The Message of Ezekiel

by Christopher J.H. Wright

Summary

In The Message of Ezekiel by Christopher J. H. Wright (IVP, 2024 revised ed.; 400 pages; ISBN 978-1789744323) we find an engaging and pastorally minded commentary on one of the Old Testament’s most enigmatic and challenging prophets. Wright brings Ezekiel’s visions, oracles, and symbolic actions to life in a way that honours the text while making the material accessible for modern preaching, teaching, and pastoral ministry. The commentary captures the book’s weight — judgment, exile, divine holiness, hope for restoration — without reducing Ezekiel’s strangeness to mere spiritual platitudes.

Wright begins by situating Ezekiel in his historical and theological context: exile, social upheaval, false gods, and a people in spiritual crisis. From there he walks through the book’s major sections, giving attention to vision passages, symbolic acts, judgments on Israel and surrounding nations, and the ultimate promise of a new heart and renewed community. His exposition is not technical in the sense of deep Hebrew syntax, but it remains firmly grounded in the flow and structure of Ezekiel’s message. Importantly, he connects the prophetic hope of restoration to the broader biblical storyline, pointing forward to the new covenant and the renewal that is ultimately fulfilled in Christ.

Why Should I Own This Commentary?

This volume is especially valuable for pastors and Bible-teachers who face the task of bringing Ezekiel to life for congregations that may be unfamiliar with prophetic imagination. Wright’s writing is pastorally sensitive and homiletically generous. He helps the preacher wrestle honestly with divine judgement, holiness, human sin, and hope for redemption — themes that are deeply relevant for churches living in a broken world. The commentary offers sermon-shaping insight, especially in texts about God’s presence departing and returning, covenant judgment, and the promise of spiritual renewal.

The balance Wright strikes makes this commentary a helpful bridge: more substantial than a devotional reflection, yet more accessible than a technical Hebrew commentary. It is the sort of volume that a busy pastor can reasonably carry alongside sermon preparation, small-group teaching, or pastoral counselling. In a Reformed context, its emphasis on God’s holiness, his sovereign judgment, covenant faithfulness, and future restoration resonates with the broad strokes of redemptive theology. The book will help a pastor preach not only fearsome truth about judgment, but hopeful gospel about restoration.

For your role — shepherding a congregation, preparing sermons, guiding small groups — this commentary offers a reliable and readable tool. It helps you approach one of Scripture’s most difficult books with confidence and humility, always with pastoral sensitivity and gospel awareness.

Closing Recommendation

We recommend The Message of Ezekiel by Christopher J. H. Wright as a very valuable resource for pastors, small-group leaders, and serious Bible-teachers. It brings theological depth, pastoral insight, and canonical awareness to bear on a challenging prophetic book. While not a substitute for advanced technical research, it excels as a preacher’s friend and a church-teaching resource. For those who want to guide God’s people through judgment, exile, and hope toward the promise of renewal, this commentary is a worthy addition to the shelf.

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