Ezekiel 36 sounds like a prophesy that came true in 1949. Verse after verse describes the rebirth of the nation of Israel with her enemies all around her."I will cause you to be inhabited as in your former times, and will do more good to you than every before." says part of verse 11. Wow.
Verse 2 is even more explicit, "I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land." Moe often than not, we reader of scripture relate only the famous verse form Ezekiel without declaring its context;for when God declares, I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heat of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh," we interpret it automatically through our New Testament eyes to be foretelling of the work of the cross and the redeeming power of Jesus Christ - not the recreation of the Jewish nation in Canaan. Brian
Brian I think you bring up a very good point this is how we interpret these verses through the lens that we see; through a Grecco/Roman lens. This lens is always dim to view reality because it only sees partially what is really before it. Just think, God is doing a work that is transformational - from the inside out and not the other way around. In this class we are reading what the Prophets heard and saw spiritually - from Yahweh's point of view. God is working on the old stony hearts of the past that were not pliable to what and where he was working. Yes this heart that we see in chapter 36 is being transformed from stone to an aching breaking heart pliable to his heart that aches for his people. In the new birth Paul talks about this life in the Spirit as newness of life from Romans 6. This heart of pliability is soft, tender, compassionate, merciful because it is willing to go beyond human boundaries of borders and kingdoms into the very kingdom of God.
I do think you bring a very needed piece to the discussion and the work of the Spirit of God in Christ Jesus in all generations should be discussed as well.
Hugh, I am not quite sure as to why you refer to the point that I made as "dim to view reality," nor am I quite sure of the nature of your response. I am, however, well aware of the nature of this course and quite sure of the redeeming power of our Lord Jesus Christ - but thanks for the reminder. Brian
Reading both of these books was both laboring and elating. I started on Ezekiel Sunday afternoon and read into the evening (missing the Ohio State bball game and most of the Cleveland Cavaliers game) until my eyes couldn't take it any longer and then finished Ezekiel and Obadiah. That is all after preaching earlier in the day. As I reflect today on the reading I take away from it personal responsibility. If you do this then this consequence or blessing will occur for you. Most of it was devastating consequences for spiritually bad decisions and lifestyles. Yet there is hope in a very repressed area of the world. Slavery, incarceration, inhalation, devastation that occurred all because the people were led by poor spiritual leaders. This is certainly true for today. In the past I have sat under those who were in spiritual responsibility who led as Ezekiel prophesies against and am now in a new pastorate where I have replaced a person of the same. Now I am the new shepherd who is to feed the sheep and who is to instruct and visit and heal. It is a huge responsibility before God and yet he doesn't give us anything to do when he knows we can't handle it. In my Installation Service I was charged to be a man of the book and to teach the Word and I vowed I would even when it isn't popular as Dr. Staats reminded us in the recorded message. We are those who speak for God and then step away and let him do the hard work.
I see Christ in both books in that he weeps for those who have walked away. Circumstances, trials, difficulties cause some to resign and walk away. We have to be the ones to stick at it through the tough times if we are to be examples as shepherds. The sheep are always watching and waiting on the shepherd to make the next move.
Obadiah 1:16 reads, "For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations shall drink continually; they shall drink and swallow, and shall be as though they had never been."
John 4:10-11 read, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is saying to you, 'give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water. The woman said to him, 'Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?"
Perhaps it came form the holy mountain top of which Obadiah spoke. Peace, Brian
I see Ezekiel 36 as an overall message of Hope and of Restoration for the Jewish people. I see it as if God is replacing their hard hearts with His heart for them.
Ezekiel 36 sounds like a prophesy that came true in 1949. Verse after verse describes the rebirth of the nation of Israel with her enemies all around her."I will cause you to be inhabited as in your former times, and will do more good to you than every before." says part of verse 11. Wow.
ReplyDeleteVerse 2 is even more explicit, "I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land." Moe often than not, we reader of scripture relate only the famous verse form Ezekiel without declaring its context;for when God declares, I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heat of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh," we interpret it automatically through our New Testament eyes to be foretelling of the work of the cross and the redeeming power of Jesus Christ - not the recreation of the Jewish nation in Canaan.
Brian
Brian I think you bring up a very good point this is how we interpret these verses through the lens that we see; through a Grecco/Roman lens. This lens is always dim to view reality because it only sees partially what is really before it. Just think, God is doing a work that is transformational - from the inside out and not the other way around. In this class we are reading what the Prophets heard and saw spiritually - from Yahweh's point of view. God is working on the old stony hearts of the past that were not pliable to what and where he was working. Yes this heart that we see in chapter 36 is being transformed from stone to an aching breaking heart pliable to his heart that aches for his people. In the new birth Paul talks about this life in the Spirit as newness of life from Romans 6. This heart of pliability is soft, tender, compassionate, merciful because it is willing to go beyond human boundaries of borders and kingdoms into the very kingdom of God.
DeleteI do think you bring a very needed piece to the discussion and the work of the Spirit of God in Christ Jesus in all generations should be discussed as well.
Hugh, I am not quite sure as to why you refer to the point that I made as "dim to view reality," nor am I quite sure of the nature of your response. I am, however, well aware of the nature of this course and quite sure of the redeeming power of our Lord Jesus Christ - but thanks for the reminder.
DeleteBrian
Reading both of these books was both laboring and elating. I started on Ezekiel Sunday afternoon and read into the evening (missing the Ohio State bball game and most of the Cleveland Cavaliers game) until my eyes couldn't take it any longer and then finished Ezekiel and Obadiah. That is all after preaching earlier in the day. As I reflect today on the reading I take away from it personal responsibility. If you do this then this consequence or blessing will occur for you. Most of it was devastating consequences for spiritually bad decisions and lifestyles. Yet there is hope in a very repressed area of the world. Slavery, incarceration, inhalation, devastation that occurred all because the people were led by poor spiritual leaders. This is certainly true for today. In the past I have sat under those who were in spiritual responsibility who led as Ezekiel prophesies against and am now in a new pastorate where I have replaced a person of the same. Now I am the new shepherd who is to feed the sheep and who is to instruct and visit and heal. It is a huge responsibility before God and yet he doesn't give us anything to do when he knows we can't handle it. In my Installation Service I was charged to be a man of the book and to teach the Word and I vowed I would even when it isn't popular as Dr. Staats reminded us in the recorded message. We are those who speak for God and then step away and let him do the hard work.
ReplyDeleteI see Christ in both books in that he weeps for those who have walked away. Circumstances, trials, difficulties cause some to resign and walk away. We have to be the ones to stick at it through the tough times if we are to be examples as shepherds. The sheep are always watching and waiting on the shepherd to make the next move.
Obadiah 1:16 reads, "For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations shall drink continually; they shall drink and swallow, and shall be as though they had never been."
ReplyDeleteJohn 4:10-11 read, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is saying to you, 'give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water. The woman said to him, 'Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?"
Perhaps it came form the holy mountain top of which Obadiah spoke.
Peace,
Brian
I see Ezekiel 36 as an overall message of Hope and of Restoration for the Jewish people. I see it as if God is replacing their hard hearts with His heart for them.
ReplyDeleteI personally believe that Obadiah speaks of deliverance for the oppressed Jewish people, and the judgement that falls on their oppressor.
ReplyDeleteVerse 15 I think is also interesting and appears to be tied to Luke 6:31, Do to others as you would have them do to you