Bible Reading Challenge Blog

Just to be clear, this is a lamentation and it is used as a lamentation.  So, as we read in Ecclesiastes, there is a time and a season for all things, including lamentations.  A lament is a time when we identify ways in which we are feeling abandoned and distraught because of the life situations that are a part of our current reality.  Every now and then it is important to make clear that we are in a time of lament.  The author of Ezekiel wanted to make clear that what he had just written in very poetic form was meant to be a lament.

We find two very different images that are given to us in order to depict the current state of the nation of Israel.  The first is that of a lion which we find in Genesis 49:9 as the depiction of the son of Jacob whose name happened to be Judah.  Okay, it didn’t happen to be, it purposefully was Judah.  Remember, at this point Israel and Judah are both the people of God and Judah represents the Southern Kingdom.  So here we find this lion who is captured and brought for all to see in its captivity.  That would be Judah, the southern kingdom.  

The next image is that of a vineyard which is described as “your mother”.  This would be Israel who was plucked up and trampled on and then transplanted into the wilderness, into a dry and thirsty land.  This poetry which is really quite beautiful, describes the very tragic reality that the people of God found themselves which was in captivity, both the lion and the vine of vineyard.

Is God fair?  A really interesting chapter for me this time around.  The basic premise is that while in the past we used to punish the children for the sins of their parents, as well as the parents being punished, now things are different.  If the children grow up and are righteous and do not commit the same sins as the parents then the children should not be punished.  They should not have their teeth set on edge when their parents eat a lemon, or sour grapes.  

We have transitioned from oracles to laws which have changed and which are different during this time period.  No longer will you hold the sins of the parents over the heads of the children, unless the children commit the same sins as the parents.  While there is a listing of the sins that we are talking about, I think it is wiser to not focus on the list, but rather to be able to see this transition from punishment to the future generations to: “The person who sins shall die.”  Another great quote that we find is: “The righteousness of the righteous shall be his own, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be his own.” 

This chapter also provides room for rehabilitation.  It states very clearly what our criminal justice policy should be: “Have I pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord God, and not rather that they should turn from their ways and live?”  That should be all of our goals and all of our desires that people would turn from their evil ways so that they can live.

Ezekiel is given an image that he is to share with the people.  God calls it a “riddle” and then again calls it an “allegory”.  He portrays an eagle that comes and plucks off the top of a cedar that is called Lebanon.  We know that back in that day the great trees of Lebanon were well known.  Have you ever considered why we have a city called Lebanon near us and from where did it get its name?  Lebanon, the Google tells us, means white mountain.

But this eagle, Ezekiel tells us, plants that branch of a cedar tree in another region and it begins to grow and prosper.  We have to think that the eagle is Babylon who takes up the branch called the Israelites and plants them down away from where they were plucked up and from there they begin to grow.  This is why Jeremiah tells them to grow and prosper wherever they find themselves.  

But there was a king who was chosen by God who was supposed to hang out in Jerusalem and not make any allegiances and just wait there under Babylonian rule.  But that didn’t happen.  The king tried to make allies and as a result was crushed and would not then fulfill the plans that God had for him, which was to prosper once the Babylonian conquest was over.  

Just a reminder that we are to heed God’s commands even if at the time they just might seem oppressive.  That is a hard pill to swallow.

This is a difficult chapter.  The entire premise of this chapter revolves around the image of Israel as a whore.  There, I said it, but I didn’t actually say it first, the Bible did!  I’m not blaming the Bible for something I did, but rather I’m trying to interpret what the Bible is trying to say to us as it gives us this image of Israel the whore.  We know that this isn’t the only time, in fact Israel being depicted as an unfaithful wife is not foreign.  We have the entire book of the Bible Hosea where the true prophet of the Lord is commanded to take a wife of whoredom.  

The story of Israel according to this chapter begins with Israel being an abandoned baby in the wilderness whom no one claimed.  God claimed that abandoned baby and took care of her, Israel, when no one else would.  This baby grew up into a young woman who then forgot God and her upbringing and decided to turn to the way of infidelity.  But she is different in that most who are described as “whores” (I hesitate to use this word but it really is the most accurate word in the Hebrew), normally charge and ask for money for their services.  But here the Scripture says that Israel was not even good at that.  Instead of demanding a fee, Israel paid other nations in order for those nations to abuse and take advantage of Israel.  But not all is lost.  There is hope.

When you turn to vs.59 and following you will see that God says that he has established his covenant with Israel and he will not forget her.  He will forgive Israel for all that she did and establish that covenant so that they will  know that God  is Lord.  That is something that we all need to be reminded of periodically.  God is Lord.  God is good, all the time, all the time, God is good.

Instead of the prophet being given another object lesson to show to the people, Ezekiel is asked a question by God in regards to the usefulness of a vine branch.  What purpose does a vine branch serve?  The only purpose is when it is connected to the primary vine and able to produce fruit.  If you take a vine branch off it is good for nothing.  You can shape it or use it to hang things on, it can’t really be used efficaciously as fire wood.  A vine branch by itself serves no purpose.  Only when it is attached to the vine does it serve a purpose and that purpose comes from it being attached.  

Since Jerusalem has chosen to separate itself from God by worshiping idols, then they are useless.  They serve no purpose.  The people of Israel without their vine, God, serve no purpose.  As a result we see in vs.8 that God “will make the land desolate, because they have acted faithlessly.”  It is a reminder that every time that we turn our back on God we have become a useless branch that serves no purpose.  Stay connected to the vine.

You don’t normally see a reference to Old Testament characters lifted up as examples of faith within the Old Testament.  You see it all the time in the New Testament where Abraham and Moses are lifted up as examples of faith.  Even in James you have Rahab mentioned and other Old Testament characters lifted up as people that we ought to emulate.  But this chapter contains three fairly unlikely heroes of Scripture who are lifted up as examples of righteousness, but that even in all of their own righteousness they are not able to save others, only themselves.

The three that are mentioned are Noah, Daniel, and Job.  Noah was one who refused to back down to the people of the land who ridiculed him for building a boat in sunny skies.  He had the last laugh.  Daniel was one who was persecuted for his faith by the king of the time, but he eventually was made to be in the royal court himself.  Job was one who was ridiculed by his wife and his friends for his non-existent sin which must have been horrendous because of the state in which he found himself.  God blessed him with a double portion.

So here Ezekiel speaks out against the religious leaders who have idols ingrained in their way of life and have completely embraced the idolatry of the region and have estranged themselves from God.  No amount of prayer or righteousness could save them if they did not separate themselves from the idols.  No matter how much Ezekiel might want to intervene on their behalf, God would not spare them from the 4 deadly acts of judgment.  God says that he has done all things for a reason.  Something good for us to remember.

Now Ezekiel has a word against the prophets and priests and religious leaders of Israel.  He says that they only speak “out of their own imagination.”  That is a pretty serious accusation and one that no religious leader would ever be able to overcome if it were proven that this is how they approach their faith and their relationship to God and to the people.  Just saying what comes out of your imagination and attributing it to God is dangerous.  Ezekiel focuses on that point by saying that they have uttered falsehoods and used the terms: “Says the Lord” in order to justify what they have said.  God takes no responsibility for the words of the religious leaders even though they begin their statements with the phrase: “Says the Lord.”  No, the Lord did not say it, you said it out of your own imagination.

Then there is this talk of this wall that was built by the people but the prophets just kind of smeared their presence on it.  The wall came crashing down due to the wind and the storm that the Lord sent because, again, it was not of the Lord.  The prophets were saying flippantly peace, and there was no peace.  But it was what they wanted to hear, so they said it out of their own imagination…again.  

I’m not sure where the author is going in vs.17ff in which there is a hunt spoken of that the women are involved in.  The only idea would be that this could be a reference to human sacrifices that the people of Israel had been caught up in because the nations around them were involved in it as they worshipped their own false gods through human sacrifices.  God promises that he is going to save his people himself.  He promises in vs.23: “I will save my people from your hand.”  I love it when God intervenes directly and basically says, yeah, you guys have really blown it.  Step aside, I’m taking over.

Once again Ezekiel is given an object lesson in order to teach the people of Israel and he is told to act out what is going to happen to the “prince” or the king of Judah who lives in Jerusalem.  I know that I am using Israel and Judah interchangeably and I shouldn’t, so I hope you are able to follow.  The object lesson he is to perform is he is to pack his belonging as if he were going into exile.  Remember, he is already in exile.  He is to dig his way through the wall that surrounds the city and then head out as if he were sneaking out in order not to get caught.  But all of this he is to do in the day so that the people of Israel are able to see what he is doing and understand that the object lesson that he is enacting is supposed to represent what will happen to the ruler of Jerusalem, the king of Judah.

He goes ahead and packs himself up in the daytime, he digs out of the wall, and when the people ask him: “What are you doing?” vs.9, he tells them: “I am a sign for you.” vs.11.  He tells them that they will be going into exile and the king will not see Babylon, but will die in Babylon.  Remember, the king sees his children killed and then has his eyes gouged out so that is the last thing that he sees.  This will happen in the future and the object lesson that Ezekiel is giving to the people will  happen in the very near future.

There was a saying in the land that “I will put an end to this proverb.”  It was thought that God no longer spoke in oracles, but Ezekiel said no, this will come true, and not in the long run, but rather pretty quickly, so prepare yourselves.  That is something that we do not really put much stock in.  We don’t have people that we believe are speaking oracles which dictate how we ought to act in order to curry God’s wrath or favor.  I guess the closest thing we have is when a pastor is said to be speaking prophetically.  

Ezekiel is given good news to give to the exiles who found themselves scattered in Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon.  God points out to Ezekiel the root of the problem which was found in the individuals named Jaazaniah and Peltiah who were officials of the people.  It is because of them that the city of Jerusalem was going to be destroyed and all who inhabited that city would be driven out.  

As Ezekiel was relaying this news and Peltiah was actually in attendance, one of the folks who were at the root of the problem, Peltiah died.  This kind of shook Ezekiel up.  He fell on the ground and asked if there would be any of the remnant that would remain after God was done with all of the work, all of the massacre, that he promised he would do.  

This is where the good news comes and this is where we find verses which we should have heard before in some setting.  Look at vs.19 and we hear that God will give those who come back to him after this tragedy a heart of flesh after he has sent His Spirit upon them and removed their heart of stone.  A heart of stone is one which is set in its ways and which cannot change or adapt based upon what God wants us to do.  As a result of all this once again: “They shall be my people, and I will be their God.”  God will gather His people from all the places where they were scattered and bring them back again.  This is good news for Israel.

As Christians we have taken this Scripture and applied it to our understanding of the new covenant which will be placed upon our hearts.  It is a covenant not based upon the law, or the stone, but based upon the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ, or flesh.  

While this chapter can be extremely confusing, if you look at the overarching theme we find it as God is working in complete concert with God’s creation.  All that God does, all that God says, all that God creates, all that God makes happen is working in the same direction and is working in concert.  Nothing from God is contradictory to that which is God’s intention.  All that God does, we also read in  the New Testament, is to ensure that all things work together for our good.  So when you read about the wheels turning and they are always moving in the same direction and there is no tension and there is no contradictory movements away or stresses which strain the movement of God or his creatures, then we can take that God is always working in concert to ensure that all things work together for God for those who trust and love Him.  

But while we are talking about wheels in the sky, don’t I have to insert this?  

The presence of this guy in white linen at the beginning of this chapter is the same one who had served the chapter before as the great executioner, now serves as the great pyromaniac who sets Jerusalem on fire.  God’s destruction is not finished.  But then when he includes the four creatures, which we saw earlier who represent the Gospels in latter Christian art, shows that God is pulling things together on the earth so that there can be a remnant and a hope for those who still do love the Lord.  

That is encouraging to us because we know that no matter how far we go from God He will always welcome us back, even if he has already turned is eye against us.