Year 3, Day 151: Ezekiel 25

Two Prophesies Against Ammon

Ammon had been a long-time enemy of Judah.  It began in the time of the judges.  It continued through King Saul.  David conquered them for a short time and after Solomon died the Ammonites regained their freedom.  Judah and Ammon continued to be enemies, with Ammon siding with Babylon several times when Judah would try a coup against Babylon.  They sided with Babylon simply to try and claim more and more land when Judah would be defeated.

With this as the back story, we come to Ezekiel’s prophesies.  The first one describes how the Ammonites celebrated when the temple of the Lord was profaned and when the kingdoms of Judah and Israel were delivered into exile.  Notice the terminology of the prophecy.  Ezekiel uses a “because,” “therefore,” and “you shall know” style.  Because the Ammonites celebrated against the Lord, therefore the Lord will bring judgment upon them via the Babylonians and allow the Babylonians to be masters over everything that was Ammonite in control.  Why?  The Lord will do this so that they shall know that He is Lord.

In verse 6, we get another prophecy of the same stylistic device.  Because the Ammonites celebrated with malice against the Hebrew people, therefore the Lord will hand them over as plunder to the nations.  They will perish as a people.  (The last known mention of people with Ammonite blood is shortly after the time of Christ referencing a people living in south Palestine.)  Why will all this happen?  This will happen so that the Ammonites will know that the Lord is sovereign.

Prophecy Against Moab and Seir

Here we have another example of the prophetic style of this chapter.  Because the Moabite claimed that the people of Judah were no different than the other nations, God is going to hand them over to the Babylonians.  Why?  So that they will know that God is the Lord.

I think this sin is pretty interesting.  The Moabites are guilty of claiming that Judah is no different than the other nations.  On one level, the Moabite claim is right.  The Hebrew people were facing their own judgment because they had adopted the ways of the world.  However, even though they acted no different, they were still different.  They were God’s chosen people.  They were in a special relationship with God – even if it didn’t show.  Therefore, the Moabites are guilty of denying God’s relationship with His people. They are guilty not of insulting the Hebrew people but of denying God His place.

This is particularly interesting to me because it does point to the importance of the people of God actually being a demonstration of God’s presence within them.  God’s people are called to reveal God to the world.  When we don’t do that, we actually become the proof that others need to deny God His rightful place.

Prophecy Against Edom

Again we see the pattern.  Because the Edomites took vengeful action against the Hebrew people, God will take vengeance against them.  We know that the Edomites were conquered by the Nabateans.  The remnant of Edomites fled their homeland, moved west towards the Negev, and became known as the Idumeans.  Later, the land they had taken near the Negev was conquered and they were allowed to stay in the region if they would circumcise themselves and become Jewish.  They did.  As we hear in scripture, the Edomites would ultimately lose everything – including their national identity – at the hand of God’s people.

Note, however, that the “why” changes in the case of Edom.  Here God does not say, “So that they may know I am the Lord.”  Here God says, “That they shall know my vengeance.”  Edom had been an antagonist of the Hebrew people ever since Jacob and Esau.  Remember that the Edomites were the descendants of Esau.  Also remember that when the Hebrew people were coming out of Egypt the Edomites would not let them go through their land.  The Edomites made a habit of standing in the way of the Lord.  The Lord would show His vengeance as the Edomites showed vengeance upon His people.

Prophecy Against Philistia

Note: Cherethites is a synonym for the Philistines.

In this final prophecy of this chapter, we see the same pattern.  Because the Philistines have always opposed the Hebrew people from the time that they tried to possess the land until the time Jerusalem was besieged, God would take vengeance upon them.  The Philistines were an ancient and ever-present enemy.  Thus, God will judge them.  We know that the Philistines disappear as a nation between when Jerusalem is taken and the time of Christ.  Again, we hear the same conclusion.  This will happen so that the Philistines would know that God is the Lord.

A Note About the Nations

I don’t think I need to go into too much depth here, but I do think that it is worth talking about the four judgments here.  The four nations mentioned here in this chapter are the ancient enemies of the Hebrew people.  These were the people to whom the Hebrew people should have had the easiest time reaching.  These were the Gentiles that had the best opportunity to embrace God and His ways.  It never happened.  The Hebrew people did not demonstrate God’s love to them.  They did not come seeking God’s love even where it could be found.  This chapter demonstrates the near colossal failure of people of the Old Testament.  God brought His people out of Egypt with such high promise.  It failed – because of the human influence, mind you – only a few hundred years later.

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Year 3, Day 150: Ezekiel 24

The Day of Disaster

The Lord sends a prophetic message on the day that Jerusalem is officially besieged.  Ezekiel is to take a pot and cook all the choice cuts of meat within it.  He is also told to put all the bones within the pot.  All of the choice elements for good rich nutrition go into the pot.  Then Ezekiel is to boil the contents.

The symbol should be clear.  The chosen portions – the highly desired portions – are trapped in the pot and cooked.  The chosen people – the highly desired inheritance of Abraham – are trapped in Jerusalem and they will come into judgment.  All of that which had great opportunity to provide spiritual nourishment to the nations goes into the pot so that it can be tried by fire.

However, when we get to verses 6 – 14 we realize that something is wrong with the pot.  There is something corrupt in the pot.  The word used in verse 6 can mean anything from “rust” to a more generic “corrosion.”  In other words, as the meat is being cooked, there is a scum of corrosion that floats to the surface.  It spoils the cooked meat.  It spoils the whole contents of the pot.  It can’t be hidden any longer.  As the fire comes, the scum rises to the top of the water.  Symbolically, we can see that what God is saying is that as the judgment gets tighter and tighter upon Jerusalem their corruption will become more and more evident.

I really like this imagery.  I’ve had times in my life where things have completely fallen apart because of sinful behavior.  The wheels fell off, so to speak.  Looking back on those times, I can tell that the spiral into sin was rooted in some seemingly innocent behavior.  I didn’t realize how bad it potentially could be.  But as the spiral grew worse and I grew closer to God’s rebuke, the more visible my sinfulness became to me.  It became clearer to me not only that I need to repent but also of what I need to repent.

Judgment on the City Itself

Notice that it is not only the contents of the pot that are judged but also the pot itself.  Ezekiel is told to increase the logs so that the fire is truly hot.  The meat is to burn.  The bones are to burn.  Now, that is a hot fire.  But it doesn’t stop there.  The fire is to be hot enough that when the pot sits empty upon the fire its impurities will be consumed.  The pot itself will be melted.  This is a symbol for not only the captivity of the Hebrew people under Babylon but also the destruction of the city.  Because of the sinfulness of the people, the city itself will be destroyed.

The Death of Ezekiel’s Wife

Now we begin a very difficult section of scripture.  It is difficult because spiritually I understand completely what God is doing here.  I get it fully and completely.  But as a human being the emotional and psychological effects upon Ezekiel must have been heavy indeed.  This is what it means to be a prophet of God.  It means being obedient to God even in the face of the death of your wife.  Even when the death of your wife is a part of God’s plan, being a prophet of God implies obedience and submission to Him.  His plan is always better than our desire.  Being a prophet of God means that a person lives out that truth out more than any other truth in life.

That is far more difficult than it sounds.  It is easy to get angry at God at the death of a loved one.  It would be easier to be angry with God when God comes and says, “I’m taking her for a purpose.”  God is declaring that in this case He is the cause of the death of Ezekiel’s delight.  Yet God tells Ezekiel to shed no tear, to not mourn, and to not weep.  For the life of me, I cannot imagine the struggle that this portion of scripture brought about in Ezekiel.  I give Ezekiel – and ultimately God – credit not only for living through it, but for rising up to it.

Of course, this action has a deeply symbolic component.  The people will be shocked and stunned when Jerusalem does fall to the Babylonians.  They will all be affected, and no sign of public grief will be able to adequately express what everyone will be feeling at that time.  Certainly this sign is a symbol to the people of how they will feel when Jerusalem is finally captured by the Babylonian siege.

However, I think there is another side to this.  Remember that the Hebrew people are considered to be spiritually married to God.  All God’s people share this status.  What God has seen over the past 400 years of history prior to the fall of Jerusalem is the steady death of His spiritual bride.  In a way, Ezekiel is being allowed to get a taste of what God has felt for 400 years.  Sure, it is not a taste that any of us would desire to get.  We’d all want the happy taste of being God.  We’d all want the power and authority to do things like calling down fire from heaven.  But in truth I would guess that rejection and tasting spiritual death is a far more common experience that God has with respect to what His creation offers Him.  I think that I will approach worship this week with a different perspective having read this chapter and pondered it from the perspective of Ezekiel and then of God.

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Year 3, Day 149: Ezekiel 23

Oholah

First of all, let’s talk about the name.  The name Oholah literally means, “her tent.”  The word for tent from which this name is derived is a word that is commonly used in the Old Testament as a reference to the worship place of God – the tabernacle, if you will.  Therefore, many people think that this name is symbolic because God calls attention to the fact that it is not His tent, but “her tent.”

From this perspective, it makes sense that God is calling Samaria – the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel – Oholah.  The northern kingdom created their own worship spaces after the Hebrew kingdom split apart.  Soon after that the worship centers in the northern kingdom were worshiping all kinds of false gods.  It wasn’t too much longer after that and the northern kingdom was in exile under the Assyrians.

What is important to note in the opening section about Oholah is that idolatry is the root issue.  But notice from where God says that the idolatry comes.  God blames the idolatry on the foreign powers.  In fact, God specifically names Assyria.  However, we know historically speaking that it was more than just the Assyrians.  But God’s premise is declared.  When we open ourselves up to the world, idolatry is sure to come quickly.

The question is, why is God so upset about associating with non-Hebrew nations?  After all, are we not called to go out among the world and proclaim God to the world?

If we look at how the northern kingdom related to Assyria we get a much clearer answer.  You see, Syria – not to be confused with Assyria – was often threatening to expand into Israel.  We know from Assyrian historical evidence that on several occasions the kings of the northern kingdom pledged allegiance to Assyria if they would come to their aid against Syria.  Now we get to the heart of the matter.  God doesn’t mind so much that Israel and Assyria talked to one another.  What God minded was that instead of trusting in God to be their salvation, they trusted in Assyria.  God’s problem is not one of association, it is one of relational trust. 

Now we can understand why God feels as though Israel – Oholah – is acting like a prostitute.  Oholah fell in love with Assyrian power.  Oholah began to worship the foreign gods.  Oholah got a good taste of what Assyria could do with that power and God was not there to stop Assyria because the covenant between God and Israel had been broken.

Oholibah

As we did with Oholah, let’s talk about the name Oholibah.  This name means “my tent is in her.”  Again, this name really makes a ton of sense.  Oholibah is the name that God gives to the southern kingdom of Judah.  Within Judah was Jerusalem.  Jerusalem was where the tabernacle rested last and where the temple to God was permanently built.  Literally, the tent of God was within her.

As for the sins of Oholibah, God calls her sin worse.  Even though the kingdom of Judah had far more kings who tried to reawaken the nation from a spiritual perspective, from God’s perspective the sin of Judah was worse.  You see, Judah lusted after the power of Assyria as well.  Judah lusted after an alliance with Assyria as a protector.  But when Assyria drew close and almost captured Jerusalem, the people cried out to God and God saved them.

Yet, they did not stay loyal to God in any sense of the matter.  As soon as the threat was gone, the people of Judah started lusting after the power of Babylon.  When Babylon drew near, the people of Judah called out to Egypt for help.  You see, instead of trusting God and being in relationship with Him, Judah turned from Assyria to Babylon to Egypt.  And that’s only counting the big super-powers of the day.  Time and time again Judah turned to other nations for help rather than turning to God.  This is why God says that in the end Oholibah’s sin is actually worse than Oholah’s sin.

Judgment

What is the consequence of idolatry?  What is the consequence of turning to everyone but God for help?  What is the consequence for spiritual adultery?

God allows the Hebrew people to get that for which they ask.  In a sense, this is actually brilliant from God.  Israel wanted so much help from Assyria that they eventually got to become a part of their empire as they marched off into captivity.  Judah wanted to be so much like the nations that they eventually got to become a part of them for a while as they were marched off into captivity.  It’s a brilliant punishment!  Haven’t you ever heard of a child who lusts after something so much that when they finally gorge themselves on it they make themselves sick?  That’s what God is doing here!

What is interesting is the terminology that the Lord uses.  God talks about how the children will be treated.  Children are the natural consequence of relations.  God wanted spiritual children between His people and Him.  Instead, the Hebrew people turned to the other nations and created non-spiritual children who likewise lusted after the things of the world.  God would have protected His children.  But spiritually, there is nothing of God in the Hebrew people as they go into exile.

God also speaks of nakedness, lewdness, and being laid bare.  When the Hebrew people were pursuing alliances with these super-powers they would send lavish gifts.  They would invite emissaries in to see their stately palaces.  The Hebrew people would put on a show for these foreign dignitaries while not even honoring God with a token of appreciation.  So God would allow their stateliness to fall away.  They took pride in their affluence; it would be taken away.

It is sad, but true.  Human beings rebel against God.  When we do, we usually get what we seek after.  Then we need to repent, rebuild, and repair.  But it all comes back to our relationship with God.

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Year 3, Day 148: Ezekiel 22

More Reasons for Judgment

Ezekiel 22 gives us another perspective of the reason that God is bringing judgment upon them.  They have been shedding blood among their people and worshipping idols.  Again, this is not really anything particularly new to us.

However, let’s look at this description in comparison to what Jesus says in the New Testament about the greatest commandments.  Jesus tells us that the greatest commandments are that we should love the Lord will all of our heart, soul, and mind.  The second greatest commandment is that we should love our neighbor as ourselves.  Then Jesus says that the whole rest of the Law hangs upon these principles.

Now, let’s look again at the condemnation of the Lord.  First, God tells Ezekiel that He is upset about the idolatry happening within the city.  They do not love the Lord with all their heart, soul, and mind.  In fact, since they have brought idols into God’s temple the case can be made that they do not love the Lord at all!  The greatest commandment is broken.

With respect to the second commandment, we hear that the people in Jerusalem are shedding blood.  They are violent towards one another.  They are not concerned about their neighbor and their neighbor’s well-being.  The second commandment lies broken at their feet.  Both of the hooks upon which the whole of the Law rests are not even available to the Hebrew people.  God is upset because He literally has no foundation within the Hebrew people upon which to build any kind of righteous society.

As is easy to do in the prophetic books of the Bible, I cannot help but look at our own society.  Do we not have idols that we have created and we worship?  Can we honestly say that our society is filled with people who love the Lord with all their heart, soul, and mind?  Do we not treat each other violently?  Do we not look for ways to step on or over one another in pursuit of money, fame, success, popularity, and other achievements in life?  How concerned are we as a country about the needs of our neighbor?  Sure, we may be good in the obvious times of need (tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes).  But do we live like we care about our neighbor?  Or do we live like we just want our neighbor to smile and say how nice we are?  What would God say about us?

As we read through the accusations of sin in verses 6-12, I can’t help but continue to wonder about our country.  How much sexual sin do we have in our country, especially of late?  Where will all that lead?  How much has our society grown to the point of no longer holding up our parents and the family unit in respect?  How much lewd behavior has really become unofficially acceptable in our society?  How much of our business and construction is based on the premise of bribes and shortcuts?  How much of our economy is based on the idea of charging and collecting interest on investments?  When you look at this list and hold it up against what our own country of America has become, how does the comparison look?

Judgment Comes for the Hebrew People

As we look at verses 13-22, however, we can see a difference between the Hebrew people and the rest of the world.  God promises to judge the Hebrew people and to use that judgment to refine them.  God promises to scatter them among the nations, but also to purify them.  In fact, God promises to consume their uncleanliness.  {I find that to be a really profound statement, since God Himself cannot be unclean.}

But what does God promise to the nations?  Nothing here in this chapter.  In other chapters of the prophetic books we hear that God’s opinion varies from nation to nation.  Some nations are consumed and left consumed.  Other nations are judged but allowed to continue to exist.  As in all things in judgment, it really depends on the righteous people within.  So even if we are watching our own country slide into moral decay, there is a call to be righteous.  We should embrace God’s righteousness for our own sake.  We should embrace God’s righteousness for the sake of our neighbor.  It could be the small righteous remnant that is the reason God judges our country for our sins and continues to allow us to exist!

Stand in the Breech

As we look at the remaining verses in this chapter, I find a sense of sadness within.  God tells the Hebrew people that they are like dross.  They are like metal that needs to be melted.  They need to lose their form so that God can remake the form.  That part of the verses is actually a good part.  At least God can remake the form!

Where I see sadness is at the end of the chapter.  The prophets of the people led the charge into idolatry and general sin against one another.  The spiritual leaders who were supposed to look out for the people instead approved of and led the charge!  The spiritual leaders who were called to uphold the righteousness of God traded it in for the popularity of the people as they endorsed the ways of the people.  I find it sad because the spiritual leadership of the people is simply not leading.

God tells Ezekiel, “I sought for a man who could build up the wall and stand in the breech before me for the land, that I might not destroy it, and I found none.”  He found none.  God searched and found no man who was capable of saving the nation.  Well, not like any man could save a nation anyway.  But the point is that the slide into sin had become too great.  The slippery slope of sin had progressed beyond the point of no return.  They had simply gone too far.  The lesson to be learned is that there is a point of no return in society.

Why?  Primarily because their spiritual leaders traded truth for a lie.  That thought shall haunt me the rest of this day.

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Year 3, Day 147: Ezekiel 21

Preparations for Judgment

Ezekiel receives four messages in which the sword of the Lord is the focus.  The first message (Ezekiel 20:1-7) is as simple as it is short.  In case anyone had missed Isaiah’s warning, Jeremiah’s warning, the warnings of the Minor Prophets, and the earlier warnings of Ezekiel, God tells this prophetic message once more.  The Hebrew people – south and north alike – would fall under judgment.  God’s sword was coming for them.  There could be no doubt.  God promises that it is coming and that it will be fulfilled.

Ezekiel is also told to mourn over this.  However, Ezekiel’s mourning wasn’t so much a genuine mourning over the actual judgment of the Lord as it was to be a sign to the Hebrew people already in captivity.  The news of the destruction of Jerusalem would break them.  It is one thing to be away from your hometown as long as the hometown still stands.  But when the hometown is destroyed, hope vanishes with it.  The people would be broken when the Babylonians tear Jerusalem apart.

Second Message of the Sword

Ezekiel receives a second message of the sword.  This one is as deep as the first one is simple.  In this message, the three passages of the sword (8-10a, 11-12, 14-17) are broken up by two refrains about the rod (10b and 13).  The sword and the rod are juxtaposed.

First, let’s talk about the sword.  The sword is sharpened.  God prepares Himself for the work to be done.  Like a soldier going out to battle, God’s judgment will be quick and efficient.  Furthermore, the sword will be polished and handed to the slayer.  The sword of the Lord will glisten and gleam.  It will be noticeable as judgment comes upon the Hebrew people.  Finally, we hear that the sword will sweep left and right.  The sword will be thorough.  It will complete and fulfill God’s judgment.

Now, let’s talk about the rod.  Rods are not instruments of judgment, rods are instruments of correction.  This is why we have the phrase, “spare the rod; spoil the child.”  When we don’t take time to correct our children, they grow up spoiled.  This actually what God is getting at in verses 10b and 13.  The Hebrew people did not listen to God when He was correcting them.  They despised the rod.  They ignored God’s correction.  Because they ignored the rod, they left God with only one choice.

The sword.  God’s judgment came.

The Third Message of the Sword

In the third message of the sword, God tells Ezekiel that the sword of His judgment would be Nebuchadnezzar.  We know this truth.  Ezekiel knew it too.  It was no secret that Nebuchadnezzar was the one who was prophesied to bring God’s judgment to Jerusalem.

What God declares in this third message of the sword is that God is in control of fate.  You see, in 588 B.C. three cities banned together and rebelled, seeking their freedom.  Tyre, Rabbah (Ammonite capital), and Jerusalem.  Nebuchadnezzar set out to put those cities in line.

Of course, Tyre would have been the most difficult to take.  So Nebuchadnezzar decided to not make it his top priority.  That left a choice between Jerusalem and Rabbah.  God tells Ezekiel that although Nebuchadnezzar will use three means of deciding which one to attack, God would control the outcome.  When Nebuchadnezzar consulted arrows (probably something akin to drawing straws) the result would point to Jerusalem.  When Nebuchadnezzar consulted his household gods, the result would point to Jerusalem.  When Nebuchadnezzar consulted the liver to make sure the attack on Jerusalem was a good idea, his soothsayers would read the liver and tell him all is well.

Not only is God in control of judgment, He is in control of things like fate and chance.  God reigns supreme over everything else.  It is this God who even reigns supreme over divination attempts that the Hebrew people have chosen to ignore.

The Fourth Message of the Sword

This message of the sword is directed against the Ammonites.  Although God would make it so that Jerusalem would be brought low first, Ammon would not escape the sword.  They had been given a short amount of time to be spared because of Jerusalem’s disobedience.  But they would not escape.

Remember the stories that we learned at the end of Jeremiah.  Once Zedekiah was taken into captivity, Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah.  The Ammonites organized a coup that killed Gedaliah.  That coup would draw the wrath of Nebuchadnezzar.

They would not escape the sword.  The sword that was prepared to glisten as it brought judgment upon the Hebrew people would also bring judgment upon the Ammonites because of their treachery.

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Year 3, Day 146: Ezekiel 20

Rebellion

Ezekiel 20 is all about rebellion.  God begins with the Hebrew people in Egypt.  We know that story well.  They rebelled against God.  Even when God brought Moses to them and through the power of the plagues brought them out of Egypt, they rebelled.

So God did away with that generation and brought the next generation into the Promised Land.  But even then there was rebellion.  Remember Achan’s sight right after they won their first battle at Jericho?  Remember the time of the judges where repeatedly it is said that the people did what was right in their own eyes?

Then the people did the ultimate.  They demanded a king.  It was not enough for them to be ruled and protected by God.  They wanted a human being like the rest of the nations.  So they got Saul, then David, then Solomon.  Then the slide into rebellion really begins to pick up steam.

With Solomon came the wives.  With the wives came foreign gods.  With foreign gods came idolatry like never before seen.  With idolatry the people began to believe whatever they wanted.  They began to act as they pleased.  They worshipped whatever seemed right in their eyes.  The relationship between their God and themselves was fractured, then cracked, then broken.  Soon exile was the only choice, because the people would not even accept God’s calls to repentance.  They wouldn’t even do the small things for God.

Through this whole story in the first two-thirds of Ezekiel 20, did you hear what it was that the Lord kept coming back to?  Where was the heart of the violation of the people?  There are two things repeated again and again in this passage.  “They did not walk in my statutes.”  “They profaned my Sabbaths.”

The Statutes of the Lord

Since I brought up the 10 Commandments two days ago, let’s return there.  Exodus 19 begins the “Moses on Mt. Sinai experience.”  It begins the time when the Law was received.  Take a look at one of the first things that the Lord says to Moses.  At the very beginning of this experience, the Lord says to Moses about the people, “If you indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all the people, for all the earth is Mine.  And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”  Do you see here?  Obedience and worship are tied together by God from the very beginning!

God knows the heart of mankind.  He knows we are rebellious.  He knows that we cannot live in perfection.  He knows that we sin and we are pulled into it again and again.  So He gave us His statues as a guide and a rule.  It will guide us when we are making decisions.  When we make bad decisions, it will help us know to repent of them.

The Sabbaths

Of course, this naturally leads us into the second part that is repeated again and again in Ezekiel 20.  “They profaned my Sabbaths.”  An obedient and repentant people can be God’s priests.  They can worship God in truth.  They can keep His Sabbath and give honor to Him.  An obedient and repentant people can do this.

However, a disobedient and unrepentant people cannot.  A disobedient an unrepentant people can come into His place of worship.  They can go through the motions.  They can say all the right words appear externally to be on board with God.  But they are not.  Remember Ezekiel’s vision a few chapters ago of the temple in Jerusalem and how many people were worshipping falsely inside God’s temple?  When we are disobedient and unrepentant we are no different.  We may come into God’s place and go through all the motions, but when we live disobediently we are not with God and He is not with us.  We’re just occupying space.

If we want to worship God, we must be obedient to Him and repent in our disobedience.  Ezekiel 20 tells us that much.  These are the two qualities that God finds the most distasteful of the actions of the Hebrew people since He brought them out of Egypt.  They were disobedient and because of their disobedience they profaned God’s holy time.

Restoration

As with many of the harsh chapters in Ezekiel, this one ends with a note of peace.  The Hebrew people will pass through judgment.  But in judgment the faithful will find the path to righteousness with God.  In judgment the unfaithful will be weeded away and the faithful will remain.

We as human beings naturally hate judgment.  We don’t like being caught and we don’t really care to have to pay consequences.  We like living our own life and obeying our own desires.

However, judgment brings many good things.  Judgment brings a time where our freedoms are restricted.  We can’t get into trouble because our punishment confines our freedom.  We can’t be as disobedient because we don’t have the leisure to come and go and do as we please.  In judgment, we find the way back to right living.  So it is with the Hebrew people as they go into captivity.  So it is also with us when we submit to God and allow Him to pass us under His rod of judgment.

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Year 3, Day 145: Ezekiel 19

The Lions

Ezekiel 19 is a lament over the final few kings of the Davidic dynasty.  What began with such promise in David ends with a whimper.  You’ll see what I mean here.  But first, let’s talk a little about David.

If we think back to the last chapter, we remember God saying that each person will be judged on their own righteousness.  Since we will sin, what is important is our repentance, not our perfection.  If we look at David, we get a picture of this played out.  David was a righteous man.  He loved the Lord.  He walked with God.  But at the same time, he was clearly a sinner.  His family was caught up in all kinds of sin.  But when David was confronted with his sin, he repented.  Time and time again he repented before the Lord.  The line of kings started with a very repentant David – the first Lion of Judah.

Now we talk about Ezekiel 19.  Here God speaks through Ezekiel and talks about three more lions.  The Hebrew people – the figurative “mother” of the lions – raise up these lions.  They become kings over the people.

The last of the righteous kings was Josiah.  Josiah made all kinds of reforms in the land.  But those reforms wouldn’t last.  Josiah was untimely killed in a battle with Pharaoh Neco II after God specifically told him not to go.  Josiah disobeyed and was killed in battle.

Josiah’s son, Jehoahaz, came to the throne.  He reigned for all of three months before he was dragged out of Jerusalem by Pharaoh Neco II.  Jehoahaz was dragged into captivity to Egypt.  He is the first of the lions about whom this chapter speaks.

The next king was Jehoiakim, another son of Josiah.  This king was established by Pharaoh Neco II and is actually not mentioned in this chapter in Ezekiel.  It could be that because this king was established by an Egyptian that God did not truly recognize his authority to rule.  Whatever the reason, Jehoiakim is not mentioned in this chapter.  He reigned for 11 years and died in Jerusalem.

The next king was Jehoiachin, Jehoiakim’s son.  Jehoiachin reigned for all of three months before he was captured by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon.  He is the second lion mentioned here in this lament.

Of course, we know of Zedekiah.  Zedekiah is a third son of Josiah, the king when Ezekiel is giving this word from the Lord.  We know what his fate will be.  He will watch his sons be executed and immediately his eyes will be put out.  He will be dragged into captivity blind, the last image of his sight will be the death of his sons.

What Is The Moral, Here?

I’m not sure that there is a deep moral here.  I think the message of the story is simply a lament.  Leadership has gone far astray from where God had started with David.  A few good kings came along the way.  But most of the kings turned aside from the Lord.  Eventually the path of sin led the people into captivity.

Perhaps that is the moral.  Sin leads us into captivity.  It may take a while to get there.  We may get there quickly.  But sin leads us into captivity.  Even if we come from great stock, sin leads us into captivity.

The Vine

I believe that this second half of the chapter is fairly self-explanatory.  The vine is Israel.  It once had flourished.  It was chief among the nations.  But because of its sin it has come under judgment and it was ripped up from its roots.  Soon – from the perspective of Ezekiel’s timeline as he writes this chapter – it would be taken captive completely and totally.  The Hebrew people would go into captivity into Babylon.  Nothing would be left.

However, there is an incredible phrase found in verse 14.  “So there remains in it no strong stem, no scepter for ruling.”  That is profound on several levels.

Ezekiel’s lament will come true.  As I mentioned before, all of Zedekiah’s children will be killed in his presence.  The Davidic line of kings comes to an end – at least on this branch.  There is no strong branch, no scepter for ruling.

What does this mean?  What it means is that God must do something special to restore the Davidic line.  God has promised David that a descendant will rule forever.  Do you see where I am going here?

This ending part of verse 14 leads us right to Christ.  There is no human line for rulers.  So we must turn to something else.  We must turn to someone else.  We must turn to God-Made-Man.  We must look for the Messiah.  Christ will be God’s answer to His promise to David.  Christ will reign forever.  After all, there is no longer a strong branch, no scepter for ruling.  So the people look for the Messiah.

Thanks be to God, we’ve found Him.

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Year 3, Day 144: Ezekiel 18

An Easily Understood Chapter

As difficult as Ezekiel 17 was to think through, this chapter is straightforward.  The message is simple.  If you obey God’s ways you will live with God regardless of what your father did before you.  However, if you are disobedient according to God’s ways you will not live with God – you shall die without God – regardless of what your father did before you.  If you live in sin, you will die in sin.  If you live in righteousness, you will live with God.

Sounds fair, right?  After all, that is the principle upon which America was built.  Each person is in control of his own destiny.  Each person can determine his own fate.  Carpe Diem!  Want to live with God?  Live righteously!  Repent!  It’s up to you!  Yes, that’s really what this whole chapter is about.

You might be wondering who could possibly have an issue with this.  Well, that’s a little more difficult question to answer.  Remember those fairly important things called the 10 Commandments?  Do yourself a favor.  Go back and read them in Exodus 20.  In fact, I’ll tell you right where to look – although I’m sure you could figure it out yourself.  Take a look at verse 4-6.

Did you read them?  Did you hear what they said?  God promised to bring the punishment of the iniquity of the father onto the third or fourth generation.  God promises to bring the righteousness of the father onto the thousandth generation.

Clearly, the Hebrew people would be familiar with this important passage.  Clearly, the Hebrew people would be in favor of this passage.  After all, punishment is promised only for a short time while blessing is promised for a lengthy time.  Given the percentages, you are far more likely to be in a time of blessing than a time of curse under the system given in the 10 commandments.  So, we can see why it is that the Hebrew people might say, “Unfair!”

Why Might God Change His Tune?

This isn’t so much a position of God changing as much as it is a position of God emphasizing different things.  You see, God has always judged people based on their own righteousness (or perhaps better to be said on the righteousness of the Messiah as expressed through them).  Eternal life with God is always based on the individual and their relationship with God.  That hasn’t changed.

In Exodus, God was talking about living in a general state of blessedness.  Exodus 20 is talking about life here on earth and whether it goes well for us or poorly for us.  In fact, what Exodus is trying to say is that when we allow our society to head in the direction of corruption it will likely be corrupt for generations.  But if we can keep our society pure, the purity can last for a long time.

Thus, while it sounds like God is changing His tune, God is merely speaking about two different circumstances.  In the Law, God is talking about life here on earth.  But here in Ezekiel, God is talking about our eternal dwelling with our Creator.  If we submit and are obedient to Him, we will live.  If we do not submit and rebel and follow our own desires, we shall die in our iniquity.

Speaking of Dying in Our Iniquity

I do think it is worthwhile to take a look at the list God gives to Ezekiel.  But before I do that, please understand I have no desire to lift up these sins as the “especially bad ones.”  I don’t believe in mortal and venial sins.  I don’t believe that any one sin is better or worse than another.  All sin separates us from God.  All sin breaks our relationship with God.  How can anything that breaks our relationship with God be “better?”

On that note, however, let’s look at the list. 

1. The first sin is eating upon the mountain.  That has to do with idolatry – which is really just spiritual adultery. 
2. The second sin is defiling the neighbor’s wife – which is physical adultery. 
3. The third sin is oppressing the poor and needy – which is taking advantage of those who cannot defend themselves. 
4. The fourth sin is committing robbery – which at its heart is self-mongerism, or caring more about your own desires than the needs of others. 
5. The next sin on the list is not restoring the debtor – which is fundamentally about living a life unconcerned with forgiveness. 
6. The next sin is back to idolatry – which we’ve talked about already. 
7. The next sin is committing an abomination – which is a word that refers to the defiling of the temple (the place designed to worship God) that we’ve spoken of earlier in the book of Ezekiel. 
8. Finally we hear about people who lend and expect interest to be paid upon lending money – which is a sentence that should strike fear into anyone who works for a banking institution, government loan program, or a car dealership.

Look at those sins.  Notice a common thread.  The things on that list are about two primary things.  First, the things on that list break relationship or at least make it hard to continue in relationship.  Second, the things on that list are all about a person putting themselves first.

{I do think that it is important to note that idolatry is mentioned three times and one of those times it is specific to the place where God is worshipped.  I think God is extraordinarily concerned with what happens in our worship space.  Idolatry is a significant sin to avoid.}

This is what God seems to be saying to Ezekiel.  From and eternal perspective, those who put themselves ahead of others will perish.  But those who submit to God shall live.

Amen.

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Year 3, Day 143: Ezekiel 17

An Interesting Parable

This chapter in Ezekiel is one of those chapters that is fairly hard to understand what is going on.  There are two eagles, a bunch of trees being cut of, a vine, and some water.  What exactly is happening here?

The eagle is Nebuchadnezzar.  Nebuchadnezzar comes to Jerusalem (the cedar) and conquers it.  He takes Jehoiachin (the topmost bough) captive and drags him back to Babylon.  In Babylon, Jehoiachin is planted.  There he becomes somewhat prosperous for a conquered king (low growing vine).  Along with Jehoiachin Nebuchadnezzar took some of the people of Jerusalem like Daniel and Ezekiel (the “seeds”) and planted them in Babylon (beside the river).  Nebuchadnezzar sets up Zechariah to be a vassal king.  Although the Hebrew people were brought low, they would have survived if they would just submit.

However, Egypt (the second eagle) comes along and entices Zechariah to make a treaty.  Egypt promises protection.  Egypt promises military assistance.  Because of the rebellion, the humble vine would be torn from its roots and completely uprooted.  Jerusalem would be conquered completely.  It would be laid waste.  The people within Jerusalem would be killed or be dragged into captivity, all because they refused to submit.

Life in God

However, then God would take a shoot and bring it forth.  God will plant it Himself, nurture it, protect it, and cause it to prosper.  All kinds of birds will dwell under this great and mighty tree of the Lord.

Of course, the easiest interpretation of this part of the chapter is the remnant of Israel.  Many people claim that these holy ones who come out of the captivity are this special tree.  However, I see it a little differently.

I believe this special tree is Jesus Christ.  He is the “shoot” of David.  He is the one God plants.  His love and the grace that comes through His death is a majestic tree that provides shelter for all kinds of people (birds).  Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice will shelter people of all kinds of race, tongue, and nationality. 

Application

So where do we go with this crazy parable?  I think there are a few fruitful lessons that we can learn.  As always, those who are willing to look into the experience of the people that came before them can usually learn from them.

First, I think there is a clear reminder to submit to God.  Regardless of the circumstance, we need to submit to God.  Take a look at Zedekiah.  I’m sure he didn’t much care for being a vassal king under Nebuchadnezzar.  I’m sure he wanted to put on his big king pants and rule the world!  So when Egypt comes and promises help, he listens.  The problem is, God is not in the plan.  It is not where God wants the Hebrew people.  God desires to teach them about submission, not independence!  So when Zedekiah rebels in search of independence, God has to find a new way to teach submission to him.  In the end, the lesson is far harder to learn than simply being a vassal king to Nebuchadnezzar.

Second, I think there is a lesson on contentedness.  Are we content where God plants us?  Are we content to do what God asks of us regardless of how big, small, mighty, or menial that it might be?  Are we really willing to be that person that God wants us to be?  Or do we have our own aspirations?  Do we set aside God’s calling for our own dreams?

I think this one is actually a little more substantial than it appears at first.  How many dreams do I have for myself?  How many times do I fail because I dream bigger than my God-given talent allows me to reach?  I know we are told to dream big and shoot for the stars.  We should want to teach work ethic to our kids.  But at the same time, aligning my dreams with God’s vision is the most important part.  How many times do I dream of being a cedar when God has really called me to be a simple fruit-bearing vine?

Finally, I think there is a lesson is listening.  Who has our ear?  Who do we listen to whenever they speak?  Are they like Egypt, leading us away from God’s will?  Are they like the serpent in the Garden, leading us away from the life God intends for us?  Who has my ear?  What direction do those who have my hear intend to pull me?

This is a profound chapter.  For a confusing allegorical chapter, once we get through the material there is really a lot there.  Once again, Ezekiel has surprised me.

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