The LORD’s Judgment & Restoration Study 2020/2021; Tuesdays, 12:00-1:00 p.m. by Zoom

Class #18, February 2, 2021

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

Notes, observations, and questions on :1-14

The Boiling Cauldron

1. God brings his judgment against . “Woe to the bloody city” the LORD says three times in our passage. His judgment is fierce. But the “cooking song” in vv 3-5 suggest that the people don’t realize how their sins have brought God’s wrath rightfully upon them. Ezekiel, on behalf of the LORD, will dispute their sense of security.

2. vv 1-3a, the preamble

a. The dating of the siege and fall of Jerusalem follows exactly the timeframe of its description in 2 Kings 25:1ff. It computes to January 5, 587 BC. The siege lasted about 18 months. b. Later, when messengers from fallen Jerusalem to give the exiles their eyewitness reports of the siege, the date given provides a litmus test for Ezekiel’s prophetic authenticity. Indeed, Ezekiel had been waring and preparing the exiles for this event for five, even as he had a difficult time to get their attention about it. c. God gives Ezekiel three charges here: (1) He is commanded to write down the very date of this event. It’s an urgent appeal. (2) He’s commanded to compose a parable. This suggests either the quotation of a proverbial saying circulating in Jerusalem or a composition of an extended metaphor capturing prevailing thinking. (3) He’s commanded to declare a message from God. It’s this message that takes up the remainder of the passage.

3. vv 3b-5, the popular saying

a. The poem traces the actions of a cook preparing a special meat dish: set up the pot/cauldron, pour in the water, put in the meat, pile up the logs under the pot, and boil the meat. b. While this draws from ordinary life, it’s an extraordinarily sumptuous meal being prepared here. The quality and quantity of the meat is emphasized, with only the choice cuts. Moreover, later in v 11 we learn that the pot is a “copper cauldron.” The average household cooked only with clay pots. This places the meal in the context of a special religious festival. c. We’ve seen the cooking pot theme before. Three years earlier, God had called Ezekiel to reinterpret a popular saying in which the pot had figured as a sign of the security of those in Jerusalem. So like then, this song should be interpreted the same way: On the surface, it’s been composed to bolster the people’s sense of well-being before God. The meal would signify a special meal between the people and the LORD. The flock represents the nation, the people of God. The choice cuts of meat refer to those remaining behind after the deportation of 597. A Jerusalem audience would have received this song with enthusiasm and interpreted it positively. 4. vv 6-8, the dispute

a. Now Ezekiel enters into debate with the prevailing attitude. The object of woe is “the city of bloodshed,” that is, Jerusalem. b. While it may be the pot has rusted (corroded) and thus gives off a reddish, blood- like look to the pot, it’s probably the contents of the pot—the meat itself—that has become putrid flesh, only fit to be discarded. c. “Without making any choice” in v 6 refers to the casting of lots. Ezekiel declares that no lot has fallen on this piece of meat, and so he repudiates the people’s claim to special status before Yahweh. d. Why has God rejected Jerusalem? In v 7a, the cooking meat reminds Ezekiel of Lev 17:10-16 which gives instructions for the preparation of kosher foods. “Her blood is within her” alludes to the fact that blood remains in the meat being cooked, thus breaking the Torah’s code for kosher. This makes Jerusalem unfit. e. In v 7b, Jerusalem is described as the offender. At issue here is the violation of a second taboo cited in Lev 17:13: leaving blood of a slain animal exposed. Such blood was to be poured out and covered with earth (Dt 12:16, 24; 15:23). To leave it exposed was to provoke the wrath of God, the source and guarantor of all life. They had willfully poured blood out on the smooth bare rock, where there was no soil, as if to advertise their deeds. The allusion may be either to the sacrificial slaughter of children on the high places or to blatant criminal activity. f. Now in v 8, God will ensure that the blood on the rock remains exposed as a perpetual witness to their crimes and as a reminder to him to visit this criminal city with his wrath.

5. vv 9-13, the counter thesis

a. The refutation divides into two parts: the manner of Yahweh’s wrath to be vented (vv 9b-12) and the justification for his vengeance 9vv 13-14). b. In 9b, Yahweh assumes the role of cook. He makes a large fire, much like we read in Isaiah 30:33. c. God has wood piled on to cook the meat thoroughly (v 10). An ominous tone develops. The contents of the pot about to be destroyed are not animal bones—they are human. d. In v 11, the process is not finished. The pot has been defiled and must be cleansed. It must heated red hot to destroy every remnant of the defiled meat. There is no hope for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. e. Yahweh’s main complaint is with the meat, as v 12 emphasizes. f. The oracle reaches its climax in vv 13-14 as the concentrates on its theological significance. God is justified to destroy the city. All of his past efforts at purifying the city had failed.

6. v 14, the conclusion

a. The oracle concludes with the most emphatic affirmation of divine resolve in the book. The highly charged statement consists of seven verbs—three positive and three negative—then a final positive. The judgment pronounced corresponds perfectly with the wanton behavior of the city. The sentence is sealed. b. The sign-act of the boiling cauldron challenged Jerusalem’s illusions of security. The residents thought of themselves as choice portions of meat specially selected for a sumptuous banquet. By implication, the exiles were the discarded portions. But God turns their little cooking song against them. He’s now the cook focused on burning up the meat. Nebuchadnezzar has arrived. Yahweh has spoken, and he always has the last word. 7. Theological implications

a. We can’t hide in tradition. If the claims of privilege are not matched by love for and faith in God and one’s neighbor, we cannot claim any privilege or security with the LORD. b. Singing songs is no substitute for obedience. c. God’s judgment is real. But so is his mercy to all who repent and turn to him.

Notes, observations, and questions on :10-20

The Appeal of the Prophetic Watchman

1. Ezekiel as the Watchman now shows how the sentence of death might still be avoided. The window of hope and life was still open. Both truths hold together throughout the book: God’s judgment is absolute, but God’s mercy is also absolute. We see the back and forth between them from chapter to chapter. In this section, we hear two disputations.

2. vv 10-16, the first disputation

a. God commands Ezekiel to quote a comment circulating among the exiles (10). The first part describes the people’s sinfulness. The second part highlights the painful effect of the people’s revolt: they are wasting, rotting away. They’ve fallen under the covenant curse in Lev 26:39. The quotation reflects the demoralized state of the exiles. All their hope is gone. Their faith has been crushed. Perhaps in their cry of pain, they will seek God again. b. God’s joy is found in life even for the wicked (v 11). All they need to do is turn (repent) from their evil. Yahweh’s plea for repentance is a call to life! c. God affirms (vv 12-16) that one’s end is not determined by how one begins a race, but how one ends it. A person’s past does not determine his or her future (v 12). d. We now find a similar case of hypothetical cases like we read in chapter 18. Like we hear in the Letter of James, we hear in this disputation as well: Faith without works is dead. e. The prophet is facing a real audience in a real crisis. The people are despairing over their hopeless condition. But in vv 12-16, God offers hope to the penitent sinner. The destiny of the exiles will change if they turn from their rebellion against God to a life of righteousness and justice. God’s commitment to life stands.

3. vv 17-20, the second disputation

a. But the people are still bitter about being at the mercy of God. They think his ways are arbitrary. b. God counters that not his ways but theirs are arbitrary. He has set before them the way of life and the way of death. His commandments do not change from day to day. c. Each person will be judged according to his or her own conduct (v 20).

4. Theological implications

a. This prophecy probably is dated just prior to the fall of Jerusalem. The people remain stubborn in their refusal to turn to God and away from evil. But Ezekiel has been faithful to sound the alarm as a Watchman. God’s truth is the same from age to age, but will we listen and obey? It’s always a matter of obedience to the Word of God. b. This passage reaffirms the inability of a hardened heart to comprehend the things of God. They’ve heard for almost a decade from Ezekiel, but still they cannot grasp the simple logic of divine justice. It’s the same for us. The call of the gospel is simple. It offers life to all who will turn from sin and commit themselves to the way of the Lord. The hardened heart only wants to blame God. c. This passage emphasizes that God does not desire death, not even for the wicked. He appeals for all to repent and find life in his grace. For this reason, he sent Ezekiel. For this reason, he comes himself in the Incarnation of Jesus. We must hear the good news of 2 Peter 3:9: the Lord is patient, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should repent and find life in his grace.

Notes, observations, and questions on Ezekiel 33:23-29

The Final Disputation: Staking Our Claims

1. This passage consists of an oracle immediately following Jerusalem’s fall. Its aim is to refute popular opinion and show the true character of God.

2. vv 23-24, the popular quotation

a. The oracle begins with a direct quotation of an opinion circulating among the people. The focus is on the population left behind in Jerusalem. But the place no longer deserves the name Jerusalem. It is now waste land after the Babylonians captured it. Probably about 20,000 remain in Jerusalem and Judea. b. They appeal to for their right to the land. But Abraham entered as one but became many, even as they have become smaller. Plus, Abraham never actually possessed the land. That didn’t happen for four centuries until his descendants had become a numerous people. c. They display smug self-interest, while Abraham relied only on God. The faith of Abraham has been replaced by Darwinian materialism: the fittest have survived. The survivors’ world has shrunk to the physical property on which they are trying to scrounge a living.

3. vv 25-29, Ezekiel’s response

a. Far from being the deserving possessors of the land, the survivors have disqualified themselves by their wanton disregard for the responsibilities associated with being true heirs of the Abrahamic promise. Here God presents his case. b. Six specific accusations are presented in two groups of three. (1) They eat meat from which blood has not been drained. (2) They pay homage to idols. (3) They commit murder. (4) They depend on violence. (5) They commit abominations. (6) They defile one another’s wives. c. They are thus the exact opposite of Abraham. He knew the promise of the land needed to be accompanied by walking before God and being blameless (Gen 17:1-8). The people have failed at both. d. God then will send his wrath in three ways: by sword, by wild animals, and by the plague. The result will be total devastation.

4. Theological implications

a. Yahweh may have abandoned his temple, but he is still present. He stands as the witness against the people. He sees all. b. The privilege of being a son or a daughter of Abraham must be accompanied by a commitment to walk before the Lord in word and deed. c. Claims to the birthright must be accompanied by devotion to his will.