In today’s section, we read about:
The remaining chapters of Lamentations, contrasting the people’s sins with God’s faithfulness, looking forward to the time when God’s righteous anger will be satisfied and the people will be restored
Ezekiel sees these fantastical living beings by the River Kebar in Babylon and his call to be a watchman for Israel
Various bizarre visual signs – Ezekiel has to lay on one side for 390 days and the other for 40, he has to shave off his hair and beard with a sword and cut and burn it, and he is told to set off into imagined exile
The destruction of is foretold
Ezekiel is taken to Jerusalem and sees all sorts of wickedness in secret rooms; he then sees the idolaters killed, and the glory of God leaves the Temple and Jerusalem
Some things that struck me today:
Lam 2:17 – “But it is the Lord who did just as he planned. / He has fulfilled the promises of disaster he made long ago.” It is all the results of the people’s sins as God made clear many times
3:22-27 is the heart of the book, and the message of hope amid all the ruins – “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! / His mercies never cease. / Great is his faithfulness;his mercies begin afresh each morning. / I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; / therefore, I will hope in him! The Lord is good to those who depend on him, / to those who search for him. / So it is good to wait quietly / for salvation from the Lord. / And it is good for people to submit at an early age / to the yoke of his discipline.”
3:55-57 – “But I called on your name, Lord, / from deep within the pit. / You heard me when I cried, “Listen to my pleading! / Hear my cry for help!” / Yes, you came when I called; you told me, “Do not fear.” Then 4:22 “O beautiful Jerusalem, your punishment will end; / you will soon return from exile.”
How can you picture these living beings in Eze 1 – my imagination is far too limited? Whatever they looked like, they were nothing compared to the glory of God which caused Ezekiel to fall face down (1:28)
Ezekiel is a contemporary of Jeremiah, although Jeremiah is in Jerusalem which Ezekiel is among the exiles, who were carried off in the first wave. When God calls Ezekiel, he is left in no doubt about the likely outcome of his ministry – nothing! I particularly like 3:6-7 “No, I am not sending you to people with strange and difficult speech. If I did, they would listen! 7 But the people of Israel won’t listen to you any more than they listen to me! For the whole lot of them are hard-hearted and stubborn.”
In spite of this, it is clear that he has to sound out the warning. God will hold him to it and hold him accountable if he does not warn them (3:16-21)
Poor Ezekiel, with these things that God makes him do – sleep on one side for 390 days and then the other for another 40. At least God allows him to cook his food over cow dung, not his own! The hair from his head and his beard are scattered in three equal portions to symbolise the fate that will befall Jerusalem.
The phrase that resounds through this passage is “you will know that I (alone) am the Lord.” The other image is that of the glory of God, which departs first from the Temple (10:18-19) and then from Jerusalem (11:23)
But God has hope for an amazing future (11:16-21) “Therefore, tell the exiles, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I have scattered you in the countries of the world, I will be a sanctuary to you during your time in exile. I, the Sovereign Lord, will gather you back from the nations where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel once again.’ “When the people return to their homeland, they will remove every trace of their vile images and detestable idols. And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God. But as for those who long for vile images and detestable idols, I will repay them fully for their sins. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”
The other interesting thing was the similarity of the promises God makes to both Ezekiel and Jeremiah at the same time. God is working out his purpose throughout the world.
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