda awesome. but also kinda scary. and definitely confusing. so yeah i thought maybe let’s talk about it. not as like some Bible scholar person cuz i’m not tryna pretend to be one, but more like me being just a regular person with too many thoughts, too many questions, but still curious and still feeling stuff when i read this thing. so yeah… welcome to my stream-of-consciousness wandering through the Book of Ezekiel, aka that one prophetic book where God pulls no punches and the imagery stays stuck in your brain long after u close the pages 🌀👁️🔥
Who Even IS Ezekiel? And Why So Much Drama?
Okay so first off, who is this guy. like what’s his deal. Ezekiel’s not just some rando popping out of nowhere. turns out he was a priest. like born into it, yknow? so he had that temple life, that law knowledge, probably grew up around the rituals and sacred stuff and whatnot. but then boom, life hits hard. Babylon invades, people get taken captive, Jerusalem starts to crumble, and Ezekiel? he gets exiled. dragged off to Babylon with a bunch of others, away from the temple, away from home, away from everything he probably thought was holy ground.
And then right when u think maybe he'd just mourn and blend in and try to survive quietly like everyone else... God shows up. like literally shows up. heavens open and BOOM, visions. full blown, freaky, heaven-on-fire kinda visions. not just lil whispers or feelings. i mean visions. real loud, real clear, real overwhelming.
And this part really messed with me in the best way—God’s glory showed up in Babylon. not Jerusalem. not the temple. not the Holy of Holies. in exile. in a foreign land. among the people who’d already lost everything. like... God followed them there. He didn’t stay behind in the ruins. He came with them. yo that’s deep. that’s tender and terrifying at the same time.
Chapter One = Brain Explosion
Alright so lemme try and even describe what Ezekiel saw. honestly my brain almost broke tryin to picture it. and also it felt like i was reading the Bible mixed with some strange sci-fi anime or marvel multiverse explosion. so like—four living creatures. and each had four faces. one human, one lion, one ox, one eagle. their wings touched. they moved like lightning. and they had these straight legs with feet like calves’ hooves (???). they sparkled like burnished bronze and fire flashed between them.
And then there’s these wheels?? not normal wheels tho. like... intersecting wheels that moved in every direction but didn’t turn. and they were full of eyes. yeah u heard me. eyes. all over. not just like a few. like completely covered in watching eyeballs. and the spirit of the creatures was in the wheels. like what. how. why. 😭
And then UP above all of this, a throne. and on it—someone. Ezekiel says “a figure like that of a man,” but not really a man. glowing like metal in fire. like brightness all around. rainbow-looking radiance. and then Ezekiel just drops this line: “This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.” like bro. you can feel him reaching for words and failing. appearance of the likeness of the glory. that’s like three steps removed from even describing what it really was. 😂
And i get it. how do u even describe God showing up like THAT? it’s not supposed to be tame or explainable. it’s mystery. it’s beauty. it’s terror. it’s presence so big you can’t box it in even if you tried.
God Calls a Messenger… And Gives Him the Worst Job Description
so right after that mind-melting vision, God’s like “hey Ezekiel, you’re my guy now. go tell my people what I say.” but not like in a cool hero way. more like “they’re not gonna listen. they’re rebellious. they’re stubborn. but still, you speak. whether they hear or don’t hear—you speak.”
Can u imagine being given that kind of mission?? no guarantee of success. no applause. just hard truth for people who already feel wrecked.
but it gets weirder. God doesn’t just tell Ezekiel to say things. He makes him do things. like live-action prophecy. performance art but with high spiritual stakes. lie on your side for 390 days. then turn and lie on the other side for 40. bake bread using human dung for fuel (God does let him swap to cow dung tho, thankfully). shave off all your hair, divide it up, burn part, chop part with a sword, scatter the rest.
and i’m just sitting here like what is even happening and WHY is this the method?? and yet. i see something in it. like God using Ezekiel’s whole life to speak. not just words. but actions. embodiment. painful obedience. and you gotta wonder—how lonely that must’ve felt. how strange. how misunderstood. but still… he did it. because he knew it wasn’t about popularity or comfort. it was about delivering what God gave him.
The Messages—Hard Truths and Heavy Hearts
let me just say this: the first chunk of Ezekiel is not easy reading. like wow. it’s heavy. it’s judgment after judgment. God calling out the sins of His people, saying things like “you profaned My sanctuary,” “your leaders devour the people,” “your idols defile you.” and it’s not pretty. it’s raw and honest and honestly kinda devastating.
the language is graphic. sometimes brutal. there’s even some metaphors that make you uncomfortable. but God ain’t sugarcoating here. He’s grieving over His people’s unfaithfulness. He’s heartbroken and furious. and He’s warning them—judgment is coming. the temple will fall. the land will be desolate. no more pretending.
but even in all that, you sense it’s not just about punishment. it’s about calling hearts back. shaking people awake. saying “look what’s happening—this isn’t what I wanted for you.” and honestly, sometimes i feel like we still need that. like maybe we need someone to cry out today, call out injustice, idolatry, coldness of heart. not cuz it’s fun. but because truth matters. and God still cares.
Wait... There’s HOPE?? 😭 Finally Some Light
okay so by the time you’re like 20+ chapters into doom and destruction, you’re thinking—yo is this EVER gonna lighten up? like pls God I need a lil hope right now. and then… something shifts.
around chapter 33, things start changing. God tells Ezekiel that the watchman’s role is important. and then… restoration begins to show up in the words. and chapter 36? chef’s kiss. literally one of my favs in the whole Bible. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.” like YES LORD. 🙌🏽 that’s what we need.
and then chapter 37 hits. the valley of dry bones. probably the most famous part of Ezekiel and for good reason. it’s powerful. God takes Ezekiel in this vision to a valley full of bones. dry. scattered. lifeless. and He asks, “Can these bones live?” and Ezekiel’s like “…only You know, Lord.” smart answer tbh.
and then God says speak to the bones. call on breath. and they start to come together, bone to bone, flesh growing, breath entering them. and God says, “This is the whole house of Israel.” but also, i feel like it speaks to so much more. to anyone who feels dead inside. to anyone who’s lost hope. to hearts that feel dried out and crumbling. God says “I can restore. I will breathe life again.” and man that hits deep.
The Ending – New Temple, New Land, New Presence
you’d think maybe Ezekiel would end with that hopeful valley scene but noooo God’s not done yet. He takes it even further. Ezekiel sees this crazy detailed vision of a new temple. like measured to the inch. and tbh part of me got a lil tired reading all the dimensions 😂 but then… it starts to make sense. God’s rebuilding. not just physically, but spiritually.
and then that powerful final image: the name of the city is “YHWH Shammah”—THE LORD IS THERE. yo. not “was there.” not “might be.” but IS THERE. present. abiding. never-leaving kinda presence. and after all the exile, all the judgment, all the ache… that hits different.
So Like… Why Should I Even Care About Ezekiel?
okay so maybe you’re reading all this and thinking—cool story but what’s that got to do with me tho?? fair. Ezekiel feels distant. ancient. weird. hard to understand. but lemme say this: underneath all the strange imagery and harsh words is this raw, real message. God shows up in exile. He doesn’t abandon. even when people rebel, His heart is still pulling them back. and sometimes the truth He speaks is uncomfortable, yeah. but it’s always aimed at restoration.
also, Ezekiel teaches us what obedience looks like when it costs everything. when it’s misunderstood. when it’s hard. it teaches us about prophetic boldness. about listening to God when everyone else is tuning Him out. and about hope—hope that breathes life into bones that feel dead.
and i guess that’s why this book matters. cuz we all feel like exiles sometimes. we all got places in us that feel dry and scattered. and Ezekiel’s message? God’s not done. He still shows up. even in strange, fiery, wheeled-throne kinda ways.
My Final (Messy) Ramblings
so yeah… that’s my chaotic lil intro to Ezekiel. definitely not comprehensive. definitely not polished. but real. and maybe that’s what this book invites us into—real wrestle with a real God who doesn’t fit in our neat categories. Ezekiel is weird, yes. it’s wild, yes. but it’s also majestic and holy and heartbreaking and beautiful and honestly unforgettable.
and maybe the best truths aren’t always wrapped in clean packaging. maybe they come with eyeballs and fire and strange symbols and prophetic street theater. and maybe when we sit with those images, even confused and overwhelmed, we start to glimpse something bigger than us. something eternal. someone holy.
so if u ever feel like reading Ezekiel, don’t rush. take your time. let it confuse you. let it shake you. let it speak to the places you didn’t even know needed breath.
and maybe, just maybe… listen for the sound of dry bones coming back to life.
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