Biblical History

Hanging out on the Kebar River

Dan

It was my observation while reading Ezekiel chapter 10 that things were changing rapidly in the City of Jerusalem. Trouble was at the doorstep. God was on the move. Literally. God was pulling out of Jerusalem and leaving it to the dogs of war. The stench of their sin caused God to oblige their wish for autonomous control and he backed away from them. Their mantle of protection was gone. Initially Ezekiel saw the glory of God shining in the temple, But the shekinah glory is moving. God’s Cherubim (angels) are getting started on their mission. Ezekiel saw visually what the Hebrews had asked for and now were receiving. God to depart from them, the imagery was to help them know what they had given up, providing one last opportunity for lamentation and groaning that would lead to repentance by their Ichabod (see 1 Samuel 4:21). But this did not occur. Instead, they learned the true meaning of – be careful what you ask for, it just might happen!

Ezekiel 10:15-22 says — Then the cherubim rose upward. These were the living creatures I had seen by the Kebar River. When the cherubim moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the cherubim spread their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels did not leave their side. When the cherubim stood still, they also stood still; and when the cherubim rose, they rose with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in them. Then the glory of the Lord departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim. While I watched, the cherubim spread their wings and rose from the ground, and as they went, the wheels went with them. They stopped at the entrance of the east gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them. These were the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the Kebar River, and I realized that they were cherubim. Each had four faces and four wings, and under their wings was what looked like human hands. Their faces had the same appearance as those I had seen by the Kebar River. [NIV]

I think we can attach some meaning to the vision components. It appears to demonstrate the angels are in close communication with God on constant basis. Furthermore, the four columns and the four wheels (which are individually alive) seem to be able to move in a coordinated manner. We could infer – because the same Spirit dwells in the columns (angels) and wheels (angels), the infinite wisdom of God is dispersed to accomplish the common good. This vision definitely presents an integrated cadre of angels supporting and empowering the throne room. The vision demonstrates that the Lord has strong control over the heavens (see Psalms 103:19-22). Furthermore, God commands his kingdom, dispatching the mighty ones who implement his will, and the vision speaks to the eventual positive outcome of all his actions. Why positive? Because God is in control.

In spite of the changes and odd turns we take in life, we know there is no one more Holy than the God we serve, he is our rock. The proud talk of the Hebrews was full of arrogance, but God knew better. He weighed their deeds on the scale and shattered their haughty plans. He brought angels to the gates of Jerusalem to clean out the mess. Yet for the few, the remnant, he had compassion (see 2 Samuel 2:2-5). They were protected by the mark.

In this vision we see the shekinah glory of God hovering over the cherubim, having provided direction, the angels are left to their work. The platform, columns and wheels are a symbol of a chariot, they demonstrate the departure of God from the City. The cherubim lift up their wings and head out as the wheels follow. Notice the extreme point and counter point.  The Hebrews are resistive, rebellious, unruly. They refuse the commands of God. The angels are obedient, worshiping, attentive to every thought coming from God. The Hebrews cast of the yoke offered by God and push him away, yet the angels are engaged in service, implementing the will of God. They are responding to his voice (see Psalms 103:20). The contrast displayed on the Kabar River can be no more profound.  I choose Jesus.

The Man Clothed in Linen (Part 2)

Dan

It was my observation that things are getting serious for Jerusalem as I continue reading Ezekiel. The first thing I notice in chapter 9 is the markings of the remnant. But there are many things that define that mark. I can feel the remnant shuddering at the changes in the City of God. I am sure Ezekiel could see the coming trouble and felt sad for his people. I hope they did what they could to turn the tide back toward the one true living God. Once the angels begin, if you did not have the mark, you were going to die. If you did have the mark, you were heading to Babylon. Not much of a prize for being in the remnant. But at least they were alive and part of the solution, not part of the problem.

I think it prudent to say clearly – we are not getting it done of we think a simple ‘turning away’ from the sin of others is good enough. We do not hate them for their actions, but we do not embrace or overlook the sin. We avoid embracing their sin. We need to carefully reach out to help others find their way out of trouble. We mourn for them as we see their trouble unfold. We grief for those who push away from our hand of help. This tenderness we exude comes from God, we are asked to love mercy and walk humbly, for it is only the Grace of God that separates us from those we are trying to help.

Ezekiel 9:3-6 says — Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side and said to him, go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it. As I listened, he said to the others, follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, the mothers, and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary. So, they began with the old men who were in front of the temple. [NIV]

As we can see the Angels rolling through the city, hunting down the remnant, placing a mark on their head of all people on the list, this clearly pulls the remnant from the fire, they are a work of grace, chosen by God so the Angels know to leave them alone. This mark is a calming event, they become aware they will be spared from the coming trouble.

The Hebrews who stayed clear of the rampant sin were protected from this extreme judgement. I think they would have been somewhat concerned, but they had been trusting God, so there was no real solid reason to not continue trusting God. They had every reason to expect delivery or extreme peace as they endured trouble. We are reminded of the sealing of the servants of God on their forehead (see Revelation 7:3) as the same mark of care and protection related in this passage. In Ezekiel’s situation the mark protects from immediate death, in the case of Revelation, the seal protects the heart from seduction soon to happen.

So, the angelic work begins. Without exception they move through the city. They kill everyone who does not have the mark. The make no distinction to age or sex. There is no hesitation. Those who live in sin die. They resisted change, they pursued their sin even when pursued by God, day after day. They died.

The angels are warned to avoid people with the mark. Coming close would create unnecessary concern and fear. God made promises to the remnant (see Jeremiah 15:11) they should be treated well; things should go well for them. We have no evidence that any of the remnant were killed. And, in other times we see the remnant protected such as when the romans crushed Jerusalem, the Christians were secured in a city called Pella. None perished. But the unbelieving Jews were crushed. They started in the temple, the Ringleaders were first meet the judgement, the sin of the eminent were quashed first. Then the rest of the city. There is no place to hide. Therefore… I choose Jesus.

The Man clothed in Linen (Part 1)

Dan

It was my observation in the vision that Ezekiel saw and wrote about in Chapter 9 was focused on the trouble in the land, the misbehavior and evil that was accomplished in Jerusalem even within the walls of the temple. He clearly was troubled by the situation, and he felt the sorrow from God. He could see the outcome of their lifestyle choices and was helpless to cause them to change. Yet he stayed the course, speaking God’s thoughts and visions even though he could see the ruin coming. It is inevitable, where sin is not abated, judgement will follow. He could see the angels coming with weapons. He knew why they were at the gate. They could not be allowed at the altar if they were not on God’s business. Then the glory of God, the shelter of the Hebrews, started moving towards the threshold of the temple. This is the beginning of the departure of God from Jerusalem. How helpless Ezekiel must have felt as he watched this vision unfold in front of his eyes.

Ezekiel 9:1-3 says — Then I heard him call out in a loud voice, bring near those who are appointed to execute judgment on the city, each with a weapon in his hand. And I saw six men coming from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. They came in and stood beside the bronze altar.

Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple [NIV].

God wanted Ezekiel’s complete attention, he speaks in a loud voice, a commander is speaking to his cohort. Position the troops. Prepare for action. Notice, at this point, we are no longer talking about the Chaldeans attacking. We are talking about Angels attacking the city. This is a demonstration of the strong hand of the Lord. Clearly, we need to respect the hand of God and his Angels. (see Isaiah 8:11-13)

God deployed one Warrior Angel to support Moses during the extraction of the Hebrews from Egypt. Two Warrior Angels were deployed to support operations during the destruction of the city of Sodom. Now we see six Warrior Angels deployed to flatten the population of Jerusalem, one for each gate of the city. No one leaves the city unless they have permission. In Revelation we see seven warrior angels pouring out the vials of God’s wrath (see Revelation 16:1). Considering the magnitude of the last days, we clearly see the importance of this event.

Standing near the altar, they felt no sense of personal revenge from God. This was not his intent. Rather, we see a pure and sincere expression of the Glory of God. The angels were standing near the altar to protect the integrity of the Altar as they went forward to accomplish their tasks. I think that God was determined to follow through with his plan; however, he took no pleasure from the work accomplished by the Angels.

The identity of the man clothed with linen is not clear, but I think we are looking at our High Priest, who arrived at this event with a writer’s inkhorn, similar to one carried by the ancient attorneys and lawyers.  I think this is Jesus, functioning as the Mediator (see 1 Timothy 2:5) isolating the remnant from the swords of Justice yielded by the warrior angels (see Revelation 19:6-10).  In the middle of this vision, we see God’s grace, his redemptive solution, his son, protecting the remnant.

Finally, we see the removal of God’s glory from the core of the temple. It moves to the outer edge of the temple. In chapter 10, God’s Glory departs the temple. This is a sad day, but God’s mercy is still present. His Mediator is on the job, protecting the remnant. Having read this passage and considered the gravity of the message, my decision is easy. I choose Jesus.

Detestable Things

Dan

It was my observation that detestable things come in many flavors. Ezekiel defines one of those flavors in Chapter 8. He makes it clear the Hebrews are on a dark slippery slope downward. They thought they were on high ground and were navigating the speedbumps, even pointing fingers at others. But they were fools. They criticized God; they missed the point. Never pick a fight with the boss. All you do is condemn yourself. This is the plain truth. They work hard to deflect their sin to something else or somebody else. But God sees through their smoke screen and knows the plain truth.

Ezekiel 8:14-18 says – He brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord, and I saw women sitting there, mourning the god Tammuz. He said to me, do you see this, son of man? You will see things that are even more detestable than this. He then brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun in the east. He said to me, have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the people of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence and continually arouse my anger? Look at them putting the branch to their nose! Therefore, I will deal with them in anger; I will not look on them with pity or spare them. Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen to them. [NIV]

Only a fool believes he can deceive the one true living God. Only a fool thinks they can negotiate with God. Never assume you can divert God’s attention and then press him to play the nice guy card, getting yourself off the hook. Bad move. He is a merciful God but not a pushover. Ezekiel, speaking for God, hammers out the message. In his kindness, he leads us firmly, holding our hand with a strong grip, and leading us to truth. Then God looks you in the eye and says – You still want to resist? Bad move!

And so, here we are. Idols worshiped in the temple courtyard. Women mourning and weeping for Tammuz. This practice was an ancient Sumerian cult ritual commemorating the death of seasonal fertility. Not much trust of God in this activity. It was clear that atheism or some form of God denying was at the core of their idolatry. The Hebrews seems to be flippant about their view – God does not hear us, so we can do what we want to do. They seem to feel they are out of God’s purview. God’s response? I cannot hear? I am deaf?  Not really. It is because of your behavior; I choose to not hear you.

I suspect, in most of these cases that Ezekiel was prophesying about, the essential problem was a denial or disbelief of the omniscience of God, this denial feeds the Hebrew departures from his law and leads many people from today’s church into chaos. This departure, to find yourself, to find some new truth, to find an easier path to walk, to find ‘real’ truth, to find a better set of friends, this departure starts when we stop accepting the omniscience of God. Huh? We start doubting that God knows everything about everything. We start assuming he is dated, out of step with the new and improved moral ideas. This pushes you to step away from an ignorant God. God starts feeling a little too small for your ‘higher level’ world. You start feeling like you got a handle on things and a better plan than God has. You start thinking God’s old, outdated moral law is not as pure as your new moral law. You start feeling superior in thought to this ancient God. And, in that instant, you are starting to cross the line.

And so, we place the branch to our nose to negate the detestable things. The branch, in this case, is often thought to be a highly aromatic branch used to shield us from detestable odors. Odor? You know. The kind of aroma we smell in a field frequented by a large herd of Javelina. We are talking about that unmistakable smell. You cannot see them, but you can hear their hooves and that detestable smell. That unmistakable smell. You know danger is near and you try hard to convince yourself you can avoid the trouble. After all, Javelina cannot see very well!  As for me?     I choose Jesus.

This is How God Draws us Close

Dan

It was my observation while reading the first few chapters of Ezekiel that all of the sequencing happened in a set of visions. Now, in the passage that is the subject for this essay, Ezekiel is coming out of the visions and re-engaging with real life. He seemed startled, not anxious to leave the vision, and even grumpy about the closure.

Ezekiel 3: 12-15 says — Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound as the glory of the Lord rose from the place where it was standing. It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound. The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord on me. I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kebar River. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days—deeply distressed [NIV].

I think that this transition from Vision to Real-life is a magnified version of what it is like to go on a weekend Christian retreat that is non-stop teaching and prayer. It is fun, interesting and completely engaging.  Then just as quickly as it began, it stops and we are reunited with our normal routines.   This is a hint of what Ezekiel was feeling. He is lifted up and he hears the angels making noise and they brush their wings together. The noise is deafening.

The angels crowded about to see the wisdom of God packaged up like a mantle and placed upon Ezekiel.  Their noise is a sound like clapping or tapping a table with a spoon at a meeting.  They are crowding in to get a good view.  All this was in place to reinforce the importance of the commissioning of Ezekiel.  Surely, he was also hearing them say something like blessed be the glory of the Lord God from his throne.  We praise God from the heavens, we all his angels praise him for the wisdom displayed (implied in Psalms 148:1-2)

Sometimes, when we know the depth of the calling, we may feel some reluctance. In this case, I do not think he was disobedient to the heavenly vision, not shrinking from the work, as Jonah, but was not at all pleased with the task.  He knows the audience will be exasperated by the message and will be very agitated. So, he resists but has no choice.  He is going. 

Perhaps he was aware of the hard task that Jeremiah had undertook at Jerusalem.  Perhaps he was thinking it would be just as difficult.  Perhaps he knew the opposition Jeremiah met with, how he was abused by the locals, and what poor treatment he endured, and all to no real change.  So he wonders – must I experience the same? His life as a captive was tough enough; but now he was facing the double whammy – the captive prophet to a captive nation scenario.  His self-doubt overcame common sense.  He buckled emotionally and became bitter.

What did God do?  God picked up Ezekiel by the knap of the neck and placed him square in the middle of the rebellious nation.  The hand of the Lord was strong.  Like a firm parent helping a child overcome obstacles that seem like a mountain to the child but a mere speedbump to the parent.  God prevailed and compelled Ezekiel to move forward.  God reminded Ezekiel he was well prepared. 

And so, God gently placed the pouting child in his place of ministry and provided time to digest his fear and his grief.  God helped him to heal and then begin his work. Those who God prepares for a hard job are often humbled greatly before the task begins. This is how he draws us close.   I choose Jesus.

The Words you cannot Understand

Dan

It was my observation that the end of Ezekiel chapter 2 included a scroll that was not tasty and now we find at the top of chapter 3 a scroll that tastes like honey. Clearly these preliminary events are preparing Ezekiel for his work, he is being filled up with the message from God.

Ezekiel 3:1-6 says — And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.  Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So, I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.  He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them. [NIV]

What is Ezekiel to do? He is to take in the twin messages (scrolls) and admit the messages to his heart, to apply it to his mind, to embrace the nature of the message, and ruminate and chew upon the thoughts of God in the entirety, overcome any difficulties and then discover God’s plan as to how to deliver the message. 

We know that Jeremiah encountered a similar situation, he was told to find the words from God and eat them (see Jeremiah 15:16). Imagine finding a stack of Naam Bread with God’s word printed on them.  Then consider the request from God to eat that Naam bread. This is the situation Ezekiel was in. He was told to receive the message into his heart, meditate on the message, and give himself to the message (see 1 Timothy 4:15).

I think that Ezekiel had reason to fear that the consumption would not be pleasant if he had any inkling as to the nature of the message. God can say eat this much faster than he can actually chew and swallow the message. His angst was clear, but his obedience was greeted with a good tasting morsal. This suggests if we are willing to obey, we will find comfort in the event outcome that overcomes any hardship we might encounter. If we are willing to receive the word of God into our heart, enable Jesus to write it upon our heart with his blood, then we can anticipate a rich indwelling of the message and the Spirit of God.

When Ezekiel opens the scroll, as a spirit of revelation, the message spreads before him, opening his understanding to the deeper things of God, as the Spirit of wisdom provides knowledge of things and causes us to embrace the unfamiliar. We know that gracious people can receive the truth of God with great delight, even as those who are aware of the message but reject the content find extreme discomfort. John the revelator talked about such things. John indicated that a book was removed from the angel’s hand and was consumed. At first the book was sweet as honey, but then the message produced a tummy ache (see Revelation 10:9-10).

He knew he was required to find the Israelis and talk. Why? Because it was for their benefit to hear the message from God, and to hear the Judgements soon to come if their behavior was not tamped down.  This message is not for the conquer in Babylon, it is for the conquered, Israel. Strangers are not used to correct the child, good parenting requires the parents engage in proper conduct, bringing the nation to repentance. Their response? Not so good. But for me… I choose Jesus.

Stay in your Swim Lane

Dan

It has been my Observation, that Ezekiel is repeatedly told he must speak to them the specific message, and only the message which God spoke to him. This suggests he was not free to speak the mere substance of the message from God, but to speak the same language, terms, and phrases used by God. Paul was careful to differentiate between his words and the words of the Spirit of God (see 1 Corinthians 2:13). It is best to speak God’s mind with his term, his phrases, his logic. When needed, take the time to define the words; but use his words.  That is the safe harbor.

There is more in this line of reasoning. We are wise to recall that Ezekiel is directed to speak to the House of Israel, not the house of Babylon. Ezekiel was commissioned to help the captives not the captors. This provided impetus for his compassion. His concern caused him to focus on the House of Isreal with a tender hand.

Ezekiel 3:5-6 (paraphrased) says — You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange culture, but to the people of Israel – you speak their language. If I had sent you to the foreigners, they would have understood your words and listened to you; but you do not speak their language. Therefore, you were not sent to them.  [NIV]

Ezekiel himself was a captive, but he seemed to have some freedom to accomplish his prophetic vocation without significant interference from Babylon. We can presume this was God’s protection.  Initially, he traveled in a mob once he was captive; forced to migrate travel to a strange land and join a bilingual group of slaves who were building the city of Babylon and the surrounding area. The Babylon King needed a cheap workforce, slaves were free labor. Invade, win a battle, gather the loosing team, and put them to work to accomplish your goals. The people of Isreal were blended in with a bunch of nations. They shared a common toil and tribulation, they were fellow-sufferers and travelers, and in sadness they migrated (under force) from the coastal regions of Judah to Babylon. The tears of many nations were mingled, but they had little trust in each other, they remained apart even in the crowd of slaves.

Certainly, the other slave nations were aware of Ezekiel and his ministry. They knew he was trying to help the Israelis recover from their shock and reconnect with their God. But at the same time, I suspect the message of Ezekiel had no real interest to them or the Babylonians until Cyrus came into the picture.

At the same time, it was enough for Ezekiel to minister to the house of Israel. He had little time to learn new languages and cultures. He had enough to keep his captors at bay and deliver the message to the House of Israel. Interpreters were not easy to find nor had God prepared an interpreter for Ezekiel. The mandate was clear from God given the circumstances and the language barrier sealed the deal.

Consider this – all languages we do not know will seem strange and awkward to speak. Our profit was not sent to them, he did not know their language, culture, or habits. Clearly no serious messaging could happen. We know that Paul was a learned man and given to several languages. Still, we see from the book of Acts a practical use of the Gift of Tongues and Gift of Interpretation. Many people heard the church, speaking in their own tongue. God could have done the same thing for Ezekiel. But he did not! The time was not right for the message to be spread to a group beyond the captive House of Isreal.  That time did not come until the new covenant.  Ezekiel was sent to only one group – the house of Isreal.

Once again, we see how the Grace of God works, his plan, his schedule, his message.  His distribution plan for the message.  We worship the one true living God.  Stay in your swim lane.  I choose Jesus.