Ezekiel was a priest who lived during a time of upheaval in Judah. In 597 BC, he was exiled to Babylon with the first group of Judeans, whilst Jerusalem and the Temple were still standing. Far from his homeland and the religious environment that had shaped his life, Ezekiel had to make a life for himself in a foreign land. About five years later, on the banks of the River Chebar, he received a vision of four living creatures of unusual appearance (vv. 1–14). In the land of exile, when his former life could no longer be sustained, his prophetic journey actually began.
For the people of Judah, the exile was not merely the loss of their homes. The land, the Temple, and the House of David were integral parts of their identity and their belief in God’s presence amongst them. Being far from Jerusalem left them shaken and asking: does God still accompany them in a foreign land? How could they understand God’s promises when the reality of their lives seemed to contradict what they had always believed?
This struggle reveals just how closely intertwined place, memory and identity are. Jerusalem was not merely a city they had left behind, but a part of the world they had always known. When that connection is severed, it is not only their daily lives that are shaken, but also the way they understand themselves and their relationship with God.
Such a loss shakes one’s sense of security and fundamental beliefs about the world. Memories of the past help us maintain our identity and sense of belonging, yet at the same time they can highlight the gap between the life we long for and the reality we must live with. We long not only for the places we have left behind, but also for the certainty and meaning we once found within them. Interestingly, amidst this alienation, Ezekiel received a vision of God whilst in Babylon. This vision of four living creatures moving amidst flashes of fire and light marked the beginning of a revelation that shook the people’s long-held understanding of God’s presence. He is not known solely through the place they had left behind. God can still reveal Himself in a foreign land, amidst a life that no longer unfolds as it once did.
Dear Friends of the Bible, there are times when life’s changes make us feel alienated from our own world. We long for a time when everything felt more certain, whilst today we must learn to live with a different reality. If any of us are experiencing loss, we need not deny it or force ourselves to recover immediately. Like Ezekiel, we too can shift our perspective; when the place we once called home is no longer a place to return to, is it possible for us to still encounter God amidst a life that now feels alien?
