Scripture: One Book at a Time
The whole of Sacred Scripture is a single narrative that promises and points to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of the World. It is an epic story, the greatest ever told, and told "one book at a time." Each book makes it contribution to the narrative as God reveals God's self to us and his desire that all be saved.
Lesson 29: Ezekiel
Ezekiel
There were two waves of exiles taken to Babylon. The first deportation was in 597 BC and included among the exiles was Ezekiel the priest. There was a 10 year interval before Jerusalem was destroyed and a second wave of people exiled. It was in this interval that Ezekiel became the first prophet to be commissioned outside Judah or Israel. Before Jerusalem is destroyed (587 B.C.), Ezekiel is concerned to convince his audience that they are responsible for the punishment of exile and to justify the Lord’s decision to destroy their city and Temple. Later, Ezekiel argues that the Judahites who embrace his preaching are the people whom the Lord has chosen as a new Israel, enlivened by a new heart, imbued with new breath, and restored to a re-created land, Temple, and covenant relationship. Ezekiel is clear on one point: the Lord punishes and restores for one reason—for the sake of his name, in order to demonstrate once and for all that he is Lord.
Ezekiel’s symbolic actions or performances foreshadow the inevitable destruction of Jerusalem. The closely related judgment oracles are directed against increasingly larger groups: the inhabitants of Jerusalem; refugees who have fled into the mountains; Judah’s total population, “the four corners of the land”. Particularly chilling is the prophet’s vision of the violent injustice and idolatrous worship that fills Jerusalem. When Ezekiel protests the Lord’s order to slaughter Jerusalem’s wicked inhabitants, the Lord refuses to relent; the Lord’s glory leaves the Temple, affirming his judgment on Jerusalem, whom Ezekiel portrays as a promiscuous woman, rebel from the beginning, more violent and sinful than Sodom. Appeals for a speedy end to the exile on the basis of a past relationship with the Lord or of Jerusalem’s privileged status are futile gestures.
The oracles are not reserved for the people of Jerusalem, there are a string of oracles against the nations to claim universal sovereignty for Israel’s God, to exemplify the consequences of arrogant national pride, and to set the stage for Israel’s restoration. In order to demonstrate to all the nations that “I am the Lord,” God becomes Israel’s just shepherd under whose rule a restored people enjoy prosperity in a restored land.
There’s a lot going on in the Book of Ezekiel
Enjoy the videos, but take a moment to read:
For those who would like to explore details of this book, please consider videos from Fr. Mike Schmitz’s “Bible in a Year” program. You can find the entire playlist here.