Month: July 2021

Week 28 Ezekiel

Reading-through means I’m pretty much committed to the Total Content Rule…which says that now that I’ve arrived at Ezekiel 40-46 I have to read it.
It describes Ezekiel’s temple vision. It’s detailed and uninteresting enough that it makes for a plodding architectural narrative. At first I’m forming a vague mental picture of a boxy geometric structure but soon I’m lost in detail – measurements gates windows pillars porches courtyards rooms – for guards-priests-singers-storage – doors stairways plazas galleries walkways and also quite a bit of decorative art.
Then right in the middle of the section the Lord tells Ezekiel to: describe to the people of Israel the Temple I have shown you. Tell them its appearance and its plan so they will be ashamed of all their sins. And if they are ashamed of what they have done, describe to them all the specifications of its construction.
So Ezekiel was supposed to give an oral presentation of his temple vision. If the people turned toward the Lord then Ezekiel could then give them the construction details. It’s hard to imagine how these architectural specifics would assist the people’s faith. But however that part worked Ezekiel’s concluding add-on was definitive: this is the basic law of the Temple: absolute holiness!
Ezekiel’s Vision-Temple was never built (that I know about) and whether it’s a future building-project waiting-to-happen is debatable. But what seems pretty basic and lasting and necessary is the being-personally-holy part of the plan.

Note: quotes from (Ezekiel 43:10-11 & 12 (NLT)

Week 28 Ezekiel

Ezekiel 25-32 is that long section of prophecies about Israel’s international opponents. I thought that content was behind me but today I come to 38 & 39 – a 52-verse prophetic forecast about a man named Gog who is the prince of Magog.
Gog of Magog is only mentioned ten times in the bible – nine of them in Ezekiel 38-39 (once in Revelation).
I checked an encyclopedia: Gog is a leader, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal who will attack Israel and be defeated in the last days. Magog is his country – the encyclopedia confirms what I pretty much knew just reading the bible.
In chapters 25-32 Ammon Moab Edom Philistia Tyre Egypt Assyria Babylon were mentioned – names I remembered, places I could spot on a map. But Magog is an unknown country. Ezekiel’s only location-hint is that Magog is in the remote north.
I looked at a map. Not because I figured Magog would be on it but to see what’s north of Israel. Straight north is modern-day Turkey. Is that remote enough? Farther yet is the Black Sea…a couple of independent states of the old soviet empire…Russia…the Arctic Ocean.
Ezekiel’s timeline on Gog’s annihilation is set for the distant future: after many days…in the latter years…the last days. So maybe we’re still waiting. In which case Gog could be a modern guy. The main player in a 2500 year-old forecast waiting quietly to happen.

Note: quotes from Columbia Encyclopedia 5th ed. (Columbia University: NY, 1993) and Ezekiel 38:8 & 15 (NASB)

Week 28 Ezekiel

In chapter 33 the Lord gave Ezekiel a pretty clear and uncomplicated Action-Outcome Formula.
He said: the good works of righteous people will not save them if they turn to sin.
He repeated it: when righteous people turn to evil they will die.
The equal &  opposite breakdown for non-righteous people is this: nor will the sins of evil people destroy them if they repent and turn from their sins. (Ezekiel repeated that one too: if wicked people turn from their wickedness and do what is just and right, they will live.)
In the OT there’s a big divide between Insiders and Outsiders. If you were born into the Abraham Family you automatically start out as an Insider. But Insiders weren’t guaranteed permanent Insider Status. Being one and staying one were two different things.
For example I might start out as a God-fearing Ephraimite Insider but if I decide to worship Moloch then I’m deciding to move Outside. I might be thinking what-about-my-Insider-status? But it sounds like Ezekiel’s answer is that my past status is an dependent variable that’s now become irrelevant. The main question is: where am I at right now?
No one’s saying that nothing about my past matters. That would be crazy.
What’s not crazy – and what Ezekiel maps out – is that my current decisions are dynamic and weighted-down with a bunch of heavy freight. It’s what I’m currently doing that determines my status.

Note: quotes from Ezekiel 33:12, 18-19 (NLT)

Week 27 Ezekiel

Ezekiel devotes eight chapters to prophecies against nations outside of Israel’s borders. The eight chapters – from 25 to 32 – have almost 200 verses and out of those 200 Tyre is the topic of about 85. More than 40%.
From the sound of it Tyre had as globalized an economy as any nation in the ancient world. Ezekiel names Tyres’ international connections – Senir Lebanon Bashan Cyprus Egypt Elishah Sidon Arvad Gebal Persia Lydia Libya Helech Gammad Tarshish Greece Tubal Meshech Togarmah Dedan numerous-coastlands Aram Judah Israel Damacus Arabia Kedar Sheba Raamah Haran Canneh Eden Asshur Kilmad. Tyrian merchants made the rounds.
Tyre’s manufactured goods were bartered for silver iron tin lead slaves bronze horses chariots mules ivory ebony turquoise dyes embroideries linen coral rubies wheat figs honey oil balm wine wool wrought-iron cassia calamus saddle-blankets lambs rams goats spices jewels carpets gold fabric.
Tyre. What a great little island-city-state. Prosperous. Industrious. Secure. Materially wealthy. Big reputation. Great place to live. Proud of its accomplishments.
Really proud. In fact the Lord said: in your great pride you claim, “I am a god!”…With your wisdom and understanding you have amassed great wealth…Your wisdom has made you very rich, and your riches have made you very proud.
Pride is a tricky quality. I guess a bit is okay if I’m cautious. But Tyre’s pride was over-the-top pride. Arrogant pride. Pride enough that they felt like gods.

Note: see Tyre in Ezekiel 27. Quotes from 28:2, 4-5 (NLT)

Week 27 Ezekiel

The bible I use has bolded headings along the top of each page – added subtitles that tip me off about the contents of that page. When I start on chapter 25 today I see that the header says: Prophesies against Ammon, Moab, Edom and Philistia. I flip forward a few pages and see more international prophecies: a long section on Tyre & Sidon and another on Egypt. I’m looking at eight chapters of judgments about other nations.
Yesterday I read a long list of forbidden-and-deadly actions that Israel was practicing so I’m kind of expecting the same with the foreign nations. But so far today no long lists. What I do see is that each state had a similar problem. They all disliked Israel.
Ammon is criticized: because you scoffed when my Temple was desecrated.
Moab is criticized because it said: Judah is just like all the other nations.
The Philistine confederation: acted against Judah out of revenge and long-standing contempt.
And Tyre was happy to see the fall of Jerusalem because it figured: I am the heir!…I will become wealthy!
I don’t have time to follow-up on this but I think it’s pretty safe to say that these states were guilty of more than just mocking out Israel and taking advantage of Jerusalem’s fall. But here Ezekiel says their unfriendliness hostility and antagonism toward Israel is a prime and common flaw.
In the bible’s solar system Israel’s the sun.

Note: quotes from Ezekiel 25:3 & 6, 8, 15, 26:2 (NLT)

Week 27 Ezekiel

I was reminded of something today.
When I think of the first Babylonian attack on Jerusalem – they sacked the city, carried off a lot of exiles and set up a puppet ruler – I tend to think that Jerusalem was left a kind of busted-up broke-down do-nothing semi-ghost town. Israel had to reap-their-whirlwind. And Babylonian blew into town and helped them do just that.
But in chapter 22 today I see Ezekiel didn’t think of those last three puppet-governors (who all came after that first attack) as just ho-hum place-holders who just twiddled-their-thumbs. I forgot that more than six weeks ago the chronicler pointed out that Jehoiakim & Jehoiachin & Zedekiah all: did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. And here & now in a long-distance prophecy from Babylon Ezekiel ticks off a list of offences that were still going on: murder idolatry contempt-for-family gouging-foreign-residents oppressing-the-weak despising-sacred-things lewd-activities illicit-sexual-practices assassination racketeering extortion conspiracy theft disregard-for-religious-laws false-prophecy injustice and like that.
Chapter 22 reminds me that things were seriously degraded in Jerusalem. Meaning that Babylon would soon be back for the third time.
The real surprise is that the Lord kept trying to help: I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one. The Lord surveyed the entire city and didn’t find a single God-fearing person.
If he’d found one things could have been a lot different.

Note: quotes from 2 Chronicles 36:5, 9, 12 & Ezekiel 22:30 (NLT)

Week 27 Ezekiel

Yesterday I was thinking about Ezekiel’s prophecy predicting the decline-&-fall of king Zedekiah. There were a couple of niggling details that didn’t exactly line up (I figure there’s likely explanations for them but at this point I don’t know them – so they sound like discrepancies), but overall the forecast was true – Jerusalem fell and Zedekiah died in exile.
When I got to Ezekiel 17 today it sounded like Zedekiah’s fall was getting a revisit. But this time there weren’t any names mentioned. Ezekiel talks about…
A king who had been coronated by the king of Babylon…
Who then rebelled against Babylon…
And made an alliance with Egypt…
After which he was revisited by an annoyed Babylonian army…
The prophecy finishes like this: the king of Israel will die in Babylon, the land of the king who put him in power and whose treaty he despised and broke.
Sounded like a Confirmatory Prophecy about Zedekiah.
Anyway that prophecy also said the Lord would rescue a tiny little shoot & transplant it. That shoot would grow into a tall cedar.
Since the last paragraph of Kings said that king Jehoiachin – who was already in exile – was taken out of his Babylonian jail in the end and given his freedom did that mean Jehoiachin was the cedar shoot? Maybe. He was pretty much the end of the David-family bloodline. But he was pretty fragile. Maybe the big cedar would grow up later.

Note: quote from Ezekiel 17:16 (NLT). And see 2 Kings 25.

Week 27 Ezekiel

Ezekiel’s been exiled to Babylon but from there he makes prophetic forecasts about Zedekiah and the soon-to-come destruction of Jerusalem. Ezekiel predicts several things…
Zedekiah will escape Jerusalem at night through a hole in the wall…
He’ll take only what he can carry…
He’ll cover his face…
The Lord will capture him…
He’ll be taken to Babylon but he won’t see Babylon…
He’ll never get home – he’ll die in Babylon.
The story of what actually happened are told back in 2 Kings. It says that once the walls were breached…
The soldiers planned a breakout for Zedekiah…
They waited for nightfall and sneaked through a gate between two walls…
They lit out for the Jordan Valley…
The Babylonians chased them…
Zedekiah was caught & captured & sentenced…
His sons were killed and he was blinded & shipped off to Babylon.
I can see that there isn’t a perfect correspondence between Ezekiel’s forecast and the story in Kings (for example did Zedekiah escape through a gate or through a hole in the wall? Did the Lord or the Babylonians capture him?) But mostly the descriptions are pretty close. Close enough that I’d say Ezekiel’s forecast was accurate.
Some readers figure that prophecies can’t happen and that the only reason Ezekiel’s prophecy was pretty accurate was because he made it after Jerusalem was captured.
So a bible-reader needs to think about that and make a decision about it.

Note: references from Ezekiel 12:12-16 & 2 Kings 25:1-7

Week 26 Ezekiel

I wondered what chapter one would be like without the fantastic vision. Maybe something like this: on July 31 of my thirtieth year, while I was with the Judean exiles beside the Kebar River in Babylon, the heavens were opened to me, and I saw visions of God…And when I saw it, I fell down in the dust, and I heard someone’s voice speaking to me.
This condensed version gets me straight from Point A – the heavens opening – to Point B – Ezekiel falling on his face. But Ezekiel decided not to skip the 25 perplexing verses of his astounding disorienting vision.
I wonder what to do with that fantastic paragraph. There’s some actual-real-world things I can imagine. A wind storm. Four human-like figures each with four faces – human-lion-bull-&-eagle. Four wings. Straight legs. Human hands. Rigid necks but mobile bodies that move geometrically & precisely – but also irregularly and spontaneously. Wheels – but bio-mechanical contraptions with many eyes.
But in spite of what I can guess at I sit wondering what to do with it – mentally scrambling with a few identifiables but basically at-sea for 25-verses.
If I was sitting in Police Point Park at the bend in the South Saskatchewan River and suddenly had a kind of auditory-visual psychedelically hallucinatory event…and when that was done the Lord told me something concrete then I’d probably only tell you what the Lord said – in case you thought I was delusional. But Ezekiel tells the whole incredible story.

Note: quotes from Ezekiel 1:1 & 28 (NLT)