SS Overview: Fall Quarter: Judah, from Isaiah to Exile

By Rev. Adrian Grubbs

Unit 3: Ezekiel and the Exile of Judah

While Jeremiah was preaching in Jerusalem, Ezekiel was called as prophet to the exiles in Babylon. Ezekiel was a priest in Jerusalem when the first captives were taken to Babylon. Jehoiachin succeeded his father Jehoiakim to the throne in 597 BCE and reigned for only three months. When the Babylonian army laid siege to Jerusalem, Jehoiachin quickly surrendered. The king, his family, his cabinet officials, the nobility, and many citizens were taken away captive to Babylon. Ezekiel was among them, and five years later the LORD called him to be a prophet to the exiles.

2 Kings 24:18-25:9 describe the last days of Jerusalem. After Jehoiachin was taken away his uncle Zedekiah became king, and nine years later Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem for the second time. The siege lasted eighteen months. About the time the food ran out in Jerusalem, the walls of the city were breached. King Zedekiah, his family, body guards, some officials and soldiers escaped in the night; they had fled as far the plain of Jericho when they were captured. Zedekiah saw his sons executed, then he was blinded and carried to Babylon in chains. The walls of the city were torn down, the houses were burned, and the temple was demolished. Jeremiah was set free.

Ezekiel 3 and 24 describe his mission. He is to faithfully proclaim all the words of Yahweh – whether anyone listens or not. As the Babylonians laid siege to Jerusalem for the second time, Ezekiel received the bad news that his wife, the delight of his eyes, would die, and that he was NOT to openly mourn for her. When she died, people asked why he did not mourn. He told them that a messenger would soon come to report that Jerusalem had fallen, but that they were not to mourn the loss of the delight of their eyes – their sacred temple and the holy city. Ezekiel kept telling them the LORD had abandoned the temple because they and the people back home had forsaken the LORD.

The people in exile first argued that they were being punished because their parents sinned – it was not their fault (18:1). Then they argued that they were overwhelmed by their iniquity and were powerless to do anything about it (33:10). Finally, they claimed that the LORD’s ways were not fair (33:17). But Ezekiel proclaimed that if the righteous turn to sin, their righteousness will not save them; and if the unrighteous repent, return to Yahweh, and restore to those they have wronged, then they will be forgiven and redeemed. When a sentinel sounds the alarm of the approaching enemy, then destruction is their fault if they fail to heed the warning!

Ezekiel’s visions, oracles, symbols, and signs precede the rise of apocalyptic literature of the first centuries BCE and CE, of which the Old Testament book of Daniel and the New Testament book of Revelation are examples – both draw from the imagery of Ezekiel.  Like Isaiah and Jeremiah, Ezekiel was a prophet of hope. In chapter 10 Ezekiel envisioned the LORD’s departure from the temple before it was destroyed. In later chapters he described his vision of the perfect new temple in Jerusalem and of the return of the LORD to it. Then in chapter 47 he envisioned a river flowing out from beneath the throne of Yahweh. (His throne was the ark of the covenant in the inner sanctuary, the Holy of Holies in the western third of the temple structure.) The river flowed out from the throne, just south of the altar, just south of the eastern gate, and on to the Dead Sea. The river became deeper as it flowed

eastward, and when it reached the Dead Sea the salt water became fresh so that fish lived and thrived in it. Trees grew on both sides of the river, bearing fruit every month for eating, and its leaves had healing powers. In other words, Israel will be released from bondage in Babylon, they will return to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, their sins will be forgiven, and Yahweh will live in their midst.

Are there prophets today who speak for the LORD? Does the Church today have the gumption to speak out to the powers that be? Is our worship focused on the Lord God, or are we too centered on self-fulfillment, pleasure, and wealth? Do we dare to seek peace, mercy, and kindness in this world instead of war, abuse, and hate? Are we truly God’s people?