Ezekiel Ch 25-32
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EZEKIEL 25-32: ORACLES AGAINST THE NATIONS “Then the nations will know that I am the Lord” The dawn of a new era: the end of the old world and the beginning of a new world ■ Ch. 24 is the last of the judgment oracles in the first part of the book (chs. 1-24). The opening of the prophet’s mouth (v.27) signified a turning point in Israel’s history: the old era of sin and judgment had come to an end; the new era of hope and salvation could begin. ■ Thus, the exiles would refrain from mourning not because they would be paralyzed by grief or calloused by sin, but because they would recognize the dawn of a new age – there is a ray of hope. ■ The fugitive’s announcement of the fall of the city would mark the end of the old world. It will in effect be welcome news. No more false hope of return: Jerusalem will have paid her debts; the judgment will have passed. ■ This chapter points toward Ch. 33 (in an earlier edition of Ezekiel’s prophecies, ch. 33 seems to have followed immediately after ch. 24); instead, like the exilic community, we have to wait. And in the meantime, we have chs. 25-32. Structure of Chapters 25-32 (A series of oracles against the surrounding nations) ■ 6 oracles addressed to Judah’s immediate neighbours (chs. 25-28) – Arranged in clockwise order – starting with Ammon in the Transjordan to the east, – moving south to the other Transjordan foes: Moab and Edom – Then turning west to Philistia in the southern coastal plain – Finally north to the coastal cities of Tyre (26:1-28:19) and Sidon (28:20-23) ■ A climatic 7th oracle against the traditional enemy, Egypt (chs. 29-32) Structure of Chapters 25-32 (A series of oracles against the surrounding nations) Some background ■ Ammon and Moab were the sons of Lot, Abraham’s nephew (with his daughters, Gen 19:30-33) – Israelites did not have a good relationship with them, esp. Moab, e.g. who seduced Israelites into idolatry and immorality (Num 22- 25) ■ Edom and Israel were from the twin sons of Isaac – Esau and Jacob (Gen 25:21- 26) The insertion of chs. 25-32 ■ In an earlier version of Ezekiel, ch. 24 (esp. after 24:26) was followed immediately by ch. 33 (news about the fall of Jerusalem) ■ Given the final sign and announcement in ch. 24 about the fate of Jerusalem and the temple, it took almost two years for it to happen – 18 months of the siege itself – 6 months for the news to arrive among the exiles ■ With chs. 25-32 in between the announcement of ch. 24 and the actual arrival of the news in ch. 33, it created the sense of a gap and the suspense of a long wait – A literary and chronological pause, marking the turning point of Ezekiel’s ministry ■ Why 7 nations? All nations? – The prophet Amos condemns 7 nations including Israel and Judah. The pre- Israelite nations in Canaan were listed as seven Oracle against the nations are common in prophetic literature ■ The prophet Amos proclaims Yahweh’s judgment against Israel’s neighbouring nations in Amos 1-20: Damascus (Syria), Gaza (Philistine), Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab. – Note at the end, the prophet turns against Judah and Israel, proclaiming the same judgment on them ■ But in Ezekiel chs 1-24, the prophet has been proclaiming judgment on Judah, why turn against the nations here? The purpose of chs 25-32: note the insertion of 28:24-26 ■ “‘No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord. ■ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God. ’” ■ Words of hope and future security for Israel in the midst of condemnation of surrounding nations – especially during the siege of Jerusalem, the darkest moment. Ezekiel was preaching the message that while Jerusalem would fall, there would still be hope and Yahweh is still their protector against their enemies. Yahweh had neither totally abandoned them nor was defeated Ch. 25 ■ Starts with the word-event formula “The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, ...” ■ Ends with the recognition formula “Then they will know that I am the Lord”. Prophecy against Ammon (25:1-7) Word pattern: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: … Because …. therefore …. Then you will know that I am the Lord -- similar to all 4 oracles in ch. 25 ■ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: [citation formula] ■ Because you said “Aha! ” over my sanctuary when it was desecrated and over the land of Israel when it was laid waste and over the people of Judah when they went into exile, [the accusation] ■ therefore I am going to give you to the people of the East [tribes of desert peoples to the east of Jordan river] as a possession. They will set up their camps and pitch their tents among you; they will eat your fruit and drink your milk. I will turn Rabbah into a pasture for camels and Ammon into a resting place for sheep [judgment: suffer destruction from some source, if not Babylon] ■ Then you will know that I am the Lord. [recognition formula] They/you “will know that I am the Lord” ■ The phrase occurs 53 times in Ezekiel, 16 times in chs. 25-32 ■ They/you “will know that I am the Lord” – what does it mean? Who are “they”? – Do they know that Yahweh is the Lord during their death/execution? – Or is there any indication of some future hope of restoration for these nations, through repentance and the true worship of Yahweh, similar to Israel? ■ Ref: Jer 12:14-17; esp. 48;7 and 49:6 on the restoration of fortunes of Moab and Ammon, even thought the restoration was never literally actualized ■ These oracles are not just for comfort to Israel but more importantly, for the glory of the Lord among all nations – Both judgment and restoration for the nations, the same consistent way as with Israel – the hope of salvation is extended to the nations (through Israel) Oracle against Tyre (26:1-28:19) and Sidon (28:20-23) ■ Tyre and Sidon: two great trading cities of the Phoenicians on the Mediterranean coast north of Israel (Tyre, “rock”, built on a rocky island and part on mainland) ■ Structure: 3 distinct but essentially parallel literary panels – each begin with “The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man” (26:1-2; 27:1; 28:1) [word-event formula] – Each panel ends with the same concluding phrase about Tyre: “you have come to a horrible end and will be no more” (26:21; 27:36; 28:19) ■ The 3 oracles about Tyre are essentially the same, but presented in 3 different ways – 26:1-21 – 27:1-36 – 28:1-19 The first oracle: against the city of Tyre (26:2-21) ■ Date: on the 1st day , the 11th month of the 12th year (26:1, no date in ch. 25) – Jerusalem was under sieged on 10th day, 10th month, 9th year (24:1) – News of the fall of Jerusalem came to Ezekiel on 5th day, 10th month, 12th year (33:21) ■ The oracle is further subdivided into four oracles, each begins with the citation formula: “this is what the Sovereign Lord says” (26:3, 7, 15, 19) The first oracle (26:1-6) ■ The charge against Tyre is similar to that raised against Judah’s other neighbors: – this is what the Sovereign Lord says (26:3) – Because Tyre has said of Jerusalem, ‘Aha! The gate to the nations is broken, and its doors have swung open to me; now that she lies in ruins I will prosper,’ (26:2). – Therefore (this is what the Sovereign Lord says): I am against you, Tyre, and I will bring many nations against you, like the sea casting up its waves. They will destroy the walls of Tyre and pull down her towers; I will scrape away her rubble and make her a bare rock [recall: Tyre means rock] …(26:3-5a) – Then they will know that I am the Lord (26:5b) The first oracle (26:2-21) ■ She rejoiced when Jerusalem fell, seeing in that event the opportunity for personal gain: A potential rival for her trading empire has been eliminated, opening up new avenues to prosperity. ■ Ezekiel is quick to point out the flaw in Tyre’s thinking. – The God who brought judgment on Jerusalem is also against Tyre and will judge her in an almost exactly corresponding manner (26:3). The first oracle (26:2-21) ■ Does Tyre hope to become the new meeting place for the nations? – The Lord will bring many nations against her (26:3). ■ Did Tyre rejoice to see Jerusalem’s doors shattered? – Her walls will be destroyed and her towers torn down (26:4). ■ Did Tyre expect to prosper? – She will become plunder for the nations (26:5). ■ Point by point, Tyre’s positive expectations are turned on their heads.