The Realm of the Dead

 Ezekiel 31:1–32:32 
 

As we continue our series in the Book of Ezekiel we come to a place where God pulls back the curtain a little and allows us to see what takes place after death and before final judgment.  Before we start let’s pray and ask God to help us see the mistakes that these rulers and nations made, in order to help us to avoid making the same mistakes. 
 
In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first of the month, the word of the LORD came to me. “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes, ‘Who can be compared with you in majesty?" – Ezekiel 31:1-2 

Egypt and Pharaoh

Ezekiel 28:20-30:26
 

In a Bible study that I was a part of this past week we were looking at Psalm 46, an excellent passage to take courage from in times of turmoil. It begins with that comforting and familiar verse, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Verse 6, we noted, seems particularly appropriate to these days: “Nations are in an uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.” You have probably been following the news concerning the fall of the Afghan government and the subsequent worldwide uproar regarding America’s response. I had a personal interest in the evacuation effort as I tracked friends trying to leave. One young couple with their toddler had to spend a night outside at the Kabul airport, and after finally getting on a military flight to Qatar had further delays and hardship getting back to the US. They made it safely to Minnesota, but they grieve for all that they have had to leave behind, especially local brothers and sisters who now expect to face incredible persecution and perhaps martyrdom.
 
Amidst all the pain and confusion and outrage, we can take comfort in verse 10 of the same psalm: “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” This is the ultimate message of Ezekiel, too, isn’t it? God will bring judgment on all the nations, including his own people, but his intent is more than just to exert his power or satisfy his justice. God will be glorified; he will be known. Key phrases, repeated more than 70 times in this book, are “They will know that I am the Lord,” and “You will know that I am the Lord.” God’s goal is to be known and acknowledged and worshiped. We need to keep that in mind when we read about his judgment and when we hear of all the terrible things happening in our world. Let’s pray as we begin.

The King Behind the King

Ezekiel 27:1-28:19
 

Last week, we saw the prophecy about the city of Tyre and how it was fulfilled.  Tyre was a mainland trading city on the west side of the Mediterranean Sea.  Following the prophecy given to Ezekiel, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon laid siege to the city for more than ten years.  The city was impoverished during such a lengthy siege, and finally surrendered and agreed to pay tribute.
 
As a part of the prophecy, God foretold the utter destruction of Tyre including throwing the very stones and timber of their fine homes into the sea.  Carl explained that this came about after Ezekiel’s time when Alexander the Great used the buildings of the old city to assault the new city which had been built on a nearby island.
 
Here are a couple of slides that show the way things would have looked before the siege compared to how they look today.  In the upper left, you see an image of columns in the sea.  The majority of the causeway or bridge that Alexander built is now covered with sediment, but there are places where you can still see ruins in the sea.  As you see on the right, old Tyre and “new” Tyre are connected by an isthmus of land.  This happened as the sediment (sand) built up over time.
 
I added one more picture on the lower left.  You can see in the map that there were (or nearly were) two islands.  The southern portion is named after the guy in the picture on the lower left.  He’s actually the god of Tyrians.  Keep him (Melcart) in mind, we’ll come back to him in chapter 28.
 
Let’s look at one more slide.  Here are a couple of views of Tyre in modern times.  The black and white image was taken from an airplane in 1934.  It definitely has the feel of a place where fishermen would spread their nets which was prophesied in Ezekiel 26:5.  The more recent image from 2006 begins to look more settled, but I would say that it is not a bustling metropolis by a long shot even today.  I found a travel guide for Tyre.  The author said there’s really nowhere much to stay in Tyre, and it is best to make a day trip from either Beirut or Sidon.  Yes, you can apparently find McDonalds and even Dunkin’ Donuts in Tyre today.  But keep in mind that for 2500 years, Tyre was little more than a fishing village.  Today, it is a small city, 60,000 in the city, not quite 200,000 in the metro area.  It’s not as big as Greenville.  Beirut on the other hand has more than 2 million people in the metropolitan area.
 
Let’s pray and look into the lament and additional prophecy against Tyre and her king.
 
Father God, show us what you would like for us to see in these chapters of Ezekiel.  Open our eyes to Your truth.  We want to hear from You.  In Jesus’ Name, we pray.  Amen.

Tyre

 Ezekiel 25:1-26:21
 

Welcome! Today we continue in our study of Ezekiel, looking at Chapters 25 and 26. These chapters represent an important turning point in the book of Ezekiel, not just literarily speaking but in terms of the events that happened in Ezekiel’s life and in the events of his people. To better understand this change, I want to talk a bit about the end of Chapter 24.
 
First, as an overall reminder, recall that Ezekiel was living far away from Israel, taken into captivity along with a group of his own people by the Babylonians. The Babylonians now allowed them some degree of autonomy, but they mixed them in among people taken from other nations in the hope and plan of getting the people to forget about their distinct heritage, culture, and objects of worship and instead come to accept the Babylonian ways and religion. In this foreign location, God called Ezekiel to become a prophet, and over the years, Ezekiel had faithfully carried out God’s instructions. The prophecies God gave Ezekiel warned of the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, a final end to centuries of patience while God watched His people practice ever-increasing idolatry and commit worse and worse sins. Through Ezekiel, God also warned the people living there with Ezekiel to repent of their own sins. These prophecies were often illustrated first not with words, but with strange actions that Ezekiel would perform among his people. He would then explain what these actions were meant to illustrate.

Cooking Pot

Ezekiel 23:1-24:14
 

Good morning!  In our last message, we covered Ezekiel 21 and 22.  As we have seen before, God again told Judah of the imminent destruction of their nation.  In today’s passage from Ezekiel 23 and 24, God is going to again illustrate why this judgment of the nation and the people must inevitably come.
 
I am going to paraphrase parts of the story from Ezekiel chapter 23.  It is a graphic analogy of what is going on in the hearts and minds of the people of Israel.  It is stark.  It is unmistakable in its meaning.  It is raw.
 
It’s been many years that I’ve had this comparison of the major prophets in mind.  I tend to think of them this way:  Isaiah as rated PG.  Parental guidance is suggested.  Jeremiah as rated PG-13.  Likely too much for those under the age of 13, parental guidance is suggested.  Then, I think of Ezekiel as rated R.  The content is so graphic in places that it can be difficult to read and certainly uncomfortable to talk about.
 
Unfortunately, when I bring up the ratings system, I’ve tapped into something that many of you have your own thoughts about.  And, I don’t want to create a misconception.  My use of the rating system analogy is no doubt imperfect.  Others have written on this as well, including culture writer Gene Edward Veith.  He said,
 
“The problem with the rating system is that it mechanically counts incidents of violence, nudity, and bad language. But it says nothing about what the movie means and its effect upon its viewers. … The rating board pays no attention to what a movie means.”
 
“Some movies create fantasies in the imagination of their viewers … that are sinful. Others present vice in such a way that it becomes abhorrent, that it makes a person less likely to want to commit that sin. Both the pro-sin and the anti-sin picture may end up with the same rating.” Rating the ratings | WORLD (wng.org)
 
I thought that description was helpful.  Ezekiel uses strong imagery but for good reason.  God is giving us a picture of sin that reveals how abhorrent it really is.  God is showing us the depth of betrayal of the Israelites in spite of God’s provision for them and lovingkindness toward them for centuries.  He also wants us to turn away from sin and choose His ways.  He wants all readers of Ezekiel, including us, to be less likely to want to commit the sins of Israel.
 
Let’s pray and the get into today’s passage.
 
Father God, thank You for telling us the truth even when it is not easy for us to hear it.  Help each of us to turn away from the sins of Israel and to live lives focused on You and Your ways.  Glorify Your Name we pray.  Amen.