Ezekiel’s Hard-Edged Gloom… and a Glimmer

Second from Really, God?: Recognizing The Real God in The Book of Ezekiel, an ongoing series of blog posts
To see the first of this series, please click here.
By Eric Hatch
June 27, 2018
A note by way of introduction – Regardless of your level of understanding of The Bible, I say “Thanks for your time consideration!”, and after you read, please share your Comments below.
As we continue to look through some of the lesser known parts of The Bible, and specifically into the Book of Ezekiel the prophet, I must provide a bit of “Truth in Advertising”.
I admit that Ezekiel, though colorful and fantastic in its narrative, is… at times… hard to read.  This prophet, along with many others, share similar (read: repetitive) phrases throughout the book, and his stories and pronouncements of “The Word of The Lord” speak the same judgments on multiple nations, although they are from different points of view.  They tell God’s people in the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah to follow God’s path toward fulfillment.  They speak harshly about the violence toward the poor and alien among God’s chosen people and in their neighbors.  They speak in graphic terms (what American audiences might name “NC-17” descriptions) about the adulterous and wicked idolatry of even the priests of God’s Temple in Jerusalem.  However, this trumpeting of the reality of Ezekiel’s national decline seems to mirror our “enlightened” modern generation.  Both ages of humanity hear these words of warning and blessing over and over, and like most of those in the USA and other cultures who claim Jesus Christ as their Lord, the Israeli nation started to disconnect from (what the New Testament’s Apostle and Prophet Paul called) their “form[s] of godliness” in the religious ceremonies, and then, they start “denying the power” of those forms (2 Timothy 3:5).
Now, we can’t deny the jagged edges of The Major Prophets (called “Major” not for their influence as much for the size of their biblical writings).  Yes, Ezekiel reveals the hard-to-stomach truth of God’s gloomy judgment (7:9-13) –
“I will not look on you with pity; I will not spare you.
I will repay you for your conduct
and for the detestable practices among you.
Then you will know that it is I the Lord who strikes you.
See, the day!  See, it comes!
Doom has burst forth, the rod has budded, arrogance has blossomed!
Violence has arisen, a rod to punish the wicked.
None of the people will be left, none of that crowd –
none of their wealth, nothing of value.
The time has come!  The day has arrived!
Let not the buyer rejoice nor the seller grieve,
for my wrath is on the whole crowd.
The seller will not recover the property that was sold –
as long as both buyer and seller live.
For the vision concerning the whole crowd will not be reversed.
Because of their sins, not one of them will preserve [his] life.”
Yes, in a Bible Dictionary, this passage would provide a proper example of “Doom and Gloom”.  As God commanded, Ezekiel and all of the Prophets proclaimed Heavenly Father’s holiness and His inability to go against His own nature to simply excuse or overlook the sin of His chosen nation Israel.  Ezekiel woke up his countrymen to God’s irrevocable death sentence, an appropriate response to Israel’s violence, desecration of The Temple of God (Chapter 8), and adultery and prostitution with other gods and nations.
Let me emphasize a word of caution here about God’s righteous judgment.  As you read through Ezekiel, and if you have never read Chapters 16 and 23 of Ezekiel, seriously, sit down with a somber tone before reading them.  Ezekiel, receives “The Word of The Lord”, which describes Israel as an abandoned, unwashed newborn, then as a young and pretty peasant woman.  God matures her and describes His people as twins in Chapter 23 to represent the divided kingdoms of Judah and Israel.  God also lavishes gifts on her as a doting Father, then marries and clothes her in gorgeous wedding attire as her Bridegroom.  Yes, these are strangely mixed metaphors here, but Ezekiel wants his audience to remember the roles filled by God the Father and Christ, The Husband of The Church.   And though God made Israel and Judah into an attractive blessing to the nations around them, they cheated on their Creator, sold themselves into sexual slavery, then gave themselves willingly to their enemies.  Israel and Judah went whoring with other gods, and Elohim disgraced and destroys them for this purposeful betrayal.  Seriously, the horrific language of Chapter 23 stunned me the first time I read it, and it pushed me into a deeper meditation on knowing God’s love for His followers and correctly doing as He directs.
Clearly, God’s wrath reaches an end for His chosen people Israel, especially in light of the later chapters of Ezekiel, where He gloriously restores them to a place of prominence, including the entrance on previously unseen “Prince of Israel” onto the religious and political stage, who was and will be fulfilled in the comings of Jesus Christ.
Yet, even with a future hope in the minds of the prophet’s readers, we should recognize the level of heartfelt love and personal treachery, which God describes about his relationship with His nation.  As the One True God and Father of Israel sees it, His people walked out on Him, sold themselves away to His enemies, and gave away their holiness for almost nothing.  Do we not see the treason?  As believers in the God of mercy,  this is not the example of a slight mistake.  We have become the worst of enemies: those who turn away from what is holy and good and turn toward sin, selfishness, disobedience, and evil.
So, instead of seeing Israel and humanity as the victims of a harsh judgment by a tyrant God, let us know God and His chastisement in its correct fullness.  He must discipline us for our sin.  The acts of rebellion require condemnation, but because He shows mercy, He always offers restoration.  We will show this in detail… in upcoming posts.
Thank you for your consideration!  Does God, as revealed by Ezekiel, surprise you?  Either way, please make comments below.
I pray, “Make those who read this siblings in You: Lord of Lords, Señor Jesucristo, Yeshua HaMashiach, Isa ibn Miriam (عيسى ابن مريم), Eesus Hristos (Иисус Христос).  In Your name I pray; Amen!”
 
I will share in my next post about more of the somewhat obscure parts of Ezekiel.