Reflections
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 37
E Z E K I E L
The prophecy against Egypt (587 BCE by the date given to us by Ezekiel). Ezekiel had been taken captive into Babylon about 15 years earlier. Nebuchadnezzar’s army was just beginning their siege of Jerusalem. Egypt had been a world power for centuries and had prospered under the stewardship of Joseph when he was Prime Minister. Several years later, following his death, the prosperity continued for Egypt with the availability of an abundance of Israelite ‘slave labour’. Now Ezekiel was shown events which would soon follow for Egypt, and God would use first the Greeks (570 BCE), and then the same armies which were besieging Jerusalem (567 BCE) to bring judgement on the Egyptians. The Pharaoh was described as a ‘crocodile’, a mean cruel monster, which was once revered by Egyptians, but living in the rivers where Egyptians fished for food. Additionally, Israel had unwisely relied on Egypt in a military alliance, and been let down. “Then all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD, because they have been a staff of reed (very weak) to the house of Israel (Isaiah 36:6). When they took hold of you with the hand, you broke and tore all their shoulders (turned on them), when they leaned on you, you broke and made all their backs quiver”. For that, God said He would make Egypt “desolate and waste”. And He did. But as a God of mercy and compassion, that was not the end for the people. “At the end of forty years .. I will bring back the captives of Egypt and cause them to return to the land of their origin, and there they shall be the lowliest of kingdoms .. so they will not rule over the nations anymore”. And they never have. The lesson for us? What God says, God will do!
In a very interesting twist, it seems to me, God had determined to reward the army of Nebuchadnezzar, for their help in bringing judgement upon Judah!! They had toiled for about 13 years in siege of Tyre as their reward, but were unsuccessful. The people of Tyre escaped to an Island and survived. “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Surely I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he shall take away her wealth, carry off her spoil and remove her pillage; and that will be the wages for his army. I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour, because he worked for Me.’ Says the Lord GOD”. God is no-one’s debtor.
The prophecy against Egypt continued, and as our reading progresses we see that other nations are drawn into the net of God’s wrath. Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, Chub. Nations who supported, and had citizens working with, Egypt are all drawn into the net. “Those who uphold Egypt shall fall”, we are told. And here is perhaps another lesson for us today. We need to take great care to whom, and what, we support and provide aid. Because when God looks upon those who are His, He expects that we will not give our support to those who oppose Him. Certainly not those who are false teachers. Our God is a jealous God. Double standards will not be tolerated in any circumstance. One cannot support what God condemns. To do so is to be subject to the same condemnation. Then Ezekiel is told the reason for all this wrath AGAIN. “That they shall know that I am the LORD”. It is a recurring theme of God. When He instructed Moses to proclaim the curses which befell the Pharaoh of Egypt in his day, it was so that “they shall know that I am the LORD”. And because we are already blessed with the knowledge of Him. We are without excuse.
In Chapter 33 of our text, God returns to the message He first gave Ezekiel in Chapter 3. It is a message we should all learn. It is the role of “watchman”. It doesn’t sound too arduous, but it is viewed with great importance by God. In Chapter 3, God appointed Ezekiel as “watchman” for the house of Israel. Here in Chapter 33, God instructed Ezekiel to appoint other “watchmen”, with identical responsibility and consequence. It is a simple task. When danger appears, blow the trumpet to warn the people. It is what Ezekiel is doing in writing this prophetic book. Those who heed the warning will be saved from the danger. They take action themselves to be protected. But if the warning is deliberately ignored, then they take the consequential responsibility themselves. However, if the “watchman” does NOT sound the warning, he bears the consequential responsibility for his lack of action. I note that there is NO middle ground. It is concisely set out for us as God told Ezekiel “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?” Good question eh? Selah!
Our ‘reflection’ ends this week with a sad reminder that the Israelites did not heed the warning of the “watchmen”, and were taken, as a nation, into captivity in Babylon. But we know they were restored, in part, about 70 years later, when first Ezra, then Nehemiah, returned to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. So it comes as a surprise to see the prophecy in Ezekiel 33: 28 about the “desolation of the land”. This is a reference to another exile which took place when the Romans, in 135 CE expelled the Jews after the Bar Kochba uprising, and the siege at Masada. It is noteworthy that the land of Israel endured about 1,800 years of drought after that event. In 1867, the American author, Mark Twain, in his book “Innocents Abroad” wrote that the land, then known as Palestine, was a land “desolate and uninhabitable”. There was no meaningful rain there until about 1880! And today, Israel has an annual rainfall of approx. 600 mm. As we anticipate our “reflection” of next week, we will see how that is so important in God’s plan for those who are called by His name.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 36
E Z E K I E L
In a graphical, picturesque way, God spoke to Ezekiel about the abominations with which the Israelites had defiled themselves. Going back to their time in Egypt, as slaves, God identified the roots of their defilement. He used the example of two sisters to describe the downfall of both Israel and Judah (for which He uses the name of their capital city, Jerusalem). He might have expected that the sister “Oholibah” (Jerusalem) would have learned from the calamity which befell “Oholah” (Samaria). But the malady was deep seated, and had to be removed. Chapter 23 is quite descriptive, and requires no further comment to gain the impression of the disgust with which God viewed their behaviour, and for which He could no longer withhold judgment.
Ezekiel is specific about dating his revelations from the LORD. The dates commence (Ezekiel 1:2) from the reign of Judah’s king Jehoiachin. So the Ezekiel 24 encounter is set in 588 BCE, when the 18 month siege of Jerusalem began. The parable of the boiling pot is another graphic picture of a time of misery for the Judeans as they suffer the siege of Nebuchadnezzar. After the people are dealt with, the “pot” (Jerusalem) itself, is ruined in the fire. “It shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not hold back, nor will I spare, nor will I relent; and according to your deeds they will judge you”. God told Ezekiel that he was not to mourn or weep over His judgement. Then in an almost unbelievable manner, Ezekiel says he told the people the message of God in the morning, and that very evening his own wife died! Did the LORD take away his natural sorrow supernaturally? We will never know. But what we do know is that Ezekiel was faithful to his allotted task, and became an example to the people. “Thus Ezekiel is a sign to you; according to all that he has done you shall do; and when this comes, you shall know that I am the Lord GOD”.
The “lamentations” continue. Ezekiel 25 records the words of the LORD against those who dealt spitefully with Israel. Turn your mind back to the promise God made to Abraham in Genesis 12:3. “I will (bitterly) curse (Heb. a’rar) those who (treat with contempt) curse (Heb. qalal) you”. So it is that we find Ezekiel instructed to prophesy the events which are to be visited on the Ammonites, and the inhabitants of Moab and Seir. They would scoff and ridicule the Judeans. Edom is mentioned again. The Philistines and the Cherethites, Tyre, Sidon. All the nations and groups who ‘treated Israel with contempt’ come under the judgement of the LORD for their actions. Because God described the Israelites as “My special treasure”, and “the apple of My eye”, those who ignore that relationship do so at their peril. And Ezekiel is chosen by God to reinforce that message. “Hear the word of the Lord GOD! Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Because you said “Aha!’ Against My sanctuary when it was profaned, and against the land of Israel when it was desolate, and against the house of Judah when it went into captivity, indeed therefore I will deliver you as a possession to the men of the East etc. etc”. The Philistines too because “they dealt vengefully and took vengeance with a spiteful heart, to destroy because of the old hatred”. And don’t we see that in evidence today in many nations of the world. Curiously, to me, whereas God was bringing judgement on the Israelites because of their neglect of Torah, in many places, especially among some Christians, the ‘hatred’ seems to be because the Jews overtly uphold the Torah!! Work that out if you can.
We sometimes forget that whilst God is certainly concerned with the land of Israel because of His special relationship to the Jews, He actually commands the destiny of ALL nations. “For all the earth is Mine” (Exodus 19:5). It was His then, and it is His now, albeit temporarily the disobedient are under the influence of the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). But that does not provide an acceptable excuse, before God, for behaviours which are detrimental to His beloved nation. Ezekiel is given a list of the detractors. Babylon heads the list, Ammonites, cities of Moab and Seir, Edom, the Philistines, citizens of Tyre, Sidon, Persia, Lydia, Libya, Syria all get a mention. And dear friends, I suspect that if Ezekiel were delivering that prophetic message today, there would be many more. To our great shame, well known names of countries and people groups joining that list. The word of the LORD still applies. “Because you have set your heart as the heart of a god, behold, therefore, I will bring strangers against you, the most terrible of nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, and defile your splendour. They shall throw you down into the Pit, and you shall die the death of the slain in the midst of the seas”. I speculate here as I see in my mind, the cruel destructive hand of Islam as a possible agent of the LORD is bringing judgement on nations which have been, for many centuries, enemies and detractors of the dispersed of Israel!
Well the last word, as always, must go to the LORD Himself. “When I have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and am hallowed in them in the sight of the Gentiles, then they will dwell in their own land which I gave to My servant Jacob. And they will dwell safely there, build houses, and plant vineyards; yes, they will dwell securely, when I execute judgements on all those around them who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God”.
That re-gathering is taking place in our generation. It is a sign that we are at the beginning of the end. I pray that those who claim to be “on the LORD’s side”, will join Him in being on Israel’s side too.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 35
E Z E K I E L
A ‘lament’ is a verbal expression of grief. God required Ezekiel to pronounce such a deep regret. It is historical. It’s about the past. But as is often the case, the past determines the future. So it was for the southern kingdom of Judah, The ‘mother’ refers to the nation, Judah. The ‘lions’ refer to her recent kings. All of them “bad” kings. Specifically, Jehoahaz, who only reigned for 3 months in 609 BCE, overthrown by Egypt’s Pharaoh Necho. Then Jehoiachin, unjust and cruel, who also only had a 3 month reign before being carried off to Babylon in a cage (2 Kings 24:6-15) in 597 BCE. He was held captive for 37 years. And finally, Zedekiah, bringing about the collapse of the Davidic dynasty in 586 BCE. By his treachery, he was responsible for the burning down of Jerusalem. But as to the future, the Davidic dynasty will be restored when Messiah Yeshua returns to sit on that throne.
In Ezekiel 14 we pondered the question “Should I let Myself be enquired of at all by them?” Which the LORD put to Ezekiel (a question which brought enormous challenge to my life, see “reflection” 33). Now the LORD is quite specific when some of the elders came to enquire of Him. “I will not be inquired of by you”. But He told Ezekiel to “Judge them, and make known to them the abominations of their fathers”. Abominations which evidently were continued by them. Hence the judgment. So it was that again God spoke to Ezekiel about the blessings He had promised to the Israelites. Bringing them out of slavery in Egypt. Giving them their own land which He described as “a land that I had searched out for them, ‘flowing with milk and honey’, the glory of all lands”. Not any land. The best that existed. And as He continued, we find an expression which provides a salutary lesson for each of us. “Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they despised My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them”. Remember Malachi 3:6. “I am the LORD, I do not change”. So here is the lesson. There are NOT some rules for one, and different rules for others. For the Israelites, Deuteronomy 28,29 spelled out the blessings (for the obedient) and the ‘curses’ (for others). Those curses are activated by mans own choices. They are stated clearly upfront. No ambiguity. What Ezekiel was being told to say was already known by the Israelites. It was not a mystery. But that did not make any more palatable either. As we said earlier in this ‘reflection’ “the past (or even for us the present) determines our future”. That is an unambiguous fact of Scripture, proclaimed here by the prophet Ezekiel. “I am the LORD your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgements, and do them; hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God”. Selah!
It must have been heartrending for Ezekiel to bring the words of the LORD to the people. He was one of them. He was captive in Babylon at the time. He is told to tell the people that a sword is already prepared, sharpened, polished, waiting to bring destruction to Jerusalem. Dreams turned into nightmares. As Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon prepared to go to battle, it seemed that he had two places to invade. Ezekiel is shown the alternatives. Rabbah of the Ammonites and Judah, where Jerusalem was fortified. At the junction of the two ways, a decision had to be made. Nebuchadnezzar turned to ‘divination’ for direction. But, Ezekiel knew that God Almighty was in control, because He told him so. The Judeans thought it was a false divination. That it would not happen. Speaking of Zedekiah, God said “Now to you, O profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose iniquity shall end, thus says the LORD ‘Remove the turban, and take off the crown; nothing shall remain the same”. God’s judgment cannot be stayed. It is as inevitable as night follows day. The Judeans did not believe it. And my dear friends, many, even those who claim allegiance to our God, do not believe it. (Matthew 7:21) It would be good to read again, from Ezekiel 3 and 33, the role we have as watchmen. It is an onerous duty to be called as a modern day Ezekiel.
As we near the end of this ‘reflection’, God, repetitiously, calls Ezekiel to be a judge. Pointing out over and again the abominations which caused Him to act against the people called by His name. Why? Why now? As I pondered this thought, it came to me that the abominable actions of people called by God’s own name, could not continue because of the damage being done to His NAME. God was effectively being mocked. He had intended the Israelites to be an example for good in the world. As He does US. Instead God’s very name was brought into disrepute. Pray that we are not guilty of the same offence, not by what we say, but by the way we live our lives before men. That was the ultimate sin of the Israelites. They belonged to the LORD, but acted as though they did not. The result for them? “I will scatter you among there nations, disperse you throughout the countries, and remove your filthiness completely from you. You shall defile yourself in the sight of the nations; then you shall know that I am the LORD”.
The people were about to experience the fire of the LORD. “I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no-one”. How sad. God looks, in every generation, for those who will ‘stand in the gap’ before Him. In our generation we have been called for that purpose. God grant that we diligently seek His face to understand the role He has allotted us to accomplish in His Name, by living righteously before men. May you find blessing in so doing.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 34
E Z E K I E L
The tone of God’s judgement against Judah appears to change. It was lack of attention to the covenant, to which they had agreed, which had been the focus of complaint against them. The idolatry, the rebellion, the defiance, and the attitude, which caused the anger of the LORD to be directed against them. The metaphor of the wood of the vine, useful for the purpose of bearing fruit, and for no other practical purpose, is graphic. When its fruit bearing is finished it is burned in the fire. Judah, indeed the whole of Israel, is likened to the wood of the vine. God chose them, nurtured them, raised them, for that very purpose. The ‘reflection’ Scriptures this week start with a bit of a history lesson for them. The first 7 verses of chapter 16 contain a survey of the time from Abraham to their departure from Egypt. The time when God was preparing them to be the “special treasure”, He had promised Abraham they were to be. The manifestation of that role was to come when they entered the land God had promised them. The language in our text is graphically descriptive. From an unattractive ‘waif’ to a ‘beautiful queen’. And now, some 800 years later, Judah, the southern kingdom, was about to feel the hot breath of God’s chastisement for their misdemeanours. Just as Israel, in the north, had done 120 years earlier. Humiliating exile from the land. A quite sad commentary. From “queen” to “waif” again. Is there a lesson for us in that? Am I the man God expected me to be when He called me into His service? Selah!
What had happened to these ‘chosen people’? Ezekiel continued the narrative. God blessed them abundantly. They began to understand and appreciate that there were safe arms of love and protection around them. Their enemies seemed to be powerless against them. Yes, they suffered some defeats, but were not overwhelmed. Until now. What had changed? Put as simplistically as it possibly can be, they took God’s protection for granted. In so doing, they forgot the most solemn promises of God (Deuteronomy 28,29) which required that they had an important role to fulfil, in order to enjoy the continuation of God’s unfailing blessing. There is a parallel we might make here. Their salvation, like ours, was freely provided for by our God. When they painted the blood of the Passover lamb on the doorposts of their houses, their salvation was assured. When we put our faith and trust in the finished work of Messiah Yeshua, our salvation is assured. We enter into covenant with God. The Apostle John quoted Yeshua Himself when referring to the way we would be identified as His disciples. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments”. That’s right, it’s that clear. That’s the same Yeshua who was “In the beginning”. (John 1:1) Taking Him for granted leads to a perilous outcome. Take time to read Matthew 7 : 20-23. ‘Lawlessness’ is a Greek translation of“Torahlessness”.
Ezekiel does not mince words. Chapter 16 describes the spiritual immorality of Judah. Comparisons are made with Samaria (the northern kingdom), with Sodom (completely removed from sight). Even the women of the Philistines were abhorred by their behaviour. “Now then, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD: Because your filthiness was poured ourt and your nakedness uncovered in your harlotry with your lovers, and with all your abominable idols, and because of the blood of your children which you gave to them, surely therefore, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all this you loved, and all those you hated; I will gather them from all around against you and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness”. Devastating humiliation before all those to whom God expected they would be an good example.
It sounds as though God was finished with them for ever doesn’t it? He had every right to be angry, and we have good reason to expect that they would experience the curses which follow disobedience to their covenant. Otherwise how can we have trust in His promises to us? But God had not finished what He wanted to tell them. “For thus says the Lord GOD: I will deal with you as you have done, who despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Never- the- less I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. … Then you shall know that I am the LORD”. That covenant, when it is made, will be unbreakable. “Not according to the covenant I made with their fathers”. (Jeremiah 31:31) And it will have the same Torah as the one they broke!
God then told a ‘parable’ for the people to consider. The parable of the two eagles. The first referred to the king of Babylon, who prevailed against Judah. The second eagle refers to Judah’s last king, Zedekiah, who turned to Egypt for help against the invasion of the Babylonians. That plan turned against them, and they ended up with two enemies! Two eagles instead of just one.
Our reading comes to an end on a note of great comfort. There is redemption for anyone who acts in accordance with the covenant they make. “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the fathers well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die. But if a man is just and does what is lawful and right; … If he has walked in My statutes and kept My judgements fait“hfully - he is just; he shall surely live! Says the Lord GOD”.
Our God is a covenant keeping God. Righteous. Upright. Just.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 33
E Z E K I E L
The LORD had shown Ezekiel, in visions, the wickedness and rebellion of the people. It continued further by revelation of 25 people, leaders no less, who were stirring the people up to fight against the insurmountable might of the armies of Babylon. They described the people as “meat in a cauldron”, from which there was no escape. By engaging in battle, many would unnecessarily lose their lives. In contrast, the prophet Jeremiah, also a priest, had counselled the people to go quietly, to avoid losing their lives in battle, and trust the LORD to bring them back (Jer 27:9-17). Ezekiel cried out to the LORD. “Ah, LORD God! Will You make a complete end of the remnant of Israel?” The LORD replied with words which are of immense comfort. They form part of a major theme of the prophetic message of Ezekiel, which is the faithfulness of God in keeping covenant with His people. That does not in any way diminish His anger at their disobedience, or reflect change in His attitude to their idolatry. “Although I have cast them far off among the gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone”.
The hostility was from Babylon, and that is where the vast majority were exiled. But it would appear that many others did not wait for that invasion, but took opportunity to escape to other neighbouring lands, even some very far away. The promise of the LORD to “be a little sanctuary” speaks of those who remain faithful in their observances and remembrances of the love, grace, and mercy of Him throughout their generations, even in foreign places. (It is notable that, with no temple available to them, the ‘synagogue’ as a place of worship and praise arose from that exile in Babylon. It is a characteristic of Jewish people to this very day. Readily identified in any community.) And in unambiguous language, the LORD continued “I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel”. The covenant promise of the land, previously made with the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is hereby verified yet again, to the people who are about to be exiled from the land. That’s the good news. But the LORD also said “None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak will be done”.
There is damning evidence of the deception which some “prophets” in the community had sought to elevate themselves in the eyes of the people. Claiming to speak in the name of the LORD. “You say, ‘The LORD says,’ but I have not spoken”. There is a huge lesson for us today right here. When anyone uses the words “The LORD told me” or similar, it is almost invariably used as a conversation stopper. The exact opposite is a better response. “How did the LORD speak to you?” would be better. As believers we have a responsibility to ‘test the spirits’. Do not be deceived, as were these people of Judah, by words spoken in the name of the LORD, when He has not spoken such words. The test? God will not speak anything which is contrary to His written word. “My hand will be against the prophets who vision futility and who divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, nor be written in the record of the house of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD God”. God used the example of a wall plastered with untempered mortar. When the rains came, the facade was washed away and the foundations exposed. Falsity. Ambitions of the fakes. Exposed for all to see.
Ezekiel then related an incident which the LORD used to speak directly into my heart several years ago. I was lying in a hospital bed at the time, immobilised. Trust me when I say that I was praying long and often for the LORD to heal me. It is quite personal to me, and it changed my life. YES, I am SURE it was the LORD who spoke. Some elders of Israel had come to enquire, to seek some counsel, from Ezekiel the priest. Read the story very carefully yourself (Ezekiel 14). The LORD revealed to Ezekiel that these ‘elders’ had “set up idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity”. Then the body blow. “Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?” Was the LORD saying that there are some (me specifically) that He was questioning if their requests should be heard? That my prayers were blocked from Him? That He was not even willing to hear about my pain? My inability to move? The good news for me was that God used that to change me, and to bring about my recovery. But MORE than that, I learned that God speaks through His word TODAY. All it takes is a desire to listen. “For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates from Me and sets up his idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, then comes to a prophet to enquire of him concerning Me, I the LORD will answer him by Myself”. Everyone of us is answerable directly to the LORD. Selah!
Finally, for this ‘reflection’, Ezekiel was told “When a land sins against me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it”. Nations are to receive the judgment of the LORD according to their faithfulness to the LORD whose land it is. All the world is His. But there is hope for individuals living in such faithless lands. “Even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it (Jeremiah adds Moses and Samuel to that short list (Jer 15:1)) they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness”.
There is always a remnant. People who remain faithful. God grant that we may be numbered among them.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 32
E Z E K I E L
Our ‘reflection’ last week ended with God giving Ezekiel an unusual picture of the discomfort He wanted Ezekiel to know. Symbolic of the discomfort which would be Israel’s experience. Painful. It continued in our reading this week. Shaving the head. Symbolic of shame and humiliation to which Israel would be subjected. The hair, divided into portions, symbolic of the manner in which Israel would be treated. Some (vv 4 and 12) to die by ‘fire’ (pestilence and famine), by the ‘sword’ (dispersed and killed). Some (v 3) to remain as a remnant but subject to further calamity. “This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations and the countries all around her. (As an example and a witness for My holy name’s sake) She has rebelled against My judgements by doing wickedness more than the nations, and against My statutes more than the countries that are all around her; for they have refused My judgments, and they have not walked in My statutes …. therefore … Indeed I, even I, am against you and will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations” (As an example and a witness for My holy name’s sake). Expressed in human terms, the disappointment of the LORD, evident in these words of His, by the extent of the failure of His own to keep the covenant to which they had agreed, is palpable. What a lesson that should provide for everyone who enters into covenant with Him.
It need not have been so. We are not reading the account of one suddenly and maliciously confronted, without warning, by an angry parent. The nation of Israel had received countless warnings. All unheeded. Defiantly ignored. For us it provides yet another opportunity to take stock. What can we learn from this message of Ezekiel’s? “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31). The record of God’s dealings with His own are there so that we may know Him. That we may understand what He requires of us. Only the foolhardy, the stubborn, the rebellious, ignore such a clear message.
In chapter 6 of our text, Ezekiel is shown how displeased the LORD was with the desecration of the land. Worship of idols had been instituted. The ‘high places’ which had been established would be completely erased from the landscape. The bones of those who would lose their lives, scattered around those desecrated sites. And yet, in the midst of all this carnage, for His own purposes, a remnant would be left. “Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols; they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all there abominations. And they shall know that I am the LORD”. Then the LORD laments over the land itself. The entire land seems ripe for judgment. Is it the land which has swallowed up the people and caused them to stray? Or is it the people who have faltered, and in familiarity taken so much for granted, taking the land down with them? “Doom has come to you, you who dwell in the land; the time has come, a day of trouble is near, and not of rejoicing in the mountains. Now upon you I will soon pour out My fury …. I will repay you according to your ways”. Such a sad end to the promise of freedom in their own land, to which their forefathers had looked forward, after centuries of slavery in Egypt.
One year and two months (about 592 BCE) after the first vision, Ezekiel, the priest, was sitting at home with the elders of Judah when the LORD “fell upon him'. In visions, he was lifted up above the earth where he could see Jerusalem (Reminder:- he was in Babylon at this time, but the main populace was still residing in the land, which was not yet conquered, nor the temple destroyed, until 6 years later). The LORD showed him the abominations which were being committed by the elders, and others, who were saying “The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land”. What a mistake. But there was even worse. “Women were there weeping for Tammuz” (The Babylonian worship of Tammuz is connected with the basest of immoralities). Further, he was shown a picture of 25 men, facing towards the east, engaged in worship of the sun. In that vision, Ezekiel was shown why God was so angry with the people. “Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence; then they have returned to to provoke Me to anger”. The LORD then commanded that a mark be put on the foreheads of “those who sigh and cry over all the abominations that had been done within the city”. Yes, even in the midst of these abominations, there are righteous people who will not suffer the judgement of those who are guilty. Another lesson. We observe events, attitudes, actions and even laws passed, today which are offensive, and at great variance with our faith. The God we worship is openly mocked. God is neither blind nor deaf. He sees and He hears all that is going on. But importantly for us who belong to Him, is that He also sees how we react, and how we behave, in the face of such “abominations”. When judgment comes, will He see His mark on me?
The final vision confirms the observation made in our previous ‘reflection’ about the identity of the “four beasts” and the chariots of judgement. For Ezekiel it was a confirmatory vision that he was still hearing from God. His mission unfinished. Much more to accomplish. The glory and majesty of God was lifted above the chaos and abomination of situation. But His judgment will still be proclaimed .
God grant that we understand the commitment we made when we chose to follow Him.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 31
E Z E K I E L
A “minor” prophet Ezekiel is not. God entrusted this man with prophetic messages of great significance. Some we are privileged to see unfolding before our own eyes this very day. Much of it (chapters 40 - 48) is still future to us. Both Ezekiel and Daniel are included in this series of ‘reflections’ even though they properly fit in with Isaiah and Jeremiah, and called “major” prophets. That terminology has nothing to do with the prophetic importance of their message, but relates to the length (number of words) of their contribution.
Ezekiel was a priest. A contemporary of both Jeremiah, also a priest who was about 20 years older, and Daniel, who was about the same age as Ezekiel. He is precise in his dating of his call to prophecy. He was among 10,000 who were taken captive to Babylon in 597 BCE (2 Kings 24). He then resided at Tel Abib, by the River Chebar, in his captivity. It was there that he had “visions of God” and the “word of the LORD came expressly to him”. Now what he saw is not easy to interpret. It has similarities to the scenes shown to John in Revelation. The description of the “four living creatures” is detailed, unlike anything seen by man on this earth. Able to move in any direction. The “wheels” are descriptive of a kind of chariot which moved effortlessly along with these “creatures”. It is emblematic of God’s omnipresence in judgement, here there and everywhere. Inescapable. In appearance like a man. But God is Spirit. We may conclude that this speaks of the One we identify as God the Son. Ezekiel was overwhelmed and fell on his face. “This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD” he said. Then he heard the voice.
“I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day”. In preparation for his task, Ezekiel was given the vision of a “scroll of a book written on both sides”. A scroll is normally only written on one side. The vision is that the message was doubly full of “the lamentations and mourning and woe” that God wished to convey to the Israelites. But first Ezekiel was to “eat the book”. It is a good lesson. Before one can teach the word of God, one has to internalise its content. Be familiar with the promises, the judgements, commandments, statutes, precepts, and expectations written in that word. As God continued to give Ezekiel details of his assignment, it seems as though he was on mission impossible. “But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted”. But what I see is that God was intent on giving everyone the opportunity to get right with Himself. Every nation is made up of individual citizens. And whilst it is true that God deals with nations, He also deals with individuals. Ezekiel’s mission was not futile. God does not deal in futility.
In his many conversations with the LORD, Ezekiel is invariably referred to as “son of man”. It has no relevance to the message. “I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel”. That has great relevance. We are all “sons of men”. It is the message which has relevance. It did for Ezekiel, it does for us all. “Therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me”. This, my dear friends, is a universal message from the LORD. Ezekiel, (and by extension each of us), is charged with the role of messenger of the LORD. “When I say to the wicked, ‘you shall surely die’, and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I shall require at you hand. Yet if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.” The message of God is abundantly clear. His concern for Israel is a concern for each individual within that nation. Ezekiel’s charge, to “eat the book”, to go to the people, to provide warning out of his intimate knowledge of God and His word, is to ensure that no-one will be able to say “I didn’t know”. And IF such a person is able to say “I had a friend who was a believer but he never warned me”, God says the blood of that person will be required of the one who did not provide the warning. As I ‘reflect’ on this Scripture, the main message for me is my appointment as a “watchman for the LORD”.
Ezekiel, in his vision saw other unusual instructions. Confinement in his own house, bound with ropes, unable to speak. “But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them ‘Thus says the LORD’.” It appears to me like the old adage of parents to children “speak when you are spoken to”. Regardless of his knowledge and understanding of God, Ezekiel is told to speak only when God directs him. Today we might say that we need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in our utterances. As God directs. It’s like an arrow, not a scattergun.
The LORD wanted Ezekiel to feel the intensity of the sin of Israel and for Judah. The manner in which this was conveyed was by him making a clay portrait of the city. To metaphorically lay siege to the city. For Israel to feel the pain of lying on his side, without moving, for 390 days. Then for Judah, to lie on his other side for a further 40 days. His food was to be cooked over a fire made of human waste. Utterly defiled. It was a picture of what would happen to the Israelites in their exile from the land. Obliged to eat what the gentiles ate. Cut off from that which they were used to in the land of God’s promise. Free to live as God intended. Undefiled by pagan influence. They were to pay an enormous price for their disobedience to the covenant they had sworn to keep. The message of Ezekiel was for them. The application is for us.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
TORAH REFLECTIONS PESACH
Torah Reflections “Pesach 2”
Torah portion Exodus 13 : 17 - 15 : 26
Haftarah portion Numbers 28 : 16 – 25
The Torah of YHWH given to Moses
We come to the last day of the celebration and remembrance of “Pesach”.
The parashah narrative begins with the statement of fact that the Pharoah had finally agreed to “let the people go”. It continues with the story of the journey of escape from Egypt, and the drowning of the pursuing Egyptian army, and it ends with the provision of “sweet water” to drink out of the bitter waters of Marah. A fascinating story.
These events are well known. Even non-Christian sceptics are familiar with the story, so we do not need to re-visit the detail. But we need to find the lessons for ourselves as the story unfolds.
Last week we focussed on the prophetic significance of the whole season of the three Pesach festivals. This week we learn of the detail of the way the event unfolded for them in practical terms. In fact, as we arrive at the very end of the “Feast of Unleavened Bread” in our study this week, we see the hand of Almighty God, and a picture of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach in this parashah.
We could look at the provision of food, which rained down from Heaven each night, sufficient to satisfy each family for the whole day ahead. And that which was not eaten that day rotted before the next day! It was to be gathered and eaten FRESH each day (Miraculously, the same food lasted TWO days when the weekly Shabbat came around).
The Apostle John, in Chapter 6 from verse 32, records the words of Yeshua when He described Himself as “the Bread of Life”. He goes further by relating the “bread from Heaven” in Moses time with Himself.
“Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
It is not going too far to equate the Israelites need for a daily gathering of that bread, with our need today for a ‘daily gathering’ of the bread which Yeshua is. He taught us to pray ‘give us this day our daily bread’. I believe that this phrase has both a literal and a spiritual meaning. We need to gather our ‘bread’ DAILY, just as those Israelites did in our parashah.
We could look at the provision of water. Moses was told to strike the rock, out of which poured an abundance of clean fresh, life-giving water. Our beloved Apostle Paul, writing to the church at Corinth used a most interesting description of this water.
“Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” 1 Corinthians 10 : 1- 4.
Paul is suggesting here that the miracle of the provision of water from the Rock extended to that Rock actually following them around!! The plain sense of this is that it was Yeshua Himself, there with the Israelites on their journeying’s in the wilderness who sustained them with life giving water. On another occasion, when Yeshua was attending the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, at the time of the water libation Ceremony in the Temple He said:-
“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."” John 7 : 37,38
So then, as the “mo’ed” of Pesach concludes for another year, we remind ourselves that the Passover Seder which starts the celebration of this season always ends with the participants saying “Next Year in Jerusalem”. An anticipatory statement about the coming of Messiah.
So we who are believers in Yeshua, can see the way in which this “appointed time” of Pesach not only speaks of Yeshua perfectly fulfilling His role as the ‘Lamb that was slain’, but also throughout the whole parashah we have reminders of His role in our lives as the sustainer of our life.
For the believer, without Him there is no hope of life. With Him we have abundant life …. IF we choose to access it. Praise be to Him.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 30
D A N I E L
The revelation given to Daniel, of times still future to us, is quite amazing. Could there be anything more to tell? Daniel was so disturbed by what had been revealed that he had “mourned” for three weeks and hadn’t eaten all that well either. A few days later he was with friends, on the banks of the River Tigris, when he had another visionary experience. It seems that when Gabriel explained the events leading to what we know as “Daniel’s 70th week”, he hadn’t explained events closer in time. So he returned to fill in those details. Daniel’s friends, although not seeing Gabriel, were filled with terror, and fled! Daniel collapsed, but clearly heard the words spoken by Gabriel. “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you … for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come because of your words”. He then went on to explain that for three weeks (coinciding with Daniel’s ‘mourning’) there had been a “battle in the heavenlies” with satan’s emissary, called ‘the prince of the kingdom of Persia’ (see Revelation 16:14). We are given a small glimpse here of the battles which take place in the heavenlies, because Gabriel was left alone, but received help from Michael (Revelation 12:7). It seems fair to conclude from this that both satan and Almighty God, have angels responsible for the affairs of nations of the earth doesn’t it? That shows how important then it is for us to pray for our nation.
Now back to the vision of Daniel. What follows is a pre-event view of the future kingdoms which accord with the visionary statue of Nebuchadnezzar. The Medo-Persian empire, led by the powerful king Cyrus. Four kings who are prophesied to succeed Cyrus (now according to known history) brings us to Xerxes (In the book of Esther he is known as Ahaseurus). He had a disastrous military campaign against Greece in about 480BCE, and this began the substantial weakening of the Persian empire which eventually fell to Greece in 330BCE under the command of Alexander then Great. A good ancient history book can fill in the minutia.
In the complicated account related in Daniel 11:5-20, a period which covers about 200 years is prophesied. It relates to wars, disputes, alliances and changes which occur to bring about the replacement of the Greek empire with that of Rome. The ‘vile person’ referred to in verse 21 is none other than the Syrian persecutor of Israel called Antiochus IV Epiphanes. It was a period of great distress and bloodshed. A period prophesied in Scripture, but with no Biblical canon recording those events. Secular history does. It was a time when there does not appear to have been much ‘honour’ displayed. It was a time of ‘survival of the fittest’, or more appropriately perhaps, the one with the strongest army or the most devious methodology. The ‘defilement’ of the temple (v 31) is prophesied. It was actually a time of great stress for Israel. There was much division, largely between “Hellenised Jews” and “Pharasaic Jews” which is again prophesied (v 32). “Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits”. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, in his book “Antiquities of the Jews”, credits the person called Judas Maccabeus with the overthrow of those who defiled the temple, around 165 BCE. The temple was re-dedicated and that event is now celebrated universally by Jews in the joyful annual festival called Hanukkah (Festival of Lights).
(In the interests of literary honesty, it is noted that Jewish scholars, using Jewish calendar historical dates to interpret Daniel 9 specifically, identify the destruction of the temple in 69 CE as the end of “Daniel’s 70th week”. The horrors of the FOURTH beast seem to be discounted to a degree. And life goes on as normal after that.)
As this prophetic book comes to a close, Gabriel returns to the matter of that “70th week”. Michael again has a role. On this occasion (of gentile invasion) to help, watch over, and support Israel. “And at that time your (Daniel’s) people shall, be delivered”. Or as Paul puts it “All Israel shall be saved” (Romans 11:26). It foresees a time of resurrection “Some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt”. It is a description of Daniel 9 and Revelation 20. In my writing of these ‘reflections’ over a number of years, I have come to appreciate that it is often difficult to separate ‘the God view’ of time, from man’s view of time. In that inability, we can be easily be confused by events which we might see as sequential, but which may overlap or be separated by many years. I came to that appreciation especially in attempting to unravel the events of Revelation. So it is with Daniel too. “But you Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase”. I think that is an invitation to watch, to pray, to study, to seek wisdom, so that our understanding is enhanced. But our understanding, or lack of it, has no impact on God’s plan.
Daniel asked how long shall the fulfilment of these wonders be. He was shown “the man clothed in linen who held up his hands to heaven, who swore by Him who lives forever, and said ‘for time, and times, and half a time”. 3 1/2 years. Then what will happen? asked Daniel. “Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand”.
“Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the 1335 days”. That is just 45 days after the end. The time for transition, from this age to the next!!
May God grant us wisdom to understand, and be saved.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
TORAH REFLECTIONS PESACH
Torah Reflections “Pesach 1”
Torah portion Exodus 12 : 21 - 51 Numbers 28 : 16-25
Haftarah portion Joshua 5 : 2 to 6 : 1
The Torah of YHWH given to Moses
The regular sequence of Torah readings is interrupted this week because of the “mo’ed” of Pesach.
Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16 have the commandments about annual observances of the “mo’edim”. (The Hebrew word for “appointed times”, which in turn is usually translated into English as “feasts”). These are times when God specified He would meet with His chosen ones.
Today, they are most often referred to as “Jewish Feasts”. That correctly describes the fact that they are observances remembered by Jews. But it is an incorrect understanding of the Scriptures.
When God gave these instructions to Moses, He carefully worded these ‘appointed times’ (mo’edim) as MY ‘mo’edim’. They may be characterized as times when God says, in effect, “I will be there to meet with you on these specific occasions”. Those who choose not to attend miss an opportunity of blessing through meeting with Him at His invitation.
This festival, known as “Pesach” (Passover), embraces THREE festivals in a period of eight days. The first of these remembers the actual day in history (the 14th day of the first month, Nisan) when the Israelites experienced the ‘salvation’ of the firstborn in their families by placing the blood of the Pesach Lamb on the doorposts and lintels of their houses in Egypt. The Lord ‘passed over’ their houses when He saw the blood.
It also is the exact Hebrew calendar date of the crucifixion of Yeshua. The Christian celebration of Easter (replacing Passover) was formalized at the Council of Nicea in the days of the Emperor Constantine of Rome. It signalled the official separation of the “church” from its Hebrew roots. (In my view one of Satan’s major victories over mankind).
The second remembrance is known as the “Feast of Unleavened Bread” which occurs on the very next day, Nisan 15. (It is a High Sabbath), and it lasts seven days, and begins and ends with a special Sabbath, Note that there are always three Sabbaths during this Pesach festival. The “High Sabbath” which marks the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, (and the Sabbath which marks the end of the festival, PLUS the normal weekly Sabbath). It is this “High Sabbath” which is the Sabbath mentioned in John 19:31 before which the Jews were anxious to confine Yeshua’s body to the grave. Then the ‘normal’ weekly Sabbath occurred immediately prior to the resurrection of Yeshua. This confirms the statement of Yeshua in Luke 11:29 (as well as in Matthew and Mark) when asked for a sign. Read it. The complete lack of understanding of this fact has caused conventional church teaching to major on an incorrect “Good Friday” crucifixion story !
Unleavened Bread is eaten during the whole eight day period of the Pesach remembrance. To Jews it is a remembrance of the fact that they ate unleavened bread,(as commanded in Exodus 12:18) as they fled from Egypt on the night of Passover. Leaven is a symbol of SIN, so to believers, the Unleavened Bread also represents the sinless body of the Messiah which was buried in the grave for three days and three nights.
The third festival in this Pesach season is the “Feast of Firstfruits”. It occurs on the day AFTER the weekly Sabbath in Pesach week. (Always a SUNDAY). It signified the beginning of the Barley Harvest and was celebrated by a priest waving an ‘omer’ (a measure) of Barley in the temple in Yeshua’s day. But it was also the day on which Yeshua was resurrected from the grave. Believers refer to it as Resurrection Sunday. (but in association with Easter rather than Passover!) It signifies that Yeshua became the “Firstfruits from the dead”. (see 1 Corinthians15:23).
We should be grateful that churches worldwide (all varieties) remember the death and resurrection of Yeshua. And that they do so sincerely. But more and more, many people are realizing that our roots are inextricably founded in Judaism and the Lord’s “mo’edim” (appointed times). Those that do then focus more on Passover than Easter.
In addition to your own church fellowship, this year, take the trouble to find a fellowship of believers who celebrate Passover and join them in that celebration. You will be enlightened, blessed and immeasurably enriched as you do.
Chag Sameach (Happy Holiday)
Shabbat Shalom
RS