Ezekiel & the Sovereignty of God

Transcription

1 Ezekiel & the

2 Part 2. Ezekiel and His Calling

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4 Hittites Aram Medes Judah Moab Edom

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8 Ezekiel 593 BC 571 BC +/- (Before 538 BC) Ezekiel & the

9 The Cyrus Cylinder The Cylinder's text has traditionally been seen by biblical scholars as corroborative evidence of Cyrus' policy of the repatriation of the Jewish people following their Babylonian captivity in 538 BC (an act that the Book of Ezra attributes to Cyrus) Ezekiel & the

10 Ezekiel & the

11 Ezekiel Introduction from the NIV Study Bible Background Ezekiel lived during a time of international upheaval. The Assyrian empire that had once conquered the Syro-Palestinian area and destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel (which fell to the Assyrians in b.c.) began to crumble under the blows of a resurgent Babylon. In 612 the great Assyrian city of Nineveh fell to a combined force of Babylonians and Medes. Three years later, Pharaoh Neco II of Egypt marched north to assist the Assyrians and to try to reassert Egypt s age-old influence over Canaan and Aram (Syria). At Megiddo, King Josiah of Judah, who may have been an ally of Babylon as King Hezekiah had been, attempted to intercept the Egyptian forces but was crushed, losing his life in the battle (see 2Ki 23:29 30; 2Ch 35:20 24). Ezekiel & the

12 Jehoahaz, a son of Josiah, ruled Judah for only three months, after which Neco installed Jehoiakim, another son of Josiah, as his royal vassal in Jerusalem (609 b.c.). In 605 the Babylonians overwhelmed the Egyptian army at Carchemish (see Jer 46:2), then pressed south as far as the Philistine plain. In the same year, Nebuchadnezzar was elevated to the Babylonian throne and Jehoiakim shifted allegiance to him. When a few years later the Egyptian and Babylonian forces met in a standoff battle, Jehoiakim rebelled against his new overlord. Nebuchadnezzar soon responded by sending a force against Jerusalem, subduing it in 597 b.c. Jehoiakim s son Jehoiachin and about 10,000 Jews (see 2Ki 24:14), including Ezekiel, were exiled to Babylon, where they joined those who had been exiled in Jehoiakim s third year (see Da 1:1 and note). Nebuchadnezzar placed Jehoiachin s uncle, Zedekiah, on the throne in Jerusalem, but within five or six years he too rebelled. The Babylonians laid siege to Jerusalem in 588, and in July, 586, the walls were breached and the city plundered. On Aug. 14, 586, the city and temple were burned. Under Nebuchadnezzar and his successors, Babylon dominated the international scene until it was crushed by Cyrus the Persian in 539 b.c. The reign of the house of David came to an end; the kingdom of Judah ceased to be an independent nation; Jerusalem and the Lord s temple lay in ruins. Ezekiel & the

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14 Jehoiachin's Rations Tablets Ezekiel & the

15 Jehoiachin's Rations Tablets Ezekiel & the

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17 Who Was Ezekiel? Son of Buzi His hometown is unknown; no other biblical writer referred to him. A Judean priest of Yahweh as well as His prophet. No evidence that he ever served as a priest in the Jerusalem temple. His wife died during the course of his ministry. No mention that he had children. No records of Ezekiel's life or death outside this book. Began ministry in 593 BC, at age 30. His last prophecy came at age 52. His entire ministry transpired during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar. 20 years younger than Jeremiah; familiar with Jeremiah's preaching. Ezekiel & the

18 Who Was Ezekiel? Ezekiel went to Babylon as a captive during Nebuchadnezzar's second deportation of Jerusalemites in 597 BC, along with King Jehoiachin. Ezekiel ministered among the Jewish exiles who had settled at Telabib (or Tel Aviv) beside the Chebar Canal. There is no evidence that he ever visited Jerusalem after the Babylonians took him captive. Called by God as a watchman for Israel. Ezekiel & the

19 Who Was Ezekiel? "The concentration of so many bizarre features in one individual is without precedent: his muteness; lying bound and naked; digging holes in the walls of houses; emotional paralysis in the face of his wife's death; 'spiritual' travels; images of strange creatures, of eyes, and of creeping things; hearing voices and the sounds of water; withdrawal symptoms, fascination with feces and blood; wild literary imagination; pornographic imagery; unreal if not surreal understanding of Israel's past; and the list goes on. Daniel I. Block, The Book of Ezekiel: Chapters 1 24, p. 10 Ezekiel & the

20 Dating Ezekiel Jerusalem Walls Breached 29 July 587 BC Groups of Dated Messages EZEKIEL'S DATED PROPHECIES Passages Ezekiel's Calendar Month/Day/Year Modern Calendar Month/Day/Year 1st 1:1 3:15 4/5/5 July 31, 593 2nd 3:16 7:27 4/12/5 Aug. 7, 593 3rd 8:1 19:14 6/5/6 Sept. 17, 592 4th 20:1 23:49 5/10/7 Aug. 14, 591 5th 24:1 25:17 10/10/9 Jan. 15, 588 6th 26:1 28:26?/1/11? 1, 587 or 586 7th 29: /12/10 Jan. 5, 587 8th 29:17 30:19 1/1/27 Apr. 26, 571 9th 30: /7/11 Apr. 29, th 31:1-18 3/1/11 June 21, th 32: /1/12 Mar. 3, th 32:17 33:20?/15/12? (Mar.) 17, th 33:21 39:29 10/5/12 Jan. 9, th 40:1 48:35 1/10/25 Apr. 28 (or Oct. 22), 573 Ezekiel & the

21 Timeline of events in the final siege of Jerusalem Dates are taken from the 2011 book on biblical chronology by Andrew Steinmann. Source Date Events 2 Kgs 25:1; Ezek 24: Tebeth = 27 Jan 589 BC Beginning of final siege. Jer 34: Tishri = 29 Sep 588 Release of Hebrew slaves at beginning of a Sabbatical year. Jer 34:11-22; 37:5-16 Between Tishri 588 & Nisan 587 = Oct 588 to Apr 587 Babylonians temporarily lift siege due to approach of Egyptian army. Slaves taken back. Jeremiah arrested as he attempts to go to Anathoth. Jer 34:22; Ezek 30: Nisan = 29 Apr 587 Egyptians defeated. Siege resumes. 2 Kgs 25:2-4; Jer 39:2, 52:7; Ezek 33:21, 40:1 9 Tammuz = 29 Jul 587 Wall breached. Zedekiah captured. 2 Kgs 25:8 7 Ab = 25 Aug 587 Nebuzaradan arrives at Jerusalem (cf. Jonah 3:3) from Riblah in Hamath and begins consultation with commanders in the field regarding the pillaging of the city. 2 Kgs 25:9-19; 2 Chr 36:18-19; Jer 52: Ab = 28 Aug 587 Nebuzaradan leads forces into Jerusalem (cf. Jonah 3:4) to pillage, destroy, and burn the city and its temple. Ezekiel & the

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24 Study Notes Constable s Notes on Ezekiel Ezekiel & the

25 Questions?