Blogging the Bible

The book of Ezekiel is constant reminder to us that God is aware of everything that is happening to his people and to the world. In chapter 34 we can hear the pain and disappointment expressed by God regardless the leaders of Israel. In a very symbolic way he calls the political and religious leader “the shepherds” and the people “my sheep”.

 Also he describes the leaders as those who had failed in feeding and leading the sheep.Obviously God holds responsible the individuals for their sins and bad deeds (Ezekiel 18) but also holds responsible the leaders for not setting a good example and a positive influence into his people. The leaders of Israel were so focused in living and enjoying their own lives that they didn’t care about the spiritual, moral and social disintegration of the people of Israel.

When God put someone in position of authority and privilege, he is also expects them to be responsible and to set the model for the people to whom they serve. Apostle Peter says: “Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples of the flock” (1 Peter 5: 3)

The other interesting thing is that when the prophet proclaimed his judgment against Mount Seir (chapter 35) he says that the reason for their punishment was because they were celebrating Israel downfall. Not only that, but also because they “cherished an ancient enmity” (35:5) which is a reminder of the enmity that was born after Jacob cheated Esau regardless the firstborn right (Genesis 27: 18 -45) In addition to that, they also were judged by God because they were using a “abusive speech” (35: 12)  against Israel.

Does God really care about the way we deal with others? I definitely believe so because our behavior or speech will be the reflection of our most deep feelings and thoughts. Actually the prophet says that all this behavior of the people of Seir was the result of their hatred against Israel (35:11)

  The prophet says “Therefore, as I live, says the Lord God, I will deal with you according to the anger and envy that showed because your hatred against them” (35:11) God is aware, and he expects us to be aware of our speech and actions too. 

Day 244: Ezekiel 36-40

These chapters proclaim the entire restoration of the people of Israel. Also these chapters proclaim more final judgment for more nations. I believe that the main message goes around the total ability of The Lord to restore his people and teach the nations his ways.Chapter 37 is a remarkable example of extreme devastation transformed into extreme renovation by the grace and power of God. This is also a powerful reminder that no matter how horrible and hopeless our lives and circumstances can be; God always can bring new life and hope, and transform a lost cause into a new beginning.

The vision of the dry bones was actually a divine description of what the Israelites thought of themselves. They were saying “our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely” (37:11)

How many of you, have ever felt like the Israelites? Not doubts that many of us had felt like that in any times of our lives, or perhaps the time will come when we might feel like that. However it does not matter when that will take place in your life or my life; what really matters is that we always can remember and believe that the Lord Almighty who promised and gave a new beginning to the Israelites will also do the same for us too.

I am amazed how much time God spent telling other nations that they will be punish or totally destroy. Not that God is glad with their fate, but he neither is glad with their arrogance and selfishness.

 All the nations mentioned here are nations that in one or other way were celebrating Israel’s punishment and judgment or were so proud to be and to do whatever they wanted to do. Tyre has special details and her punishment was mainly related to her arrogance and lack of compassion for others (26-28)

Are we aware that God really pays attention to our motives and behavior? If not all this nations are a real warning to us.

I would like to share a bible verse from the  1 Epistle of Peter chapter 5 verse 5: “God oppose the proud, but gives grace to the humble”

I believe that chapter 18 is the one of the most important chapters of the entire book of Ezekiel. The reason why I believe so, is because here lays the foundation of the recovery of Israel as nation under punishment as well as individuals and families. Israel was used to blame others for their disgrace, but here God is telling them that any disgrace that they might face could be the result of punishment for personal or national sin.

The prophet told them: “Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin” (18:30) in other words you have the ability of build up or destroy your life, all depends what kind of behavior you have.

I think Prophet Ezekiel is a wonderful communicator. He was telling God’s words in a very symbolic and catchy way. However, he was denouncing Israel sins in ways that everybody will understand by then. The rest of this chapters talks about judgment and call to repentance. There is a very interesting thing in chapter 20 verse 49, the prophet just finished his prophecies, and then he said: “Ah Lord God! They are saying of me, ‘is he not a maker of allegories’?” In other words like the Message says it “O God, everyone is saying of me, He just makes up stories”

Prophets and their messages were not always welcome. Especially they were not welcome when they were denouncing sin and proclaiming judgment. Ezekiel was a prophet among the Israelites in their land and in the exile in Babylon. He paid a big price to be their prophet; He was actually chosen to be a living sign to them. When his wife died, God told him not to mourn for her and also God told him that the same thing that happened to him will happen to the rebellious Israelites (24: 15-25)

Would you like to be a prophet like Ezekiel? Maybe that would not be your favorite choice, but let me tell you that as Christians we were chosen to be a sign to this world. Jesus says that we are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14) and as light we were meant to shine the hope of God, but also to denounce the darkness of this world by the kind of life that we live. Sometimes people will not likes us because they might disagree with our life style and message, but as Ezekiel we have to keep living and proclaiming God’s word and God’s message regardless the price that it might represents for us.

Maybe somebody can say: That is Just good stories! Not at all, these are the stories and words of the almighty God.

The parallel themes of detestable acts and judgment leading to the people knowing that “I am the Lord” continue in chapters 14-17. Eight more times the Lord refers to the detestable acts of the people and five more times the prophet declares that as a result of God’s bringing judgment they will know that he is Lord.

15:23 states clearly that the people of the time (unlike those of us reading it from afar), seeing the judgment of God, would not question why this was happening. They would be consoled because they KNEW it was a result of their detestable turning away from the God who had delivered them and given them all that they had.

In 16:8ff there is this beautiful picture of a bride being given by the bridegroom everything she could possibly need or want and being beautiful for the whole world to see. The bride is Israel, God’s people and the bridegroom is the Lord. But that bride is unfaithful. That bride takes the gifts given her by the bridegroom (husband) who loved her and becoming a prostitute who pays other men to lie with her! 16:30 the Lord calls Israel a “brazen prostitute” who prefers abusive and strange lovers to her husband–The Lord! The picture is very graphic and reveals the depth of Israels hard heart and wickedness and how horribly they spurned the love of God.

But once again hope emerges. 16:60 says “yet I will remember my covenant.” This is an amazing God. His love really does endure forever! Inspite of all this detestable behavior, God continues to love his creatures and woos them back to him. God always keeps his covenants–his promises. And as a result, they “will know” that he is the Lord!

Chapter 17 gives another analogy that powerfully communicates the faithfulness of God in contrast to the fickleness of humankind. Those who lead his people astray (false prophets and errant priests) will pay even more dearly for their causing others to stumble. But, the Sovereign Lord has declared what he will do–which is keep a remnant for himself and bring about the promise of his perfect rule where he will live with them and be their God and they will be his people– and he will do it(17:24b)!

Is there any doubt about why God is doing what he is doing in these chapters of Ezekiel? Two things are repeated over and over again. The people of Israel did “detestable”things. At least 19 times this is how the Lord describes the rebellion of Israel. They did more than not follow the Lord, they followed after the gods of other nations and did detestable acts. There behavior is described in many ways. Rebellious, wicked, rejecting the Lord, not following his decrees, defiling the sanctuary, deceiving and misleading the people, adulterous hearts, turning away, to name only a few. But detestable is the prominent description. God was reviled by what he saw and heard the people doing. And so his judgment comes severely to match the severity of their rebellion. And the purpose of his wrath, besides bringing punishment for their deeds… so that they would know that he is Lord! This is the other phrase repeated over and over again in these chapters. At least 13 times the Lord speaks through Ezekiel giving the pronouncement of the judgement but always so that “they will know that I am the Lord.” God’s judgment amazingly is not only used to punish sin, it is used to offer grace. It is a tool in the hands of God to help bring us to repentance. This is what the new testament teaches also. The judgment of God leads us to repentance! Experiencing life without God’s favor (experiencing his removal of favor brings trouble) causes us to realize we need his favor and to return to seek it. This is another example of the benevolence of God shown even through great pain and suffering–through judgment. There is hope for those who turn to the Lord, no matter what they have been through, not matter how much they have rebelled. In a whisper, in a moment, God can bring his grace to wherever we are.

Though the violence of Ezekiel is hard to read. We must read it remembering the detestable acts of those whom God had showered his love and grace upon. They were running as fast as they could away from God. This would lead to their final destruction. God’s wrath upon them, actually made it possible for some to avoid that destruction. For some, it would turn them back to God.

Ezekiel asks two times in these passages if God is going to destroy them all and leave no remnant? The first time the Lord does not answer (9:8). But the second time (11:13) God answers in 11:17-20. As has always been the case through time and through all those who spoke for God… he promised that he would not forsake them permanently but that he would always leave a believing remnant so that he could keep his promise of an eternal kingdom where he would rule and his people would live with him in harmony and great abundance of life.

Keep your eyes on the tender and constant compassion of the Lord, who always finds a way no matter how detestable our sin! If we repent, if we turn to him, if we will obey his word, there is hope!

Three things stand out in these opening chapters of Ezekiel. First, there is the dramatic vision of the four creatures and the four wheels. There is not time or room in this blog to dscuss much of the detail of scholarly interpretation of these opening verses, but even a casual reading makes pretty clear that the creatures and the wheels in some way represent God’s divine action. No matter what is going on among people, God is in control and using the events of human history to accomplish his purposes.

Second, the hard heartedness and stubborness of Israel is glaring. Four times the Lord says, “they are a rebellious house.” Twice he calls them stubborn. And two other times he refers to their rebellion. It could not be more clear. Israel is suffering judgment because of their constant and belligerent turning away from God.

Third, the relentless love of God–more than a match for their belligerence– continues to try and reach them bysending messengers. This time, the messenger is Ezekiel. He is to deliver the bad news knowing that the people would not listen, and would mistreat him. His own actions would act out the judgment that was about to fall on Jerusalem.

It is a hard message and a hard vision. There is not much hope in sight. But as we know from all the prophets we have read so far, God always keeps for himself a remnant of believing people. Ezekiel is one of them. He gives his life to obedience even at great cost. He IS part of the remnant of Israel who continue to put their faith and trust in the Lord no matter what the circumstances, no matter what the cost. There is a glimmer of hope in these opening chapters but we will have to wait until almost the end of the book to see it clearly.

These two chapters are pretty clear in what they say. Though it is God’s wrath that has brought on the destruction of Zion (4″11), it is a result of their sin and they know it (13,22). The prophet confesses for the people and then in chapter five. And even thought there is some doubt (5:22) he prays for the restoration that he knows has been promised and proclaims that the Lord will reign forever (5:19) which means his people will reign with him as promised through the prophets.

The contrast between the glory days and the desolation is stark. But the remnant of hope remains as in all the prophets. Because the Lord endures, so will his people.

This book is perfectly named. To lament is to express sadness and regret. And a lamentation is a song or poem expressing sadness and regret. This certainly is what the book of Lamentations is. It is a heart-wrenching cry. In the original language, Hebrew, it was a creatively designed poem using acrostics and must have been beautiful to hear as it was read publicly during certain festivals. The agony of the author is palpable. If it is Jeremiah, there is good reason. He prophesied for 40 years that these things would happen if the people did not repent. As he and Israel are led off into exile he sees the destruction of Jerusalem and the judgment of God in full and it is hear-wrenching.

But as with all the prophets, there is revealed in the prophetic utterances an amazing depth of faith. In 3:21-39, smack dab in the middle of the lament, the author calls to mind the steadfast love of the Lord and has hope. What? How can this be? It can be because the prophet sees beyond the immediate circumstances and remembers God’s graciousness in the past and his promise of grace for the future. In the middle of deep pain and suffering the author of Lamentation is able to proclaim that the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, that his mercies never come to an end! He acknowledges that God’s mercies are new every morning and that his faithfulness is great! These verses provide the lyrics of one of my favorite hymns and one of my favorite choruses.

We would do well to follow the example of the author of Lamentation, Jeremiah, or whoever it is. We can be honest with God about our sadness and what we regret. We can cry out in agony and pain. We do not have to candy-coat it. But we must also call to mind the steadfast love of the Lord and have hope. In the midst of difficulty I often find myself singing,
Great is thy faithfulness,
Great is they faithfulness,
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness,
Lord unto me.
Today, I will call to mind the steadfast love of the Lord.