Ezekiel

Summary

We come to Ezekiel needing help with a book that is both visually arresting and theologically intense. It confronts sin with severity, it speaks judgement with frightening clarity, and it also offers hope that is grounded in the Lord’s zeal for His name. Preaching Ezekiel requires careful handling. If we rush, we will confuse people. If we soften, we will blunt the Word. A large commentary can serve us if it helps us follow the structure, understand the imagery, and keep the message coherent across long sections.

Ezekiel is also a book of sustained prophetic argument. It is not merely a collection of vivid moments. There is a logic to the judgement oracles, a reason for the sign acts, and a pastoral aim in the promises of restoration. We need to see how the Lord exposes false confidence, dismantles idolatry, and then rebuilds hope through covenant promises. We also need to handle the temple vision and the restoration sections without turning them into speculative charts.

A full commentary in this series is likely to be used as a major reference rather than as a quick read. We will benefit most when we plan ahead. Ezekiel often requires patient work with context, especially with repeated phrases and symbolic actions. The goal is not to impress, it is to preach so that God’s holiness and God’s mercy are both felt.

Strengths

First, we are served when a commentary helps us keep the book’s structure visible. That matters for preaching series. Ezekiel can feel sprawling to hearers if we do not guide them. A structured approach helps us show why the judgement sections are as long as they are, and why the restoration promises arrive when they do. It helps us show that the Lord is not volatile. He is righteous, patient, and faithful to His word.

Second, we need help with imagery and symbolism. Ezekiel’s visions can be mishandled in two opposite ways. We can domesticate them, turning them into vague metaphors, or we can over interpret them, turning every detail into a secret code. A wise commentary helps us avoid both errors. It pushes us to ask what the imagery is doing in its context, and how it functions to confront and to comfort.

Third, a substantial work can help us maintain theological coherence. Ezekiel speaks repeatedly about the Lord acting for His name’s sake. That is not cold. It is covenant love. It means the Lord’s commitment to His glory is the very foundation of His commitment to His people. When we preach that well, it produces humility and assurance together.

Limitations

The obvious limitation is size. A 976 page volume is not a casual tool. It will demand time. We should not expect to consult it profitably without planning. There is also a pastoral limitation inherent in any large reference work. The commentary can help us understand, but it cannot create the reverence and trembling we need when preaching judgement. That must be sought from the Lord in prayer.

We should also remember that Ezekiel includes difficult sections that will require additional pastoral sensitivity. The commentary may help with meaning, but we still need to think carefully about how to speak to different hearers and different wounds.

How We Would Use It

We would use this in a preaching series with an early start. Outline the book, plan units, then consult the commentary for interpretive decisions and structural clarity. We would use it especially for the vision passages and the restoration sections, where misreading is common. We would also use it to ensure that our applications remain tethered to the text, rather than driven by contemporary speculation.

For teaching and training, it can serve advanced students and leaders who want to handle Ezekiel responsibly, with attention to both its original setting and its canonical role.

Closing Recommendation

This is a major resource suited to those who want a serious companion for Ezekiel. It is best for planned preaching and deeper study, and it can help us preach with clarity, gravity, and steady hope in the Lord who restores for His name’s sake.