BIBLE STUDY --- BOOKS OF THE TANAKH {NEVI’IM}

BOOK OF EZEKIEL --- PART 2

PROPHECIES OF JUDGMENT AGAINST ISRAEL {3:22–24:27}

Symbolism figures prominently in Ezekiel’s writing. His priestly background and preparation probably suited him to receive and communicate YHVH’s Word in symbolic acts and speech. Chapters 4 and 5 contain four symbolic acts:

1 -- Jerusalem’s siege is portrayed on a brick {Ezekiel 4:1-3};
2 -- Israel’s iniquity is represented by Ezekiel’s lying on his sides {verses 4-8};
3 -- Jerusalem’s grief and horror in the last days of the siege are represented by Ezekiel’s food and drink {verses 9-17};
4 -- Jerusalem’s fate is represented by the prophet’s hair being cut off {5:1-4}.

Ezekiel’s instructions were further illuminated by YHVH’s explanation of Israel’s apostasy {5:6-7} and His judgment on Israel {verses 8-12}. The judgment will last until the Israelites admit that in Covenant faithfulness their Adonai has inflicted righteous judgment on them {verse 13}. YHVH would direct His judgment first against the people and the city of Jerusalem. Next in line were the mountains of Israel {chapter 6} and the land {chapter 7}. YHVH’s wrath included the cities and cultic sites in the hill country of Judah, leaving no protection for the people {6:3-6}. Abominations that were practiced throughout the land caused YHVH’s judgment to fall on the land as well as on the people {7:2-3, 10-11, 23}. But because YHVH is righteous, He judged the people according to their ways of life, desiring that they would once more acknowledge Him as their YHVH {7:27}. The prophet then {chapters 8–11} focused on the abominations practiced in Jerusalem, particularly idolatry in the temple courts, which caused the judgment announced in chapters 1–7. An idol had been erected in the inner court {8:3-5}. By the wall of the court, elders of the city were paying homage to the idols that surrounded the court {verses 11-12}. Closer to the temple, women were weeping for the god Tammuz {verse 14}, and men were worshiping the sun {verse 16}. In preparation for the ultimate judgment on the land, the prophet placed a mark on the foreheads of the few faithful Israelites so that they would survive {9:4-6}. Then {chapter 10}, the glory of YHVH, which had filled the temple from the time of Solomon, gradually left: “Then the glory of Adonai went up from the city and stopped above the mountain to the east” {11:23}. The people, now without divine protection, were being handed over to the Babylonians {verse 9}. The message of doom for Jerusalem contains four elements of hope: restoration of the people {11:17}, restoration of the land {verse 17}, purification of the people {verse 18}, and renewed fellowship between YHVH and His people {verses 19-20}. The prophet develops those four themes in chapters 33–48. The visions of chapters 10 and 11 made clear that when YHVH removed His presence from Jerusalem, the exile was approaching. Those who were already in Babylon were unwilling to believe that such an extensive devastation of Jerusalem would happen or that the people would all be exiled and the land become desolate. Ezekiel acted out the certainty of YHVH’s Word of judgment by packing his bags and showing the baggage to his fellow exiles. First, he placed the bags in the courtyard outside his modest home. Next, he went out by making a hole through the wall. Finally, the prophet walked about the settlement with his bags in full view. Sceptical observers did not understand Ezekiel and probably thought he was crazy. The believers who saw him understood. His strange actions dramatized how the king’s aides would do all they could to help King Zedekiah escape just before the fall of Jerusalem. 2 Kings 25 tells how the king and his soldiers left Jerusalem for the wilderness, to be overtaken by the Babylonians at Jericho and brought before Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah. As a captive, Zedekiah witnessed the murder of his sons; then his eyes were put out, and he was sent into exile with the other Judeans {cf. Ezekiel 12:13}. The prophet’s explanation concluded with a word of comfort. Because of His Covenant with Abraham, YHVH promised not to destroy the people completely. A remnant who overcame the sword, famine, and pestilence would live to tell the story of YHVH’s judgment {verses 15-16}. Ezekiel further illustrated the nation’s plight by eating as though full of fear, depicting the great trauma that all of Judah’s inhabitants would soon undergo. Both symbolic acts, packing his belongings and eating, emphasized the truthfulness of YHVH’s Word. The people needed to face the nature of their YHVH: He is magnificent, and when He speaks, His Words are powerful and come to pass. Thus, the devastation of the land and the people’s exile were a fulfilment of YHVH’s Word through the prophets. The judgment was meant to produce a recognition of Adonai, repentance, and a return to YHVH. Some in Judah doubted the efficacy of YHVH’s prophecies, saying, “Time passes, making a liar of every prophet” {12:22}. Others thought YHVH’s Word would come true in the distant future {verse 27}. The prevailing attitude of distrust in YHVH’s Word had been stimulated by the popular preaching of false prophets {chapter 13}. Never commissioned by Adonai, they deceived YHVH’s people by lying and misdirecting them with messages of peace {verses 8-10}. Wickedness, lying, and deceit were encouraged among the people by such false prophets {verse 22}. The magnitude of their sin and their great responsibility for Judah’s fall would be matched by Adonai’s heavy judgment. Yet YHVH would save His people from such evil and will prepare a righteous nation with whom to maintain His Covenant {verse 23}. The certainty of the judgment has been connected with the truthfulness of YHVH’s Word. Ezekiel’s difficult task of affirming the doom of Jerusalem to stubborn hearers was intensified by the people’s idolatry. Their whole way of life denied the existence of YHVH. They practiced idolatry in their worship, and they had set up idols in their hearts {14:3}. Before the Covenant with YHVH could be restored, they had to be purified from their idolatry. Even so, repentance would not guarantee immunity from judgment. Sword, famine, wild beasts, and plagues would ravage the population {verse 21}. After the execution of His judgment, YHVH would take back those survivors who had turned to Him for mercy. YHVH would surely accomplish all that He intended for His people’s good {verse 23}. In chapters 15–17 Ezekiel uses three parables to set forth the apostasy, present uselessness, and judgment of Israel. Jerusalem and Judah are compared to a piece of charred wood, an adulterous woman, and a vine. Chapter 15 reviews Jerusalem’s case. Jerusalem is compared to a piece of wood, both ends of which have been charred with fire, so that the wood is of no value. As the whole piece of wood is burned instead of being saved, so Jerusalem would undergo complete devastation {15:7-8}. Chapter 16 presents YHVH’s case against Jerusalem from a different perspective, stressing His care for Jerusalem in the past. The beginnings of her history are compared to the birth of a female child, left abandoned by her mother {16:3-5}. YHVH adopted the child and washed and clothed her {verses 6-7}. He made a Covenant with her {verse 8}, making her His own possession. He generously gave her all the fine things of life {verses 9-13}. In the height of her development, Jerusalem’s fame spread to the nations {verse 14}. Her self-reliance made her a spiritual prostitute as she took up the religious practices and way of life of the nations {verses 15-34}. The cities of Sodom {Genesis 19} and Samaria {2 Kings 17:6}, known for their immorality, are called Jerusalem’s sisters {Ezekiel 16:46}. They had been judged by YHVH, but the corruption of those cities was little compared to the lewdness of Jerusalem {verses 48-51}. Thus, Jerusalem also would surely fall and become desolate. Yet Ezekiel anticipates the judgment’s final outcome; Jerusalem will be restored to Covenantal blessing {verses 62-63} after her repentance. The third parable {chapter 17} focuses on YHVH’s Sovereignty over political developments. Assyria was no longer a power to be reckoned with. Babylon and Egypt both exercised dominions, although the balance of power was veering in favour of Babylon. Their extension of power is likened to an eagle. Nebuchadnezzar, pictured as “a great eagle with broad wings full of many-colored feathers,” took control over the affairs of Judah by removing Jehoiachin, “the highest branch of a cedar tree,” from office and by exiling him with young leaders of the Judean state {17:3-4}. Ezekiel was among them. Nebuchadnezzar let the Judeans control their own affairs under Zedekiah but expected them to be subject to Babylon and not to any other power. But Judah {likened to a vine} tried to ally itself with Pharaoh Hophra of Egypt, “another great eagle with broad wings and full plumage” {verse 7}, against Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah’s folly in turning to Egypt would cause Nebuchadnezzar to pull up the vine by its roots and make it wither {verses 9-10}. In explaining the parable, YHVH told the exiles that Judah’s fall was a result of its unfaithfulness to King Nebuchadnezzar, to whom Judah owed allegiance by Covenant {verses 13-18}. Judah’s unfaithfulness thus extended to all of its relationships: religious, cultural, and political. After the exile, YHVH promised, He would restore His people to their land under a Moshiach, “a tender shoot” {verse 22}. The messianic rule is signified by the young twig, which when planted in the land will become a magnificent cedar, giving shade and protection to the birds. Chapter 17 is an inspiring affirmation of the sovereignty of YHVH in human affairs {“All the trees will know that it is I, Adonai, Who cuts down the tall tree and helps the short tree to grow tall. It is I who makes the green tree wither and gives new life to the dead tree” -- 17:24}. Chapters 18–22 contain Ezekiel’s oracles to Judah, its leaders, and the exiles. First, he enunciates YHVH’s standard of righteousness: “The person who sins will be the one who dies” {18:4}. The people are charging YHVH with injustice, for they believe themselves to be under YHVH’s judgment for the sins of their ancestors {verses 25-29}. Although the Ten Commandments do say that YHVH may punish “the sins of their parents to the third and the fourth generations” {Exodus 20:5}, the prophet vindicates YHVH’s justice, telling the people that they are not being punished merely for their ancestors’ sin. Each person must be directly accountable to YHVH; the sinner will die in wickedness, and the righteous will live by righteousness. A life of faithfulness to YHVH’s moral and civil Law will be rewarded {Ezekiel 18:5-9}. Even if one’s father was a sinner, the father’s sin is not transferable {verses 14-18}. YHVH is ready to forgive any sinner who repents {verse 27}. The prophet’s vindication of YHVH’s justice becomes a call to repentance. The sinners in Judah and in exile were thus warned of the consequences of their evil, and were exhorted to return to their YHVH and His standard of right and wrong {verses 31-32}. Chapter 19 contains two parables in the form of a lamentation. The first portrays a lioness and her two cubs. The lioness is Hamutal, the wife of King Josiah {2 Kings 23:31}, who bore two sons: Jehoahaz and Zedekiah. Jehoahaz is referred to in Ezekiel 19:3-4 as a cub who grew up and was taken to Egypt {by Pharaoh Neco in 608 BC; see 2 Kings 23:31-34}. Zedekiah succeeded to the throne ten years later. In the lamentation the prophet imaginatively represents Zedekiah as a young cub who is ultimately taken to Babylon as a rebellious ruler {Ezekiel 19:7-9}. The second parable changes the imagery to a vine, representing Israel {verse 10}. In its early days YHVH blessed Israel with strong rulers, but now the vine was wilting as Zedekiah irresponsibly led Judah to its last days. Ezekiel’s lamentation stresses the lack of a good candidate for the throne and the lack of life in the vine {verses 13-14}. In chapter 20 the prophet concludes YHVH’s argument against His people. He reviews the history of Israel’s past, starting with YHVH’s Self-revelation in Egypt {20:5-6}. He took to Himself a stubborn nation, tied to idolatry {verse 8} and prone to apostasy {verses 13, 21}. Israel wanted to be one of the great nations {verse 32} instead of a sanctified people {verse 12}. As a result of its spiritual hardness, Israel is dispersed to live among the nations {verse 35}. Yet YHVH had a solemn Covenant with Israel, made by oath to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. On the basis of that Covenant, YHVH will reach out with compassion to those who repent of their sinful ways {verses 37-44}. In Israel’s judgment and restoration, the nations will see the holiness of YHVH, which does not tolerate unfaithfulness in Israel {verse 41}. Ezekiel’s prophecies alternate between YHVH’s judgment on Israel’s sin and his restoration of Israel, spanning the bridge between Israel’s past and future. In view of the people’s doubts of the coming judgment on Jerusalem, he stresses the necessity of judgment and the need for repentance. Still, the future restoration of a remnant is touched upon here and there as the counterpart of his message of judgment. After announcing the fall of Jerusalem, the prophet shifts from a message of judgment to one of hope. The prophet returns to the proclamation of judgment in four oracles {20:45–21:32}. He speaks against the Negev Desert area {20:45-49}, Jerusalem and the land of Israel {21:2-17, 20-27}, and against the Ammonites {verses 28-32}. YHVH permitted the sword of Nebuchadnezzar to be His instrument of judgment upon the Judeans {verse 19}. He would see to the judgment on the Ammonites. The Judeans would recover their previous glory, but the memory of the Ammonites would perish {verses 27, 32}. The oracle against the Ammonites anticipates a larger treatise on Israel’s other neighbours: Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon, and Egypt {chapters 25–29}. Chapters 22–24 contain a renewed series of indictments against Jerusalem. Jerusalem’s religious and civil leadership {the prophets, priests, and princes} are corrupt, and the people have followed their example {22:25-30}. The parable of the two sisters, Oholah and Oholibah, is a variation of the parable of adulterous Jerusalem {chapter 23; cf. chapter 16}. It differs in that the comparison drawn between Jerusalem, soon to be exiled, and Samaria, already in exile, is more explicit in the parable of Oholah and Oholibah. In chapter 16 Jerusalem was charged with greater sins than Sodom and Samaria, but was promised restoration. Only the adulterous nature of the two sisters and YHVH’s judgment on them is emphasized in chapter 23, with no word of restoration. This parable is a fitting introduction to that of the boiling pot {chapter 24}, in which Jerusalem is compared to a rusty pot boiling with water. The Jerusalemites, likened to pieces of meat in the boiling pot, will die in the city. The parable was pronounced on the starting day of Nebuchadnezzar’s siege of Jerusalem. Thus, the exiles were divinely forewarned of YHVH’s intent to destroy the temple {24:21} and were prepared for messengers bringing the bad News of Jerusalem’s fall. Those oracles and parables conclude the first division of the book. Ezekiel has stated YHVH’s case against the rebellious house of Judah in many ways. His metaphors have likened Judah to a burnt piece of wood, to an uprooted vine, to a baby who grew up to be an adulteress, and to Oholibah, the adulterous woman. He has countered arguments against the fulfilment of YHVH’s Word and against the justice of YHVH. He has reassured the exiles that YHVH will not leave the righteous and that the future of Israel begins with a righteous remnant. The pendulum of Ezekiel’s writing has swung from judgment to restoration, while the clock was bringing Judah closer to the hour of its fall.