OT: Ezekiel
This week we’re looking at the prophet Ezekiel. To understand the prophet, it will help us to understand the times in which he lives. Last week Rusty taught us from the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah was located in Jerusalem, and prophesied concerning the imminent Babylonian exile.
Jeremiah predicted the exile and even gave some advice to the future captives on how they ought to live their lives in exile. In chapter 29 of Jeremiah he tells the captives to seek the welfare of the city into which they have been taken as captives. Their own welfare is so closely tied to that of the city that they are to want the best for their new home.
There are actually three Babylonian exiles. The first happened in 605 BC. It was at this time that Daniel and his friends were taken to Babylon. The second occurred in 597 BC. At this time Ezekiel was taken, along with many others. The final and last captivity occurred in 586 BC with the final destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.
Ezekiel is taken captive during the second deportation, along with 10,000 other Jews.
8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done.
10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. 11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it, 12 and Jehoiachin the king of Judah gave himself up to the king of Babylon, himself and his mother and his servants and his officials and his palace officials. The king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign 13 and carried off all the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold in the temple of the Lord, which Solomon king of Israel had made, as the Lord had foretold. 14 He carried away all Jerusalem and all the officials and all the mighty men of valor, 10,000 captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained, except the poorest people of the land. (ESV)
Ezekiel’s ministry begins roughly 5 years later in 593 BC. He continues to minister to the exiles, and act as a prophet, until about 571 BC.
Ezekiel himself was a priest (1:3), he was well respected by the community and leaders of the exiles (8:1), and he had a family including a wife he loved very dearly (24:16).
Like the other prophets, Ezekiel has three main themes to his writing: sin, punishment, and restoration. This is the prophet’s job, to expose sin and idolatry, to pronounce God’s judgment on that sin, and to offer hope for the future redemption of the people.
Ministering as he does in the midst of the punishment phase of that timeline, Ezekiel seeks to answer several questions that might be on the minds of the exiles.
- Will we lose our national and spiritual distinctives by adopting Babylonian culture/religion?
- Does God still care?
- Is Yahweh more powerful than Marduk (chief Babylonian god)?
- Why are we in exile? Who is to blame?
Here’s a short outline of the book of Ezekiel.
1-3: Ezekiel’s Call
4-24: Sermon’s about Judah
25-32: Doom for Israel’s enemies
33-48: Future Glory for Israel
Each prophet speaks to the times he is in. Jeremiah probably dwells more on the impending judgment that on the causes for it or the redemption from it (though he does touch all three points). Ezekiel, speaking as he is to people already in the midst of the judgment, probably dwells on the future hope and redemption more so than any other prophet.
Ezekiel’s Call (1-3)
The first section of the book is taken up with Ezekiel’s vision of God and his call to the ministry of prophet. It is an unusual section of scripture. It contains the story of a vision Ezekiel experiences involving angelic beings (1:5-11) and some strange wheels (1:15-21) and things get pretty weird. Symbolic prophecy like this is hard to interpret and find the meaning of, but my best effort leads me to believe this vision is showing Ezekiel, and his readers, that God’s Spirit is not limited geographically. The beings and the wheels move in all four directions of the compass and have eyes all around. God sees and knows and has power over all that happens on the entire earth.
So this opening vision answers one of those questions I posed that might be in the minds of Ezekiel’s first readers, “Does Yahweh still care?” The answer is YES. He sees, He knows, and He cares.
Then in chapter 2 Ezekiel is called by God to be a prophet, a herald of God’s truth, to the people in exile. Like Isaiah and Jeremiah, Ezekiel is told that the people will not listen to him, but he is to speak anyway.
2:1 And he said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” 2 And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. 4 The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ 5 And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. 7 And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.
4 And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel— 6 not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. 7 But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. 8 Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. 9 Like emery harder than flint have I made your forehead. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.” 10 Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears. 11 And go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ whether they hear or refuse to hear.” (ESV)
And so Ezekiel goes. He is referred to, throughout the book, as “son of man” which was Jesus’ favorite title for himself. This title emphasizes his inadequacy. Son of man? Being constantly reminded of his frailty as a mere son of man, Ezekiel would need to depend on God to accomplish the mission.
Other similarities exist which point from Ezekiel to Jesus.
Ezekiel only says God’s Word. No opinion, no commentary, just the words God gives him to speak.
7 And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.
25 And you, O son of man, behold, cords will be placed upon you, and you shall be bound with them, so that you cannot go out among the people. 26 And I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and unable to reprove them, for they are a rebellious house. 27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ He who will hear, let him hear; and he who will refuse to hear, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house. (ESV)
Likewise, Jesus only speaks the Father’s Words.
28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.
49 For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.
14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, (ESV)
:10
Sermons about Judah (4-24)
The second part of the book is taken up with sermons about Judah, about the judgment and punishment of the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile.
During this time, Ezekiel employs some rather vivid sermon illustrations.
He builds a scale model of Jerusalem and lays siege to it (4:1-3).
He lies on his left side for 390 days, then his right for 40 days (4:4-8). This demonstrates the extent of the judgement the nation faces.
He then cooks food over dung (4:9-17), demonstrating the harsh conditions to be experienced by those in city of Jerusalem during the siege.
He shaves his beard (5:1-17) and disposes of the hair in various ways to demonstrate that only a small portion of the people will survive the judgement.
He preaches sermons TO the mountains (6:1-14), to draw attention to the high places where the people worshipped Canaanite gods.
Along the way, Ezekiel answers that fourth question “Why are we in exile?” He points out the nation’s idolatry and unfaithfulness to Yahweh, even going so far as to compare the nation to a whore, an unfaithful wife who didn’t just sleep around, but actually hired male prostitues (16:30-34).
And in chapter 18, Ezekiel tackles that question of “Who is to blame?” The people want to play the blame game. They are repeating a saying which basically says, “We’re getting punished for what our parents/ancestors did.”
2 “What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? (ESV)
God is having none of this, and through Ezekiel he lays out very clearly the idea of personal responsibility for the sinner.
The first half of the chapter presents a “what if” scenario spanning three generations, one righteous, the next unrighteous, and the last righteous. Each is dealt with according to his own deeds, the son of the wicked man is not judged and punished for his father’s sins. This is both freeing, and damning. It is freeing to know that you will not be held accountable before Almighty God for the sins of others, even if they are your immediate relatives. Yet it is damning because you will be held accountable for your own sins.
The people are being punished by God in the form of national destruction and exile. This is not unjust, punishing the innocent for something done by wicked predecessors. It is the just punishment of a generation that had committed gross idolatry itself, just like their fathers.
Yet there is some hope offered by the prophet.
The second half of the chapter shows that the system is not merit based, but grace based. It is not the righteous deeds which save. No matter how much righteousness a person had done, turing to wickedness would get you damned. Yet no matter how much wickedness a person had committed, repenting of it would lead to life and salvation.
21 “But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 22 None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. 23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? 24 But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die. (ESV)
And so we see that each person is to be held accountable for their own sins, and yet we know that we all turn from righteousness to wickedness, often in fact. The prophet gives us hope. It is not right living which leads to salvation. We could not attain that. It is repentance that leads to salvation and right living.
Judgment of the Nations (25-32)
Next Ezekiel turns to answering the question of Yahweh’s supremacy. Is Yahweh all powerful, or is the Babylonian god stronger?
Ezekiel shows in these chapters that Yahweh is more powerful than all the gods of the nations, even the gods of Babylon.
Ammon, Moab, Seir, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon, and even Egypt are to be judged by Yahweh for their pride and idolatry. Babylon is to be the tool used for all these judgments, but it is Yahweh who moves Babylon and gives victory and brings defeat. Babylon does not do this because their gods are more powerful, but because Yahweh chooses to use them as an instrument in his hand.
24 And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him like a man mortally wounded. 25 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh shall fall. Then they shall know that I am the Lord, when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he stretches it out against the land of Egypt. 26 And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries. Then they will know that I am the Lord.” (ESV)
Future Glory (33-48)
In chapter 33 Ezekiel’s responsibility as God’s prophet is restated. And in chapter 34 we are introduced to the idea of the Messiah again. The leaders of the people have been corrupt and God promises to deliver them and give them a good shepherd (34:20-24)
In the following chapters God promises to gather the people together out of exile, rebuild the nation, rebuild the temple, renew their worship, give them peace and fertile land.
And this is where we are in danger of misunderstanding the message of Ezekiel. It would seem that the focus here is on the restoration of the nation of Israel, the redemption and rescue of the Jews from their exile, the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple. Those things will all happen, but Ezekiel’s message is about something much bigger than simply the rebuilding of a building, a city, a nation, or even a people.
Ezekiel offers hope for something much bigger than that. He offers hope not just for the Jews in exile in Babylon in the sixth century BC. He offers hope for people today.
There are two things going on here.
First, we need to understand WHY all this is happening. What is God’s ultimate purpose for the exile and redemption of the Jews?
Back in Genesis, God called Abraham out from among his people and promised to make a great nation for the purpose of blessing all people. God’s purpose is bigger than the nation of Israel. God’s purpose is the display of his own glory for the joy of all people.
22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 23 And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. (ESV)
His work among the Israelites was designed as a testimony to the entire world of his glory and might. The same is true of the cross. It is not for our sake that the cross happened, but for the sake of his glory. We have no reason to boast except in Christ. We didn’t merit the cross. The cross happened for the same reason the exile and the promised restoration happened, to display God’s glory to the people of the world so they might worship him.
That’s the first, and main, thing that’s happening here in Ezekiel.
The second thing is this. We need to understand what our role is in this plan. What does God want with you? The answer? He wants your heart!
Ezekiel has a real focus on the heart. I call him the prophet of the heart. Back in chapter 3, where he is called, Ezekiel is told that the people have stubborn hearts (3:7). These Israelites are not unique among mankind. We all have stubborn hearts.
The prophet was to be different. He was to receive God’s word in his heart without stubbornness (3:10).
Here’s what God says later in the book concerning the people’s hearts.
8 “Yet I will leave some of you alive. When you have among the nations some who escape the sword, and when you are scattered through the countries, 9 then those of you who escape will remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, how I have been broken over their whoring heart that has departed from me and over their eyes that go whoring after their idols. And they will be loathsome in their own sight for the evils that they have committed, for all their abominations. 10 And they shall know that I am the Lord. I have not said in vain that I would do this evil to them.” (ESV)
Do you see this? Two things.
- The people’s hearts have not been faithful
- God is broken over this
Let’s take these two points in turn.
First, all idolatry is a matter of the heart. The people were committing idolatry in the temple in Jerusalem (ch 8). They were unfaithful to Yahweh (ch 16). And Idolatry of this sort is a matter of the heart.
14:1 Then certain of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. 2 And the word of the Lord came to me: 3 “Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them? (ESV)
Our hearts are turned from Yahweh by idols, and yet, here’s our second point, God wants our hearts.
3 “Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them? 4 Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols, 5 that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols. (ESV)
God wants your heart! When you commit sin, idolatry, you are giving your heart to something other than God, and Scripture says he is broken by that. He wants your heart.
Here’s the sad part, we all have hearts of stone, stubborn hearts like those Ezekiel describes. And here’s the really hopeful part of this, it is God himself who gives us new hearts that desire him.
17 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.’ 18 And when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations. 19 And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the Lord God.” (ESV)
And again in
24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. 29 And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. 30 I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations. 32 It is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord God; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel. (ESV)
God himself gives us a new heart, one that is soft toward him. A heart that loves him and desires him. He gives us this new heart, this new desire, and the ability to live holy lives. This is grace!
Ezekiel’s initial vision of God creates quite a contrast with the sights of idolatry among the people, and this creates in him a longing for the restoration of God’s glory and worship. The prophet’s purpose is to cause others to see that same contrast and desire that same restoration.
The judgment he describes is radically God-centered and is closely bound with his message of hope which is totally dependent on God to give his people new hearts.
Ezekiel offers hope because God gives us new hearts that are soft toward Him. Otherwise the cycle of idolatry and judgment would continue. So his focus on hope and on the heart makes sense.
Who has your heart? Is your heart set on Jesus? All sin is idolatry. Idolatry occurs because your heart has been given to something other than Jesus. Yet Ezekiel offers hope that our hearts can, and will, be renewed for us, by God, for the sake of his glory!
