The LORD’s Judgment & Restoration

Bible Study 2020/2021 Tuesdays, 12:00-1:00 p.m. by Zoom

Notes On Our Study

Ezekiel is one of the most powerful books of Scripture. The LORD speaks and works in bold, dramatic words and ways through the person and preaching of Ezekiel, priest and .

At the same time, Ezekiel is also one of the strangest and most challenging of all biblical books to understand. Visions, dramatic events, parables, and graphic imaginary fill the book’s chapters. Ezekiel himself moves from one bizarre act to the next. Strong, almost blinding, words of the LORD’s judgment and denunciation are cast against his own people of , Judah, and . He also unleashes his wrath against all the nations surrounding Jerusalem. It’s plenty to strike fear in our hearts, too.

By the time we finish our study, we will appreciate why the ancient rabbis warned that no one under the age of 30 should read Ezekiel. It was, they insisted, for (faith) mature audiences only.

Yet, woven in and among the harsh judgments and complex visions is the Gospel. If we dare to hang in long enough with Ezekiel, we will get to the LORD’s promise of renewal and restoration of his people, God always faithful to his covenant. It’s here that we see a valley of dry bones come to resurrected life by the power of the LORD. It’s only in Ezekiel that we stand amazed at the vision of the new temple in the new Jerusalem where “the name of the city from that time on shall be, ‘The LORD Is There’” (Ezekiel 48:35).

Thus, the LORD’s “judgment” and “restoration” are the foundational themes of the . Or as classic Lutheran theology would put it, the Law and the Gospel undergird this book, as they do every book in the whole . Indeed, the Word of God presents both as necessary for our salvation and holy living.

Our method of reading and studying Ezekiel will follow the template recommended by Professor Daniel Block in his magisterial commentary in the New International Commentary series (see below). We will draw on Block’s insights throughout our study. We will also utilize theological commentary on Ezekiel by the Lutheran scholar, Dr. Robert Jenson. But most importantly, the Holy Spirit will be engaging us personally in our time through the deep and turbulent waters of the Book of Ezekiel. At every turn, we will stop and pray, “Lord, what are you saying to us through your Word spoken and lived by your prophet?”

Since ours will not be a sequential movement from one chapter to the next but taken in the units according to Block’s organization, we will not be able to say exactly how our study will advance chronologically. We will spend more weeks on some units than on others. We will meet by Zoom on Tuesdays from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. beginning September 15 through December 15. Then we’ll pause the last two weeks of December for Christmas, resuming January 5, 2021 to the study’s conclusion. [But please note that we will not have a class on October 6.]. The classes will be recorded for listening in at other times, too, and the Zoom link to the recordings will be sent in the church’s Wednesday email updates. Handouts for each session will be posted on St. John’s website (www.stjohnlutheran.org) in advance of each class.

May God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit show us his glory and strengthen our resolve to worship and serve him only throughout our study of his Word, the Book of Ezekiel. The Message and Method of Ezekiel How we will read and study the Book of Ezekiel

The Messenger of Yahweh 1:1-28a; 1:28b-3:15

The Watchman 3:16-21; 6:1-14; 7:1-27; 33:1-9

The True Prophet 12:21-28; 13:1-23; 14:1-11; 22:23-31

The Message Incarnate 3:22-27; 24:15-27; 33:21-22; 33:30-33

The Visionary 8:1-10:22; 11:22-25; 43:1-14

The Dramatist 4:1-5:17; 12:1-20; 21:18-32; 37:15-28

The Spinner of Parables and Riddles 17:1-24; 19:1-14; 20:45-21:17; 22:17-22

The Debater 11:1-13; 11:14-21; 18:1-32; 24:1-14; 33:10-20; 33:23-29

The Prosecutor 14:12-15:8; 16:1-63; 20:1-44; 22:1-16; 23:1-49

The Judge of the Nations 25:1-17; 26:1-21; 27:1-36; 28:20-23; 30:1-19; 32:17-32

The Conscience of Kings 28:1-10; 28:11-19; 29:1-16; 29:17-21; 30:20-26; 31:1-18; 32:1-16

The Pastor 34:1-31

The Herald of Good News 6:8-10; 11:14-21; 16:60-63; 28:24-26; 35:1-36:15; 36:16-38; 37:1-14

The Apocalyptist 38:1-39:29

The New Moses 40:1-48:35

A Brief Introduction to Ezekiel

1. God brings Ezekiel into the world in a turbulent time.

(a) Assyrian power waning (b) Babylonian imperialism ascending (1) Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BC) (c) Judah falling into apostasy (1) Josiah’s (640-609 BC) reforms fail under Jehoahaz (2) Pharaoh Necho of places a puppet king, Eliakim/Jehoiakim, on Judah’s throne

2. Nebuchadnezzar returns to Judah to fight Egypt (605 BC), suffering the Judeans, too.

(a) Jehoiakim executed (b) Jehoiachin installed (597 BC) (c) Many Jews, including Ezekiel, taken in the first wave of captives to to a Jewish colony on the Chebar canal (d) Mattaniah (renamed Zedekiah) put on the throne in occupied Jerusalem (e) Open revolt against the Babylonians, 589 BC (f) Jerusalem torched; only a few survivors left; the nation of Judah vanishes

3. During Ezekiel’s tenure as prophet and priest, Jews were located in three principal places: Judah, Egypt, and Babylon.

(a) Most of the Jews deported from Jerusalem and Judah, leaving only the poor, the infirmed, and the aged behind (b) Some Jewish communities established in Egypt (c) Most were in Babylon, Ezekiel’s primary audience

4. Ezekiel focuses on those living by the Chebar canal (Tel Abib) in Babylon.

(a) These exiles did not suffer as much as others, some serving as court officials, merchants, bankers, and in other important roles. (b) They manage to remain a distinct religious and social community. (c) They also drift toward idolatry and adopting other pagan ways. (d) They are in theological shock, but hold to a sliver of hope. (1) Even though the denounced Judah’s sins, they were confident God would rescue them—why?

5. Their confidence in Yahweh rests on four pillars of God’s promise:

(a) God’s irrevocable covenant with Israel (b) God’s promise of the land (c) God’s residence in Jerusalem (temple and city) (d) God’s covenant with

6. But Judah falls. The Davidic house is cut off. The temple is razed. The nation is exiled from the land.

(a) Their spiritual distress is more difficult than their physical difficulties. (b) They feel abandoned by God. (c) Based on appearances, it looks like the god of Babylon, Marduk, has prevailed. (d) Ezekiel faces a people who are disillusioned, cynical, bitter, and angry. 7. Who is Ezekiel?

(a) We know him only by this book. (b) His name means, “God strengthens/toughens.” (c) A priest [he was called to be a prophet at the age of 30, the same age a man qualified to become a priest (Numbers 4:30)] (d) His calling takes a colossal toll on his marriage and his personal comfort. (e) Eventually, he’s totally possessed by the Holy Spirit. (f) But initially he’s a reluctant prophet: God’s hand alone shapes and guides him. (g) Born around 623 BC; exiled to Babylon 597 BC; called to prophetic service 593 BC; dies sometime after 571 BC

8. What is Ezekiel’s message?

(a) He announces a “jealous” God: passionate love for his people fuels the LORD, for the LORD has entered into the covenant of marriage with his people. (b) If Judah/Jerusalem should be destroyed—and they will be announces Ezekiel—it will not happen because Yahweh has been unfaithful to his vows but because of their unfaithfulness to God. (c) But after the destruction and judgment, Ezekiel points the people forward to a new day, to the renewal of the covenant, and to salvation and restoration. (d) By changing the people’s perception of their relationship with Yahweh, Ezekiel hopes to change their behavior, too. (e) Ezekiel pulls no punches. He’s dealing with a hardened audience. He will even use strong sexual and fecal language and imagery. (f) The oracles in the book divide into four parts: (1) Ezekiel’s call to prophetic ministry (1:1-3:27); (2) pronouncements of judgment on Israel/Judah (4:1-24:27); (3) pronouncements of judgment on the nations (25:1-32:32); and, (4) pronouncements of hope for Israel/Judah (33:1-48:35).

9. The enduring theology of Ezekiel

(a) The wonder and majesty of the Triune God (b) God is the “God of Israel.” (c) The sovereignty of the LORD over all nations (d) The holiness of God: “My Name is Holy” (e) The unholiness of the people (f) God is the covenant making and keeping God of Israel—by grace through faith. (g) Yahweh acts in history. (h) The power, mystery, and work of God the Holy Spirit (i) God is on the side of life, not death. (j) To claim the promises of God must be matched by devotion and obedience to God. (k) Worshiping God “in spirit and truth” brings one into the real presence of the LORD. (l) In the end, God’s promises are eternal: Israel is to be his covenant people forever; the land of Israel has been given to them as their promised homeland forever; Yahweh will dwell with his people forever; and God’s commitment to the Davidic kingship will endure forever through the Messiah.