Ezekiel’s Vision of the Temple, Part 1

Ezekiel 40-42

            Ezekiel’s culminating vision concerns a new and rebuilt temple. The instructions are very detailed, and one can find pictures online that demonstrate that detail. Some think that this is the temple Zerubbabel should have built after the exile. Some think it will be built in the future—both Jews and some Christians. Probably the whole thing is an idealized vision. A few details confirm that judgment. First, notice that Ezekiel envisions temple courts that are a perfect square, suggesting maybe a symbolic description. Second, in chapter 47, we’ll read about a river flowing out the temple, a geographic feature that never existed on the top of Mt. Zion. Probably we are to think of this temple as an idealized vision and the lesson in its detailed description is that, if the temple is ever rebuilt, Israel must treat the temple as holy, unlike the desecrations of the earlier chapters.

The Valley of Dry Bones

Ezekiel 37-39

            Wrapping up this section of Ezekiel needs two comments. The first is about Ezekiel’s most famous vision: whether you knew it was his or not, almost everyone knows the vision of the valley of dry bones. The big question, of course, is what is this vision about. My answer makes some assumptions. I assume that understanding the fullness of God’s revelation is only possible after the ministry of Jesus, especially after His death and resurrection. That is the lens which brings the Scriptures into focus. So, for example, although there is evidence of the Trinity all the way back to Genesis 1, it wasn’t until the church reflected on the nature of God in the light of Christ that we came to confess it fully. In terms of Ezekiel 37, I think we need to recognize that Israel’s understanding of the afterlife was long in developing. In many of the psalms, for example, we find the word Sheol, the grave, the place of the dead, and it is a nasty place, described as dark and wet, like a dungeon. No one praises the Lord from there (Psalm 6:5, a psalm of David). Yet, by Psalm 116 (unattributed and undated), we read that the death of the Lord’s holy ones weighs on Him, and David himself hints at some kind of hope beyond death. Still, I don’t think Israel had really thought about bodily resurrection until much later, 150 years before Jesus or so. So, the vision of the valley of dry bones is, in its first instance, a prophecy about Israel’s national restoration. We can’t discount that this vision fired the imagination and understanding of later generations who came back here to better understand the fate of God’s people after their physical death. Even though I don’t think that’s what Ezekiel was talking about at the time, certainly in mature reflection we see here an image that draws us forward to the resurrection on the last day.

            The second comment is from chapter 38 and the naming of Gog, from the land of Magog. Probably this is some unknown ruler for what we name as Asia Minor, and the point is that the Lord’s justice will extend to the farthest nations. The problem is that Gog and Magog are named in Revelation 20, and dispensationalists have set all sorts of people’s hair on fire about some mythic, end-time battle called Armageddon. So, let the Ezekiel set the terms on which Revelation draws, and Armageddon becomes a sort of symbol for the world’s opposition to the Lord and His church, which extends until His return in glory. May be I’ll be able to comment on that when we get to Revelation later this year, but for now, let’s just see Gog of Magog as one more nation against whom the Lord speaks.

Catching Up

Ezekiel 28-39

            I’m sorry I’ve been very lax about this blog. Here are some notes from the last several days’ readings.

            In chapter 28, there is a reference to Noah, Job, and Daniel as proverbial figures of wisdom (also in chapter 14). The odd man out here is Daniel, because the only Biblical character of that name is not a proverbial wiseman, but one of Ezekiel’s contemporaries who at the time of Ezekiel is only just starting his memorable career. I think most commentators understand this Daniel to not be the Biblical character. There is a reference to a Danel in the literature of Ugarit, a city northwest of Israel, north of Tyre and Sidon, which was influential before the time of David. Now, here’s the interesting thing, to me, at least. If Daniel is non-biblical secular character, what of the other two? The way the story of Job is framed in the Bible, I would think it likely that he was a more widely known character outside the Bible. (For example, while no one knows exactly where Uz is, it’s definitely outside of Israel.) As far as Noah is concerned, many ancient cultures have a flood story of some sort; only in the Bible is the main character named Noah, but this could be a reference to that person named in many civilizations and by many names. It strikes me that this is evidence that Ezekiel (and Israel) lived in the real world. A thing I've often said about the Bible that makes it stand out from other religion's sacred texts is that the Bible so clearly fits into what we know of the world from other sources.

            In chapters 29-32, Egypt comes under the Lord’s judgment because she is a “reed staff,” that is, one that cannot support a person’s weight and does damage when she fails. Remember that the kings of Israel on several occasions looked to Egypt as an ally against either Assyria or Babylon. But by this time in human history, Egypt is past her prime and can’t provide the assistance that Israel and Judah imagine.

            Chapter 33 brings back the idea of Ezekiel as a watchman, calling out the warning of approaching enemies. These are passages that make me personally uncomfortable, because there are prophetic elements in a pastor’s call. So, verses like, “I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood,” (v. 6) stand out for me, as if to say, “Make sure that you preach the law, point out people’s sins, call them to repentance.” That is a part of my work I don’t love to do and certainly not as bluntly as Ezekiel does! I tend to take a gentler approach to calling people out of their sin, and verses like this make me nervous, like I should be more forceful. Still, verse 11 shows us the heart of God, that He does not desire the death of a sinner, so He doesn’t love the work of condemning and punishing, either. Oh, well, those are not your problems, they’re mine.

            Chapter 34 compares the rulers of Israel to bad shepherds. While there is plenty of evidence that the people themselves embraced and engaged in idolatry, very often the leaders of Israel, especially the kings, are blamed for it. Leaders bear greater responsibility (which plays into my unease in the paragraph above!) The good news here is that this language is grabbed up by the Lord, in Psalm 23, for example, who is a shepherd who provides and protects. Also, in the Gospels, especially John 10, in which Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who loves His sheep enough to die for them, and Matthew, in which the crowds are like sheep without a shepherd, but Jesus has compassion on them.

            Finally, chapter 35 is last of the oracles against the nations, this time highlighting Edom, the historical descendants of Esau. The common criticism of Edom is that they should have acted like Israel’s brother, but they did not. We’ll talk about that a little more when we get to Obadiah.

Oracles against the Nations—Again!

Ezekiel 25-27

            We’ve been over this ground before. Two things stand out this time. First, the reason for the condemnation is that the nations rejoiced over Israel’s fall. In His righteous judgment, the Lord punished His holy people for their unfaithfulness. But they are still His people, and He will not tolerate other people abusing them. We discovered a similar phenomenon early in our marriage. We would each complain about our parents, but if we complained about the other’s parents, that felt out-of-bounds. We could criticize our own families, but don’t you dare criticize my family! There’s a Gospel twist here: even under judgment, the Lord treasures His people.

            The second thing that stands out I don’t have an explanation for: the city of Tyre comes under lengthy judgment—3 chapters! I don’t know quite why. Tyre was not historically a prominent enemy of Israel. It was a city known for its pride. A city on an island, connected to the mainland by a causeway, Tyre was unconquered until Alexander the Great conquered it n 332 BC. Ancient historians tell us that Nebuchadnezzar besieged the city for 15 years without success. (With an unparalleled reputation for seamanship, Tyre could resupply itself through overseas trade.) But, for whatever reason, Tyre draws the Lord’s ire…

Ezekiel’s Wife

Ezekiel 24

            Another day, another enacted prophecy. Ezekiel is forbidden to grieve for his wife. Well, that’s not exactly the case. He is permitted to “groan inwardly” (. 17), which seems to mean that he is forbidden the usual public rites of mourning. In the same way, the exiles of Jerusalem are forbidden to mourn over the impending doom of the city. The Lord has decreed its destruction and the reasons for it: who is Israel to weep and mourn as if the Lord’s judgment were unjust?

            Two thoughts. First, there is an absoluteness to God’s Word. If He says it, it is just. He is the very definition of what is right, because He is holy. His words also carry that holiness. They are not to be quibbled with. This is a hard thing for us moderns; I suppose it’s been a hard thing for sinful humans since the Fall. Ever since Adam and Eve decided it would be cool to be like God, we’ve tried to ignore, modify, excuse ourselves from God’s word. After all, the original sin is to think that we know better. But God’s holy people set themselves under His word and let that word shape them instead of them trying to shape the word.

            Second, and a bit of a tangent. I’ve spoken other places about the importance of traditional rites of grieving. (See our YouTube channel and you will find a Bible study I did on the topic a few years ago.) Just briefly, we live in an age that will do almost anything to deny the reality of death. As just one example, look how often we refuse to use the word funeral (a word derived from the Latin word for corpse) and instead talk about celebrations of life. Death is a punishment for sin, a consequence of the Fall. To face its reality honestly involves not just grief but also repentance, because it is a reminder that we are all under this same sentence. And from a Christian point of view, to face death honestly means to be refreshed in the Gospel, that by His resurrection Jesus has defeated death, so His people have hope for eternal life. Much more could be said, but let this simply be a plea for traditional funeral practices.

Adultery Again?

Ezekiel 22-23

            Again, an extended comparison of Israel’s idolatry with adultery and prostitution. What is it with sexual sin that so resonates with the prophets?

            Part of it is certainly our problem. We live in an age in which sex has been reduced to mere biology. The culture around us regularly depicts people falling into and out of bed with each other and it pays little attention to the emotional ramifications of sex. I’d argue there is no such thing as “casual” sex; all sex has consequences and entanglements. Paul agrees. In 1 Corinthians 6:16 he says, “Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, ‘The two will become one flesh.’” That last line is from Genesis 2:24, a passage in which the “one flesh” idea is associated with marriage. Now, I would argue that the “one flesh” of marriage is more than sexual, but Paul wants us to know it’s at least sexual.

            The point is to see that sex involves emotional, even spiritual, commitments that our age tries to minimize or eliminate. But they are there. So, when the prophets liken Israel’s idolatry to adultery, we are supposed to understand the deep sense of betrayal, of broken trust, of defilement, to use Ezekiel’s word. Idolatry is incredibly personal for the Lord. It is a rejection of Him as thorough as any marital cheating.

The End of Prophesy?

Ezekiel 12-13

            These chapters begin with another enacted prophecy. If the covering of the prophet’s eyes seems strange, remember that Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, had his eyes put out by the Babylonians. So, that is one very specific prophecy!

            The more interesting thing to me is in verse 22, when the proverb, “The days go by and every vision comes to nothing.” Jeremiah began prophesying some 30 years before the first round of exiles were taken to Babylon in 597 BC. Ezekiel himself was in that first exile, but it would be 11 years until the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem. With that kind of delay, a biblically literate Israelite must have thought about Deuteronomy 18:21-22, “You may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?’ If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.” I mean, how long do you give a prophet to have his words proven true?

            In the face of this doubt, Ezekiel goes on the attack, just as Jeremiah had. False prophets are assuring them of peace and deliverance. If Jeremiah’s and Ezekiel’s threats seem a long time coming, the theologically observant Israelite should still recognize the sins they are condemning. Those things are happening right now for everyone to recognize. And because those sins are right there for the seeing, the Lord—through His real prophets—doubles down on the impending doom.

The Lord Abandons the Temple

Ezekiel 8-11

            Ezekiel has a visionary experience of the temple. He sees one like a son of man, who transports him to temple—whether in reality or in vision, who knows?

            On Sunday, someone commented to me about the figure of the son of man. Ezekiel is called a son of man dozens of times in his book. I think it’s meant to emphasize the difference between Ezekiel, a mere mortal, and the Lord. Here in chapter 8, the one like a son of man seems to be an angelic being of some sort, and in Daniel the son of man will become a messianic figure. This matters because Jesus habitually refers to Himself as the son of man. Is he minimizing Himself or claiming some messianic credential? I think the answer is, “Yes.” I think Jesus means to be claiming messiahship for Himself, but He does it in an ambiguous manner because He is also redefining what messiahship means.

            Anyway, on to Ezekiel. He sees in the temple all sorts abominable, idolatrous things. The Lord, offended by what goes on in His temple, abandons His temple. It’s difficult to put into words how devastating this vision would have been for an Israelite. The best I can think is imagine if the 9/11 attacks had also destroyed the White House and your place of worship. The Temple was the center of Israel’s religious and national identity. “What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him” (Deuteronomy 4:7)? If the Lord abandoned the Temple, He was abandoning their nation and them. It was utter loss across many spheres of life.

            Good news, though, at the end of chapter 11: the Lord intends to restore them. The new heart and the undivided spirit come up again later in the book. We’ll comment then.

The Word’s the Thing… Even if It Is Enacted

Ezekiel 3-5

            If you’re a more experienced Lutheran, and you remember the old red hymnal, there was a collect (a prayer) in the service without communion on page 5, in which we prayed that we might “read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest” God’s Word. In the blue hymnal they changed the last phrase to “take them to heart.” It gets at the same idea—thinking deeply about the Word—but I sure do like the evocative language of “inwardly digest.” That’s what Ezekiel is called to do; literally eat the scroll of God’s words and fill his stomach with it. For Ezekiel it’s tied to the scene at the end of chapter 3, in which he is bound with ropes and told to be silent until the Lord tells him to speak. As a prophet, Ezekiel is to center his entire ministry in the Lord’s words and to speak only those words. But for every Christian it reminds us that “God’s Word is our great heritage” (LSB,582).

            The rest of chapters 4 and 5 are occupied with enacted prophecies. In the first Ezekiel is to make a drawing of Jerusalem and then he is to lie there for over a year as sign of Israel’s ongoing sin. Next he turns on his other side for 40 days as a sign of the Lord’s impending judgment. Since the Lord give Ezekiel permission to bake and eat, he must not have laid there all day every day, but still, what a strange piece of “performance art”!

            In the second enactment, Ezekiel is to cut his hair and beard and apportion it for all sorts of reasons, expressing how Jerusalem will fall. Bear in mind that Ezekiel ministers to people already in exile, so there is a warning there that their particular exile will endure and they will be joined by many more from Israel.

            Now, if you ask me why Ezekiel has to do these very unusual things, I will give you an honest answer: “I don’t really know.” I suppose the graphic things he does really drive the message home.

Introducing Ezekiel

Ezekiel 1-2

            Of the major prophets, Isaiah is the most familiar and the most lovable. Yes, he has long sections of condemnation, but 1) his poetry is always beautiful and 2) his condemnations are offset by some of the clearest promises of good news in the Bible. Jeremiah is a whole other thing. Condemnation and judgment dominate his book, so much so that he becomes a little difficult to read.

            Ezekiel is a whole other thing again. Ezekiel was a priest (1:3), and the temple dominates a lot of his thinking. Ironically, for a book dominated by temple concerns, Ezekiel only ever prophesied from Babylon and to exiles in Babylon. (A little chronology: Ezekiel was 30 when he started prophesying, meaning he was born about 623, was among the first exiles taken to Babylon in 597, and began prophesying in 593, seven years before the temple was destroyed.)

            Besides temple ideology, another feature of Ezekiel is the nature of his prophecies. As you will notice today, Ezekiel sees visions—and sometimes fantastic ones, at that! He also enacts a lot of his message. For example, in chapter 3, he is to be bound and silent in his house for a period of time. More on that tomorrow.

 

            Today’s inaugural vision of the Lord is both fantastic and in some way stereotypical. The four living creatures appeared in Isaiah 6, and they will come back again in the book of Revelation. They are some order of angel, and their description is in some sense symbolic. The various gems seem to be a way of saying that they are dazzling, difficult to see because of the various colors reflecting among them. The depiction of four faces bear the sense of power and wisdom: the lion the most powerful of the wild animals, the ox the strongest of the domestic animals, and the eagle the most majestic of the birds; and the face of a human, the being who is to rule them all. The overall picture is of a chariot or a cart, but it has four wheels so it is able to move in any direction, unlike a chariot that takes a long time to turn around. The ‘vault’ above them recollects Genesis 1 and the vault of the heavens. In some ways it indicates that the Lord is lord of all, reigning from heaven, and that His holiness is such that it must be veiled lest it utterly destroy the unholy.

 

            Ezekiel’s call to ministry is similar to both Isaiah’s and Jeremiah’s. The similarity with Isaiah begins with the vision of the Lord that accompanies it. But all three are similar in that they are commissioned to a message of judgment over a stubborn, thick-necked people. They are told to be courageous, assured of the Lord’s sustaining presence. And the words they are to speak are to be the Lord’s words and no other. I don’t really have time to explore it, but as a pastor I’m always fascinated by the ways that prophetic calls inform the call to ministry that I have…

Introducing Lamentations

Lamentations 1-3

            Lamentations is a beautifully structured book, although only part of that structure is apparent to an English reader. The part that we can see in English is that the book has four chapters of 22 verses (chapter 1-2 and 4-5) and one central chapter of 66 verses. The center verses of chapter 3 are the theological heart of the book. 3:22 confesses that Israel is not fully consumed, that the Lord’s compassion never fails. 3:23-42 continue that theme and consider who one of God’s people (or all of God’s people) are to consider their suffering. God’s mercies are new every morning; the Lord is good to those who hope in him. It is good to wait for the Lord. The Lord does not cast off forever; He doesn’t willingly bring affliction. Humble repentance is the right attitude for the chastised child of God.

            The other phenomenon, the one that we cannot replicate in English is that in Hebrew the book is filled with acrostics. In chapters 1, 2 and 4, every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In chapter 3, the pattern becomes more intense, and there are three lines beginning with A, then three lines beginning with B, and so on. Chapter 5 is the only one that is not an acrostic.

            Let me quote scholar N.T. Wright at length:

[Jeremiah is saying] there is a pattern, a form, underneath it all. So at the very moment Jeremiah is saying in his poem, ‘This doesn’t’ make sense! There’s no meaning to al this! Why should this be happening?’ he is expressing that outburst of grief in a form which says, ‘And yet I believe it isn’t random; I believe there is meaning and purpose, even though I can’t see it at all just now.’ He can see nothing but chaos and ruin all around, but he has expressed that is a pattern which says, “And yet I trust that somewhere, somehow, there is order after all” (Christians at the Cross, 64-65).

Faith waits on the Lord, even—especially!—when we cannot perceive God’s plans and purposes for ourselves. That’s a pretty good summary of Lamentations.