Reading for November 5th

 Read Ezekiel 4.1-8. Prophets perform symbolic actions to dramatize their statements and enable them to take effect (Isa 20; Jer 13; 19). Ezekiel builds a model of Jerusalem under siege. The action draws upon the imagery of Jer 1.18. The background of three hundred and ninety and forty is not entirely certain, and the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible) contains entirely different figures. If one counts backwards from the destruction of the Temple in 587 BCe, the total of 430 years points to the time of the establishment of the united monarchy of Israel under Saul in 1017 BCE. Counting forward 390 years from that date takes one to 627 BCE, the twelfth year of Josiah's reign, the year in which the reforms begin (2 Chr 34.3; compare 2 Kings 22.3). Josiah failed in his attempt to reunite Israel and Judah. The remaining 40 years accounts for the time between the beginning of Josiah's reform and the destruction of the Jerusalem. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 4th

 EZKIEL'S INITIAL ORACLES AND SYMBOLIC ACTIONS

In 3.16-7.27: These oracles and symbolic actions are concerned with the destruction of Jerusalem and fall of the land of Israel.

Read Ezekiel 3.16-27.  In verses 16-21: God describes Ezekiel's role as the sentinel or "watchman" for Israel, who is responsible for the lives and moral guidance of the people (Jer 6.17; Hos 9.8; compare Isa 21.6). Like sentinels posted on the city walls to watch for danger (2 Sam 18.24; 2 Kings 9.17), gatekeepers are appointed from among the priests to guard the Temple (1 Chr 26). This role, which is developed more fully in ch. 35, is consistent with ch. 18. The prophet's responsibility is presented in four cases. In verses 22-27: Ezekiel's isolation resembles that of Moses, who spoke directly to God in the tent of meeting (Ex 33.7-34.35; Num 11), and the high priest, who appears alone before God and the ark at Yom Kippur or the day of Atonement (Lev 16). Ezekiel's dumbness derives from his priestly role. The priests perform their duties on the altar in silence (Lev 16). Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 3rd

Read Ezekiel 2.-3.15. In 2.8-3.3: Ezekiel eats the scroll to internalize the divine message. The scroll represents the Torah scroll stored in the ark of the covenant and read to the people (Deut 31.9-13, 24-27; Neh 8-10). Although the scroll is inscribed with words of lamentation and mourning and woe, Ezekiel states that it was as sweet as honey (compare Jer 15.16). In verses 4-11: Many peoples of obscure speech and difficult language: Many peoples were incorporated into the Assyrian and Babylonian empires (Isa 33.19). God stresses that the message is for Israel, not the nations. In verses 12-15; Tel-abib, "hill of barley," may derive from the Babylonian expression "til abubi," "hill of the flood"; Babylonia is prone to flooding in the spring. Comments or Questions.. 

Reading for November 2nd

 Read Ezekiel 1.28b-2.7 In 1.28b-3.15: The commissioning of Ezekiel. In 1.28b: A voice of someone speaking: Compare 1 Kings 19.12. In 2.1-2: God addresses Ezekiel as mortal, literally "son of adam," ninety-three times in the book. adam means "human" in Hebrew, and "son of adam" conveys Ezekiel's mortal status in contrast to God. The spirit (literally, "wind") of the Lord prepares Ezekiel to serve as a prophet (see 1 Sam 10.6, 10; 1 Kings 18.12). In verses 3-7: The charge of Israel's rebellion against God is a constant theme throughout the prophets to justify Israel's suffering as an act of divine punishment. Habakkuk and Job question this theology but ultimately defend God's righteousness. The messenger formula, Thus says the Lord God, indicates Ezekiel's role as God's representative. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 1st

 Read Ezekiel 1.13-28a. In verses 13-14: The burning coals of fire:The sacrificial altar of the Temple (Ex 27.1-8; 38.1-7) or the incense altars (Ex 30.1-10; 37.5-28). In verses 15-21: The wheels contribute to the imagery of divine motion in all four directions. They are based on the image of the cart that carried the ark of the covenant from Philista to Jerusalem (1 Sam 6; 2 Sam 6) and the rings that held the poles by which the Levites carried the ark (Ex 25.12-15; 30.4-5).The wheel within a wheel: A wheel with a hub. In verses 22-25: Dome shining like crystal, see Gen 1.6-8, which uses "firmament" or "dome" to symbolize the distinction between heaven and earth. The sound of mighty waters: The vision is both auditory and visual. In verses 26-28a: Compare 1 Sam 4.4; 2 Sam 6.2; 1 Chr 13.6, "the ark of the covenant of the Lord of Hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim." Sapphire: See Ex 24.10. Ezekiel attempts to describe God in human terms, but the imagery is inadequate. Gleaming amber and fire convey the power and incorporeality of the divine presence, the rainbow symbolizes God's covenant with creation (Gen 9.8-17). The glory of the Lord: God's presence (Ex 16.6-67; 40-34-38). Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 31st

 Read Ezekiel 1.4-12. In 1.4-28.a: The inaugural vision. The imagery of God's throne chariot (compare 1 Chr 28.18; Ps 18.10) is based on the most holy place in the Temple where the ark of the covenant is kept under the cherubim (1 Kings 6; see also Ex 25.10-22; 37.1-9). In verse 4: Wind , cloud, and fire appear frequently in theophanies (Ex 19; 1 Kings 19). In verses 5-12: Like: The vision is only a proximate human attempt to describe the divine presence. The four living creatures are the cherubim that surround the ark. Exodus 25.18-22; 37.7-9; and 1 Kings 6.23-28; 2 Chr 3.10-14 each mentioned only two but this passage combines the totals. Composite human/animal winged creature are well represented throughout the ancient Near East as guardians of thrones, city gates, and temples. The number four presupposes the four horns of the Temple altar (Ex 27.2; 38.2; Zech 2.1-4; 1. 18-21), which represent the "four winds"  or cardinal directions, indicating God's presence in the Temple at the center of creation. The four faces represent the divine qualities of intelligence (human), royal (lion), strength (ox), and mobility (eagle). Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 30th

 INTRODUCTION TO EZKIEL'S PROPHECY

In 1.1-3.15: The introduction includes a superscription in 1.1-3, which identifies the prophet and his historical context, and an account of his inaugural vision in 1.4-3.15, in which God commissions him to speak. Compare the call narratives of Moses (Ex 3) or Isaiah (Isa 6). 

Read Ezekiel 1.1-3. In 1.1-3: Superscription. See Isa 1.1; Jer 1.3. In verse 1: Some understand the thirtieth year as the thirtieth year after the prophet's call, the thirtieth year after Josiah's reform, the year of Jehoiachin's exile, or the date of the book's composition. It probably refers to Ezekiel's age at the time of his call. Ezekiel is a priest (1.3), and the age of priestly service begins at thirty (Num 4.3, compare Num 8.23-25) and concludes at fifty. Apart from th reference to the twenty-seventh year in 29.17, the dated oracles of the book extend from the fifth (1.2) to the twenty-fifth year of the Exile (40.1), so that the book correlates Ezekiel's prophetic oracles with the 20 years of active priestly service. The river Chebar: A canal by Nippur, a Babylonian city. In verse 2: The fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin: 593 BCE. In verse 3: Buzi is otherwise unknown. Had he not been exiled, Ezekiel would have served as a Zadokite priest in the Temple. Comments or Questions..