Ezekiel 2: Group Study Handout

Overview

Yahweh commands Ezekiel to stand on his feet and speak with him (vv. 1-2). Ezekiel is commissioned to go to the children of Israel, described as a nation of rebels who have transgressed against Yahweh from their fathers' time (vv. 3-5). He is instructed to deliver Yahweh's words, regardless of their willingness to listen, so they will know a prophet has been among them. Yahweh encourages Ezekiel not to fear the people’s words or faces, comparing them to briers, thorns, and scorpions (vv. 6-7). He is told to listen carefully and speak what Yahweh commands without being rebellious himself (vv. 8). In a vision, Ezekiel sees a hand with a scroll that contains lamentations, mourning, and woe, spread before him (vv. 9-10).

Key verse

“He said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the children of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me even to this very day.”

Ezekiel 2:3 (WEB)

Outline

1. Ezekiel 2:1–2 Ezekiel's Call to Stand Up
2. Ezekiel 2:3–5 Commission to a Rebellious Nation
3. Ezekiel 2:6–7 Encouragement Amidst Opposition
4. Ezekiel 2:8–10 The Scroll of Lamentation

Discussion questions

1. In v3, what does God call the people of Israel?
2. What does Ezekiel see in vv. 9-10 that is handed to him?
3. The phrase 'most rebellious' in v7: what does this suggest about the people's nature?
4. Ezekiel's command to 'open your mouth' in v8: what might this imply about his role as a prophet?
5. When have you felt like a 'rebellious house' as described in v5?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Ezekiel 2: Ezekiel 3, Luke 10, Jeremiah 1.

Before next time: read Ezekiel 3.