Thoughts on Ezekiel

After Ezekiel saw the glory of the Lord, he sat by the Kebar River for 7 days completely overwhelmed until the Lord spoke to him a second time. The Bible says he left God's presence in bitterness and anger of spirit. Sometimes I get the feeling we think being in the presence of a Holy God would be nothing but rainbows and butterflies, but the weight of his glory must be unbearable. Everyone throughout scripture who encountered a vision or messenger from the Lord fell flat on their face in reverence and fear.

Ezekiel has to be the most intense book of the Bible. I've never read it before and I'm about half way through. What amazes me most about the account of Ezekiel's life is the extreme emphasis on the greatness of God's glory and the deep repulsiveness of man's sin against a Holy God.

At first glance, the book can easily be written off as nothing but old testament doom and gloom. God is going to punish everyone and send armies and plagues and famines against Jerusalem and those who don't die will be pursued by the sword or carried off into exile and pain and suffering and misery. But there is a reason for it all.

Ezekiel 16 is the most touching and meaningful chapter in my point of view (and the inspiration for a new song I'm writing). It poignantly tells the story of an abandoned orphan who the narrator (God) found naked and dying in a field. He took the child, washed her and cared for her. When she grew into maturity, he clothed her with the finest garments and adorned her with gold and silver. He made her beautiful and wealthy and famous, but she chased after other lovers and gave them her clothes and jewelry to win their favor. She gave herself to everyone like a prostitute, but received nothing in return. They took from her and left her naked and alone, still burning with insatiable passion for forbidden love. She forgot the gracious father that gave her purpose, identity, and beauty.

This story is really the story of the entire old testament. It symbolizes the way the Lord took Israel under his wing and made them his own people, providing them with wealth, protection, freedom, beauty and everything they would ever need. He revealed himself to them so that they would know he was God and live in harmony with him. Moreover, that they might show the rest of the world that he was the one true God by worshipping him and living according to his law.

But stubborn, forgetful, and burning with lust, Israel ran after the gods of the nations around them and rebelled against their loving father. They became even more sinful than their neighbors who did not know God. So the Lord spoke to Ezekiel with a message for his people: his righteous punishment for their rebellion was at hand, but not without purpose.

The most common phrase in Ezekiel is undoubtedly "then they/you will know that I am the Lord." It appears in nearly every chapter and sometimes more than once, always as a closing to a prophesized judgement. He proclaims to Israel all of the terrible suffering they must experience and then explains why with one simple repeated statement, it is so they will know that he and he alone is the Lord. That none of the surrounding nations are worshipping true gods. That it was he alone that led them from captivity and into the promised land flowing with milk and honey. He alone that gave them the Law and the Prophets. He alone that loved them and protected them and made them his people.

He goes on to declare approaching judgements for all of the nations surrounding Egypt and continues to end each with the promise that then they also will know that he is the Lord. Israel failed to prove to their neighbors the glory of God, so he would have to demonstrate it through his wrath.

This book is truly tragic. Thousands upon thousands must have died, cities were destroyed, people were taken away as slaves, a nation fell, its people were slaughtered, plague and famine spread through the land. However, all of this occured that God's chosen people who had failed to serve him when he was gracious and loving and showering blessings upon them would once again turn to him, worship him, know him, and make him known.

It is clear, God will not be forgotten. The Lord will never surrender his Glory.