sign in sign up
<<
Home , Ezekiel 26, Ezekiel 30, Ezekiel 31, Ezekiel 41, Ezekiel 46, Ezekiel 48

26. BIBLICAL EPIC: Notes

ccusation

Ezekiel 1: I saw visions of God. Out of a storm came four creatures. I saw wheels within wheels. Above them was a throne and the figure of a man. Ezekiel lived out his prophetic career among the exiles in where he proclaimed a message of uncompromising judgment (often in hard and offensive language) and later a message of restoration (notably for God’s sake, not ’s; 36:22-23). was an older contemporary of Ezekiel with Ezekiel even developing some of his themes. It is not known whether they ever met, as it seems Jeremiah was not aware of Ezekiel, whose ministry did not begin until after he had been in exile for five years. Ezekiel often employs a technique known as symbolic reality, which occurs when a writer transports the reader to a world of visionary experience where the most important ingredients are symbols— symbols like a vine, a boiling pot, or a valley full of dry bones. Thus the book can seem strange to readers who are expecting strict realism. The book is arranged in three parts: (1) God’s judgment on and Israel (ch. 1-24); (2) God’s judgment on foreign nations (ch. 25-32); (3) God’s restoration of Israel (ch. 33-48). We could summarize the book this way: “The LORD displays His glory by judging to show holiness and saving to show mercy, that all might know He is God.” • 1:1-3. Ezekiel in Babylon. The book opens on July 31, 593 BC, five years after Ezekiel had been forcibly exiled to Babylon. Priests began their ministry at age 30 (Num 4:3), but God gives Ezekiel a prophetic ministry. These verses introduce the first of his 4 visions (8:1-2; 37:1-14; 40:1-2). Jesus likewise saw heaven open at age 30 at His baptism. • 1:4-28. The Glory of the LORD. Through a remarkable vision in foreign territory, Ezekiel experiences God’s presence outside the temple in . He attempts to describe the indescribable: the radiant splendor of God’s glory. His experience is stunning and perplexing, yet it communicates much about God, recalling the traditions of the Ark of the Covenant (Exod 25:10-22), especially within Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 8:6-8). As in Job 38:1, a “stormy wind” heralds the LORD’s approach, ominously coming from the “north” (the direction of judgment). The many uses of the term “likeness” (10 times in this chapter) emphasize the impressionistic nature of the vision’s description as Ezekiel gropes for language to describe it. Regarding the “four living creatures,” it is not until his second vision (ch. 8-11) that Ezekiel realizes that they are cherubim (10:15-17), who are guardians and bearers of the things of God (Gen 3:24; Exod 25:18-22). Their “four faces” allow them to see at once in any direction. There is much speculation on the symbolism of the specific faces, but at a minimum, the lion (wild), ox (domesticated), eagle (air), and human (earth) represent the most majestic of creatures in their respective realms. This imagery is later echoed in the four (separate) creatures before the throne in Rev 4:7. They are also multidirectional, such that they can move “straight ahead” in any direction. The complex structure of their “wheels” is difficult to envisage, though something gyroscopic seems to be suggested. The climax of the vision comes in vv. 22-28: a human likeness (anticipating God’s appearing in human form) can be discerned above the wheels, above the creatures, above the expanse, on a throne. Thus, we see that the cherubim were supporting, transporting, and guarding the throne chariot of God, who is on the move. They escort God to Ezekiel, who like John before the risen Christ (Rev 1:17), fell on his face. Glory is God’s manifested presence with His people. In the , this glory will leave the temple (chapters 9-11) and then will return to the restored temple (43:2-5). In terms of redemptive history, this glory is seen most fully in Jesus Christ (John 1:14; 2 Cor 4:6) and will fill the temple that He will make with living stones, Himself being the cornerstone. : He said to me: "Son of man, stand up." The Spirit entered me. He said: "I send you to rebel Israel." Before me was a scroll of woe. • 2:1-10. Ezekiel’s Call. The vision of glory culminates in a call that is both sweet and severe. Ezekiel is never called by name, but 93 times as “son of man,” which identifies him as a human creature before the Supreme Creator. The Spirit of God supernaturally empowers Ezekiel to stand and hear God’s words. Like Jeremiah, Ezekiel is called to a “rebellious house” who will not listen. The request to open your mouth and eat comes without any indication of what is to be given. The missing “content” of v. 4 is about to be provided, not as food but as the scroll of a book (as in Rev 5, 6, 10). When it is unrolled, the writing is visible front and back: the scroll is full, just as Ezekiel soon will be (Ezek 3:3). The precise content remains unspecified except that it is full of lamentation, mourning and woe. The dominant biblical-theological theme of knowing the LORD in salvation through judgment already begins to surface. : He said to me: "Israel will not listen." I came to the exiles. The LORD said: "I have made you a watchman. I will open your mouth." • 3:1-15. Ezekiel’s Call (cont.). Internalizing the scroll (i.e., eating it) is equivalent to internalizing the divine message. Ezekiel becomes what he eats and will speak what he eats. He becomes a mourner as a result of eating a scroll containing lamentation, mourning, and woes. But in a surprising contrast, Ezekiel finds the scroll “sweet as honey.” Obedience to God’s command touches Ezekiel’s sense of taste in a positive way, probably indicating that God’s justice, however severe, is incomparably better than injustice. Contrary to expectation, Ezekiel is cautioned that a cross-cultural mission would be easier than taking God’s words to his own people. But he is called to the more difficult task of warning Israel, and like the ministries of Isaiah and Jeremiah, the people will reject his message. Verses 12-15 describe the dramatic conclusion of the vision as God’s glory is escorted away in the same manner it appeared: by the loud sound of the cherubim’s wings. That Ezekiel is left “in bitterness in the heat of my spirit” likely indicates that he has gained a divine perspective (having eaten the scroll) on his people’s sin, and his anger reflects that shared viewpoint. Ezekiel’s seven days of recovery reflect a typical period of ritual mourning, also echoing the time of Job’s recovery before he finds his voice as well as the consecration time for admission to the priesthood. • 3:16-27. Ezekiel as a Watchman. Not only does God call Ezekiel to be a and mourner, but his call also entails a related task as Israel’s watchman, one who warns of impending danger. A watchman was responsible to protect, defend, and care for the people (33:1-6; cf. Isa 21:6-9; Hos 9:8; Hab 2:1). While it is not uncommon to designate Israelite as watchmen, Ezekiel is charged with carrying out his prophetic task or he will share in the punishment that will come upon the people. Thus, his own life is threatened. Ezekiel becomes responsible for people’s life and death. Ezekiel’s commission as son of man/Adam can be compared to the first Adam and to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:17). If Ezekiel was obedient he would live and would bring the possibility of life to those who heard him; but if he failed, he and his hearers would “surely die” (v. 18; Gen 2:17; Acts 18:6). In vv. 22-27, God places severe limitations on Ezekiel, limitations in line with his call to be a mourner, and which mimic the siege of Jerusalem. The prophet’s confinement and speechlessness encompass about a seven-year period (593- 586 BC) and should be understood in terms of an extended mourning period. The silence will be broken only in specified intervals at the LORD’s instruction and later when news arrives of Jerusalem’s fall (24:25-27). : "Son of man, take clay and draw Jerusalem. Then lie on your side. You shall bear the punishment of Israel. Cook your bread over dung." • 4:1-17. Jerusalem’s Siege Dramatized. With the city’s destruction as the focal point, God asks Ezekiel to engage his audience with actions rather than words. In order to symbolize the upcoming siege on Jerusalem for his rebellious audience, God requires Ezekiel to use 3 elaborate visual aids (nonverbal communication for non-hearing people). The first is a model of Jerusalem under siege (vv. 1-3), the second is a representative bearing of Israel’s sins (vv. 4-8), and the third (vv. 9-15) includes dietary restrictions that represent the famine to come upon Jerusalem. : "Son of man, shave your head. Jerusalem has rebelled. A third shall die of famine, a third by the sword and a third I will scatter." • 5:1-4. Jerusalem’s Siege Dramatized (cont.). With Jerusalem’s destruction as the focal point, God asks Ezekiel to again engage his audience in another symbolic gesture that affects Ezekiel personally. The command to shave his head with a sword is an external, nonverbal gesture that symbolizes the upcoming sword that will fall upon Jerusalem for its rebellion, resulting in its humiliation. As a rule, priests should not shave off their hair, so this desecrates Ezekiel just as the unclean food did in the previous chapter. Shaving one’s head was also associated with mourning. If by eating the scroll Ezekiel becomes a mourner, then this shaving might also be a visual aid of mourning over Jerusalem’s destruction. The treatment of the shaved hair (vv. 1-4) symbolizes the treatment of the population of Jerusalem when the Babylonians invade (vv. 11-12). Each of the 3 actions should be understood as proclaiming destruction, even for those who survive. Two-thirds of the population would be killed in the invasion, and one-third would be taken into exile. From the last third of hair that was consigned to dispersion, Ezekiel was to take and bind some in the folds of his robe. This portrayed survival of only a remnant of exiles. From the ancient perspective, exile was a fate from which people never returned. Hair scattered to the wind would be impossible to retrieve. By tucking the remnants of hair into his garment, Ezekiel indicated that the future of the people of God lay with God Himself. Mercifully, for the sake of His covenant promises (to be fulfilled in Jesus), God would always preserve a remnant. • 5:5-17. Ezekiel’s Actions Explained. Ezekiel’s symbolic actions were no doubt enigmatic to onlookers, and here God offers the rationale behind them as depicting Jerusalem’s destruction. The groupings of thirds in v. 12 point back to the symbolic action of the hair in vv. 1-4, as does the reference to scattering (cf. v. 10). Tragically, the Israelites will resort to cannibalism (v. 10) during the siege and the subsequent fall to Babylon in 586 BC. Ezekiel’s reference to pestilence, famine, and sword employs one of Jeremiah’s favorite groupings of three disasters (used 17 times), one of several examples of the younger prophet’s use of language borrowed from his older contemporary. The nation that was chosen for honor (Deut 26:19) now became the moral spectacle of the nations. The role of the nations here contrasts with the original blessing that Israel was supposed to bring them. She failed at this task. Although the reader may be uneasy in some of these descriptions, Ezekiel does not downplay God’s anger over sin. The outpouring and dispensing of God’s anger through the exile is a visual reality of what later came when He poured out His wrath on Jesus at the cross. It is a picture of the anger of God being satisfied for sin and its consequences. : "Son of man, prophesy against the mountains of Jerusalem. The slain shall lie among their idols. They will know that I am the LORD." • 6:1-14. Oracle against the Mountains of Israel. After the dramatic performances signaling Jerusalem’s end, God gives Ezekiel portraits of destruction using the topography of the Land (ch. 6-7) to describe the complete and utter destruction that awaits the people of Judah. He begins by drawing attention to Israel’s mountains, which were inherently linked to the “high places” where people set up pagan sanctuaries and worshiped idolatrous images. In judgment, God will cut down their altars, smash their idols, and destroy the idolaters. The description of complete annihilation is moderated with the promise of a remnant (vv. 8-10). God’s purpose in judgment is that knowledge of His character and reputation would ripple throughout the surviving community. The phrase “you shall know that I am the LORD” (vv. 7, 10, 13, and 14), which structures the chapter, is known as a “recognition formula.” It expresses the LORD’s intention to make His character and glory known to Israel as well as to the nations. It is a characteristic way of closing oracles or sections within oracles (some 60 times in Ezekiel) and expresses the intended effect of the event predicted in the oracle. It was frequently used in the context of the Exodus from (Exod 7:5; 14:4). : "The end has come! I will punish you for all your abominations. Silver and gold cannot deliver. The people of the land will tremble." • 7:1-27. The Day of the Wrath of the LORD. The address to the “land of Israel” (v. 2) links this chapter to the previous one against the “mountains of Israel” (6:2). It vividly describes destruction on the entire land and the inability to escape such destruction because of God’s wrath poured out on wrongdoing and wrongdoers. The “day of the LORD” is a prominent theme in the Hebrew prophets, with its origins in Amos 5:18-20, and Ezekiel’s development relating most closely to Amos 8:9-10. Among the many motifs shared between Ezekiel 7 and Amos 8 are the “day” itself, violence and wealth, agricultural metaphors, foiled commerce, desecration of holy things, and withholding of divine direction. God’s patience with His stubborn people has run out. Just as in the days of Noah’s flood (Gen 6), the sins of the people had reached such a point that it was time for the Land to be wiped clean of them. For about 800 years God had given the nation numerous chances to change, but their opportunities for change have run out. But note that the intended outcome of God’s furious unleashing of anger is not only the promised consequences for their misconduct (Deut 28) but also that Israel would acknowledge and recognize that He alone is God (note the repetition of the “recognition formula”). Many Israelites considered themselves invincible because the presence of God resided in Jerusalem; they thought that God would never let His holy dwelling be destroyed, but even the temple would not escape God’s judgment. In the same way, who would have thought that God’s ultimate plan for dwelling with His people, through His Son Jesus Christ, would also experience the judgment of God’s wrath against sin! But as Jesus victoriously proclaimed, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). : The Spirit lifted me up. "Son of man, see what they do. Elders burn incense to idols. Women weep for Tammuz. Men worship the sun." • 8:1-6. Ezekiel’s Visionary Journey to Jerusalem. This chapter records the second of four dream-like visions that Ezekiel receives (8:1-11:25). The date in v. 1 places this vision on September 17, 592 BC, just over a year from the inaugural vision. Like that vision, Ezekiel sees a vision of God in all His brightness and glory with “the appearance of a man” (v. 2). The vision continues with Ezekiel’s “physical” transportation (by the Spirit) from his home in Babylon (v. 1) to the temple complex at the heart of Jerusalem (v. 3). When he arrives at the temple entrance, two opposing images capture his attention: “the image of jealousy” (v. 3) and “the glory of the God of Israel” (v. 4). The “glory” represents God’s presence. This idol, which the people have associated themselves with, intrudes on the LORD’s property and has caused a serious rift in their relationship with God. God is a jealous God and will not share His glory with another (Exod 20:5). Ezekiel is about to see up close and personal “still greater abominations” (vv. 6, 13, 15). • 8:7-18. Abominations in the Temple. In a series of locations, including both the center and the periphery of the temple, various cultic practices, termed abominations, are revealed. As Ezekiel is escorted through the temple, the spotlight is on those involved in the detestable practices: 70 elders in a dark, secret room burning incense as they worship animal spirits (vv. 7-13), women engaged in a Babylonian ritual marking the death and descent into the underworld of the Sumerian god Dumuzi/Tammuz (vv. 14-15), and 25 men engaged in worshipping the sun (v. 16). The behavior described in these verses must be punished by a holy and righteous God. As the LORD shows Ezekiel all these detestable practices, stage by stage, a growing tension builds in the vision. It will eventually lead to the tragic climax at the end of the vision when God’s presence departs Jerusalem’s temple (11:22-23). : He cried, "Bring the executioners." Six men came. "Kill old and young, but do not touch those with the mark. I will not have pity." • 9:1-11. Idolaters Killed. As the owner of the temple, God communicates how He intends to deal decisively with the detestable practices of the people. He will clean house with a citywide slaughter of the idolaters. A team of seven angels carries out the execution of the unfaithful in Jerusalem at God’s command. Six are seen coming from the north (the direction from which Babylon will come). Only one of them is assigned the job of protecting the faithful, by marking them on the forehead. Preserving a remnant has been a feature of chapters 4-7. This deliverance from judgment resembles the Passover story, where the household was spared if the blood of a sacrificial lamb was placed above the door (Exod 12:7, 13). Here, the mark is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet (taw), and in the script of Ezekiel’s day would resemble an X. Ancient Christian interpretation saw in this symbol an anticipation of the cross. This episode is also not unlike those sealed for deliverance in Rev 7:3-4; 14:1. The first to experience God’s wrath are Israel’s leaders who led them astray. This pattern of judgment is echoed in Peter’s talk of a purifying judgment that will “begin at the household of God” (1 Pet 4:17). In v. 8, Ezekiel makes an impassioned plea for the remnant with words associated with mourning and grief. Although some might be spared judgment due to the work of the man in linen, the vision focuses on the realities and justness of God’s actions carried out through the six men. : He told the man in linen: "Take fire from between the wheels." Each wheel had four faces. The glory of the LORD left the temple. • 10:1-22. The Glory of the LORD Leaves the Temple. Two actions are interwoven in this chapter: the second phase of the city’s destruction (vv. 1-8), and the further withdrawal of the glory of God from the temple (vv. 9-22). The man clothed in linen (v. 2), a “preserving angel” in chapter 9, here becomes an incendiary agent of destruction by fire (with “burning coals” derived from God’s own throne – the same coals that purified Isaiah’s mouth in Isa 6:6). On a natural level, judgment by sword and fire would coincide in the siege from Babylon; in the vision, they are distinct phases (the sword in ch. 9 and fire in ch. 10). Although God judges the city with fire, the ultimate judgment and focal point in the chapter is God’s departure from His earthly home. This is the curse God promised in Deut 31:17-18: God said He would hide His face from His people if they turned to other gods. Upon completion of both the and the temple, each were filled with the “cloud,” i.e., the glory of God’s presence (Exod 40:34-35, 38; 1 Kings 8:10- 12). In those structures the cloud visually declared the reality that God was in Israel’s midst. The cloud was also associated with Israel’s guidance while in the wilderness (Num 9:15-17). In the New Testament John says of Jesus (who was God in human flesh) that by seeing Him the disciples actually saw the glory of God (John 1:14). Jesus reveals God to humankind and gives guidance to believers through the Holy Spirit. And He is now building a new, eternal temple made up of all believers in Christ in whom the Spirit of God dwells (and from whom the glory of God’s presence will never depart). Here in Ezekiel, God’s glory departs slowly and even reluctantly at several stages (perhaps reflective of God’s patience). The departure of the “glory” is escorted by cherubim throughout the vision. Much of the description of the cherubim here overlaps with the account of the “living creatures” in chapter 1, with verses 15 and 20-22 making explicit their equivalence. The initial step of the LORD’s departure is from the Most Holy Place, the place of His earthly throne (the Ark of the Covenant with its overshadowing cherubim), to the temple’s entrance (9:3). After the destruction of the idolaters, the LORD joins up again with the waiting cherubim at the temple’s entrance, then moves out of the temple to the east gate of the temple complex, and temporarily stops there (10:4, 18-19). From this outer court gate at the very edge of the temple complex, the “glory” would be best positioned to leave the city to the mountain in the east (11:22-23). Interestingly, Jesus went to the mountain east of the city, the Mount of Olives, and ascended to the Father having promised to send the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:9-12). : The Spirit said: "These men plot evil." I said: "Will you destroy the remnant?" The LORD said: "I will put a new spirit within them." • 11:1-13. Vision of Israel’s Corrupt Leaders. Ezekiel now addresses 25 men at the temple’s eastern gate (perhaps the same men of 8:16) for lying to the people that they need not fear God’s judgment. While they saw themselves as “meat” safely encased in an iron “cauldron,” Ezekiel reinterprets the image with Jerusalem as the cauldron, the slain in Jerusalem as the meat, and the discarded entrails as those exiled. As evidence of imminent judgment on Israel’s leaders, Pelatiah (“the LORD delivers”) son of (“the LORD builds”) suddenly dies (v. 13), emblematic of their false confidence and counsel. In response, Ezekiel mourns over the loss and pleads mercy for the remnant of Israel. • 11:14-21. Israel’s New Heart and Spirit. Ezekiel’s outcry of v. 13 apparently prompts one of the most important statements of hope in the book, one closely connected to the famous “new heart” passage in 36:22-32. Ironically, those facing death in exile will experience life. In v. 15 the voice of those left in Judah is heard baiting the exiles, while the divine response of v. 16 both asserts God’s own action in bringing about the exile and redefines the relationship between God and His exiled remnant. God is present with the exiles even though they were driven away from Jerusalem and the temple (the symbol of God’s presence). This is so because the real sanctuary is a person, not a symbolic place or building. Ezekiel’s first vision underscores this fact: “above on the throne was a figure like that of a man” (1:26). With the coming of Jesus, there is a fundamental change in the demonstration of God’s glory and presence. The presence of God is no longer located in the physical, man-made temple, but in the Word become flesh, who dwelt among us and whose glory was seen (John 1:14). Jesus even identified Himself with the “temple” (John 2:19-22) in whom true worship will occur “in Spirit and in truth” (John 4:21-24). And the new relationship with Him is marked by a new spirit and a heart of flesh (v. 19) provided by God Himself (in the through faith in Christ), which enables faithful living previously impossible with a heart of stone. • 11:22-25. God’s Glory Leaves Jerusalem. The vision concludes tragically with the departure of the God of Israel from His city (Jerusalem). The throne chariot flies away (v. 22), and Ezekiel sees it at the city limits (v. 23), and finally the “glory” is positioned on a mountain east of the city (the Mount of Olives). This is a stunning reversal of 1 Kings 8:10, which describes the glory of the LORD filling the temple at its dedication in the time of Solomon (cf. Exod 40:35). God’s absence persists until Ezekiel’s vision of a new temple in chapters 40-48, particularly 43:1-5. Notably, Jesus ascended to heaven from the Mount of Olives and promised to return to the same place (cp. Zech 14:4; Acts 1:9-12). : "Son of man, they are a rebellious house. Bring out your baggage like an exile. I will disperse them. My word will not be delayed." • 12:1-16. Ezekiel Dramatizes the Exile. Although already exiled in 597 BC during Jehoiachin’s reign (1:1-3), Ezekiel predicts (as in chapters 4-5) a future exile through two symbolic acts (vv. 3-16, 17-20). This reference to future exile concerns events that unfold between the time of Ezekiel’s exile and 586 BC (the final fall of Jerusalem, during ’s reign). First, Ezekiel was to pack his belongings and move from one place to another as a sign that the Jews would be moving into captivity. He also predicts Zedekiah’s flight and capture by digging through the wall at night. Indeed, Zedekiah fled, but was captured and his eyes put out at Riblah (:6-7). • 12:17-20. Ezekiel Dramatizes Israel’s Anxiety. When Ezekiel ate and drank with trembling and quaking, he gave a pre-picture of the emotional turmoil that the people will experience in the siege leading up to the exile. • 12:21-28. A Deceptive Proverb Stopped. Apparently, the delay in fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecies opened a window for counter-prophecies, which are here rebutted. They will see God’s word come to pass without fail. : "Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit. I will send a storm in my wrath. Woe to the women who sew magic charms." • 13:1-23. Israel’s False Prophets Condemned. In this chapter, two groups come in for condemnation: male “prophets” who simply prophesy delusions (vv. 1-16), and women who are prophets by pretense (vv. 17-23). However, the masculine and feminine references tend to break down toward the end of the chapter, and from the text, it is clear that the issue is not gender, but false prophecy. Unlike true prophets, who repeat what God said, false prophets make up the words from their own imagination and for their own gain. This is also true of modern false teachers (2 Pet 2:1-2). The Christian is to test every spirit (1 John 4:1) and examine everything in light of Scripture (Acts 17:11). Ironically, the false prophets are seers (“one who sees”) who “have seen nothing.” God has not given them a message, yet they are deceiving people with a message of hope, “saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace” (v. 10). The false prophets “build” poorly constructed walls by cosmetically covering up the problem areas, but the walls are structurally still weak and vulnerable. In the same way, their messages are worthless. Paul used this same image when he called the high priest in Jerusalem a “whitewashed wall” (Acts 23:3). After calling out the female false prophets, God promises that He will end their cult of false prophecy and rescue His people from the snares of these powerful women and thus get glory (vv. 20-23). Both the male and female prophets starkly contrast with Ezekiel. Jeremiah 23:16-32 is very similar to this chapter with its warning to false prophets. : The elders came to me. The LORD said: "They have set up idols in their hearts. Even Noah, Daniel and Job would only save themselves." • 14:1-11. Idolatrous Elders Condemned. The condemnation now turns to the leaders of the exiled community, the recipients rather than the creators of false prophecies. These idolatrous elders are consulting both the false prophets and Ezekiel, the true prophet, at the same time. However, instead of giving them His perspective about the Jerusalem crisis, God surprisingly “answers” them by personally confronting their idolatry. If the exiles renew their loyalties to the LORD and discard their idolatrous alliances, they may have a chance, unlike those in Jerusalem. But if not, the LORD will give them over to their own desires as a further judgment (Rom 1:18-32; 2 Thess 2:9-12). • 14:12-23. Four Devastating Judgments. Five clearly formed paragraphs make up this oracle: the first four detail four modes of divine judgment on Jerusalem: famine (vv. 12-14); beasts (vv. 15-16); sword (vv. 17-18); and pestilence (vv. 19-20). “Salvation” (see vv. 14, 16, 18, 20) from the upcoming judgment is not possible and cannot be achieved by another’s righteousness (even that of Noah, Daniel or Job). Although God spared Lot due to ’s prayer (Gen 18:20-33), this is not possible now for Jerusalem because her “end” (7:2) has been decreed. The wicked conduct of the few “survivors” in v. 22 amid the exiles will confirm to the exiles that God’s judgment on the city was just. : "Son of man, is wood taken from the vine to make anything? I have given it to the fire for fuel. So I have given up Jerusalem." • 15:1-8. Parable of the Useless Vine. This is the first of three allegories in chapters 15-17 illustrating Jerusalem’s guilt. The “wood of the vine” is the wood that remains after a grapevine’s fruit is useless; it cannot be used to make furniture because it is not strong enough (v. 3). It is only slightly useful when supplying fuel for a fire (v. 4), and when burned up it is even less valuable (v. 5). So it is with “the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (v. 6). In 586 BC the Babylonians will exile Jerusalem’s inhabitants that were not exiled in 597 BC. Although the invading Babylonians will be the ones to actually burn the city, this represents God’s fury against the people of Jerusalem, whom God has rejected as useless to Him because they have been unfaithful and unfruitful. The land, as a result, will lie desolate, as promised in the covenantal curses (Lev 26:32-35, 43; Deut 29:23). When the fire of God strikes the inhabitants of Jerusalem in 586 BC, those already in exile will acknowledge the divine hand of judgment as a revelation of the LORD (v. 7). The metaphor of the vine for Israel is common in the (e.g., Psa 80:8-16; Isa 5:1-7; Jer 2:21; Hos 10:1), as it portrays God’s loving care (as a vinedresser) for the nation that He had planted. This metaphor serves as the background for Jesus’ claim in John 15:1, “I am the true vine,” for He is the true Israel who embodies the people of God. Jesus also invokes this image in Matt 21:33-41, teaching that God desires fruit (good works) from His vine. : "Jerusalem, I made you flourish. But you played the whore. I will gather your lovers against you. Yet I will remember my covenant." • 16:1-63. Parable of God’s Faithless Bride. This second allegory narrates the city’s past through the story of an unfaithful wife. It portrays Jerusalem as a professional prostitute who for personal gain gives her affections to numerous others. Not only is this the longest single prophecy in the book, but it is also the hardest and most shocking to read, given the sexual language used and the violence portrayed. Ezekiel does not attempt to water down the offensive nature of Jerusalem’s sin, because that is precisely the point. Jerusalem’s conduct is just as shocking as the language used to describe it. This chapter has two parts. (1) The first part addresses idolatry and illustrates it with the analogy of the faithless bride (vv. 1-43). This part consists of three phases: (a) Verses 1-14 tell the story of the abandoned girl (v. 6) who becomes a queen (v. 13). The “girl” is the city of Jerusalem and not Israel per se, which explains the unusual account of origins given in v. 3 and also explains why the “sisters” in the second half of the chapter are also both cities. The first stage of the oracle depicts Jerusalem’s helpless and hopeless state— except for the intervention of the passerby (who is God); (b) Verses 15-34 describe in the third person the sexual promiscuity of the “queen” despite her husband’s generosity. Throughout these verses, the life-giving gifts of vv. 10– 13, which enhanced and beautified, successively become the means of Jerusalem diminishing and debasing herself. She thus alienates herself from her husband (God); (c) In vv. 35-43, the first-person account resumes to announce the impending judgment on the faithless bride. Adultery, along with other illicit sexual relationships, was one of a number of capital crimes in Israel’s law, and so the announcement of execution here is not surprising. Other aspects of the punishments listed do not fit Israelite law so simply. (2) The second part addresses social injustices and illustrates this by a familial analogy of an older and younger sister (vv. 44-52). Jerusalem’s siblings, and Sodom, were both known proverbially for their wickedness. The Israelites had become worse than Sodom. If God had not punished Judah, whose sins were so much worse than Samaria’s and Sodom’s, He would have been unjust. But the chapter concludes in vv. 53-63 with a glimmer of hope for family restoration. God will restore wicked Sodom and by doing so He will cut to the core of Jerusalem’s pride (vv. 56-57). Jerusalem too will have a future reformation and restoration. Although Jerusalem (and Israel as a whole) failed to remember its covenant obligations in the relationship, God will not fail to remember His “everlasting covenant.” God’s forgiveness will cover their shame and humiliation for sin. God will graciously intervene to purge and purify His people (36:22-38; Deut 21:8). : "An eagle planted a vine but it grew towards another eagle. Israel rebelled against Babylon with Egypt. I myself will plant a cedar." • 17:1-24. Parable of the Eagles and the Vine. The predominantly theological viewpoint of chapter 16 now gives way to a predominantly political one. It bears the hallmarks of a “fable,” a story form in which flora and fauna take the lead roles in order to teach some lesson (e.g., Judg. 9:8-15). Here two eagles, a cedar, and a vine are the main protagonists, and the story turns on the fortunes of the vine (cf. Ezek 19:10-14; Isa 5:1-7). The whole is meant to illustrate the current and imminent state of Judah’s political fortunes, and ultimately its future under God. The fable is narrated in vv. 1-12, proceeding in two phases. A great eagle (v. 3) transplants a twig from a cedar, then plants a seed, which becomes a flourishing vine. But then a second, lesser eagle (v. 7) attracts the vine’s attention and draws it away from the first. The fable is then successively unpacked, first on the natural plane (vv. 11-18) and then in theological terms (vv. 19-21). The first eagle is the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, who takes her king, i.e., Judah’s king Jehoiachin (the “twig”), to Babylon (v. 12). The royal offspring (the “seed”) is Zedekiah (v. 13), Jehoiachin’s uncle and replacement to whom Ezekiel never refers as a “king.” Zedekiah’s failure was to break his covenant with Nebuchadnezzar (vv. 13-14) by turning to Egypt (v. 15), whose king was Hophra, the lesser eagle. Ultimately, hope in Egyptian aid will prove futile (v. 17). The breaking of this political covenant will bring disaster on Zedekiah and his people (v. 18). In v. 19, Zedekiah’s political covenant is termed “my covenant” by God, as God takes full responsibility for the disaster to come, now seen not as military defeat but as divine judgment. Finally, the terms of the fable return to present an ideal messianic future (vv. 22-24). At God’s own initiative He will replant a “sprig” on Israel’s mountain heights that will grow into a cedar that provides shelter for birds. “Sprig” or “Branch” is used to speak of a Messianic figure, a son of , who will revive the royal line and under whose branches one will find safety (Isa 4:2; 11: 1; Jer 23:5; Zech 3:8). The new king from David’s line is Christ. He will claim the world as His Kingdom (Rev 22:16-17), which the mountain on which the cedar is planted symbolizes (Isa 2:2; Micah 4:1). : "If a man is righteous, he shall live. If a son is violent, he shall die. I will judge each according to his ways. Repent and live!" • 18:1-32. The Soul who Sins Shall Die. In the Ten Commandments, God said He would visit sin on the third and fourth generations of those who rebel against Him (Exod 20:5). This was intended to warn adults that their sins would have ominous influence on their children’s lifestyle choices and thus on their relations to God. The people in Ezekiel’s day misconstrued this reality, as reflected in the proverb of v. 2 accusing God of unfairness. The first section (vv. 1-18) exposes the problem (v. 1-3) and then follows with the corrective based on Deut 24:16, utilizing three hypothetical scenarios about a righteous father (vv. 5-9), his wicked son (vv. 10-13), and his righteous grandson (vv. 14-18). In the first case, a person’s righteousness is credited individually and does not depend on parental influence. In the second case, a person’s unrighteousness is credited individually, regardless of positive parental conduct. In the third case, a person’s righteousness is credited individually, regardless of negative parental conduct. For each, the generational cycle can be broken. The second section (vv. 19-32) anticipates several questions and objections that Ezekiel’s audience may have. A person’s sin may outlive him and have negative repercussions on other people (vv. 19-32), but God does not punish the innocent for the sins of others. Every person will face a final judgment in which obedience to God’s commands will be fairly and justly evaluated. This chapter does not advocate a “works righteousness,” for salvation has always been by faith alone. However, where there is no real faith, there will be no real works of righteousness (James 2:17). Those given “a new heart and a new spirit” (v. 31) will in turn give evidence of faith. : "Lament for the princes of Israel: A lioness had cubs. One was taken to Egypt, another to Babylon. A vine was stripped of its fruit." • 19:1-14. A Lament for the Princes of Israel. Ezekiel presents two further political allegories, like that of chapter 17, but this time in the form of a lament (or “funeral dirge”). The symbolism remains unexplained so many questions remain unanswered. In vv. 1-9, a lioness produces two cubs who represent the fate of two Davidic princes, while in vv. 10-14 a vine produces branches, as well as a particular “stem” that appears to represent a single Davidic figure. o Lament over Jerusalem’s kings (vv. 1-9). Both allegories refer to a “mother” (vv. 2, 10). One cannot be certain whether a literal queen mother is in view (then most likely Hamutal; 2 Kings 23:31; 24:18), or rather a symbolic reference to the nation of Judah (cf. Gen 49:9 and “mother” of Babylon as nation, Jer 50:12). Verses 3-4 applies most closely to Jehoahaz, taken captive to Egypt by Neco (2 Kings 23:31-35). The second cub’s identity in vv. 5-9 is much more problematic. Of possible candidates, Zedekiah remains plausible (see 2 Kings 25:6), but Jehoiachin is more likely (2 Kings 24:12). Both Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin reigned only three months, which is thought to be a problem for the negative assessment of the second “cub” (although cf. 2 Kings 24:8-9). o Lament over David’s dynasty (vv. 10-14). The combination of lion and vine imagery may be derived from Gen 49:9-11. Here, mourning will take place over the end of Judah and its Davidic kings. For added details, compare the parable of the eagles and the vine in ch. 17. Whereas the lioness-and-cubs story fixed attention on the fate of individuals, the vine-and-stems passage makes more inclusive reference to the whole dynasty. Verses 12b and 14 single out one particular strong stem, normally translated “staff,” only here referring to a living branch. Wordplay undoubtedly motivated this choice. The reference seems to be to Zedekiah, the last reigning Davidic figure, whose attempts at power politics ended in disaster. The cause for mourning is the upcoming removal of the Davidic dynasty in 586 BC. But removing the royal scepter as a consequence for sin is only temporary (ch. 34; Gen 49:10), because out of death will come life and the scepter will return to Judah in the (Jesus). : "I led Israel out of Egypt. They did not walk in my law. I withheld my hand for my name's sake. You will know that I am the LORD." • 20:1-32. Israel’s Cycles of Rebellion. As in 8:1 and 14:1, a delegation of elders came to Ezekiel’s home seeking an oracle from the LORD. It had been almost eleven months since the vision of the abominations of the temple in 8:1. The date indicated is 591 BC. God refused to respond to their questions, but instead delivers HIs own message for them. Rather than use allegory or metaphor, it uses straightforward historical recollection, describing Israel’s guilt from the day God chose them (sometime prior to the Exodus event) to the time God exiled them from the Promised Land. The general pattern is the rebellion, the nature of the rebellion, wrath threatened, and wrath withheld for the sake of God’s name. Each cycle concludes with a statement about God graciously giving something to His people so that they will know He is the LORD. Israel’s history of apostasy goes back to the days when she lived under Egyptian servitude and got entangled with the gods of the land. This is the first cycle of rebellion (vv. 1-12) in which Israel chose disobedience (death), not obedience (life). Obedience to the law was the response of a person who realized how much God loved him. This truth is similar to Jesus’s statement, “If you love me, you will keep my commands” (John 14:15). Israel’s apostasy continued in the first and second wilderness generations, comprising the second of three rebellion cycles (vv. 13-26). In judgment, God gave them over to their own wicked desires (v. 25). Finally, their apostasy continued while they were living in the Land of promise and includes present apostasy in exile. This is the third and final cycle of rebellion (vv. 27-32). Verse 32 acts as a pivot between the history of the preceding passage and the future orientation that follows. It is encouragement to heed the warning of Deuteronomy 28:64. • 20:33-49. The LORD Will Restore Israel. The previous structure of two phases in the wilderness finds its mirror image here in two phases of restoration, with vv. 33-38 using exodus/wilderness imagery as the community is purified through a new exodus, and vv. 39-44 focus on true worship, in a reversal of their previous defiling practices (vv. 27- 31). God’s own reputation is supremely the reason for the restoration of God’s people (vv. 44). This new relationship will unfold “on my holy mountain” (v. 40), referring to Jerusalem or (Psa 2:6; 3:4; 15:1; Isa 11:9; 56:7; 57:13; 65:11; Oba 16; Zph 3:11), anticipating a renewed Israel at worship on a high mountain in chaps. 40-48. The LORD will accept the people as a “pleasing aroma” (v. 41), an expression used in the past of God’s response to an animal sacrifice, and paves the way for Paul’s application of the expression to Christ in Eph 5:2, and again to the church in 2 Cor 2:14-16. Though the restoration described here anticipates the peoples’ return from exile in 539 BC (Ezra 1), it points beyond it to a permanent restoration (Ezek 36) to be accomplished by the Messiah (Jesus). : "Son of man, prophesy against Israel. A sword is sharpened! Mark the way for the king of Babylon. A ruin, ruin, ruin I will make it." • 21:1-32. The LORD Has Drawn His Sword. God expresses His determination to lay waste to Judah and Jerusalem with His sharpened “sword.” The “sword” of Babylon is prepared for the slaughter (vv. 8-13) and will satisfy the fury of the LORD (vv. 14-17). In vv. 18-24, Ezekiel role-plays as the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, pictured as marching toward the land and comes to a fork in the road, one road leading to Jerusalem and the other Rabbah (). After using three means of divination, his decision is to attack Jerusalem first. Zedekiah is the profane, wicked prince of v. 25. His kingship is overthrown and he will be the last king over God’s people until the Messiah comes, whose right it is to reign (v. 27). The Ammonites too will be destroyed for their gloating of Jerusalem’s demise (vv. 28-32). : "A city that sheds blood. In you they oppress orphans and widows. Israel has become dross to me. I will pour out my wrath upon them." • 22:1-31. Israel’s Shedding of Blood. Israel’s guilt continues to shape Ezekiel’s discussion as he again catalogues their sins. From the covenantal perspective, guilt provides the legal rationale for the demise of the city (chs 16-23). Ezekiel takes on the role of judge, one of his many roles in the book. His charge is against the city (vv. 1-16), all classes of people (vv. 17-22), and the land (vv. 23-31), and it concerns widespread bloodshed and idolatry. As a result, the city is defiled and a sentence is on it. Jerusalem will experience the fiery furnace of God’s fury (vv. 13-22, 30-31). : "Two sisters: Samaria and Jerusalem. Oholah lusted after her lovers. Oholibah was worse in whoring. Bring an army and cut them down." • 23:1-49. Two Depraved Sisters. This chapter climactically bookends chapters 16-23, which began with the nation being addressed as an adulterous wife (ch. 16). Here an allegory is presented of two sisters, Oholah (vv. 1-10) and Oholibah (vv. 11-21), representing Samaria and Jerusalem. Whereas ch. 16 focused primarily on religious fidelity and worship, with politics in the background, here those elements are reversed as political issues come to the fore. Both “sisters” prostituted themselves largely by forging political alliances with pagans (vv. 1-35). Both were unfaithful (vv. 36-49), though Jerusalem is presented as more perverse (vv. 11, 14). Jerusalem’s promiscuity escalated with no end in sight (v. 19), and her passions were so out of control that only divine intervention could stop it (v. 27; cf. 22:15). : "Put meat into the pot. Woe to the bloody city!" My wife died. The LORD said: "I will profane my sanctuary. Ezekiel will be a sign." • 24:1-14. The Siege of Jerusalem. Ezekiel has repeatedly revealed the people’s misconceptions about Jerusalem and the safety of its people. Siege not safety, plundering not protection, will be Jerusalem’s lot as God uses the Babylonians, His agent of destruction, to fulfill His purposes. This is the last of Ezekiel’s “parables,” using imagery already found in the temple vision (11:2-3) but further developed and with greater clarity here. As the Babylonians lay siege to Jerusalem, it is likened to a boiling pot. A brief “song” in vv. 3b-5 receives two explanations in vv. 6-14. • 24:15-27. Ezekiel’s Wife Dies. The chapter concludes with the city’s fall dramatically portrayed in the death of Ezekiel’s wife and his response to it. Ironically, when she dies he must “groan quietly” (v. 17) rather than mourn outwardly, as he would be expected to do. In this, Ezekiel himself is a “sign,” prefiguring what awaits his countrymen in exile with him. Ezekiel’s muteness began with the report in 3:26; it will be released with the arrival of a “fugitive” (v. 26) in 33:21, when the oracles about Jerusalem resume following the foreign-nation oracles (25:1-32:32). : "To the Ammonites: You jeered at Israel so I will destroy you. I will judge . I will lay vengeance upon and Philistia." Chapter 25 begins a new section (25:1-32:32) in Ezekiel as the LORD now turns the prophet’s attention from judgment on Jerusalem to judgment on the nations. Many of the prophets have such a section, whose purpose is to show that all peoples are under the dominion and discipline of the one true God. While Israel is uniquely God’s own, yet all nations are subject to Him, in whose hand is blessing and cursing. In all, seven nations stand condemned for their own sins. • 25:1-17. Prophecy Against Judah’s Neighbors. Apart from the old northern kingdom of Israel to the north, Judah had four immediate neighbors. Clockwise, they were Ammon on the northeast (vv. 1-7), Moab to the east across the (vv. 8-11), Edom to the south (vv. 12-14), and Philistia to the west (vv. 15-17). Each of these oracles has a similar structure, with formulaic address and conclusion, as well as similar content: condemnation for contemptuous cruelty of heart toward Judah. The Ammonites (descendants of Lot) are condemned for their malicious joy over the profaning of God’s sanctuary. The Moabites (descendants of Lot) are condemned for joining forces with Babylon in attacking Judah and delighting in her downfall. The Edomites (descendants of Esau) are condemned because instead of helping Judah’s refugees after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC, they attack those fleeing and gloat over the downfall of the Jerusalem temple. Philistia is condemned because they have been constant adversaries of Israel as early as the time of the judges. Every judgment includes a form of the recognition formula – that they will know the LORD. : "Tyre jeered at Jerusalem so I will make her a bare rock. Nebuchadnezzar will lay siege to you. I will bring you to a dreadful end." • 26:1-21. Prophecy Against Tyre. The judgment on Tyre is lengthy (26:1-28:19). In the first part here, three images dominate: Tyre is made a “bare rock” (vv. 4, 14) out in the open seas (vv. 1-14); the coastlands are personified as mourners over the city’s destruction (vv. 15-18); and the pit becomes Tyre’s eternal dwelling place (vv. 19-21). These three images communicate Tyre’s fall, lament, and burial. Many see Alexander’s conquest of Tyre as the fulfillment. : "Lament for Tyre: Of oaks they made your oars. , Dedan, Judah and traded with you. Now you are wrecked by the seas." • 27:1-36. A Lament for Tyre. This chapter portrays Tyre as a proud, self-exalting, spectacular merchant ship. It lauds the ship’s beauty and crew and discusses the lands with which the ship trades. But her resulting pride is the prelude to destruction. Through Ezekiel, God prophetically anticipates the lament song that will be sung when Tyre “dies.” Verses 12-25 describe the vast scope of Tyre’s shipping and trading business by recording as many as 23 locations, some very distant (e.g., Tarshish and Persia), following a roughly west-to-east pattern. These places and the list of choice products shuttled through Tyre underscore Tyre’s role as an international economic superpower and display its wealth, contributing to its pride. The city considered itself indestructible. But the heavy-laden “ship” and all its crew will sink, not because of the heavy cargo, but because of “the east wind” (v. 26). From ship to shore their cries for help will be heard (v. 28). The imagery of the shipwreck speaks of the disaster that Nebuchadnezzar, coming from the east (17:10; 19:12; Jonah 4:8), will bring upon Tyre. In vv. 29-36, Ezekiel envisions mourners arriving for Tyre’s funeral and singing the accompanying lament song. But the “merchants among the nations” (v. 36), those vying for business alongside Tyre, gloat over the city’s death. In the book of Revelation (18:12-13), the articles of Babylon’s worldwide commerce (and fall) are similar to what is mentioned here in the description of Tyre’s fall. : "To the king of Tyre: You were perfect in Eden. You became proud. I cast you to the ground. There will be no more thorns for Israel." • 28:1-10. Prophecy Against the Prince of Tyre. Some identify the “prince” of Tyre mentioned in v. 2 as Ithobaal II, whose name meant “ is with him,” but it also might aptly describe any Tyrian king. Like the inhabitants of Tyre (27:1-9), the ruler of this city was guilty of pride, even claiming to be a god (repeated four times in v. 2). Pride is at the center of the charge, reinforced by the repetition of the word “heart,” used eight times in the span of vv. 2-8. By contrast, Daniel’s character was just the opposite of the pride and self-sufficiency of the king of Tyre (v. 3). Tyre would be brought down to the pit because of the ruler’s arrogance. In his disgraceful death, the prince of Tyre will join the ranks of the “uncircumcised” (v. 10); that is, those cut off from the blessings of God’s covenant. • 28:11-19. A Lament Over the King of Tyre. The prideful boast of the prince of Tyre as being a “god” has a more insidious and ancient origin. The language used in this section seems to transcend any human prince ruling in Ezekiel’s day, to a more ancient voice that once hissed the false promise “you will be like God” (Gen 3:5). This section uses images mainly from Gen 1-3 (creation and Eden), as well as the mountain of God image (the location of God’s dwelling), to expose the arrogance of this “king” of Tyre, who seems to have a two-fold identity. He is initially likened to Adam, a man created “in Eden, the garden of God” (vv. 13) and commissioned as a priest to serve in God’s garden sanctuary. The list of precious stones parallels similar lists in Exodus of the composition of the breastpiece of the priestly garments (9 of the 12 are the same). While the human quest to obtain equality with God began with Adam, behind the sinful pursuit lays the pride of Satan. Before his fall, he was “an anointed guardian ” placed on the “mountain of God” (v. 14). When created, Satan had continuous and unhindered access to the glorious presence of God. But provoked to jealousy (perhaps by Adam’s creation and commission as priest and king of the earth), Satan’s pride consumed him. His attempt to supplant God by corrupting His appointed king, first begun in Eden, finds a replay in Tyre (cf. Acts 12:20-23), but in the end Satan and his minions will be brought down (Rev 12:9). • 28:20-24. Prophecy Against . God will also judge Sidon, another important Phoenician city, along with Tyre. This passage does not specify why God is against Sidon other than calling Sidon one of Israel’s “malicious neighbors” (v. 24). But it does specify what happens when God confronts Sidon and all of Israel’s neighbors: God’s glory and holiness are displayed (vv. 22-23), God gets name recognition (vv. 22-24), and God comforts Israel (v. 24). • 28:25-26. Israel’s Restoration. Once God destroys Israel’s enemies and manifests His holiness, God’s covenantal promises can advance. His people will be gathered, not scattered, and will be safe and secure in the Promised Land. : "I am against you, Pharaoh, the great dragon. Egypt will never again rule the nations. Nebuchadnezzar will carry off its wealth." The prophecy against Egypt (29:1-32:32) is the largest of the prophecies against the nations in the book. The date formula (ranging from 587 to 571 BC) separates the prophecy into seven literary units (with the exception of 30:1, which has no date). The seven prophecies begin with Pharaoh’s fall (ch. 29) and conclude with his burial in “the pit” (32:18), the final resting place reserved for God’s enemies (ch. 32). During some of these years, the Egyptian king encouraged Zedekiah to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar (17:15; Jer 37:5-8; 42:1-43:13). Egypt was Israel’s early oppressor and Babylon’s continual enemy. As a military superpower Egypt flexed its muscles to control Canaan, as did Babylon. Israel was landlocked between these two powers fighting for international control on their soil. This is why Israel repeatedly appealed to Egypt for either military or economic help against the Babylonians, which displeased God (e.g., see 17:7; 19:4 and notes; 1 Kgs 3:1; 2 Kgs 18:21; Isa 30:1-3). Egypt’s military power also explains its deep-seated national pride. • 29:1-16. Prophecy Against Pharaoh of Egypt. The 1st of seven prophecies against Egypt addresses why God is against Egypt and its king, Hophra (589-570 BC). As with Tyre’s king (28:1-10), God confronts Egypt’s elevated pride. The two leading charges against Egypt come out clearly in this initial trio of oracles. Verses 1-6a portray the hubris of Egypt (pictured as a great sea monster) putting itself in the place of God, while vv. 6b–9a condemn it for its part in the destruction of Judah. The third section returns to the charge of hubris and subjects Egypt in a more extended way to the retributive hand of God. That Egypt should also be favored with restoration (vv. 13-16) is surprising, but not unparalleled (see Jer 46:26; cf. Jer 48:47; 49:6, 39). Restored Egypt will, however, be cured of its hubris (vv. 14-15). Isaiah describes a future event farther off, with the Egyptians brought to knowing the true God (Isa 19:18-25). • 29:17-21. Nebuchadnezzar and Egypt. This is the latest-dated oracle in the book (April 571 BC). Nebuchadnezzar’s siege of Tyre had ended with Tyre intact, albeit subject to the Babylonians, who had little to show for 13 years of effort. The concluding remark in v. 20 that “they worked for me” (Babylon was doing the LORD’s work in besieging Tyre), emphasizes the point of view running through Ezekiel’s foreign-nation oracles: opposition to Nebuchadnezzar (Babylon) was opposition against the agents of God’s wrath. Thus the labor they expended (v. 18) was to be rewarded with wages (v. 19) provided by God, but now coming from Egypt (v. 20). Nebuchadnezzar conquered Egypt in 568 (described in detail in -44 and also recorded in Josephus). Egypt was subsequently subject to Persian rule (beginning in 525 BC), was conquered by Alexander the Great and made part of his empire in 332, and was conquered by the Romans and became part of the Roman Empire in 31. The “horn” of v. 21 is fulfilled in Jesus. : "A sword will come upon Egypt. Those who support her will fall. Nebuchadnezzar will destroy the land. I will break Pharaoh's arms." rd • 30:1-19. A Lament for Egypt. The 3 (undated) prophecy against Egypt uses imagery of the “day of the LORD” (a common theme in the prophets), which is a day when God breaks through to deal with His enemies (cf. Ezek 7:10- 27). This prophecy describes the shock waves in the land when the Babylonians confront Egypt and all her allies. God emphasizes His initiative in Egypt’s fall by repeatedly saying, “I will” (vv. 13, 14, 15, 16, 19). This litany of divine actions (recalling the Exodus in many ways) amounts to a comprehensive rejection of Egyptian religion and politics. th • 30:20-26. Egypt Shall Fall to Babylon. The 4 oracle (April 587 BC) contrasts the weakness of Hophra’s forces with the might of Babylon, who wields the sword of the LORD. The expression “I will break the arms of Pharaoh” (v. 24) refers to Nebuchadnezzar’s defeat of Hophra, who attempted to relieve Jerusalem in 588 BC (2 Kng 24:7; Jer 37:5). : " was a cedar. It towered above the trees. Its heart was proud. Foreigners have cut it down. This is Pharaoh and his hordes." • 31:1-18. Pharaoh to be Slain. Ezekiel’s fifth oracle against Egypt (of seven) dates to June 21, 587 BC, thus only a few weeks after the preceding unit. Here the prophet likens Assyria to a fallen cedar in as an object lesson to Egypt. The cedar was a renowned ancient symbol of royalty and majesty. As the cedar was well-known for its glory and majesty in the forest of Lebanon (Isa 35:2), so too Assyria’s glory and majesty was well-known among the nations. But Assyria was proud, forgetting that God was responsible for her creation and beauty (vv. 8-9; cf. Isa 10:15-19). Assyria’s pride caused God to hand that “great cedar” over to the Babylonians, “the most ruthless of nations” (v. 12). In its dying days, the once-mighty Assyrian Empire looked to Egypt for help against the mounting power of Babylon (c. 610 BC). Even together they could not withstand the Babylonian onslaught. That had been a mere 23 years earlier, well within living memory. In Isaiah’s prophecies, given earlier still, Assyria—pride personified—was chopped down by the axe of the LORD (Isa 10:5-19). This, the prophet says, is the fate awaiting Egypt. The “garden of God” is mentioned three times in the passage. As in 28:13, this garden is identified with Eden, which God had made beautiful, leaving no room for self-exaltation (v. 9). As Egypt’s “glory” and “greatness” (her arrogant pride) are compared to Assyria’s (and to any of Eden’s trees), so too Egypt’s fate will be like Assyria’s. : "Lament for Pharaoh: You are a dragon in the seas. The sword of Babylon will come upon you. and Edom are laid with the slain." • 32:1-16. A Lament Over Pharaoh. The sixth oracle against Egypt dates to March 585 BC. The lament identifies Pharaoh as a “dragon,” noting that God can lay any foe low, no matter his powers. God will “catch” the sea monster with a net and bring it to its death on land (vv. 3-4). Yet again the agent of God’s punishment is identified as the king of Babylon (v. 11) who bears the sword of the LORD (v. 10). On the night of the first Passover, only firstborn humans and animals died. In this coming judgment on Egypt, all people and animals will be destroyed. The end of Egypt, a military superpower, will be such that women worldwide will sing the lament song that Ezekiel writes (v. 16). • 32:17-32. Egypt’s Descent Into Sheol. The last of seven prophecies against Egypt, dated between spring 586 and spring 585 BC. As with Pharaoh in vv. 1-16, Ezekiel is now commanded to wail again, but this time for “the multitude of Egypt” (v. 18). This envisions the slain armies of nations that rejected God laid to rest in the pit (v. 18, Sheol). The list begins with Assyria (v. 22; cf. 31: 16) and ends with Egypt (v. 31). The entire collection of prophecies against the nations (chapters 25-32) climaxes with the death, mourning, and burial of Egypt, Israel’s archenemy. : "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for Israel." Jerusalem was struck down. The LORD says: "I have made the land a desolation." Following the central collection of foreign-nation oracles (chs. 25-32), the focus returns to Judah (or “the house of Israel” in Ezekiel’s preferred phrase). Before Jerusalem’s fall, warning and doom dominated Ezekiel’s message—although hints of hope were not absent. In the wake of Jerusalem’s destruction (33:21-22), the balance is reversed. Hope is in full view. • 33:1-20. Ezekiel is Israel’s Watchman. Given that Ezekiel’s message shifts from death to life, his watchman role is renewed (cf. 3:16-21). But we see here in his warning call to repentance that the intention behind Ezekiel’s doom prophecies was not death but life. Again, it is the responsibility of the watchman to warn and the responsibility of those being warned to act. In v. 10, the Israelites recognize their sin and humbly acknowledge its consequences. For the first time in the book, they own their sin instead of blaming their ancestors (18:2) or God (18:19, 25). God answers their question, “How then can we live?” with the declaration that He delights in life, not death (v. 11), for repentance brings life. The is clear that God will punish sin and vindicate His holiness and justice. At the same time, God feels sorrow over the punishment and death of creatures created in His image. But the people are still skeptical about God’s ways (v. 17), even after God’s statement in vv. 11-16, which is reiterated again in vv. 17-20. • 33:21-22. News of Jerusalem’s Fall. This brief notice has an importance out of proportion to its size. It provides the hinge on which the main structure of the book turns. The readers, and Ezekiel, have had preparation for this precise moment: Ezekiel’s muteness was first encountered in 3:22-27, and a marker had been put down when the siege of Jerusalem began (24:1-2, 25-27). The date is now January 585 BC, about five months after the fall of the city. The arrival of the fugitive confirms the word spoken at the beginning of the siege (24:25-27), affirms Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry, and establishes the work of God in bringing it about. It also gives weight to the words that follow. • 33:23-33. Israel’s Continued Rebellion. Although the movement toward restoration has begun, words from the LORD are castigating Judeans at home (vv. 23-29) and abroad (vv. 30-33) regarding ungodly living. : "Woe to the shepherds of Israel! They did not feed my flock. I myself will seek my sheep. My servant David will be their shepherd." • 34:1-31. Prophecy Against the Shepherds of Israel. Now that God has destroyed Israel’s local enemies (chs. 25-32) and Jerusalem has fallen (33:21), all threats are gone; restoration can take place. It starts with the promise of a true shepherd to lead Israel and encapsulates other elements of restoration that radiate throughout the larger section (chs. 35-48). This chapter shows how the LORD’s change in disposition will revitalize the religious life of His people. Indeed, He will cause Israel’s mourning to turn to joy. The failure of human shepherds (vv. 1-10) gives way to the success of Israel’s true shepherd, God, who will care for and hold the sheep accountable (vv. 11-24). Through a David-like human figure, a righteous ruler, the sheep will be saved (vv. 20-24), and the LORD’s gracious favors will flow, as the covenant of peace articulates (vv. 25-31). In Christ, covenant curses give way to covenant blessings. : "Son of man, prophesy against Mount Seir: Because you delivered Israel to the sword, blood will pursue you. You will be desolate." • 35:1-15. Prophecy Against Mount Seir. It might at first seem odd that an oracle against a foreign nation should appear outside the collection in chapters 25-32. But it is clear that the prophecies against Mount Seir in this chapter are a preface to the address to the mountains of Israel in 36:1-15, and these two passages are best regarded as a single unit in two parts. Mount Seir (v. 2) is identified with Edom (v. 15) much as Mount Zion is identified with Judah. Edom (descendants of Esau) treated their twin brother, Israel (descendants of ), with spite at the time Jerusalem fell (Obad 8). The outcome for Edom (Esau) is destruction (ch. 35), but the outcome for Israel (Jacob) is restoration (ch. 36). Comfort and restoration will come to Israel when God ends the “perpetual enmity” Edom has toward Israel (v. 5; cf. v. 11). The theological significance of the word “enmity” is clear from its use in Gen 3:15 in reference to the perpetual hostility that exists between the serpent and Eve’s descendants. God will end the hostility by making Edom a “desolation” and a “waste” (vv. 3, 7, 9, 14, 15). The hatred, anger, and jealousy Edom had toward Israel manifested itself as murder (v. 5). God “heard” Edom’s heart (vv. 12, 13) toward Israel, and the Sovereign LORD took it personally (vv. 1-3). As Edom rejoiced over Judah’s fall (Oba 12), so the world would later rejoice over Edom’s fall. Note also that the “recognition formula” (vv. 4, 9, 12a, 15) punctuates the chapter. : "Prophesy to the mountains of Israel: I will make you inhabited again. I will vindicate my name. I will put my Spirit within you." • 36:1-15. Restoration of Israel’s Mountains. The judgment of Mount Seir (ch. 35)—so reminiscent of God’s prior judgment of the mountains of Israel (ch. 6)—contrasts with the announcement now of restoration in corresponding terms. Broadly, this oracle sets out an explanation for the wrath that befell the “mountains” (vv. 1-7), followed by the promise of their restoration (vv. 8-15). The references to increased fertility and population growth (“multiply and be fruitful,” v. 11) refer back to the creation account where God’s blessing upon animals (Gen 1:22) and humans (Gen 1:28) resulted in them filling the earth (Gen 9:1, 7). What is promised here is a return to Eden-like conditions, where blessings flow from God’s presence among His people. Again, as throughout the book, the goal of God in restoration corresponds to His goal in rendering His just judgment – “then you will know that I am the LORD” (v. 11). • 36:16-38. Restoration of Israel’s People. This key passage sets out in concentrated form Ezekiel’s entire theology. It is one of the primary restoration passages, though it also contains an analysis of human failure that calls for divine judgment. It carries forward some ideas from the preceding “mountain” oracles, in particular the joint restoration of land and people, and the silencing of blasphemous taunts. Far overshadowing these, however, are the towering claims of the supremacy of a holy God. The impurity of God’s people impelled Him to scatter them (vv. 16-21). This in turn led to derision (v. 20), so in order to vindicate His reputation, God was moved to act on behalf of His people (vv. 22-32). At the heart of these verses is the divine gift of the new heart and spirit, which enables the inner disposition to live rightly before God (vv. 26-27). “I will put my Spirit within you” (v. 27) predicts an effective inward work of God in the “new covenant” (Jer 31:31-34). The connection of “water” (v. 25) and “Spirit” (v. 27) lies behind John 3:5. The mention of Eden in v. 35 emphasizes that this restoration is nothing less than a re-creation of all things. The restoration of the land of Israel silences the nations, compelling them to recognize the true God (vv. 33– 36), bringing Him glory, just as the flourishing of Israel confirms their recognition of their own God (vv. 37-38). : The LORD said: "Prophesy to the bones." The bones became an army. The LORD said: "Join two sticks. I will join and Judah." • 37:1-14. The Valley of Dry Bones. This vision, Ezekiel’s third in the book, is one of the most famous passages in Ezekiel. While it stands on its own as a powerful statement of God’s power to re-create the community, the context is significant. The promised gift of new heart and spirit (36:26-27) left questions hanging (i.e., how can this be? and can it be true for us?). Chapter 37 addresses these questions. The vision itself is reported in vv. 1-10 with vivid power. The landscape is a vast battlefield filled with the dry bones of a slain army, the ultimate outcome of the judgment of ch. 6. The dryness of the bones indicates they have long been dead. The question, “Can these bones live?” (v. 3) anticipates the exiles’ own self-perception (v. 11): total hopelessness. Ezekiel’s response leaves the outcome to God’s sovereignty. God then commands Ezekiel to do what seems pointless – prophesy over the bones (v. 4). Then follows a promise that God will perform the impossible (vv. 5-6)—bring them back to life. The key to “resuscitation” is stated in v. 5 as “breath,” the same word used for “the Spirit” in v. 1, and which appears seven more times in the vision. The first phase of prophesying (v. 8) results in the rebuilt bodies, which lack breath. So far this activity only yields corpses—but it is still a necessary first step. The second phase of prophesying (vv. 9-10) is addressed to the “breath” (or wind or spirit/Spirit). The coming of the wind/breath/spirit that gives life powerfully alludes to God’s creative work in Gen 2:7, when God created Adam in a similar two-step process. God creates, and God re-creates. The vision receives a double interpretation in vv. 11-14. The primary meaning relates directly to the exiles’ despair (v. 11) and concludes the vision in v. 14. Verses 12-13 transpose the metaphor to a graveyard and contain one of the few hints of resurrection in the OT. The fundamental lesson of the vision is repeated in v. 14: when the Spirit is present, God’s people are enabled to live. This is the only basis on which hope can be held out to the despairing community. Although Israel’s national revival from exile is in view, this act points beyond that return under Cyrus in 539 BC to the resurrected life through the Spirit of Christ (John 11:25-26; Rom 8:9-17; Col 3:1-4). • 37:15-28. I Will Be Their God; They Shall Be My People. Connected to the promise of renewed life back in the land (vv. 1-14), restoration also includes unifying the nation under one king. Through another dramatic performance (vv. 15-17) and its subsequent interpretation (vv. 18-28), Ezekiel illustrates God’s plan to reunite Israel and Judah that had been separated since Solomon’s death (a theme that Ezekiel shared with Jeremiah [cf. Jer 30:3; 50:4; esp. 33:14- 16, which joins the same themes as this passage]). This action prompts questions from the onlookers (v. 18) and sets up two oracles: vv. 19-20 announces the reunification of old northern and southern kingdoms and vv. 21-23 give the renewed nation its moral and political shape. Verses 24-26 echo the Davidic covenant (the promise of eternal kingship), the Sinaitic covenant (expectations of holy living), and the Abrahamic covenant (the promise of land)— all will be fulfilled in the covenant of peace (v. 26). The closing verses emphasize the centrality of God’s presence with His renewed people, and with its allusions to the temple, also provide a bridge to chapters 40-48. : "Son of man, prophesy against Gog: You will come against my people. My jealousy will be roused. I will summon a sword against Gog." • 38:1-23. Prophecy Against Gog. Ezekiel now addresses the mysterious Gog, ruler of the equally mysterious . Ezekiel’s oracle pronounces judgment on him for attacking renewed Israel (vv. 1-3, 7-13). However, there is a power greater than Gog: the sovereign God of Israel reigns over Gog’s plans, which will be used to vindicate God’s holiness (vv. 14-16). God and Magog will meet the wrath of God, who will vindicate Himself before the nations (vv. 17-23). : "I am against you, O Gog. I will give you a burial place in Israel. Gather the birds for a feast. Now I will have mercy on Jacob." • 39:1-24. Prophecy Against Gog (cont.). God’s judgment results in Gog’s complete destruction as its army falls (vv. 1- 6), an event that galvanizes God’s people as they see the greatness of their God (vv. 7-8). So great is the number of the dead, and so complete the victory, that Israel will use the weapons taken from Gog as fuel for seven years (vv. 9- 10) and take seven months to cleanse the land of the dead (vv. 11-16). This “sacrifice” will yield a feast for predators (vv. 17-20). No question will remain about the reason for Israel’s earlier exile: the all-powerful God withdrew from them because of their treachery, but this final victory displays God’s supremacy (vv. 21-24). • 39:25-29. The LORD Will Restore Israel. God’s victory over Gog also marks the final restoration of His people. God’s compassion will set the story line of restoration into motion. But His drive for glory fuels His grace (and fury). Thus, the exile is temporary, and a return home is their hope. The basis for confidence is the supernatural work of God. : In visions the LORD brought me to a temple. He brought me through the gates to the inner court. There were tables for the offerings. The book of Ezekiel ends on a powerful note (40:1-48:35). This is the last of four visions experienced by the prophet (see 1:1; 8:4; 37:1). The re-creation of a new spiritual center (chs. 40-43), along with a renewed system of worship (chs. 44- 48), is the subject of Ezekiel’s last vision. This section concludes with the return of the LORD to His temple, city, and land, an event that enables His people to worship Him forever in an unhindered, unmediated, and undefiled relationship. With regard to the meaning of this passage as a whole: (1) Some interpreters understand this vision as a prophecy that will be fulfilled literally, with a rebuilt temple and Israel dwelling in the Land according to its tribes—a future millennial kingdom on the earth; (2) Other interpreters see this vision of a new temple and a renewal of the land of Israel as an extended, detailed metaphor predicting the presence of God among His people in the new covenant age (i.e., the church); (3) Another view is that the vision predicts God’s presence among His people in the new heavens and new earth, not as physical details that will be literally fulfilled but as symbolic indications of the great blessings of that future age. Almost all interpreters agree that Ezekiel 40-48 is one of the most difficult passages in the entire Bible. • 40:1-49. Vision of the New Temple. Fourteen years after the destruction of Jerusalem, Ezekiel is given a vision of a rebuilt temple, just as he had been given a temple vision 20 years earlier (8:1). As on that occasion, a heavenly being leads him around the temple precincts. This time, however, the vision does not reveal the sin of Ezekiel’s people but the splendor of his God. The guide shows Ezekiel the outer court and its gates and the inner court and its gates (six gates total) and the rooms for priests to do their work related to sacrifices. Only authorized personnel, “the sons of ” (v. 46), can lead people to the epicenter of worship and sacrifice. : He measured the nave and the inner room. The side chambers were in three stories. In front of the Holy Place was an altar of wood. • 41:1-26. The Inner Temple. The temple structure is now described in detail, including both floor plan and elevations. The nave (v. 1) is the main hall of the temple (and is the same size as in Solomon’s temple). Ezekiel is guided into its interior but does not follow his celestial guide into the Most Holy Place (v. 4). Access remains carefully guarded and restricted. Verses 5-11 describe the three-story structure built into the temple’s walls. A building is located to the extreme west of the temple complex (v. 12), but no purpose is identified for it. The previous measurements are summarized in vv. 13-15a, while visual descriptions of the temple’s decorations and layout are described in vv. 15b- 26. The cherubim, carved on the walls in relief (vv. 18–20), are reminiscent of the cherubim woven into the fabric walls of the tabernacle (Exod 26:1, 31). The cherubim and palm trees are combined in the decoration of Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 6:29, 32). Both images also evoke memories of God’s original dwelling place in the . : He led me to the outer court. The north and south chambers are where the priests eat the offerings. He measured all the temple area. • 42:1-20. The Temple’s Chambers. Ezekiel is now led back to the outer court where various chambers of the temple area are identified. The functions of these rooms are for the use of the priests to prepare for the exercise of their duties (vv. 13-14). Finally, Ezekiel and his guide return to the place where they began, the main east gate to the temple complex (v. 15; cf. 40:5-6). Starting there, and proceeding counterclockwise, the external dimensions are measured as 500 cubits by 500 cubits square (~ 875 feet), far larger than any previous temple (see diagram). In the tabernacle, only the most holy place was square. The numbers of the internal dimensions, with fifties and hundreds featuring prominently, yield these ideal and perfect dimensions. Overall, the temple itself appears to be geometrically idealized. It is a square structure, its areas nested, with the most sacred place being both the innermost and the uppermost, as each succeeding area is elevated from the preceding. It seems also to be symmetrical around the east-west axis, with the main entrance facing east. The sacredness of the entire domain is emphasized by the closing comment, that the wall separates the holy and the common.

Reference Explanation

A 41:4 The “Most Holy Place.”

B 41:3 The inner room of the temple.

C 41:2 The entrance to the temple.

D 43:13–17 The imposing altar (~16 ft tall)

E 40:46 Chamber for Zadokite priests. Chamber for “priests who have F 40:45 charge of the temple.” The outer court, with its 30

G 40:17–19 chambers in the outer wall (40:17). The temple “kitchens,” one in H 46:21–24 each corner of the outer court.

I 40:17 The 30 outer chambers. The “prince’s gate”: from its threshold he worships on each

J 46:2 while the priests bring the offerings into the inner court. The main east gate, through which “the glory of the God of K 43:1 Israel” returns to His temple (cf. 10:19; 11:22–23).

Temple Tour Reference Explanation The eastern (main) gate begins the tour; the E–W axis of the temple should be noted; if a line is drawn from

1 40:6 the east gate to the Most Holy Place, there is a sequence of three elevations, as the space in the inner temple becomes increasingly constricted.

2 40:17 From this vantage point in the outer court, Ezekiel is shown the main features of this “plaza” area.

3 40:20 The northern-facing gate.

4 40:24 En route to the southern-facing gate, no details are given of the outer facade of the inner court; the architectural details of this area must remain speculative.

5 40:28 Ezekiel’s entry to the inner court is by way of its south gate …

6 40:32 … then to the east gate (past the imposing altar, not yet described) …

7 40:35 … and on to the north gate, which includes areas for handling sacrificial animals. Ezekiel approaches the inner temple structure itself, first describing its entrance; he is then stationed outside 8 40:48; 41:1 the entrance while his guide first measures its interior, then the exterior.

9 42:1 They exit the inner court through its north gate to explore the northwestern quadrant of the outer court. Ezekiel and his guide leave the temple from the east gate by which they first entered. From this vantage point, 10 42:15 Ezekiel was able to watch the return of “the glory of the God of Israel” moments later (43:1-5).

Ezekiel 43: The glory of the LORD filled the temple. He said: "Son of man, describe the temple to Israel. The priests shall cleanse the altar." • 43:1-12. Return of the LORD’s Glory. The return of God’s glory to the temple is one of the most dramatic moments in the book. The approach of the glory of the God of Israel recalls the overwhelming sensory experience of Ezekiel’s inaugural vision. As then (1:28b), Ezekiel falls on his face (v. 3) before the holiness and majesty of God. This return is also the restoration counterpart to the departure in 10:18-22 and 11:23. It also brings completion to the temple tour: all that was lacking from this sacred space was God. However, this moment also forms a new beginning. The arrival of God’s glory in His temple inaugurates a new era in the relationship of God and people, and this becomes the focus of the remainder of the vision. God’s return sets everything right again, but there is no relenting from the rigorous demands His holiness places on His people. Verses 7-9 combine promise and warning—or, the promise is a warning—that the bond between God and people is indissoluble but that He will not tolerate the challenge to His supremacy that their earlier behavior had brought (vv. 8-9). The serious point about the architecture of this temple (v. 10) is that no royal palace is adjoined to it, in contrast to Solomon’s temple/palace complex (see 1 Kings 7:8) and the wayward royal cult it often harbored (cf. Isa 42:8). As vv. 11-12 makes clear, these measurements and regulations are not merely interesting details but communicate something of the character of God. • 43:13-27. The Altar. Although some aspects of Ezekiel’s “tour” reappear from time to time, the emphasis now falls on the activities to take place in the temple, and the regulations for the officiants and leaders of the community. The main altar and its round of sacrifices is the first element put in place (vv. 13-27). In vv. 13-17, the altar’s design is described, just as the temple architecture was before it. The altar is square, like the temple itself, with a horned projection at each corner, as Israel’s altars had long been. The dimensions make it slightly smaller than the altar of Solomon’s temple in 2 Chron 4:1. Verses 18-27 describe the rituals of purification required for the altar before it is fit for regular use. Since this is a consecration of the actual materials used to build the altar, the focus is on the application of the blood to the altar rather than on the sacrifice itself. The first day’s sacrifice is described in detail in vv. 18-21 when a single bull is offered by the Zadokite priests. Less detail, but more sacrifice on day two (vv. 22-24) sets the pattern for the succeeding days until the seven days (vv. 25-26) of the consecration are complete. : "No foreigner shall enter my sanctuary. The sons of Zadok shall minister to me. They shall distinguish between the holy and unholy." • 44:1-3. The Prince’s Gate. Since God entered through the east gate, thus making it holy, it is now closed. Human accessibility would defile it. Since God is living permanently with His people (43: 7), He will not need access to this gate for exiting, as He did in the past (10:19; 11:23). Restricted access applies even to the king, who can only eat at this gate in a fellowship meal before the LORD. The restriction emphasizes God’s character of holiness. • 44:4-31. Temple Access and Rules for Priests. The next phase of the vision begins with an echo of the previous phase. Returning to the inner court before the temple proper, Ezekiel is again overcome by the presence of God’s glory and again receives a commission to report this vision to Israel (vv. 4-5). Also as in the previous section, an indictment prefaces positive commands (vv. 6-8). Here the problem is that of allowing illegitimate access to the temple, and thus to God’s presence, explicitly forbidden in v. 9. Resident aliens cannot play a role in the service of the temple. Proper access to sacred things is in the hands of the priests, and two classes are distinguished. Verses 10-14 specify the roles accorded to the Levitical priests; vv. 15-31 deal at greater length with the Zadokite priests. : "Set apart a holy district for the LORD. The prince shall have land on each side. You shall have honest scales. Celebrate Passover." • 45:1-8. The Temple Districts. In Ezekiel the allotments of the land were aligned with the east-west orientation of the temple. This differed from the divisions after the conquest in Joshua’s time. These divisions did not follow any pattern. The allotment of the land is outlined in greater detail in 47:13-48:35. The emphasis here is on the division of sacred districts in the holy land (v. 1). These districts include (1) a central piece of land given for the sanctuary (v. 2; see 42:16-20); (2) a parcel of land to the north of this for the priests to live on but not own (v. 5; cf. 44: 28); (3) a parcel of land to the south for the city that belonged to “all Israel” (v. 6), not to one tribe; and (4) a generous portion that remained for the prince (vv. 7-8), who is a Messiah-like ruler in this new spiritual center. But the fact that the prince will make a sin offering for himself in vv. 21-22 suggests that he is not the actual promised Messiah. 45:9-25. The Temple Contributions. The sharp reproof of v. 9 demanding “justice and righteousness” is striking, especially in a restoration setting. The context lends timelessness to the demand for justice: the future is now! The call for justice provides a transition to a listing of just weights and volumes (vv. 10-12), the measurements necessary for quantifying the offerings to follow. Verses 13-17 include a description of offering amounts. These are given as fees, or taxes, for temple services. The prince was responsible for these fees so that he might provide daily, weekly, and annual or seasonal offerings. It is noteworthy that provision for sin offerings (v. 17) persists into this restoration vision. Verses 18-25 include a calendar schedule to follow regarding distinctive festivals. There are several calendars of annual festivals in the Pentateuch, but Ezekiel’s schedule matches none of them. It is not even clear if he has in mind the same basic trio of main festivals (Passover, Weeks/Pentecost, Day of Atonement/ ). This worship calendar indicates that everything belongs to God and that purification from sin is ongoing. : "The prince shall bring offerings on the and New Moons. You shall offer a lamb daily." In the four corners were kitchens." • 46:1-15. Sacrifices at Appointed Times. The instructions for the more frequent observance of the weekly Sabbath and monthly new moon are found in vv. 1-7, with v. 7 substantially repeated in v. 11. Regulations on access to the temple precinct and movement through it are given in vv. 8-10. The actions of the prince at the gate are further specified in v. 12. The daily offerings described in vv. 13-15 were to take place “morning by morning.” Again Ezekiel’s vision differs from the practice seen in the Pentateuch, where sacrifices are prescribed for morning and evening • 46:16-18. Transfer of Royal Lands. Encroachment by the prince on the land of the rest of the community has already been forbidden (45:7-9), and now the prince’s territories are protected from slipping into other hands. The fact that the prince had sons argues against identifying him with the Messiah. • 46:19-24. The Temple Kitchens. This section describes the holy chambers and the four kitchens used by the priests to cook the sacrifices that have been brought in by the people. First, an area in the inner courts is designated for the priests (vv. 19-20), thus protecting its sacred status. Then Ezekiel tours the four corners of the outer court, each equipped with a kitchen for the cooking of the wider community’s sacrifices by the Levitical priests (vv. 21-24). : Water was flowing from the temple. He led me in until it was too deep to cross. The LORD says: "Divide the land among the tribes." • 47:1-12. Water Flowing from the Temple. The tour continues as Ezekiel is brought back into the inner court, beginning one of the most striking scenarios in the entire vision. A trickle of water miraculously issues from the threshold of the sanctuary, from the divine presence. The trickle then makes its way south of the altar (v. 1), out the east gate to the outer court, and then out of the main east gate (v. 2). The trickle becomes a powerful river as Ezekiel and his guide wade into the stream, the guide measuring as they go (vv. 3-5). Sitting at the river bank, the guide explains the life-giving properties of the river (vv. 6-12). It is the means by which life comes out of death. This living water promises abundance of life, supernatural fruitfulness, and sustainability in the land for its inhabitants. The water brings life not just to the “world” but to that part of it least capable of sustaining life (i.e., the salty waters the Dead Sea). The great number of trees gives evidence of the river’s fruitfulness. The language used is reminiscent of the fruitfulness of creation in Genesis. The complete nature of this fruitfulness is seen in that even the leaves have a purpose. This aspect of the vision coheres with 34:25-31 in affirming that renewal is not just moral and does not just come to people, but affects the entire natural world. The influence of this river extends into the NT. The supernatural source, growth, and stunning effects of this “river of life” anticipate Jesus as the believer’s source of life (John 7:38). The description is picked up most pointedly in Rev 22:1-2 near the climax of John’s vision of the new heaven, earth, and city. There, a supernatural water source, “the river of the water of life” (Rev 22:1), flows from God’s throne in the New Jerusalem. The water symbolizes the fruitful life of abundance enjoyed in God’s presence (Rev 22:1-2). In Gen 2:8-10 God provided a river that gave life to the land. When sin entered, the garden and its river were hidden or withdrawn, but when God concludes His redemptive program and brings full salvation to humankind with eternal life through Jesus Christ, the river of eternal life will again flow to provide healing for the earth. • 47:13-23. Division of the Land. The principles governing division of the land (vv. 13-14) introduce the description of Israel’s borders (vv. 15-21). These boundaries are similar to but different from the original land boundaries mapped out in Num 34:1-12. The northern, eastern, southern, and western boundaries are described. The Transjordan boundaries are not mentioned. The northern border is marked by Lebo Hamath and the eastern is marked by the and Dead Sea. The southern border is not entirely clear but is likely the Wadi of Egypt. The western border is the . Finally, provision is made for the settlement of resident aliens (vv. 22-23). : "Set a portion for each tribe. Adjoining Judah shall be the portion for the LORD. The name of the city shall be, The LORD Is There." • 48:1-29. Division of the Land (cont.). These verses describe distribution of the land in the new spiritual center. The land division for the tribes is a configuration meant to emphasize a new reality through the literary means of symmetry. For this reason, allotment of land is broken up into 12 horizontal (east-west) pieces running from north to south. The description here also emphasizes a nameless “city” (vv. 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22) attached to territory (vv. 15-20) that has a flow of traffic from each of the 12 tribes, giving it prominence in the land. • 48:30-35. The New City. Finally, the city gates are assigned to the 12 tribes—not now corresponding to the patriarchs of the territorial divisions but to the original 12 brothers. The city’s new name is then climactically revealed to be “The LORD Is There” (v. 35), as God’s presence among His people is actualized. The reality of God’s permanent presence in Israel’s midst is the ultimate covenantal blessing. From Genesis to Revelation, from Eden to eternity, the promise of the divine presence thematically unites the Bible (and Ezekiel). His presence guarantees that life will come out of death. The name of the city reflects the fullness of the restoration due to the divine presence.