Ezekiel 3: Group Study Handout

How to use: read Ezekiel 3 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

Yahweh instructs Ezekiel to ‘eat this scroll’ and then speak to the house of Israel (vv. 1-3). He is sent not to a foreign people but to Israel, who will not listen (vv. 4-7). God strengthens Ezekiel, making his forehead harder than flint to withstand their obstinacy (vv. 8-9). Ezekiel is called to warn both the wicked and the righteous about their actions and the consequences of sin (vv. 10-15). As a watchman, he must deliver Yahweh's messages or face accountability for their blood (vv. 16-21). Yahweh commands Ezekiel to go out to the plain to receive further instruction (vv. 22-23). The Spirit then enables him, but he is told he will be bound and mute, unable to correct the rebellious people until he speaks Yahweh’s words (vv. 24-27).

Key verse

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel. Therefore hear the word from my mouth, and warn them from me.”
Ezekiel 3:17 (WEB)

Outline

Ezekiel 3:1–3 Ezekiel Eats the Scroll
Ezekiel 3:4–7 Commission to Israel
Ezekiel 3:8–9 God Strengthens Ezekiel
Ezekiel 3:10–15 The Call to Warning
Ezekiel 3:16–21 Role of a Watchman
Ezekiel 3:22–27 Divine Authority and Muteness

Discussion questions

In v6, why does God mention 'strange speech' when addressing Ezekiel?
What does Ezekiel do in v15 after sitting 'overwhelmed among them'?
Yahweh's words in vv. 18-19 raise a tension: what does it mean to be responsible for the wicked's actions?
In v27, why does God say, 'He who hears, let him hear' specifically to Ezekiel?
When has your message changed from sweet to bitter, as Ezekiel describes in v14?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Ezekiel 3: Jeremiah 15, Jeremiah 1, Ezekiel 33.

Before next time: read Ezekiel 4.