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BIBLE STUDY
LESSON
For the week beginning Sunday September 28, 2014
____________________________________________________________
TWO
MESSAGES OF COMING JUDGMENT
(The
coming of the end)
Ezekiel
6-7
In Ezekiel chapter 6 GOD tells the prophet Ezekiel to turn
his head towards the mountains of Israel with hostile intentions, and warn them
of the wrath that HE was about to bring upon HIS once beloved nation, Judah.
The instrument of GOD’s judgment was now being sharply aimed at its intended
target, ready to punish her for all of her idolatry, and the building of pagan
shrines in the mountains, valleys, and ravines of Israel.
Instead of worshiping the only wise
GOD in the temple at Jerusalem, the Israelites had permeated the land of Israel
with all sorts of Canaanite religious practices, and was worshiping in the
shrines, in “high places”, of false gods throughout the land. Ezekiel was told
by GOD to address his message to the land, but by doing so, in truth, he was
really focusing on the people’s immoral use of the land through their idol
worship.
Here in Ezekiel 6, verses 4-7, GOD
is making it known, just what HIS intentions were for the nation of Judah. Here
HE says;
“All
of your altars will be demolished, and your incense altars will be smashed. I
will kill your people in front of your idols. I will lay your corpses in front
of your idols and scatter your bones around your altars. Wherever you live will
be in desolation. I will destroy your pagan shrines, your altars, your idols,
your incense altars, and all the other religious objects you have made. Then
when the place is littered with corpses, you will know that I am the LORD” (NLT).
In verses 8-10, just like in the New
Testament book of Acts (Acts 8:1-4 & 18:1-2) GOD uses persecution and
judgment to forcefully move HIS people around so that HIS Word may forcefully
carried to every part of the world (Matthew 11:12). Here in this passage we see
that those people, who receive GOD’s message in their heart, will become the
remnant that will receive salvation because they are able to recover their lost
faith.
But first, GOD will have to scatter
this remnant to various parts of the world (the Jewish Diaspora) so that they
will, through experiencing and chasing after idol gods, be reminded of the
goodness of the only wise, true GOD. They will then long to return to HIM (repent), and hate themselves
(humble themselves) for all of their unfaithfulness and wickedness toward their
CREATOR. They will begin to speak, or preach, of GOD’s goodness wherever GOD
has forcefully driven them to, and thus, the Gospel of GOD will be forcefully
advanced all over creation.
In verses 11-14 GOD instructs
Ezekiel to clap his hands and stamp his feet in horror, as a way to ironically express
the actual joy that GOD HIMSELF feels whenever HE destroys idolatry, breaks
down false god practices and strongholds, and purges sin from HIS greatest
creation. However, GOD is always saddened whenever HIS people have to suffer
HIS wrath because of their own doing. Ezekiel was to shout a mocking cry of
derision that mimicked those who viewed Judah’s destruction from a human
standpoint, rather than from a divine one. GOD was determined to purge Judah of
her sin despite the terrible cost she would have to pay.
In Ezekiel 7, verses 1-13, another
message from GOD comes to Ezekiel. And while this prophecy too, is directed
toward Judah in the sixth century, it is also a message that comes to us, from
across the spans of time, and it foreshadows a similar eschatological time at
history’s end. Here, however, GOD is warning of the final destruction of Judah,
which occurred in 586 B.C. GOD unleashed HIS anger upon Judah because of her
disgusting behavior towards HIM. And HE showed them no pity, “repaying them” GOD
says, for all of their evil.
With one blow after another (605,
597, & 586 B.C.), GOD brought total disaster and destruction upon Judah,
completing HIS punishing assault for their detestable practices in a span of less
than twenty-years. The day of final judgment did come however, and it came at a
time when Israel’s wickedness had reached an all-time high, and their violence
fell back on them just when pride and wickedness hit its climax.
This passage of Ezekiel tells us
that all of Judah’s wealth was swept away (economic consequences), and both
buyers and sellers could find no reason to rejoice over their sell, or, grieve
over their losses. In other words, the buyer who normally would rejoice over
his acquisition was not happy, because ultimately, he was not able to possess
that which he had purchased. And the one who was forced to sell his
possessions, did not grieve over them, because he would have lost his them
anyway, due to the Babylonian takeover. No one person, whose life was twisted
in sin, was ever able to recover his or her loss (v.13).
Here we are also reminded that, in
that day, no human effort counted for much, and although Judah called upon her
military to stem off the powerful Babylonians, all of their efforts were of
non-effect. In fact, she was able to show very little resistance to
Nebuchadnezzar, who had been called by GOD to punish the Israelites thoroughly
for their spiritual rebellion against HIM.
Verses 17-20, gives us a sad and
vivid description of the result of Israel’s response to GOD’s onslaught upon
them. Here it tells us that the once powerful Israelite's “hands went limp” and
“knees became weak as water”, and the only thing that they could do was to
“lament their condition” and began throwing away their money like worthless
trash, because they finally realized that their wealth could not save them. In
fact, in verse 20 it says that they actually became disgusted with their wealth.
The vivid images of moral and
material weaknesses that are seen here, remind us, and indeed, cautions us, of
the deceptive impact, that, wealth has on sin. Those who allow themselves to
become corrupted by wealth remain arrogant as long as everything is going well.
However, when GOD’s judgment arrives, all things that, we once deemed powerful,
suddenly becomes the picture, or personification, of utter weakness.
Over the next seven years, Ezekiel
spoke several carefully dated prophesies concerning the judgment of Judah,
however, after the final destruction of Judah in 586 B.C., Ezekiel fell silent
for twelve years. After that period of silence, he resumed his ministry with a
new and different message. It was a glowing announcement of GOD’s intention to
restore Judah to her glory with the coming of a Messianic Kingdom at a much
later date.
The book of Ezekiel will always
remain as one of the most fascinating prophetic accounts in Scripture, simply
because of the various unusual ways of which GOD commanded him to deliver HIS
messages to the people of Israel while in Babylon. GOD’s use of Ezekiel with
visions, symbols, and parables make his ministry unique in all of the annals of
biblical history.
The message delivered by Ezekiel is
based solely on the holiness of GOD, which, by the way, never changes. It
serves as both, a warning, and a promise. It warns us that GOD will continue to
punish evil, and it promises us that GOD will continue to remain faithful to
HIS people. The book of Ezekiel exhibits how GOD’s unbreakable promises are
fulfilled in both respects, as we see how the nation of Judah falls to Babylon,
and, as we continue our studies through HIS Word, we see exactly how Judah was
restored according to HIS promise (also see the books of Ezra and Nehemiah).
However, we still have yet to realize the coming eschatological promise of the
Millennial Kingdom of CHRIST JESUS that is also prophesied about in this book,
and remains an invaluable element of motivation in the ideology of “The
Christian Hope”.
A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander
LARRY D. ALEXANDER-
Official Website
