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Fall 2025: Judah, From Isaiah to Exile
Unit 3: Ezekiel and the Exile of Judah

Ezekiel and the Exile of Judah
The final lessons recount Ezekiel’s prophetic messages to the people in exile. The account of 2 Kings 24:18–25:9, detailing the last days of Judah, is hard to read, as it is full of violence and desperation (lesson 10). Into that environment, the prophet-priest Ezekiel, in Babylon among the exiles, reports the devastation in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 24:20–21; see lesson 11). His prophecies are replete with visions, signs, and symbolic actions, testifying to the utter ruin of the homeland and promises of renewal.  When Ezekiel’s wife dies, he obediently follows God’s command not to mourn as a sign to the people that no one will weep when Jerusalem falls (Ezekiel 24:15–16). Ezekiel serves as a “watchman” to the people, keeping the promise of a return from exile alive (33:7–16a; see lesson 12).  Ezekiel’s message reaches its hopeful climax in his vision of a renewed temple with water flowing from it (Ezekiel 47:1–12; see lesson 13). Ezekiel died in captivity, his life a living symbol that God’s Word is forever active, present, and powerful. His ministry helped transform the people into the remnant who find a renewed orientation for hope in the promises of God.

Lesson 9  Jeremiah’s Rescue. Jeremiah 38:7–13
Zedekiah was the last king of Judah before the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. In 597 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon seized control of Jerusalem. He deported the then-current king—Jehoiachin—to Babylon along with the royal family, court officials, 7,000 elite fighters, and other prominent citizens (2 Kings 24:14–16).  Nebuchadnezzar installed Jehoiachin’s 21-yearold uncle in his place, changing his name from Mattaniah to Zedekiah, which means “the Lord is righteous” (24:17). But Zedekiah did not honor the Lord.
Zedekiah and the prophet Jeremiah had a complicated relationship. On the one hand, Zedekiah consulted Jeremiah and asked him to pray (Jeremiah 37:3). Zedekiah wanted a “word from the Lord,” seeming to trust the prophet (37:17). But Zedekiah did not like what he kept hearing. He refused to humble himself and heed Jeremiah’s message (2 Chronicles 36:12).

Lesson 10  Jerusalem’s Fall. 2 Kings 24:18–25:9
Today’s text takes us to the time frame of 597–586 BC. Many centuries had passed since Moses warned the Israelites of the  consequences of breaking God’s covenant (Deuteronomy 29:9– 28; 30:15–18). The prophets reminded Israel and Judah of the coming judgment (2 Kings 24:2). The exile of the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC had proven the prophets’ warnings true (17:3–23).
Now Judah too would face God’s judgment.  The blame for the tragedy in today’s text is most directly traced to the nation’s line of leadership.  Were we to draw a “good and evil” timeline of Judah’s 20 rulers since the beginning of the divided monarchy in the tenth century BC (1 Kings 12), we would see startling swings from evil to good and back again to evil. Today’s lesson introduces us to the last in that line of 20 kings, a man named Zedekiah.

Lesson 11    Ezekiel’s Sign. Ezekiel 3:10–11; 24:15–24, 27
The prophet Ezekiel was a contemporary of the prophet Jeremiah. Both lived at the time of the Babylonian captivity in the mid-sixth century BC. Ezekiel was 30 years old in “the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin,” which was the year 592 BC (Ezekiel 1:1–2; compare 2 Kings 24:8–15).  The Babylonian captivity occurred in three stages: the deportations of 605, 597, and 586 BC (2 Kings 24–25; 2 Chronicles 36). Ezekiel’s involuntary relocation to Babylon was a part of the second stage of exile in 597 BC. He was among the
10,000 of the elite citizenry taken at that time (2 Kings 24:12–14). Daniel and other Jews who had been deported in the first stage ended up serving “in the king’s palace” (Daniel 1:4). While Ezekiel, coming in the second stage, found himself in a completely different setting. He was “among the exiles by the Kebar River” in Babylon (Ezekiel 1:1).

Lesson 12  Ezekiel’s Responsibility. Ezekiel 33:7–16a
References to “the twelfth year” of the Babylonian exile bracket today’s lesson text of Ezekiel 33:7–16a (see Ezekiel 32:1, 17; 33:21). That exile happened in three stages, with deportations taking place in the years 605, 597, and 586 BC (2 Kings 24:1–25:21). “The twelfth year” dates from 597 BC (Ezekiel 1:2). Thus our lesson today takes us into the year of the fall of Jerusalem, in 586 BC. The residents of Judah who had been in exile already for 12 years and longer were about to experience another wave of their countrymen joining them in captivity.  Regarding literary context, the text for today’s lesson is part of the larger unit of Ezekiel 33:1–20. This unit examines and illustrates Ezekiel’s role as a prophet, the messages he is to convey, what mindset to expect from his audience, and
how to respond to wrong thinking. Ezekiel 33:1–20 is something of a condensed version of Ezekiel 18, in which the prophet corrects an exaggerated view of group responsibility that sees its members as children suffering for the sins of their parents.

Lesson 13  Ezekiel’s Vision. Ezekiel 47:1–9, 12
Most of the contextual information in the previous lessons from Ezekiel still applies and need not be repeated here. What’s changed about the context is a shift from addressing the Judahites’s then-present situation in Babylon to a vision of the future. All of Ezekiel 40–48, about 20 percent of the entire book, relates this vision. Understanding the meaning and significance of the vision is crucial
to appreciate this great book fully. The imagery of the “water of life” river and its surroundings has parallels elsewhere in the Bible. Revelation 22, in particular, offers several points for fruitful comparison.  The vision is meant to encourage God’s people.  The exile had decimated their homeland. Their capital had been razed. Their temple was destroyed. The exiles now lived in a strange land
under a foreign power. While the prophets had predicted a return (Jeremiah 29:10–14), many feared they would never see Judah again. Ezekiel’s visions offer these exiles reason to hope.  The visions concern a new city and a transformed homeland. The glory of this new Jerusalem and Judah will be greater than what was lost.  The vision opens in Ezekiel 40:1 with a record of the date. By comparison with various texts and calendars, that date would likely be around 573 BC. As the reader moves through the text from 40:1, Ezekiel is seen to receive details concerning a restored city and temple. These prophetic images include particulars regarding the officials to serve in the new temple, allotment of land, and instructions regarding offering procedures for Passover and other special days. Then we arrive at chapter 47.

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Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. To be spiritually mature is to show the fruit of the Spirit of Christ in our lives. These nine lessons from Old and New Testament passages highlight each quality and inspire us to nurture the Spirit’s fruit in our lives.

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1. Love – 1 John 4:7-16          REPLAY LESSON 1

2. Joy – Luke 24:33-53        REPLAY LESSON 2

3. Peace – Isaiah 43:1-7       REPLAY LESSON 3

4. Patience – Matthew 18:21-35         REPLAY LESSON 4

5. Kindness – 2 Samuel 9         REPLAY LESSON 5

6. Goodness – Psalm 107      REPLAY LESSON 6

7. Faithfulness – 2 Chronicles 20:1-30            REPLAY LESSON 7

8. Gentleness – 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

9. Self-Control – 1 Samuel 26