Immerse: Prophets - Flipbook - Page 330
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IMMERSE
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PROPHETS
a symbolic meaning—and memorable poetic images such as a vine, an
eagle, a lion, and two sisters.
Despite all this, the Judeans in exile wouldn’t listen to Ezekiel any
more than those in Jerusalem listened to Jeremiah. But the time had
come for all the prophecies against Judah to be fulfilled. One of Ezek
iel’s most desolate visions was of the Lord ’s glory and presence leaving
the Temple. This provides further confirmation of what Jeremiah was
saying: No longer could anyone promise safety in Jerusalem simply
because the Lord ’s Temple was there. God had left, and there was no
more protection against the invasion. This judgment was disorienting
for God’s people. But it was a necessary first step toward the bigger
goal: the reorientation of the people to a new future with God.
Overall, the book of Ezekiel follows the same threefold pattern as
the earlier and much shorter book of Zephaniah: oracles of judgment
against Israel (pp. 319-355), oracles of judgment against other nations
(pp. 355-371), and promises of Israel’s restoration (pp. 371-396).
Again like Jeremiah, Ezekiel was granted visions of the restoration
of God’s people. His visions of Israel’s coming renewal are some of
the most memorable in the prophets. Since Israel’s shepherds (leaders)
have destroyed their own people, God himself will come and be their
good Shepherd—leading, protecting, and feeding them. The Lord also
makes the amazing promise that he will transform his people from the
inside out: “I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you.
. . . I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be
careful to obey my regulations.”
While in exile, Israel is like a valley of old, dry bones. But the creator
of life will revive his people and bring them back home. The book closes
with a lengthy vision of a new Temple in a restored Jerusalem. A river
will flow from this Temple, like the rivers in the Garden of Eden, and life
will flourish wherever it goes. When all things—leaders, people, hearts,
and land—are healed, then God himself will once again come to live
there among them.
