EZEKIEL

“From the first to the last chapter of Ezekiel one supreme thought runs throughout, that of the sovereignty and glory of the Lord God. He is sovereign in Israel and in the affairs of the nations of the world, though the loud and boisterous claims of men seem to have drowned out this truth. In His sovereign will God has purposed that we should glorify Him in life and witness to the ends of the earth.”
                                                                                     —Charles Lee Feinberg

Thanks largely to the famous spirituals “Ezekiel Saw the Wheel” and “Dry Bones,” Ezekiel is known as a biblical character by millions of people. Unfortunately, the level of Bible knowledge of his difficult book often doesn’t go too much deeper. Certainly Ezekiel is not the first book Christians should read right after conversion, although at least some literary persons have become captivated by the Bible through this prophet’s remarkable style.

The unusual thing about Ezekiel (unlike Jeremiah, and to a lesser extent Isaiah and most of the Minor Prophets) is his emphasis, not on judgment, but on comforting God’s people. From the Chebar Canal, which may have been a kind of ancient concentration camp near Babylon, Ezekiel wrote his prophecies to encourage the Jewish exiles.

MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Eze 2:8). Nashville: Thomas Nelson



The book has always been named for its author, Ezekiel (1:3; 24:24), who is nowhere else mentioned in Scripture. His name means “strengthened by God,” which, indeed, he was for the prophetic ministry to which God called him (3:8, 9). Ezekiel uses visions, prophecies, parables, signs, and symbols to proclaim and dramatize the message of God to His exiled people.

MacArthur, J. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible : New American Standard Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers

In 609 B.C. the Babylonians crushed combined Assyrian and Egyptian forces at Carchemish, on the Euphrates River. Unchallenged, Babylonian armies under Nebuchadnezzar then swept southward, invading Syria-Palestine in 605 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar made Judah a vassal state, and took a number of young nobles to Babylon, including the future prophet, Daniel. Later, when Jehoiakim of Judah rebelled, Nebuchadnezzar returned with another army. He sacked Jerusalem early in 597 B.C. and took Jehoiachin, the 18-year-old successor of Jehoiakim, to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar made Jehoichin’s uncle Zedekiah Judah’s ruler, and at that time deported a larger group of Judah’s upper and middle class to Babylon. This group, which included a young priest named Ezekiel, was settled in the region of Tel Aviv, along a wide canal linking two branches of the Euphrates known as the “Kebar River.” The settlers were treated as colonists rather than slaves, and enjoyed many privileges. But, encouraged by false prophets in Judah, they looked for the early downfall of Nebuchadnezzar and a quick return to their homeland. Back in Judah, Jeremiah continued to shout his strident warnings to submit to Babylon. And then, among the captives, a new prophetic voice joined in. In June/July of 593 B.C., Ezekiel was called by God and delivered his first message to the captives. Between 593 B.C. and the final destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C., Ezekiel uttered a number of carefully dated prophetic messages predicting the judgment of Judah. After the fall of that city the prophet fell silent for a dozen years, and then resumed his ministry with a new and different message. God intended to restore Judah, and Ezekiel spoke glowingly of the glories of a future messianic kingdom.

Ezekiel remains one of the most fascinating of prophetic books, in part because of the varied means used to communicate its message. Visions, symbols, allegories, and parables all are found in the prophet’s vital ministry. Ezekiel casts himself as a watchman, responsible to warn his community of impending doom. His book reminds Christians that we too are watchmen, called to urge others to turn to the Lord while there is still time.

THE BIBLE READER’S COMPANION By LAWRENCE O. RICHARDS, VICTOR BOOKS

The message of the book is well organized and proceeds logically. The first section of the book begins with the reality of God's presence in the midst of days of turmoil in 1:1-3:27 by addressing the theological question, where is God in the midst of life's storms? Second, Ezekiel addressed the reality of judgment both for Israel and for the nations in 4:1-32:32. Third, Ezekiel revealed the reality of restoration and final defeat of Israel's enemies in 33:1-39:29. Fourth, the prophet's final message turned to the redemption and restoration that await all of God's people in 40:1-48:35.

—Apologetics Study Bible, The

LAMENTATIONS

 It is a mute reminder that sin, in spite of all its allurement and excitement, carries with it heavy weights of sorrow, grief, misery, barrenness, and pain. It is the other side of the ‘eat, drink and be merry’ coin.”
                                                                                                          —Charles R. Swindoll
MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments (La 2:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

This little book is called “Lamentations” in the Greek, Latin, and English versions. The Jews refer to it by the first Hebrew word of chapters 1, 2, and 4, which is translated “How” or “Alas.” The book consists of five separate poems united by the common theme of Jerusalem’s destruction by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. and by the unique acrostic structure of the first four chapters.

Probably to facilitate memorization, the lines of the poems are in Hebrew alphabetical order, one verse beginning with each letter, except in chapter 3 where each letter is assigned three verses in a row starting with the same letter. Chapter 5 has the same number of verses as the Hebrew alphabet (twenty-two) but is not in acrostic form.

In spite of the difficulty of writing in such a rigid framework, the book succeeds in passionately expressing patriotic and heartfelt sorrow.

MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments (La 2:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

The place of the book of Lamentations in the Bible has never been in dispute. The Talmud (an ancient commentary on the Old Testament), the Septuagint (the early Greek translation of the Old Testament), the writings of the first-century Jewish historian Josephus, and the Latin Vulgate (an early translation of the Bible from Greek into Latin), all recognize Lamentations as part of the canon. Lamentations is found in the Writings section of the Jewish Scriptures, as part of the Megilloth—the five books of Ruth, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, and Esther, which are read during certain Jewish festivals. Lamentations is read during the ninth of Ab, a fast that commemorates the destruction of the first and second temples.                —             Apologetics Study Bible, The