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A VisioN & A CALL

A VisioN & A CALL. The Book of Ezekiel An Introduction…. EZEKIEL: THE BOOK. Contains some of the most vivid and bizarre images of the Old Testament. Through the prophet Ezekiel, God uses various methods to convey His Word to the exiles: art, symbolic actions and unusual behavior.

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A VisioN & A CALL

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  1. A VisioN & A CALL The Book of Ezekiel An Introduction…

  2. EZEKIEL: THE BOOK • Contains some of the most vivid and bizarre images of the Old Testament. Through the prophet Ezekiel, God uses various methods to convey His Word to the exiles: art, symbolic actions and unusual behavior. • For example, Ezekiel literally cuts off his hair and beard to demonstrate what God would do to Jerusalem and its inhabitants. • Another example, God tells Ezekiel to spend 390 days laying down on his left side and then 40 more days on his right side to represent the long, unavoidable days of exile for Israel. During this time, he’s told to eat the same bread for 390 days and to make it over a fire of human excrement.

  3. EZEKIEL: THE MAN • Ezekiel was uprooted from his homeland and marched off to Babylon with the first wave of exiles at age of twenty-five. (10 years before the fall of Judah) For 5 years he languished in despair.  • At age thirty, a majestic vision of God’s glory changed Ezekiel’s life. Ezekiel’s vision was so fantastic that he fell on his face overwhelmed—he couldn’t stand it. • The Lord called him to be his prophet among the exiles. Ezekiel prophesied in Babylon for 20 years—during a time when the exiles were discouraged, disoriented and disheartened. • Ezekiel had priestly training—his writings show detailed knowledge of the workings of Jerusalem Temple.

  4. THEMES OF EZEKIEL:GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY • Most Israelites believed that their exile was a result of the victory of the Babylonian gods over Yahweh. Ezekiel learned just the opposite. All these events fulfilled the Lord’s purpose for the Israelites. • Ezekiel discovered God was not confined to the narrow limits of Ezekiel's native land: Judah. Instead, Yahweh is a universal God who commands and controls all persons and nations. • Ezekiel’s message was not just for Israel, it was global. All nations and peoples need to acknowledge the rule and power of Yahweh.

  5. THEMES OF EZEKIEL: INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY • Often the people of Judah blamed their parents for their sins and tried to avoid individual responsibility. The guilt of the sins of their ancestors was a heavy weight for the people to carry. Many felt doomed—that they missed their chance to know & follow the Lord. • Ezekiel’s message cuts both ways. On the one hand, he tells the people that those who live close to God can escape the curse of their parents’ sins—we don’t have to repeat their mistakes. Ezekiel’s message also says that each person is responsible for the choices they make, how they live in terms of the Lord.

  6. Aun el necio, cuando calla, es tenido por sabio, cuando cierra los labios, porprudente. –Proverbios 17:28

  7. THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL

  8. ReviewING YOUR HOMEWORKTHE CALL OF EZEKIEL • At first, the exiles would reject Ezekiel’s message—hence the description of them being like thorns and scorpions. The rebellious nature of the people is also why Ezekiel (“God toughens”) needed to be tough. • The scroll that Ezekiel was told to eat was, at first, bitter because God’s judgment was hard to swallow. However, the scroll became sweet because God’s judgment would lead to Israel’s restoration. • The Lord promises to strengthen Ezekiel so that we can continue even when the people are hostile to his message.

  9. ReviewING YOUR HOMEWORKEZEKIEL’S MESSAGE • The job of a watchman is to warn the city of approaching enemies. Ezekiel was to be a watchman in that he was to warn the people of God’s approaching judgment. • He was different from a watchman in that he was also to teach the people that God holds each person responsible for his or her own behavior.Even Ezekiel is told that he is responsible for the judgment of the people if he did not faithfully warn them! “Whoever will listen let him listen, and whoever will refuse let him refuse” (Ezekiel 3:27)

  10. ReviewING YOUR HOMEWORKEZEKIEL’S MESSAGE “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel:    “‘The parents eat sour grapes,    and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? (Ezekiel 18:2) • Ezekiel’ story about a father, a son and a grandfather revealed that each person’s destiny is not determined by his or her parents. Each person has to chose his or her attitude toward God and will be held individually responsible. • Ezekiel will tell the people that by assuming responsibility for their own sins, they will be on the road to repentance and restored relationship with God.

  11. ReviewING YOUR HOMEWORKEZEKIEL’S MESSAGE Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’ • Contrary to what many people believe, the Lord takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but wants all people to repent and turn away from sin!

  12. THE GOOD SHEPHERDEZEKIEL CHAPTER 34 Who do the “shepherds of Israel” represent? The leaders of Israel and Judah What have they done? What had they failed to do? They ruled harshly and took good care of themselves. They failed to care for the weak, sick and injured. They did not bring back strays or look for the lost.

  13. THE GOOD SHEPHERDEZEKIEL CHAPTER 34 What was going to happen to the bad shepherds? (Also described as rams & goats & fat sheep See Ezekiel verses 16 - 17) God would hold them accountable and remove them from tending the flock. What are the characteristics of a good shepherd? (11 – 16) Look after, tend and pasture Search & rescue, bring back lost & strays Bind up the injured, strengthen the weak

  14. THE GOOD SHEPHERDEZEKIEL CHAPTER 34 What promise does Ezekiel describe? One shepherd from David’s line would come to tend the flock. This shepherd would bring a covenant of peace—safety, showers of blessing, abundant fruit and crops, security from other nations and freedom from fear. READ JOHN 10:2 – 4, 11 - 18

  15. THE VALLEY OF THE DRY BONESEZEKIEL CHAPTER 37 The bones are…? Why are they despairing and hopeless? The people of Israel… …because they are in exile. What is the meaning of the dry bones getting reconnected and having new flesh, tendons and skin? This is a picture of resurrection and restoration indicating that the people will not stay in exile but will go home again full of new life and a new Spirit.

  16. THE VALLEY OF THE DRY BONESEZEKIEL CHAPTER 37 What’s the point of God’s instructions to Ezekiel regarding the two sticks? What do they represent? Judah and Israel being joined together again—no longer divided. Reunited, they would be stronger and better able to resist breaking. What was God’s intention for Israel? To become one under one shepherd and one king, the descendant of David. To be a light, a witness to the surrounding nations.

  17. THE VALLEY OF THE DRY BONESEZEKIEL CHAPTER 37 Describe the picture that Ezekiel gives of Israel’s restored relationship with God. • God would cleanse them of idol worship • They would obey God’s law • They would live in peace • The temple would be rebuilt • They would return to the land and live in harmony under one king—the shepherd • They would acknowledge God’s rule over them.

  18. “NOW AND NOT YET” • Ezekiel’s prophecies of restoration have what is called a “now and not yet” quality. • In terms of the “now,” we know that the people will be restored to Jerusalem and come back from exile. We also know that that for a brief time the Temple will be restored. • The “not yet” becomes clear in the way the Temple is restored as well as the in the limited, dispirited and incomplete unity of Israel. Jesus’ life, death and resurrection are still to come…

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