The Living Prophet: Ezekiel and God's Unfailing Mercy

Dare to journey through one of Scripture's most vivid prophetic books as we unpack Ezekiel's radical ministry and God's relentless pursuit of His people.

We're stepping into the extraordinary world of Ezekiel—priest turned prophet, whose name "God strengthens" perfectly captures his impossible calling. Taken from Jerusalem during Babylonian exile, Ezekiel received breathtaking visions by a foreign river rather than in the temple courts, proving that divine revelation knows no geographic boundaries.

What makes this prophet's story so compelling is the paradox at its heart: devastating judgment alongside extraordinary hope. Walk with me through Ezekiel's dramatic ministry—from eating scrolls and performing bizarre symbolic acts to witnessing dry bones transform into a mighty army. The message throughout is clear: God's holiness demands justice, but His heart yearns for restoration.

The Valley of Dry Bones vision speaks powerfully to anyone facing seemingly hopeless situations. When God asks, "Can these bones live?" Ezekiel's humble response—"Sovereign Lord, you alone know"—reminds us where true resurrection power comes from. Every spiritual desert, broken relationship, or lost dream falls under this same promise of divine renewal.

Most striking is Ezekiel 33:11, where God declares He takes "no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live." This reveals God's true heart behind every judgment—not punishment for its own sake, but a passionate desire for relationship restored.

The book culminates with a glorious vision of God's presence returning to dwell with His people, the city renamed "The Lord Is There." This ultimate promise remains: no matter how severe our spiritual exile, God's final word is always His faithful presence.

Ready to discover what ancient prophecy reveals about your own spiritual journey? Listen now and find hope in God's unwavering commitment to breathe life into every valley of dry bones.

Chapters

• 0:10 Introduction to Ezekiel
• 1:24 Who Was Ezekiel?
• 3:33 Ezekiel's Breathtaking Visions
• 7:45 Warnings and Symbolic Acts
• 12:58 The Watchman and Dry Bones
• 19:26 God's Glory Returns
• 26:24 Invitation and Closing Prayer

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:10

Hello and welcome back to Divine Harmony Faith, the podcast where we walk together through the Word of God and draw closer to Him, one revelation at a time. I'm your host, cliché Rice, and today we are diving deep into one of the most powerful and prophetic books of the Old Testament, the book of Ezekiel. Guys, if you have not done so already, please like, share, subscribe. It's how we get the gospel out to those that want to hear it and those that don't. All right, guys, ezekiel is a book that is not only filled with vivid imagery and divine vision, but it's also a book of hope, a book of judgment, restoration and the glory of God. Whether this is your first time studying Ezekiel or you've read it before, I promise that today's deep dive will leave you in awe of God's sovereignty and his unwavering plan for his people. So go ahead and grab your Bible, your journal and maybe even a cup of coffee, because we're going to walk through the life, the message and the mission of one of Israel's most radical prophets radical prophets. So let's begin All right. So who was Ezekiel? He was both a priest and a prophet. His name means God's strengthens, and that name is incredibly fitting considering the weight of divisions and the task he was called to carry out. He was taken into Babylonian exile during the second deportation from Jerusalem, alongside the king at that time and other members of Judah's elite. So Ezekiel was about 25 years old at the time and came from a priestly lineage. Just five years later, when he was around 30, he received his first vision from the Lord, making that like the start of his prophetic ministry. Now, that is significant because in the Jewish tradition, 30, like most would have done back then, ezekiel's temple would be the land of exile, his congregation, which was a broken and rebellious people who had lost their hope. So Ezekiel was called to minister, not in the holy city, like others would have been during that time, but in a foreign land. And that fact alone tells us something very powerful about God that his voice isn't limited to a location. I love the saying there's no distance in prayer. His word reaches his people, even in judgment, in displacement and in despair. So the book of Ezekiel is made up of 48 chapters and is generally divided into three major parts, the first part being chapter 1 through 4, which is judgment against Judah and Jerusalem, the second part being chapter 25 and 32, which are the oracles against foreign nation, and the third part being chapter 33 through 48, which are the messages of hope and restoration for Israel. So each section has its own tone and purpose and throughout all of them we see the theme of God's glory. We see the theme of God's holiness, of his justice and his mercy.

Speaker 1: 3:49

Ezekiel uses symbolic acts, prophetic visions and vivid language to communicate God's messages. His visions are some of the most detailed in all of scripture, including the famous wheel within a wheel, that vision and the valley of dry bones. I know you guys have probably heard that they even have a song about the dry bones. So those are the most vivid and the most detailed that we referenced today. So let's begin with Ezekiel's visions In chapter one.

Speaker 1: 4:23

His visions perhaps one of the most mysterious visions in all scripture was when Ezekiel was by the Kepper River in Babylon, when the heavens open and he sees visions of God. He describes it as a whirlwind coming from the north, a great cloud with like flashing fire and brilliant light all around it, and then at the center there are four living creatures, each with four faces. So there's a man's face, a lion and an ox and an eagle, and they have four wings, eagle and they have four wings. These creatures move with the Spirit of God and above them is a throne, and seated on the throne is someone with an appearance of a man that's glowing like fire. And when Ezekiel sees this by this river, he falls down on his face as if he was dead. He's overwhelmed and then he hears the voice of the Lord calling him, and this is the beginning of his commission. God tells him to go to Israel I'm sorry, go to the Israelites, which is a rebellious and stubborn people, and speak his word. Whether they listen or they don't. So whether they're about to stone him, tell him get out of here. Whether he faces anger from them, rejection, god says no matter if they're listening or if they're not listening, go and speak his word. And God gives him a scroll and tells him to eat it, and this scroll symbolizes how deeply Ezekiel must internalize the word of God. The scroll tastes sweet like honey, representing the goodness of God's word, even when the message is difficult.

Speaker 1: 6:15

What's beautiful here is that God strengthens Ezekiel for the task. He tells him not to be afraid of their faces, their words or their rejection. God's presence is with him and his spirit will guide him. That is so powerful to me? Because a lot of times, when I'm doing what I feel in my heart God has called me to do, it does get a little scary, you know, because you tend to want to reach people. You know, god's placed something on your heart to reach people, to speak to them, and they're not always receptive. And God is sitting here telling Ezekiel no matter what you do my work, you spread my word. No matter what their faces look like, no matter what their words are, no matter what they say to you, you know, or their rejection, because God's presence is with you. So let me ask you this what has God asked you to do that feels overwhelming? Who has he called you to speak to that may not want to hear it or listen? It could be a family member, it could be a friend, it could be someone that has just crossed your path. The story of Ezekiel reminds us that God equips those he calls. His glory shows up not just in places of power and comfort, but even by the riverbank of exile.

Speaker 1: 7:38

Now we move into a long and often difficult section of Ezekiel, which is chapter 4 through 24. In these chapters, ezekiel is instructed to act out a series of symbolic signs. God uses these to communicate his coming judgment to Israel in a way that is impossible to ignore. So this is the part where he tells him to do a bunch of different things to warn the people of Israel of the judgment that is coming, and he does it in a way that they would know it's definitely coming from God. For example, he's told to lay on his left side for 390 days.

Speaker 1: 8:18

The level of discipline and faith and trust you have to have in God for your calling to do some of the things that Ezekiel was asked to do. I mean, I'm a stomach sleeper. I can't even sleep on my back, I don't get any sleep. But for someone to sleep on their left side for 390 days, I mean, come on now One day for each year of Israel's sin, and then he's to turn over and sleep on his right side for 40 days for Judah's sin. He's also told to eat bread, guys, bread baked over cow dung, representing the defiled food the Israelites would eat in exile. I don't know if I could have done it, but it's a good thing that God has already revealed to us that he's with him. So he's strengthening him and giving him the strength to get through what he needs to get through, because then eating food baked over cow dung I can't even imagine what that smelled and tasted like, but he did it. His obedience is immaculate in this chapter. Then there's the parable of the unfaithful wife, which is in chapter 16, where Jerusalem is portrayed as a woman whom God rescued, clothed and cherished, but who chose to give herself to foreign gods. It's really painful to read you guys have to go back and read it for yourself but it reveals the depth of God's heartbreak over his people's unfaithfulness.

Speaker 1: 9:42

Throughout these chapters, god is consistent. He's very consistent about what he will and will not tolerate when it comes to sin. His holiness demands justice right, because God is so holy that he's not going to allow you to just continue to sin, sin, sin, sin against him. He will rain down judgment. But even in the judgment there are glimmers of mercy over and over again. I don't know what it was about these people, god. Sometimes I read the scriptures and I'm like, wow, here they go again, the Israelites doing what they do, you know. But you can definitely see through his judgment there are glimmers of mercy over and over again. He says then they will know that I am the Lord, it's just his heart. He just really wants to save and protect. But he also knows he needs to slap their hands because if he doesn't, they'll continue to do whatever it is that they are doing, which are, you know, serving idols and living in sin and sexual immorality and things like that. So that phrase then they will know that I am the Lord.

Speaker 1: 10:51

It is repeated 70 times in the book of Ezekiel. It's a reminder that everything God does, whether in judgment or restoration, points back to his identity and his glory. So let's reflect for a second. So far in Ezekiel's story we've seen the glory of God, the commissioning of a prophet and the heavy burden of declaring judgment to a rebellious nation. So God shows up in the vision. He prepares Ezekiel and then that heavy burden, once he's commissioned as a prophet, is placed on him. It's almost sobering. It's almost to know that God is with you in your trials, in your tribulations, when you're suffering, when you're not in your judgment, in your pain, when you're called to do something that you don't even know how you're going to complete it. It's sobering to know that God is with you, but also a testimony to God's justice and patience, because I'm telling you, he warned these people. You got to go back and read it. It's almost immaculate. It's almost jaw-dropping how much God cares for the Israelites and cares for his people, how many times he warns them and gives them a chance, and a chance like right up to the last minute. Even in his anger he doesn't walk away from us, he doesn't abandon us. He continues to speak, to reach out, to offer warnings and a path back to him. That's the kind of God we serve. You got to go read it for yourself. It's so powerful.

Speaker 1: 12:34

So next we're going to explore the dramatic shift in chapter 33, when Ezekiel becomes a watchman for a hopeful future, and then the unforgettable vision of the dry bones that we hear about and people sing about. And then the incredible finale where Ezekiel's vision of a restored temple and God's return to dwell with his people. So as we come into that chapter 33, there's a significant shift where Jerusalem has fallen, temple has been destroyed, the judgment Ezekiel had prophesied has now become a reality. God has rained down his judgment on the people. God speaks to Ezekiel again and reaffirms his role of what he has called him to do, and this time, first it was a prophet warning the people. Now God's judgment has come, everything has crumbled. And now God is reaffirming Ezekiel's role, but this time as a watchman for the house of Israel.

Speaker 1: 13:39

Now, in ancient times, a watchman stood on the city walls to look out for danger. If they saw the enemy approaching and warned the people, they had done their job. But if they saw the threat and stayed silent, the blood of the people would be on their hands. This is a serious, serious role, and it carries spiritual implications. Ezekiel is to warn the wicked so they have the opportunity to turn from their wicked ways and live a life righteous to God.

Speaker 1: 14:15

And here we hear one of the most compassionate statements from God, and it's in Ezekiel 33, 11. The most compassionate statements from God, and it's in Ezekiel 33, 11. And it says as surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Let that settle in. God is not looking to destroy us. He's longing to restore. His desire is repentance, not ruin, mercy, not wrath. Ezekiel 33, 11 reads as surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure. It's plain. He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their wicked ways and live. He's ignoring. He's well, I'm not going to say ignoring because he's not ignoring, because he's going to rain down judgment, but he's attempting to restore his people to their rightful place, which is serving Christ wholeheartedly. He wants you to live. He doesn't want you to die. His desire is repentance, not ruin. It's mercy, not wrath.

Speaker 1: 15:36

Even after all the rebellion, all the adultery or the idolatry, the adultery and all the judgment, that God's heart remains open. Even after all of that, god's heart remains open. The door to return is never fully closed for those who are willing to repent. Now we come to one of the most iconic passages in the book the Valley of Dry Bones. I don't know, guys, I don't even want to pass over that last part. Repent, turn from your ways. God is there with open arms, seeking and yearning for those he can save. Take instruction from the Israelites. Instruction from the Israelites. Learn from the examples in scripture. After all of their rebellion, god still was open. The door for them to return was never fully closed. Repent, guys, repent, all right.

Speaker 1: 16:39

The dry bones that's chapter 37, where the Spirit of the Lord brings Ezekiel to a valley filled with bones. Now these bones are scattered, right, they're dry, they're lifeless. God asks him, son of man, can these bones live? Ezekiel replies wisely and he says sovereign Lord, you alone know. God then tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones and as he speaks, a miracle unfolds. The bones come together, the flesh forms over them, and then the breath, the spirit, enters them and they stand to their feet as a vast army. Them and they stand to their feet as a vast army. Now, this vision is not just symbolic, it's prophetic. The bones represent Israel in exile, a nation that has been crushed, scattered and seemingly beyond hope. But God says I will put my spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. That's Ezekiel 37, 14.

Speaker 1: 17:54

This is resurrection language, guys, restoration language. It speaks to a God who brings life out of what looks like death. God is so good. I mean, I am so wowed by this scripture, I am so wowed by it, guys. Think of how this applies to us today. How many areas of your life feel like a valley of dry bones? I know I have many of them. How many do you have Places that feel dead, forgotten or too broken to heal? God is still asking can these bones live? And the answer to that is yes. If you trust him, guys, if you speak his word over your life, the answer will always be yes. Seek ye first the kingdom of God, seek God's face in all that you do, and the answer will be yes. All right guys. Dry bones that's just amazing the vision that God gave him. And when he asked him can they live, he said only you know God, because Ezekiel knows that he can't do anything apart from God. God has to advise, guide and lead. That's a separate nugget that I just dropped on y'all. That's an episode in itself for next time, all right, guys.

Speaker 1: 19:25

So now we're at chapter 38 and 39, the prophecy against Gog of the land of Magog. Okay, this is the mysterious and often debated passage. Okay, gog is presented as a leader who will attack the restored land of Israel in the latter days. He gathers nations with him, people from Persia, from Cush, from Put, from Gomer and the other nations in the area, and he plans a massive invasion. But God steps in once again, because our God is good, he declares that he himself will fight for Israel, using earthquakes, hail, fire and confusion to destroy Gog and his armies.

Speaker 1: 20:13

Now, why did God do that? Because that was the question that I had. It's like you put Gog there to come out with all his nations to come up against Israel, and then you step in and you stop it from happening. So what was the purpose of that? And I read Ezekiel 38, 23,. Then they will know that I am the Lord. So he did that because, guess what? God wants us to know, without a doubt, that everything we go through and everything he places in us, around us, everything he does strategically so that he gets the glory. So he did it like that. He sent this person who gathered all these nations to come up against Israel. And then God said no, no, no, I'm going to wipe them out. I'm going to wipe them out this way, that way, this way, that way. Then they will know that I am the Lord. So he sends Israel, he fights for Israel with earthquakes, with hail, fire, confusing, so with confusion, and then he destroys Gog and his army on behalf of Israel.

Speaker 1: 21:22

The message is clear, right, guys? God is the ultimate defender of his people. No weapon formed against me will prosper when he is my shield. That's end result. It's clear God will always fight for you. He will always be my weapon of choice the word of God and God himself. So this is a I guess you can say like a reassurance for anyone who feels under spiritual attack. You may not know how the battle will unfold, but you can be confident in this, that the Lord will fight for you. The Lord will fight your battle. He will go up against the enemy on your behalf. Call on him, seek him, read your word and watch him work. All right, guys, we're at the end. Now.

Speaker 1: 22:16

This is the final section of the book of Ezekiel, and, guys, these are just little points. You got to go back and read the scripture for yourself to get the full picture. Okay, these are just little points, things that I pulled out when I was reading it. You got to go back and read the full book of Ezekiel to get the full picture of how awesome God is, that even in judgment, even in wrath, how merciful he is, how he will continue to give us chance after chance, even when we don't deserve it. We don't even deserve it, but he does it anyway. How good is God, how gracious is he to even do it for us? We do not deserve it. So please, please, go back and read it for yourself. Don't take my word for it. Go, study it for yourself and let God speak to you through his word. So we're at the end.

Speaker 1: 23:08

The final chapter, chapters 40 through 48. It takes us into extraordinary visions, some more visions that Ezekiel has. It's the vision of the restored temple and the renewed land. This is after God rains down all his judgment, tears everything up, busts everything up, and then Ezekiel is taken into a vision to a high mountain where a man with a measuring rod shows him the dimensions of a new temple. These chapters go into the meticulous detail and measurements of the gates, the rooms, the walls, the altars and the priest duties. Why such detail, you ask? Because I asked what is this, god? Why are you showing Ezekiel this? What am I to learn from this? Because this vision isn't just about physical structures, it's about order, it's about holiness and God's presence returning to his people. Remember the temple had been destroyed, god's glory had been departed at this time from them. But now, in this vision, god is returning not just to a building, but to dwell among his people, and I know he loves that because that is his number. One thing that he wants to do is dwell among us, be with us, walk with us, talk with us, guide us. So in chapter 43, we read then the glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gates facing east and I fell face down. The glory of the Lord filled the temple. That's Ezekiel 43, 45. And if you notice that Ezekiel falls down, he even to his face because of how glorious God is and that wow moment. This is such a powerful full circle moment. The glory that left the temple in chapter 10 has returned.

Speaker 1: 25:12

In chapter 47, we see a river flowing from the temple. As it flows, it brings healing and life to the Dead Sea, to the land and to the people. Trees start to grow with fruit for food and leaves for healing. This river is a symbol of God's spirit, flowing from his presence and bringing renewal wherever it goes. And finally, in chapter 48, ezekiel closes with a name, a new name for the city name, a new name for the city Yahweh Shema. The Lord is there, powerful. The greatest blessing in all of scripture is not a land or temple, or even a kingdom, it's the presence of God.

Speaker 1: 26:04

Ezekiel's final word is a promise that God will dwell with his people. That's it. God just wants to be there. He wants to be first in your life. He wants to be your all, not the idols, not you living, running amok and doing what you want, thinking God just going to sit back and watch that. No, he wants a relationship with us. He wants to be one with us. So he'll tear it all down and he'll build it back up so that he gets the glory and he gets the relationship. So let's bring this all together.

Speaker 1: 26:43

The book of Ezekiel began with the exile and judgment, but then it ends with the glory and restoration. It teaches us that God is holy and just, but also merciful and faithful. He corrects, he warns, but he never walks away. Oh, thank you, lord, God, for your mercy. Thank you for correcting us, for warning us, but never walking away and leaving us. Just imagine if he just took his grace off of you for a second. Just imagine that. I don't even want to imagine it. I don't want to imagine it. I do not want to imagine a life without God. I just don't. So, guys, ezekiel reminds us that God speaks in the wilderness. He restores what's been scattered, he breathes life into dry bones and he prepares a place for his glory to dwell. Not just in the building, guys. It is not about the building, but in the hearts of his people. It's not about the church building, but about the church. We are the church, the people are the church. So, not the building, but in our hearts.

Speaker 1: 27:55

Wherever you are in your journey, whether you're in a valley or on the mountaintop, mountaintop, god is with you and, just like Ezekiel, you are called to be a watchman, to speak his word and to trust his plan. Thank you, father, you are called to do it. So today, guys, I encourage you study this book for yourself. Go back, read it, pray through this. Go back, read it, pray through this, pray through this book, so that God will reveal the things that he needs to reveal to you, that you would hear the things that he needs you to hear. It's not me speaking, but God speaking through me.

Speaker 1: 28:38

Go back and read it for yourself. Let God speak to your heart. Let him grant you understanding and discernment and knowledge in the things of him, so that you understand the book of Ezekiel. Go back and read through the chapters yourself. Let God speak to you through its pages and remember this no matter how dark it gets, the final word over your life is the Lord is there. That's the word. The Lord is there. Remember that. He's right there with you. He doesn't leave, he doesn't walk away. He is there. You just need to know him for yourself. And how you do that is staying in the word. You have to read your scriptures. How you do that is staying in the word. You have to read your scriptures.

Speaker 1: 29:29

So, guys, I don't ever want to assume that someone listening today on this podcast knows the Lord, because you can belong before you believe. But I do want to give an opportunity to know Jesus for yourself, to taste the goodness he has to offer. If you feel like you've strayed away from your first love or you don't know him at all, I invite you to pray this prayer with me. Heavenly Father, I am a sinner. I recognize that you are the one true Lord and I need you in my life. I cannot do this on my own. Come into my heart, lord, come into my life, renew a spirit within me. I repent here today and ask you to lead me in the way that I should go, in Jesus' name, amen.

Speaker 1: 30:26

Guys, if you've prayed that prayer with me today, or if you're feeling that tug on your heart, I encourage you to take the next step in your journey with God, whether it's making a decision to follow Jesus or recommitting your life to him. Remember that God's love for you will never fail. It will never end. It will never leave you. If you just seek his face, that's it. That's all he asks. He doesn't want perfection. There's no fancy talk or anything. It's just you and Christ. Relationship, relationship, relationship. It's you and God together Building. Stay in your word. Read the scriptures. Relationship, relationship, relationship. It's you and God together building. Stay in your word. Read the scriptures. Let God speak to your heart. If you'd like to learn more about what it means to follow Christ, or if you just need someone to pray with you, please reach out to me. You're not in this alone.

Speaker 1: 31:21

On my website at divineharmonyfaithcom, there are endless ways to reach us and to connect to a community of believers, of like-minded people, including myself. Reach out, we are here for you. I am so excited for you taking this step. Do not let the enemy use the lack of community to dismantle what God is about to develop in your life. Reach out, the community is there. We're here for you. So thank you for joining me today. Guys, on Divine Harmony Faith, I hope this journey through Ezekiel stirred your heart and opened your eyes to God's glory in a fresh way. If you enjoyed this episode, please, please, please, please, be sure to subscribe, like share, leave a review, share it with a friend who needs the encouragement. You can also connect with my community, as I said, you know, you can download devotionals. We have resources. It's all there for you, divineharmonyfaithcom. Until next time, stay faithful, stay grounded in his word and remember God is always near. I love you. God loves you. Bye-bye.