Explore the Bible Lesson Preview June 22, 2014 When Tragedy Hits Home Background: Ezekiel 20:1 24:27 Lesson: Ezekiel 24:15-27

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1 Explore the Bible Lesson Preview June 22, 2014 When Tragedy Hits Home Background: Ezekiel 20:1 24:27 Lesson: Ezekiel 24:15-27 Motivation: Have you ever felt that life s circumstances treated you unfairly? To be honest, we ve all probably felt that way. Surely, some of the captives in Babylon felt unfairly judged. In these final judgments against his own people, Ezekiel lays down some principles of God s righteous judgment and sovereignty in the closing chapter, the prophet experiences personal tragedy. Examination: I. Repeating past failures (20:1-49) A. A Long History of Idolatry (20:1-32) 1. In Egypt (5-10) idols of Egypt (7-8) refer to the Egyptian deities which Israel falsely worshiped. A close study of the ten plagues will reveal that each was aimed at an Egyptian god, each revealed the powerlessness of false idols. 2. In the wilderness (11-26) God gave them the Law and the Sabbath to set them apart as a holy people; but the people profaned both. Four violations are listed in verse 16, because they rejected My ordinances, profaned My Sabbaths, and did not follow My statutes. For their hearts went after their idols. 3. In the Promised Land (27-32) When I brought them into the land they offered their 1 / 9

2 sacrifices and presented their offensive offerings there. (20:28) Are you defiling yourselves the way your fathers did, and prostituting yourselves with their detestable things? (20:30). B. A Faithful Israel to be Restored (20:33-44) God reaffirms His desire to preserve a remnant for His covenant s sake. pass under the rod (37) brings to mind a shepherd numbering his sheep. Ezekiel was commanded to Face the south and preach against it. Prophesy against the Forest land in the Negev (20:46) because at this time Jerusalem was in a forested area; although Jerusalem was west of Babylon, the normal route was northwest and then south to avoid the desert. II. Reaping Sin s Consequences (21:1-32) God s judgment is pictured as an all-consuming sword, cutting down everything in its path. (1-3) A. God s Judgment is a fearful thing (21:4-7) We must not repeat the mistake of the Israelites, of scoffing at God s judgment. Its fearsomeness melts the heart, enfeebles the hand, weakens the knee and causes every spirit to faint (7). Notice that the prophetic messenger who bears the news of judgment is to do so with a brok en heart. (6) B. God s Judgment is a certain thing (21:8-32) Even though the king of Babylon may resort to divination (21), God s plan is certain to happen. (Isa. 9:7; Ps. 57:2-3; I Ki. 6:12; II Chron. 10:15, 34:31; Gen. 26:3;) A ruin, a ruin, will make it a ruin. Yet this will not happen until he comes; I have given the judgment to Him. (21:27) HCSB, p. 1384: 21:27 The turban and the crown would not be worn again until He comes a clear reference to Gn 49:10 and the king-priest Messiah (cp. Heb 5-7). Ezekiel used this 2 / 9

3 reference with its messianic overtones to emphasize that the kingship (and priesthood) would be removed in judgment but returned ultimately in the Messiah s coming in accord with Gn 49:10 (Ps 2:6; Jr 23:5-6; Ezk 37:24; Zch 6:12-15). III. Exposing a Broken Society (22:1-31) A. By the city (1-16) the city of blood (2) cf. Nahum 3:1 referring to Nineveh. (100 years after the revival of Jonah) 1. Sins of bloodshed: child sacrifice, murder, war implied. Jesus lamented the city s bloodshed in Mt. 23: Sins against society: incest, adultery, slander, false witness, idolatry. 3. Sins of forgetting God: forget Sabbath, forget commandments, forget the possibility of judgment. B. By the nation (17-22) In this oracle of the refining furnace, Israel is depicted as worthless dross. The furnace is a picture of the tribulation to follow. 1. Condemnation of the prophets (25) they haven t spoken truth. 2. Condemnation of the priests (26) they haven t taught God s word. 3. Condemnation of the princes (27) they haven t enforced God s word. 3 / 9

4 4. Condemnation of the people (29) they haven t lived God s word. In a sad epitaph to Israel s leaders, God sought a man to build the wall and stand in the gap, but found no one (30). IV. Judging Disgraceful Actions (23:1-49) A. Parable of Two Sisters The word of the Lord came to me again: Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother, who acted like prostitutes in Egypt, behaving promiscuously in their youth. (23:1-3a) Ezekiel clearly states that he was referring to the northern kingdom whose capitol was Samaria and the southern kingdom whose capitol was Jerusalem (4). B. Their Sin 1. Samaria Oholah acted like a prostitute (5) HCSB, p. 1386: 23:5 Prostitution here represents political alliances with pagan powers not idolatry as in chapter 16 (v. 15). The graphic language underscores God s disgust with Israel for playing the game of international politics rather than relying on Him for security and support. Samaria s ( Oholah ) relations with the officers of Assyria presupposes the earlier alliance under Jehu s descendants Menahem (2 Kg 15:17-22) and Hoshea (2 Kg 17:1-6). The Black Obelisk of the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III (dated ca 841 B.C.) mentions Jehu son of Omri and actually shows him bowing to the Assyrian king, paying homage. This is one of the most significant archaeological finds related to biblical studies because it provides extrabiblical evidence for Jehu s submission to an Assyrian ruler. 2. Jerusalem Now her sister Oholibah saw this, but she was even more depraved in her lust than Oholah, and made her promiscuous acts worse than those of her sister. (11) HCSB, p : 23:11 Rather than embracing her God-given mission to bring the message of salvation to the nations 4 / 9

5 (Gn 12:1-3), as a prostitute Jerusalem used the nations for her own advantage. Judah allied with Assyria (2 Kg 16:7-9) and then Babylon (Ezk 17:13; 2 Kg 24:1, 17; cp. Is 39:1-8). Ezekiel may also have had in mind the disastrous political move of King Ahaz, who willingly made Judah Assyria s vassal. Rather than trusting God for deliverance (as Isaiah urged him to do), Ahaz enlisted Assyria s aid. With that act Judah became a vassal of Assyria for the next century (2 Kg 16:5-9; Is 7). C. Their Judgment This is what the Lord God says: Summon an assembly against them and consign them to terror and plunder. (23:46) Both Israel and Judah continued in sin for hundreds of years despite the warnings of numerous prophets. They arrogantly felt immure form judgment as God s chosen. Jerusalem felt particularly invulnerable because God s temple was there and conventional wisdom felt that God would never allow harm to His dwelling place. Once the nations were plundered and the temple was destroyed, the people might have felt they were treated unfairly. Documenting their sin and proclaiming righteous judgment again fell to the office of the prophet. V. Dealing with Grievous Loss (24:1-27) A. Date The word of the Lord came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month: Son of man, write down today s date, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. (24:1-2) HCSB, p. 1388: 24:1 The date of this prophecy is significant. This was the day that Nebuchadnezzar s siege of Jerusalem began in January of 588 B.C. Later in Israel s history the date became an appointed fast day and was observed as early as the time of the prophet Zechariah (Zch 8:19). This was the day Ezekiel had been pointing to for more than four years. The date was so significant that it was also mentioned by the writer of 1 and 2 Kings (2 Kg 25:1) and by the prophet Jeremiah (Jr 39:1; 52:4). B. Description of the Cooking Pot Put the pot on the fire (24:3) Jerusalem s fall compared to a pot of stew, similar to the imagery in 11:7-11. However, where previous invaders had taken people out of Jerusalem into captivity, in this parable, the city itself 5 / 9

6 becomes the pot of purification, removing all iniquity. (24:11) C. Death of Ezekiel s Wife 1. Identification Then the word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you with a fatal blow. (24:15-16, cf 18) Ezekiel s wife is described in similar terms to Issac when Abraham was called to offer him as a sacrifice (Genesis 22). 2. Instruction But you must not lament or weep or let you tears flow. Groan quietly; do not observe mourning rites for the dead. Put on your turban and strap your sandals on your feet; do not cover your mustache or eat the bread of mourners. (24:17) Evidently Ezekiel lost his wife on the same day as the Jews lost Jerusalem. Because the people to whom he was prophesying were captive in Babylon, they could not mourn publicly for that could have been interpreted as rebellion. Because the destruction of Jerusalem was a sovereign act of God s judgment, the people were not to outwardly mourn it. God did not prohibit Ezekiel from privately grieving but forbade public mourning. 3. Implications Son of man, know that on the day I take their stronghold from them, their pride and joy, the delight of their eyes and the longing of their hearts, as well as their sons and daughters, on that day a fugitive will come to you and report the news. On that day your mouth will be opened to talk with him; you will speak and no longer be mute. So you will be a sign for them, and they will know that I am Yahweh. (24:25-27) a. Temple Destroyed I am about to desecrate My Sanctuary (21) HCSB, p. 1389: 2 4:21 The destruction of the sanctuary included the fall of the city. God s destruction of the people s sanctuary is one of the covenant punishments prescribed for national disobedience in the Mosaic Law (Lv 26:31). Jerusalem died (as did Ezekiel s wife), and with it the temple and the prescribed methods of worship. This created a first-rate identity crisis for Hebrews who wished to remain faithful to God. 6 / 9

7 b. Public Mourning Prohibited Then you will do just as I have done: You will not cover your mustache or eat the bread of mourners. Your turbans will remain on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not lament or weep but will waste away because of your sins and will groan to one another. Now Ezekiel will be a sign for you. You will do everything he has done. (24:22-24) HCSB, pp : 24:22 The people were not permitted to mourn; Jerusalem s fall was foretold and yet they persisted in sin. Thus they should have expected this judgment. The Mosaic Law did not call for mourning over those who were justly executed for their crimes, and in like manner the citizens of Jerusalem had no right to mourn for the just execution of their city. Besides, they would not have time to mourn in any event since they would immediately be taken as captives to Babylon. c. Ezekiel s Public Ministry Resumes On that day, your mouth will be opened (27) HCSB, p. 1390: 24:26 This prophecy, which says a fugitive arriving form fallen Jerusalem will mark the end of Ezekiel s silence, is fulfilled in 33: :27 Ezekiel s ability to speak again will signal that his six-year ministry of announcing judgment is over and a new ministry of consolation will begin. Application: 1. God views sin very sternly. 2. God s Judgment is sure. 3. God s Attitude toward the hard hearted is stern. Leader Pack Item 7: Finding Comfort in Tragedy ; Item 8: How would you Respond? 7 / 9

8 Illustrator: pg. 10 Hebrew Expressions of Grief; p. 80 Fire: Purification and Judgment in the Old Testament. **You may access David s Lesson Preview in MP3 format at: Dates: 6/4-7/30 SPF Summer Nights on Wednesdays; 6/5 8/7 MetroLIVE Thursdays; 6/2 2 Houston 1:8 Site mtg. #1; 6/23-27 VBS; 6/26-28 GACHP Conference (Paul); 6/29 Houston 1:8 Site Mtg. #2; 7/4 Independence Day Holiday, Offices closed; 7/6-10 Houston 1:8; 7/12-18 Rushmore; 7/13 Lord s Supper/Deacon Mtg./Church Conf.; 7/14 Pastor begins Sabbatical, returns 8/11; 7/19-26 Rushweek; 7/20 David Self preaching; 7/22 8/2 Choir Mission Trip to Africa; 7/25-26 FP4Health Summit; 7/27 John Sorenson preaching; 7/30 RUSH Summer Celebration; 8/3 Justin Holcombe preaching; 8/10 Afshin Ziafat preaching; 8 / 9

9 8/15 - Daycation ends; 8/24 Next Gen Back to School Sunday; 8/22 ReCreate Date Night; 8/24 - Back to School Sunday; 8/24 Deacon s mtg./ Church conference; 8/27 Midlink Kickoff; 8/29 HFBC Minute Maid Park; 9/1 - Labor Day Offices closed; 9/3 Milestone Classes start; 9/7 Adult 2 Rally; 9/12 Pastor s Anniversary Event; 9/14 LBS Leadership Luncheon; 9/17-19 Ed D6 Conf; 9/21 MIYCO; 9/25 Summit Celebrates; 10/3-4 Women s Retreat. 9 / 9