In today’s section we read about:
The sign of the cooking pot and the death of Ezekiel’s wife (which he was not to mourn)
Messages against Ammon, Moab and Edom
Lengthy message against Tyre, foretelling its destruction, including a funeral song
Message against Sidon
Promise of restoration for Israel
Lengthy message against Egypt, signalling the end of its days as a great power
Ezekiel as Israel’s watchman
Israel’s bad shepherds contrasted with God, the Good Shepherd
God’s covenant of peace
Message against Edom
Some thoughts which struck me:
Again there were the two phrases, “then [they/you] will know that I am the Lord” (23:49; 24:24,27; 25:7,11,17; 26:6; 28:22,23,24,26; 29:16,21; 30:8,19,25,26; 32:15; 33:29; 34:27,30; 35:4,9,15); and “I, the Sovereign Lord have spoken” (24:14; 25:14; 26:5,14,21; 28:10; 30:12; 31:18; 32:8,16,32; 34:24,31)
24:14 – “I, the Lord, have spoken! The time has come, and I won’t hold back. I will not change my mind, and I will have no pity on you. You will be judged on the basis of all your wicked actions, says the Sovereign Lord.”
It seems that we are moving into a new phase as Ammon and Moab, whose history has been interwoven with that of Israel, will be cut off from being a nation (25:7,10)
Tyre was the country whose king, Hiram, provided the wood for Solomon’s temple. It was plainly a major trading centre and nation, with links to nations far and wide, yet it has set itself up against God, and this hubris will lead to its ultimate downfall – “In your great pride you claim, ‘I am a god! / I sit on a divine throne in the heart of the sea.’ / But you are only a man and not a god, / though you boast that you are a god. / You regard yourself as wiser than Daniel / and think no secret is hidden from you… Because you think you are as wise as a god, / I will now bring against you a foreign army, / the terror of the nations” (28:2-3,6-7).
In the midst of all the messages foretelling God’s judgment on all the surrounding nations, God still have words of comfort, joy and promise for His people (28:25-26).
There is a series of messages of impending devastation against Egypt, which clearly shows the folly of Judah looking to Egypt for its relief. Poor old Ezekiel receives some comfort in the midst of all this “And the day will come when I will cause the ancient glory of Israel to revive, and then, Ezekiel, your words will be respected. Then they will know that I am the Lord” (29:21).
Ezekiel is again reminded of his responsibility to be the watchman of Israel and speak up and warn them to repent. I still am not wholly sure of why the people thought that God wasn’t doing what was right (33:17) in judging each according to their deeds. Did the people believe in collective guilt? Did this mark a change?
33:33 is a variation on the theme – “But when all these terrible things happen to them—as they certainly will—then they will know a prophet has been among them.”
33:32 struck a chord with Chris’ sermon yesterday – “you are very entertaining to them”. Do we want amusement and a diversion, or do we want to engage with God on a meaningful level, however uncomfortable it may be.”
34:1-10 is a stark warning and rebuke of the way that the leaders have neglected their people. The result is clear in v5 “my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd, and they are easy prey”. The answer is simple – v11 “this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search and find my sheep.” We then have a wonderful exposition of how God, the good shepherd will tend for his sheep, loving but just, “I will judge between one animal of the flock and another, separating the sheep from the goats” (cf Jn 10:11; Matt 25:32-33). “I will set over them one shepherd, my servant David. He will feed them and be a shepherd to them. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David will be a prince among my people. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
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