This week, we shall continue the study
of the book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament.
We have now come to the second part of the book of Ezekiel. In the first 32 chapters, the oracles to Ezekiel focus mainly on the judgment of the rebellious nation of Israel, and the severe judgment of the heathen nations who have harassed the people of God and whose pride have led to their inevitable punishment by the Creator God. In the midst of all these words of judgment, seeds have been planted for the final restoration of Israel in the last days and this is pronounced more fully in the second half of the book:
- Chs. 34-39: Promise of pardon and restoration of Israel
- Chs. 40-48: Renewed Kingdom of God
Introduction to the Second Half: Renewed Call to Ezekiel as the Watchman
(1) As you read this part of the message to Ezekiel, you will recall a very similar message already given to him in the beginning of his ministry in 3:16-21.
a. If this latter message is given at the same time or around that time of 32:17 (the context appears to suggest that), how many years have lapsed since he received the first message? (see 1:2)
b. In your opinion, why would the Lord see fit to review this call of the watchman to Ezekiel at this time?
(2) What is the duty of a watchman in times of war? (vv. 2-6)
(3) What might be the reason(s) that a watchman would fail to blow the trumpet to warn the people of the coming swords? (v. 6)
(4) Application to Ezekiel (vv. 7-9):
a. What is he to do as the spiritual watchman of the Lord for His people?
b. Should he be deterred or discouraged by the response of the hearers?
c. What other reason(s) might Ezekiel have in not warning the wicked?
d. How does this speak to you as a servant of the Lord?
(5) With the impending collapse of Jerusalem and their present exile in Babylon, how do the people see their demise? (v. 10)
(6) How does the Lord address their sense of guilt and remorse? (v. 11)
(7) How does the message in vv. 12-16 serve to encourage them to repent? (see Note below)
(8) Even in their remorse, why would they still charge God as being unjust? (vv. 17-19)
(9) What is God’s reply to their accusation? (v. 20)
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
This
is a message already dealt with extensively in chapter 18. It suffices to simply repeat the explanation
given previously in that,
“Yahweh was not talking about spiritual life and death in this passage, for the whole discussion of this book is seen in light of the Mosaic covenant. The covenant makes it very clear over and over again that the one who obeys will live physically, and the one who disobeys the covenant will die physically (cf. Lev. 26; Deut. 28:58-66; 30:15-20). It is within this context the life and death are understood in this chapter. In the OT, eternal life was gained only by faith in the coming Messiah (Gen. 15:6).”
(Alexander, 60)
This
is an important occasion in that it marks two things:
- The official confirmation of the fall of Jerusalem to the exiles, and also
- The vindication of the prophetic utterances of Ezekiel in the last few years.
(1) While this marks the confirmation of the fall of Jerusalem, when does Ezekiel receive this oracle and when does he relate it to the exiles? (vv. 21-22)
(2) Consider
the following questions in light of the fact that Jerusalem is now in
ruins after its fall (vv. 23-24; see 2 Ki. 25:12):
a. What do those survivors say?
b. Is it not a sign of faith? Why or why not?
(3) The Lord rejects their confidence (vv. 25-26)
a. What are the continuous evil deeds cited by the Lord?
b. Why do they think, even while living in the ruined land, that they can continue with their evil deeds and survive in the land?
(4) The fate of the remnants (vv. 27-29)
a. What, in fact, are the physical conditions of those survivors? (v. 27)
b. What will be their fate?
(5) During this time of siege (of Jerusalem), the exiles are anxious of its outcome:
a. What do the exiles seek to do and why? (vv. 30-31)
b. Although they come to sit before and Ezekiel, and presumably seek to listen to the oracles from God, they have no intention of obeying.
- How do they treat Ezekiel and his messages? (v. 32)
- Why then would they come to listen?
(6) How important is it for this message to be delivered before in “the evening before the man (i.e. the fugitive) arrived”? (v. 22)
(7) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
34:1-10—Charges against the Shepherds of Israel—the shepherds here obviously refer to the leaders of Israel
(1) Why does the Lord call them shepherds?
(2) In the accusations against them of their negligence and abuse of their roles, what do we understand the responsibilities of a shepherd to be? (vv. 2-4)
(3) How have the shepherds of Israel neglected their duties? (vv. 2-4)
(4) How have they abused their position as shepherds? (vv. 2-4)
(5) What is the result of their negligence and abuse? (vv. 5-6; repeated in vv. 7-8)
(6) What will the Lord do to these evil shepherds? (v. 10)
(7) What the reality is:
a. What is the condition of Israel at the time of this oracle?
b. How has the Lord dealt with the rulers and leaders of Israel?
34:11-16—Promise of the Lord
(8) Since it is not only the leaders, but also the people who have rebelled against Him, why would the Lord pledge to be their Shepherd as their leaders have failed to shepherd them?
(9) As their shepherd, He will rescue them (vv. 12-13)
a. How will He rescue them?
b. Why does the Lord call the day of their scattering, “a day of clouds and darkness”?
(10) How will He shepherd them upon bringing them back to Israel? (vv. 14-15)
a. What kind of a picture is being depicted by these two verses?
(11) How will He deal with the lost, the strays, the injured and the weak? (v. 16)
a. How does the parable of Jesus in Luke 15:3-7 deepen our understanding in this respect?
(12) How will He deal with the sleek and the strong? (v. 16)
a. Who are the sleek and strong?
b. What reason is given for destroying them?
(13) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
The second part of this message about the shepherd now blossoms into the most glorious promise of the Messiah:
34:17-24—Judging Among the Flock
(1) This passage begins with the words, “As for you my flock” (v. 17)—What contrast does this intend to portray?
(2) Obviously, apart from the evil shepherds (the leaders and rulers), there is injustice among the flock (which includes sheep, rams and goats):
a. What do the strong among the flock do? (vv. 18-19)
b. What in reality are the sins of the rich and powerful among them?
(3) Who will God appoint to save His flock and judge between them? (vv. 22-23)
(4) Who is that shepherd called “my servant David”? (v. 23; see Jer. 23:5; 30:9; 33:15; Hos. 3:5 and 2 Sam. 7:12-13)
(5) What will be the result of tending by this Shepherd? (v. 24)
34:25-31—A Covenant of Peace
(6) Who initiated this Covenant of Peace and with whom? (v. 25)
(7) “Peace” under this covenant will include the following:
a. Safety (vv. 25, 27-28): What kind of life is being promised and how different will it be from their past and present?
b. Abundance (vv. 26-27, 29): How will God provide for them and how different will it be from their past and present?
(8) The most precious promise is provided in vv. 30-31:
a. What does it include?
b. Do you agree that it is the most precious promise? Why or why not?
c. Apart from saying that “You are sheep, the sheep of my pasture”, the Lord adds, “(You) are people”. What does it mean?
(9) What is the message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) It will be helpful to re-read 25:12-14 which is a much shorter passage against Edom to see what accusations are charged against Edom and what judgment has already been pronounced.
(2) What is the summary judgment pronounced against Mount Seir here? (vv. 1-4)
(3) What might be the different focus of the judgment in the present oracle?
(4) The sins and judgment of Edom are given in greater details (vv. 5-9):
a. What are the two aspects of their sins cited in v. 5? (see Note 3 below)
b. What are the specific judgments pronounced against it?
(5) Further accusations and judgments pronounced (vv. 10-15)
a. How does Edom view the fall of the two nations (peoples) and countries (i.e. of Israel and Judah)? (vv. 10, 12)
b. What is wrong with such a view? (v. 10b)
c. What is behind such a view? (v. 11)
d. How will God treat them in return? (v. 11)
e. Why would the Lord say that their boasting and the contemptible things they have said are in fact against Him? (v. 13)
f. What will happen to Edom when the whole earth rejoices? (vv. 14-15; such a time of rejoicing appears to refer to the time of the establishment of the “Messianic Kingdom” [Alexander, 111] )
(6) What is the message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note 1:
Daniel Block cites many proofs to point out that these two sections are
“two panels of a single literary”. Apart from the play on words (in the original Hebrew language), those obvious to us include: the governing of the entire passage with a “single word-event formula in 35:1…Edom, the addressee of 35:1-15 is still in view in 36:5…the prophet cleverly employs two virtually identical expressions with opposite meanings:…‘behold I am against you, O Mount Seir’ in 35:3 and...‘Behold, I am for you’ (i.e. the mountains of Israel) in 36:9…Together the panels present two sides of a single divine concern: the restoration of the land of Israel.”
(NICOT, Ezekiel, 309-310).
Note 2:
“(Mount Seir) occurs thirty-eight times in the OT, thirty of which employ Seir as a toponym, the name of the mountainous region originally inhabited by Horites (Gen. 14:6), but taken over by the descendants of Edom (Gen. 33:14, 16; 36: 8-9; 42:4). Accordingly to Deut. 2:1-7, Yahweh had designated Seir as Esau’s grant…in the same way that Moab, Ammon, and the Israelites had been given their respective territories. In our text, Mount Seir serves as an alternative territorial name for Edom…” (ditto, 315-316).
Note 3:
“Ancient hostility” between Israel and Edom can be traced to the rivalry between Jacob and Esau in in the womb of Rebekah (Gen. 25:22-23), manifested even more clearly in their adult lives (Gen. 27:41-45; 32:4-22; 33:1-16). Other OT words against Edom include Amos 1:11-12; Isaiah 34; cf. 63:1-6; Joel 3:19; Obad. 1-14; Mal. 12:5; Lam. 4:21.
The second part of this oracle deals directly with the “mountains of Israel”.
36:1-7—Burning Zeal Against the Nations
(1) Consider the following questions understanding that the term “mountains of Israel” is used in antithesis to the “mountains of Seir” of the last chapter (and later on, it is used synonymously with the “land of Israel”):
a. Why does the Lord not address the “people of Israel” directly?
b. Why does He appear to separate the land from the people in this oracle?
(2) Which enemy does the Lord refer to? (v. 2; see 35:10)
(3) What have the mountains suffered in the hands of their neighboring nations? (vv. 3-4)
(4) How does the Lord feel about the actions of the nations, including Edom? (v. 5a)
(5) What does the Lord swear to do now to the nations? (v. 7)
36:8-15—Renewed Blessings to the Mountains of Israel
(6) At the time of this oracle, what condition is the land of Israel in? (see the description in v. 4)
(7) What
renewal does the Lord promise concerning the following?
a. Its agriculture and farming (vv. 8a, 9)
b. The scattered exiles (vv. 8b, 10a)
c. The towns and ruins (v. 10b)
d. Its population, both of animals and men (v. 11)
e. How will their prosperity be compared to say the time of Solomon? (v. 11a)
f. Will such prosperity last? (v. 12)
g. Do you think the present-day Israel is already a realization of such a promise? Why or why not? (Note the ultimate purpose of such a renewal expressed in v. 11b.)
(8) Of course, the use of land is only as imagery, but ...
a.Why does the Lord portray the land as a devouring beast in v. 13?
b. What did the unbelieving spies of Israel say about this land before? (see Num. 13:32)
(9) What will the renewed prosperity bring to the nation and the people? (vv. 14-15)
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
The oracle of the renewal of the land of Israel is now transitioned into the promised renewal of Israel herself far beyond that of their land. It begins with the following:
36:16-20—The Defiled Land—The land has been defiled by the conduct of the people of Israel:
(1) What does the Lord use to liken their action that defiled the land? (v. 17)
(2) What specific conduct of defilement does the Lord cite? (v. 18)
(3) How does their dispersion lead to the name of the Lord being profaned? (v. 20)
36:21-24—God’s Vindication of His Name—In order to show the holiness of His great name, the Lord will do some things through Israel (v. 23):
(4) What will God do that will show Himself holy before the nations? (v. 24)
(5) What is meant by “showing the holiness of” His great name? (v. 23)
(6) Why will the gathering and bringing back of the exiles reveal the holiness of God’s name?
(7) For what reason is the Lord going to do this? (vv. 21, 22)
(8) This reason is repeated in v. 32. Why does the Lord make such an emphasis?
36:25-38—A New Covenant
(9) Can Israel be brought back to their land that they once defiled in their sinful state? (v. 25)
(10) How is it possible? How are they able to follow God’s decrees from then onward, while they failed miserably to do so before? (vv. 26-27)
(11) How will the Abrahamic/Mosaic Covenant be fulfilled in them? (v. 28; see Gen. 17:6-8; Exod. 6:7)
(12) How will the removal of their uncleanness impact the land? (vv. 29-30)
(13) This New Covenant is initiated by God and is entirely “grace”, but what does the Lord desire their response to be? (vv. 31-32)
(14) What impact will their restoration have on the nations? (vv. 35-36)
(15) What impact will this restoration have on the relationship between Israel and the Lord? (vv. 37-38)
(16) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?