Recap

So far in Ezekiel, we’ve read through Ezekiel’s commissioning, his prophetic acts, finished the accusations against Judah and the nations, and started the section on the future hope. The book started five years after the first group of Israelites had been exiled to Babylon. Jerusalem was still standing, and many Israelites still lived there. Ezekiel received a vision of God on his chariot throne over Babylon. He was not limited to Israel. His authority is over all the earth.

God charged Ezekiel with speaking to the Israelites still in Jerusalem to repent and change their ways before it was too late. But God also warned Ezekiel that the people would likely not listen to him. After taking a week to process all he had seen and heard, Ezekiel started acting out prophetic declarations. These included making a miniature model of Jerusalem and acting out sieges against it, laying on his side while eating unclean food, and shaving his head and beard.

Ezekiel had a vision of the presence of God leaving the temple and entering his throne chariot carried by the four living beings. So God declared judgement over the people, their leaders, and the prophets. God used many metaphors to depict Israel. An unfaithful bride, a proud lion now caged, a great vine that was dug up and left in the wilderness. The language was often highly graphic and was intended to be shocking. 

Then the siege of Jerusalem started. God's wrath was starting to pour out. And Ezekiel's mouth was freed so he could now move from declaring judgement on Israel to judgement on the foreign nations. We read through judgements on Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia. We then started the judgement of Tyre, a city nation focused on trade, which was much longer than any of the others. God rebuked Tyre's king for trying to set himself above God, which doubled as a rebuke for the spiritual beings who tried the same.

Then we read the judgement on Egypt. In the same way, the rebuke against Pharaoh was also a rebuke against chaos itself. Finally, Jerusalem was sacked and destroyed, freeing Ezekiel up to focus on prophesying about the future hope. This started with contrasts. The old leaders of Israel, their shepherds, were wicked and fed themselves while leading the sheep astray. God will set over his people a new shepherd who would lead them well. The foreign nations greedily look at Israel's land, but God will punish the foreign nations and restore the land to his people. Previously, the people dishonoured God's named with their wickedness. Going forward, God will give them new hearts that want to live right for him.

Ezekiel 37-39

Ezekiel has a vision of a valley covered in bones that have become dry. As he walks through this valley, God asks him if he believes these bones can be brought back to life. He then declares that he will breathe fresh life into these dry bones, and will knit together sinew and flesh to cover them once again.

Ezekiel gives the command, and the bones began to join back together. As Ezekiel watches these newly formed skeletons begin to grow sinew and flesh until they are fully formed bodies again. But they were still lifeless, so God tells Ezekiel to command breath into these new bodies. Ezekiel does, and these bodies come to life.

This passage draws on creation imagery found in Genesis 2. There we watched as God took the dirt of the earth and breathed life into it, creating the first humans. Now God is bringing new creation by breathing life into these dry bones. The dead are not just being reawakened. They are being created fully new.

God tells Ezekiel to encourage the people if they begin to cry out that God is no longer with them and they are at death's door. Not only is God with his people, but he will pour out his spirit on them so that they might have completely new life.

Next, God tells Ezekiel to pick up two sticks. On one, he is to write the name Judah, to represent the southern kingdom. On the other, he is to write Joseph, to represent the northern kingdom. He is then to put these two sticks together. This is to symbolise how God will one day restore these two kingdoms into one nation, and he will put his future king over this nation.

No longer will God's people be divided. No longer will they engage in wicked practices, or worship idols and foreign gods. God will cleanse his people and save them. His chosen king from the line of David will rule over them and lead them well. They will be obedient to God and he will be bless them and give them peace. Then all creation will know that he is God.

Then comes a prophecy against a being called Gog. It's unclear who Gog is. Some claim he's an ancient evil king. This is because of the lands he's associated with; Magog, Meshech, and Tubal all appear in the list of descendants and nations that came from Noah in Genesis 10. Others argue that he was a king that lived around the same time as Ezekiel, hence the prophecy against him.

Who Gog is is not particularly important to this passage. The important thing is that Gog is used as a metaphor for the chaos and wickedness in the world, much like the leaders of Tyre and Egypt were. God's plan for Gog is that he will bring him, and all his ally nations, together to fight against Israel.

When that happens, Gog's own evil and wickedness will cause him to try to invade and conquer. He will plan and strategies the best way to destroy God's people. Just as God's people have begun to rest in their new peace, Gog will attack them from the north. Remember, the north was symbolically the place of chaos and destruction.

God will use this as an opportunity to bring judgement on Gog, sending sword and pestilence to destroy him. Not only that, God will reign down hailstones, fire, and sulphur from the sky to destroy Gog and his armies. So complete will the destruction be that it will take the Israelites seven years to plunder all these armies that God has defeated, and seven months to bury their dead. Meanwhile, all the birds and wild animals will feast on their corpses while they wait to be buried.

What's the point in this prophecy? If the Israelites are ever going to live in fruitfulness and peace, then their enemies, and all the wickedness and chaos on the earth, have to be dealt with. God and his armies are the representation of that.

Just as God talks about destroying Gog here, one day God will destroy all the enemies of his people, and remove all chaos and wickedness from the earth. At that point, he is then free to restore his people, and pour out blessing on them, so they might forever live in peace.

Free from the corruption of these wicked nations, God's people can truly repent of their shame and wickedness, and completely dedicate themselves to God. They will know God is with them, because he brought them out of exile, and he will pour out his spirit on them.

Psalm 40

This psalm is attributed to king David, and can fit into two categories. The first half is a thanksgiving psalm, while the second half is a lament psalm.

Psalm 40:1-3 - You saved me from the pit

Psalm 40:4-5 - Blessed are those who trust in you, for your deeds are great

Psalm 40:6-8 - You desire obedience over sacrifice

Psalm 40:9-11 - I will not hold back my praise as you do not hold back your love and mercy

Psalm 40:12-17 - Deliver me from evil

The psalm opens with a reminder of how God has delivered in the past. He drew the psalmist out of a difficult situation and gave him firm ground to stand upon. 

The psalmist is able to say blessed are those who trust in the Lord, because of the good things that the Lord has done. In return, the best way to please the Lord is not through offerings and sacrifices, but through obedience. 

The psalmist’s confidence in God reaches a point where they cannot contain it. They have to share it with other people and tell them about God’s faithfulness and love.

Having given thanks for the Lord, and spoken his praise, the psalmist now turns to the issue at hand. They have built themselves up and reminded themselves of all that God has done, so now they can address their current struggles with confidence.

Just as God has shown he will not withhold his mercy, or his faithful love, the psalmist now asks God to intervene in this situation. It feels like the psalmist is surrounded by their enemies and their own sin.

They ask the Lord to deliver them and put to shame all those who would seek them harm. But may God bless those who have supported the psalmist. 

The psalm then ends with a declaration of trust. While the psalmist may be poor and needy, God will always be their help and deliverer.

This psalm shows us the benefits of encouraging ourselves in who God is and what he has done for us before we bring our troubles to him. This allows us to come to God in confidence.