Reading for November 19th

 Read Ezekiel 12.1-20. In 12.1-20: Symbolic actions concerning the Exile. In verses 1-7: The first represents the exile of the house of Israel. God calls Israel a rebellious house, but adds who have eyes to see, but do not see, who have ears to hear, but do not hear, apparently in reference to Isa 6.9-10. Ezekiel is to prepare his baggage, dig through the wall, and depart with his face covered so that all may see that the exile of Israel is taking place. I have made you a sgn for the house of Israel (compare 7.14; 8.18). In verses 8-16: Ezekiel's action provokes questions. He relates the symbolic action to the exile of the Davidic king, which strikes at the foundation of Judean identity and the promise of God's protection of Jerusalem and the house of David (2 sam 7; Ps 89; 132). Some understand prince as a reference to Zedekiah, who served as the Babylonian-appointed regent while Jehoiachin was in exile. Ezekiel's scenario of the prince's escape and capture reflects Zedekiah's capture near Jericho and blinding of Riblah prior to imprisonment in Babylon (2 Kings 25.1-7; Jer 52.4-11). In verses 17-20: Eating meals in fear dramatizes the realities of exile. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 18th

 Read Ezekiel 11.14-25. In verses 14-21: God claims to be a sanctuary to them for a little while: God's presence in the world, rather than the Temple's presence in Jerusalem, ensures their future. God promises to gather the people from exile, to give them the land of Israel, and to purify the people from abominations in a manner characteristic of priestly purification. The promise of one heart (some manuscripts read "a new heart" ) and a new spirit within them takes up a theme from Jeremiah (Jer 32.39; see also Ez 18.31; 36.26) concerning a new covenant in which God's Torah is written upon their hearts (Jer 31.31-34; see also Ezek 16.59-63). They shall be my people, and I will be their God" is a formulation that characterizes the covenant between God and Judah (14.11; 36.28;37.23; Jer 23; 31.33; 32.38; Hos 2.23; Zech8.8). In verses 22-24: Ezekiel is returned to Chaldea (Babylonia) to report to the exiles. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 17th

 Read Ezekiel 11.1-13. Ezekiel prophecies both judgment and restoration for the people. In verses 1-4: The spirit or "wind" transports Ezekiel to the east gate of the Temple where he sees twenty-five officials, probably those worshipping the sun in 8.16. Their statement, "The time is not near to build houses," rejects Jeremiah's call to build and plant (Jer 1.10; 31.28). The statement, "This city is the pot, and we are the meat," indicates their belief that Jerusalem is to be sacrificed (24.1-14). In verse 5-13: God instructs Ezekiel to hold the twenty-five leaders responsible for the deaths of the people in Jerusalem. In stating that the death of the people in Jerusalem and the city the pot, Ezekiel turns their statement against them, but indicates that they will be excluded because the sacrifice of the city is meant to purify Jerusalem. He alludes to their fear of foreign invaders and turns their fears against them by stating that they will die at the borders of Israel (see 2 Kings 25.18-21; Jer 52.24-27). The immediate death of Pelatiah son of Benaiah confirms Ezekiel's word (compare Am 7.10-17; Jer 27-28). Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 16th

 The Lord's Departure from Jerusalem

Chs. 10-11: God's throne chariot will return in 43.1-12 when the city is purified and the Temple is reestablished.

Read Ezekiel 10.1-22. God commands the man clothed in linen to take burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city. Much like the sin offerings presented in the Temple (Lev 4-5), the purpose of the sacrifice is to purify Jerusalem from its iniquity and impurity so that it can be reestablished at a later time (chs. 40-48). God's presence is signified by the cloud (Ex 19.9; 1 Kings 8.10-11) and brightness of the glory of the Lord as it moves about the Temple complex. Because of the sanctity of the throne chariot or ark, the man clothed in linen is unable to approach, and a cherub hands him the fire (2 Sam 6.6-11). Ezekiel's detailed description of the cherubim and the wheels differs from ch 1 in that one of their four faces is a cherub rather than an ox. Many medieval commentators speculate that the face of the cherub might encompass the four individual faces. The glory of the Lord above the entrance of the east gate of the house of the Lord is the main or processional entrance to the Temple (Ps 24.7-9; 118.19-20). Comments or Questions/..

Reading for November 15th

 Read Ezekiel 9.1-11. In 9.1-11: The slaughter of Jerusalem. Sacrificial slaughter at the altar of the Temple portrays the killing of the people of Jerusalem. In verses 1-2: The six men come from the upper gate to the north with weapons in their hands to begin the slaughter. The Babylonian army would have entered Judah from the north (see Jer 1.13-16). The man clothed in linen wears the apparel of a priest who serves at the altar (Ex 28.39; Lev 6.10) and carries a writing case to record the sacrifices. The bronze altar had been moved to the north by Ahaz to accommodate an Assyrian altar (2 Kings 16.14). In verses 3-11: The living beings are now named cherubim. God commands that a mark (the ancient Hebrew letter "taw," translated "mark," looks like an x) be placed on the foreheads of those who sigh and groan over all the abominations, to protect them from death. A mark on the door post protects the Israelites from God's plague against the Egyptians (Ez 12.23). All who lack the mark are to die, defiling the sanctuary. Ezekiel attempts to intercede as Moses did (Ex 32.1-14; Num 14), but God states that the people believe that God lacks power. Comments or Questions.. 

Reading for November 14th

 Read Ezekiel 8.14-18. In verses 14-15: Women weep for Tammuz, the Babylonian vegetation god who dies at the onset of the dry season and must be brought back to life to inaugurate the rains. In verses 16-18: Ezekiel sees twenty-five men engaged in sun worship. The sun god Shamash was the Babylonian god of law and justice. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 13th

EZEKIEL'S VISION OF JERUSALEM'S DESTRUCTION

Chs. 8-11: Ezekiel portrays the destruction of Jerusalem as a priestly sacrifice that cleanses the city from impurity. 

Read Ezekiel 8.1-13. In 8.1-18: The impurity of the Temple. In verses 1-4: The sixth year: 592 BCE. Ezekiel returns tot he imagery of his inaugural vision to describe a human-like-being. The imagery of fire and brightness like gleaming amber describes a being that cannot be defined in earthly terms. The entrance of the gateway of the inner court that faces north places the prophet at the entry of the most sacred places of the Temple. The glory of the God of Israel: The throne chariot of ch. 1 is present. In verses 5-6: The imagery of jealousy: North of the altar was a pagan idol placed in the Temple precincts. In verses 7-13: Mention of the seventy elders of the house of Israel and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan indicates that the highest leadership of the nation is involved in pagan worship inside the Temple. Shaphan played a major role in Josiah's reform (2 Kings 22); his sons Ahikam, Elasah, and Gemariah, and grandson Micaiah supported Jeremiah (Jer 26; 29; 36). The claim that the Lord has forsaken the land indicates the belief that God could not protect Jerusalem from Babylon. Comments or Questions..