Ezekiel 1-48: An extreme prophet for extreme times

Ezekiel is one of those books which may evoke feelings of apprehension rather than comprehension, filled with incredible, even distasteful acts and perplexing symbolism. Furthermore, with the first 24 chapters focusing on messages of doom and gloom, it can be a difficult read. 48 chapters may seem like a lot but instead of reading to gain "a devotional lesson for the day," read it to gain a deeper understanding of who God is, both His goodness and also His severity. Romans 11:22 - "Behold then the kindness and severity of God..." It is important that we do not limit God to any one-sided plane of understanding but to allow the book of Ezekiel to speak for itself and examine the prophet based upon his calling and ministry. 

Furthermore, the context of Ezekiel living in Babylon, witnessing the displacement of his people, and the destruction of Jerusalem certainly paints a situation of desperateness. Ezekiel's vision and mannerism may seem eccentric to us now but we need to understand that his original audience were people in a desperate situation and they needed a wake-up call. Ezekiel is an extreme prophet for extreme times.

Connecting the dots
Do you know that 27% of the Bible contains predictions about the future and the book of Ezekiel contains a significant portion of apocalyptic prophecy which makes it an intriguing read when combined with the other two major apocalyptic books - Daniel and Revelation. It is not surprising then that Ezekiel's visions transcend time and location (similar to John on the island of Patmos) - where he was able to view Jerusalem (8:3) even though he was living in Babylon. Note that Ezekiel was a contemporary of Jeremiah and Daniel (Jeremiah was an old man at this time).

There is basically a threefold division to Ezekiel representing highlighting the prophet's three major ministry periods:

  • Judgment coming to Jerusalem (chapters 1-24)
  • Judgment coming to the nations (chapters 25-32)
  • Restoration of God's people (chapters 33-48)
It has been noted that the key to understanding Ezekiel is the glory of God and the temple. When you read through this book, notice the narrative of the departure of the glory of God from the temple, and its eventual return. The people whom God has created will be "de-created" because of their sin, but they will one day be "re-created" to dwell with God, and He with them, forever.

Activity idea
In our contemporary culture, we may not understand the significance of a physical temple for the Jews in OT days, it was the custodian of their national identity and a very real reminder of God's presence among His people. Since we are now "living stones" being built up as a spiritual house (1 Pet 2:5), God's presence is with us wherever we go and we worship God as living (not dead) sacrifices (Rom 12:1). Here's a practical tip - do you find yourself making melody in your heart throughout the day (Eph 5:19)? Try and have moments of your day where you either sing silently in worship or listen to something on Spotify to uplift your heart to the Lord.

Christ in Scripture
In John 7:37-38, Jesus stands up on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacle and says, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" These statements that Jesus provides "living water" apparently refer to the new eschatological temple in Ezekiel 47, which yields water that makes everything live. That same water even turns the salt water of the Dead Sea to fresh water, causing it to teem with life. Clearly, the apostle John sees Jesus as Ezekiel's eschatological temple who gives living water to all who will come to Him.

In addition, later on in Revelation, John wrote that Ezekiel's eschatological temple is not a literal building but the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. In the final description of the New Jerusalem, John writes, "And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb." (Rev 21:22). Praise be to God!

May your hearts continue to burn within you as Jesus Christ explain the pages of Scripture to you on your road to Emmaus.

We welcome your comments, feedback and questions - please post them in the comments below.


References
Lee, Peter Y. (2016). A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the Old Testament. (Miles V. Van Pelt, Ed.) Wheaton, IL: Crossway.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Genesis 1-24 : God creates and continues to intervene

Image
For this coming week, the READ SCRIPTURE   mobile app will take us through Genesis 1-24 and Psalms 1-7. You will be covering 4-5 chapters a day - this may seem like quite a lot to take in but here are four tips to guide you so that your "Emmaus journey" remains a heartwarming one. The mobile app comes video narratives that introduces the flow and themes of the book. Watch it for an excellent "10,000 feet perspective" before you dive in. Consider listening to the audio version of the Bible - letting the sound of Scripture fill your waking hours sets you in the right "hearing mode." Your driving time can also be another opportunity for listening and reflection. Spread your reading throughout the day - a chapter before breakfast, another one after lunch, one after dinner and the final one before bed time. Going through the Word of God should be a  regular  conversational journey with the God of the Word. It is not a "check-list" event. If by this ti
Read more

Ezra & Nehemiah: Return and restoration

Image
For the coming week, both of Ezra and Nehemiah will be read one after another because they represent a different season in Israel's life as a nation. Up till Ezekiel, the emphasis was on the exile and repentance, now it is about the return from exile with restoration is the goal. Israel as a nation has faced various consequences for their failure in keeping their obligations to the covenant but none was as severe as the exile, the very promised land which was their dream since the exodus from Egypt is now taken forcefully away from them! Read Leviticus 26:31-35 which outlined the exile as a penalty for disobedience. Here's what's interesting - do you know why the Babylonian exile was for 70 years? Connecting the dots The Jews had been in the promised land for roughly 800 years, and for 490 years, they disobeyed his Sabbath rest and based on the law that the land is to be "rested" every 7th year (Lev 25:2-4; 26:33-35), there is an accumulated 70 years of "unfu
Read more

Haggai: The "closing" prophets (Part 1)

Image
In the next three postings, we will scan through the ministry of the final trio of prophets in the post-exilic period of the Jews - Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. They mark not only the closing of the Old Testament canon but also the beginning of a 400 year period of silence with no prophetic voice. Hence, the words from these three prophets are worth paying attention to. It is not surprising then, when John the Baptist appeared as "the voice of one crying in the wilderness" (Mk 1:2), "all the country of Judea was going out to him." (Mk 1:5).  Before the exile, the prophets speak of warnings and impending disasters. However, the post-exilic prophets like Haggai and Zechariah spoke mainly words of comfort and encouragement, especially in the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem after they returned in the six century BC from their exile in Babylon (Ezra 5:1, 6:14).  Connecting the dots Haggai consists of four messages headed by the phrase "the word of the LOR
Read more