PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Expositor's Bible: The Book of Ezekiel
Skinner, John · 157,203 words · 206 reading sections
Chapter XX. The Messianic Kingdom. Chapter xxxiv.
iii. The next six verses (17‐22) add a feature to the allegory which is not found in the corresponding passage in Jeremiah. Jehovah will judge between one sheep and another, especially between the rams and he‐goats on the one hand and the weaker animals on the other. The strong cattle had monopolised the fat meadows an…
711 wordsSECTION 122Chapter XX. The Messianic Kingdom. Chapter xxxiv.
We have now before us the salient features of the Messianic hope, as it is presented in the pages of Ezekiel. We see that the idea is developed in contrast with the abuses that had characterised the historic monarchy in Israel. It represents the ideal of the kingdom as it exists in the mind of Jehovah, an ideal which n…
1,089 wordsSECTION 123Chapter XX. The Messianic Kingdom. Chapter xxxiv.
The second question is one that perhaps would not readily occur to a plain man. It relates to the meaning of the word “prince” as applied to the Messiah. It has been thought by some critics that Ezekiel had a special reason for avoiding the title “king”; and from this supposed reason a somewhat sweeping conclusion has …
1,171 wordsSECTION 124Chapter XXI. Jehovah’s Land. Chapters xxxv., xxxvi.
The teaching of this important passage turns on certain ideas regarding the land of Canaan which enter very deeply into the religion of Israel. These ideas are no doubt familiar in a general way to all thoughtful readers of the Old Testament; but their full import is scarcely realised until we understand that they are …
1,123 wordsSECTION 125Chapter XXI. Jehovah’s Land. Chapters xxxv., xxxvi.
This conception of Canaan as the land of Jehovah undoubtedly has its natural affinities with religious notions of a somewhat primitive kind. It belongs to the stage of thought at which the power of a god is habitually regarded as subject to local limitations, and in which accordingly a particular territory is assigned …
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At the time when these prophecies were written the land of Israel was in the possession of the Edomites. By what means they had succeeded in effecting a lodgment in the country we do not know. It is not unlikely that Nebuchadnezzar may have granted them this extension of their territory as a reward for their services t…
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It is not necessary to enter minutely into the details of the judgment threatened against Edom. We may simply note that it corresponds point for point with the demeanour exhibited by the Edomites in the time of Israel’s final retribution. The “perpetual hatred” is rewarded by perpetual desolation (ver. 9); their seizur…
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The next passage (vv. 16‐38) deals more with the renewal of the nation than with that of the land; and thus forms a link of connection between the main theme of this chapter and that of ch. xxxvii. It contains the clearest and most comprehensive statement of the process of redemption to be found in the whole book, exhi…
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At this point accordingly (ver. 25) Ezekiel passes to speak of the spiritual process of regeneration by which Israel is to be transformed into a true people of God. This is a necessary part of the sanctification of the divine name before the world. The new life of the people will reveal the character of the God whom th…
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To the heathen, on the other hand, the state of Israel will be a convincing demonstration of the power and godhead of Jehovah. Men will say, “Yonder land, which was desolate, has become like the garden of Eden; and the cities that were ruined and waste and destroyed are fenced and inhabited” (ver. 35). They will know t…
986 wordsSECTION 131Chapter XXII. Life From The Dead. Chapter xxxvii.
The most formidable obstacle to faith on the part of the exiles in the possibility of a national redemption was the complete disintegration of the ancient people of Israel. Hard as it was to realise that Jehovah still lived and reigned in spite of the cessation of His worship, and hard to hope for a recovery of the lan…
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The vision of the valley of dry bones described in the first part of the chapter contains the answer to the desponding thoughts of the exiles, and seems indeed to be directly suggested by the figure in which the popular feeling was currently expressed: “Our bones are dried; our hope is lost: we feel ourselves cut off” …
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Ezekiel did as he was commanded; he prophesied over the dry bones, and immediately he was sensible of the effect of his words. He heard a rustling, and looking he saw that the bones were coming together, bone to his bone. He does not need to tell us how his heart rejoiced at this first sign of life returning to these d…
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It has often been supposed that, although the passage may not directly teach the resurrection of the body, it nevertheless implies a certain familiarity with that doctrine on the part of Ezekiel, if not of his hearers likewise. If the raising of dead men to life could be used as an analogy of a national restoration, th…
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These remarks are made merely to show in what sense Ezekiel’s vision may be regarded as a contribution to the Old Testament doctrine of personal immortality. It is so not by its direct teaching, nor yet by its presuppositions, but by the suggestiveness of its imagery, opening out a line of thought which under the guida…
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The second half of the chapter speaks of a special feature of the national restoration, the reunion of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel under one sceptre. This is represented first of all by a symbolic action. The prophet is directed to take two pieces of wood, apparently in the form of sceptres, and to write upon them…
970 wordsSECTION 137Chapter XXIII. The Conversion Of Israel.
From the idea of the reunited nation Ezekiel returns easily to the promise of the Davidic king and the blessings of the Messianic dispensation. The one people implies one shepherd, and also one land, and one spirit to walk in Jehovah’s judgments and to observe His statutes to do them. The various elements which enter i…
839 wordsSECTION 138Chapter XXIII. The Conversion Of Israel.
The name of God is that by which He is known amongst men. It is more than His honour or reputation, although that is included in it according to Hebrew idiom; it is the expression of His character or His personality. To act for His name’s sake, therefore, is to act so that His true character may be more fully revealed,…
756 wordsSECTION 139Chapter XXIII. The Conversion Of Israel.
2. The intellectual side of the conversion of Israel is the acceptance of that idea of God which to the prophet is summed up in the name of Jehovah. This is expressed in the standing formula which denotes the effect of all God’s dealings with men, “They shall know that I am Jehovah.” We need not, however, repeat what h…
741 wordsSECTION 140Chapter XXIII. The Conversion Of Israel.
4. The idea of regeneration is very prominent in Ezekiel’s teaching. The need for a radical change in the national character was impressed on him by the spectacle which he witnessed daily of evil tendencies and practices persisted in, in spite of the clearest demonstration that they were hateful to Jehovah and had been…
758 wordsSECTION 141Chapter XXIII. The Conversion Of Israel.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ This outline of the prophet’s conception of salvation illustrates the truth of the remark that Ezekiel is the first dogmatic theologian. In so far as it is the business of a theologian to exhibit the logical connection of the ideas which express man’s relation to God, Ezekiel more…
365 wordsSECTION 142Chapter XXIV. Jehovah’s Final Victory. Chapters xxxviii., xxxix.
These chapters give the impression of having been intended to stand at the close of the book of Ezekiel. Their present position is best explained on the supposition that the original collection of Ezekiel’s prophecies actually ended here, and that the remaining chapters (xl.‐xlviii.) form an appendix, added at a later …
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The thirty‐eighth chapter may be divided into three sections of seven verses each. i. Vv. 3‐9.—The prophet having been commanded to direct his face towards Gog in the land of Magog, is commissioned to announce the fate that is in store for him and his hosts in the latter days. The name of this mysterious and formidabl…
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iii. Vv. 17‐23.—These verses are in the main a description of the annihilation of Gog’s host by the fierce wrath of Jehovah; but this is introduced by a reference to unfulfilled prophecies which are to receive their accomplishment in this great catastrophe. It is difficult to say what particular prophecies are meant. T…
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vi. Vv. 17‐24.—The overwhelming magnitude of the catastrophe is once more set forth under the image of a sacrificial feast, to which Jehovah summons all the birds of the air and every beast of the field (vv. 17‐20). The feast is represented as a sacrifice not in any religious sense, but simply in accordance with ancien…
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It will be seen from this summary of the contents of the prophecy that, while it presents many features peculiar to itself, it also contains much in common with the general drift of the prophet’s thinking. We must now try to form an estimate of its significance as an episode in the great drama of Providence which unfol…
883 wordsSECTION 147Chapter XXV. The Import Of The Vision.
There are other aspects of Ezekiel’s teaching on which light is thrown by this anticipation of a world‐judgment as the final scene of history. The prophet was evidently conscious of a certain inconclusiveness and want of finality in the prospect of the restoration as a justification of the ways of God to men. Although …
787 wordsSECTION 148Chapter XXV. The Import Of The Vision.
In what direction were the prophet’s thoughts moving as Israel passed into the midnight of her exile? That they have moved in the interval—that his standpoint is no longer quite identical with that represented in his earlier prophecies—seems to be shown by one slight modification of his previous conceptions, which has …
881 wordsSECTION 149Chapter XXV. The Import Of The Vision.
But Ezekiel was prepared for the reception of this vision, not only by the practical reforming bent of his mind, but also by a combination in his own experience of the two elements which must always enter into a conception of this nature. If we may employ philosophical language to express a very obvious distinction, we…
786 wordsSECTION 150Chapter XXV. The Import Of The Vision.
That this vision of Ezekiel’s profoundly influenced the development of post‐exilic Judaism may be inferred from the fact that all the best tendencies of the restoration period were towards the realisation of the ideals which the vision sets forth with surpassing clearness. It is impossible, indeed, to say precisely how…
1,237 wordsSECTION 151Chapter XXV. The Import Of The Vision.
This blending of seemingly incongruous elements reveals to us the true character of the vision with which we have to deal. It is in the strictest sense a Messianic prophecy—that is, a picture of the kingdom of God in its final state as the prophet was led to conceive it. It is common to all such representations that th…
806 wordsSECTION 152Chapter XXV. The Import Of The Vision.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ This brings us to the most difficult and most important of all the questions arising in connection with Ezekiel’s vision—What is its relation to the Pentateuchal Legislation? It is obvious at once that the significance of this section of the book of Ezekiel is immensely enhanced i…
1,131 wordsSECTION 153Chapter XXV. The Import Of The Vision.
To find similar evidence of the practical adoption of the Priestly Code we have to come down to a much later period. It is not till the year 444 B.C., in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, that we read of the people pledging themselves by a solemn covenant to the observance of regulations which are clearly those of the fin…
783 wordsSECTION 154Chapter XXV. The Import Of The Vision.
Let us now consider the bearing of this theory on the interpretation of Ezekiel’s vision. It enables us to do justice to the unmistakable practical purpose which pervades its legislation. It frees us from the grave difficulties involved in the assumption that Ezekiel wrote with the finished Pentateuch before him. It vi…
320 wordsSECTION 155Chapter XXVI. The Sanctuary. Chapters xl.‐xliii.
The fundamental idea of the theocracy as conceived by Ezekiel is the literal dwelling of Jehovah in the midst of His people. The Temple is in the first instance Jehovah’s palace, where He manifests His gracious presence by receiving the gifts and homage of His subjects. But the enjoyment of this privilege of access to …
706 wordsSECTION 156I
Let the reader, then, after the manner of Euclid, draw a straight line A B, and describe thereon a square A B C D. Let him divide two adjacent sides of the square (say A B and A D) into ten equal parts, and let lines be drawn from the points of section parallel to the sides of the square in both directions. Let a side …
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The four small squares immediately adjoining the inner court on the west are occupied by the Temple proper and its adjuncts. The Temple itself stands on a solid basement six cubits above the level of the inner court, and is reached by a flight of ten steps. The breadth of the basement (north to south) is sixty cubits: …
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The most troublesome part of the description is that of two blocks of cells(218) situated north and south of the Temple building (ch. xlii. 1‐14). It seems clear that they occupied the oblong spaces between the _gizra_ north and south of the Temple and the walls of the inner court. Their length is said to be a hundred …
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Such, then, are the leading features presented by Ezekiel’s description of an ideal sanctuary. What are the chief impressions suggested to the mind by its perusal? The fact no doubt that surprises us most is that our attention is almost exclusively directed to the ground‐plan of the buildings. It is evident that the pr…
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Now in reducing this idea to practice it is obvious that everything depends on the strict enforcement of the principle of separation that lies at the root of the Hebrew conception of holiness. The thought that underlies Ezekiel’s legislation is that the holiness of Jehovah is communicated in different degrees to everyt…
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The effect of this teaching, however, is immensely enhanced by the principle of gradation, which is the second feature exhibited in Ezekiel’s description of the sanctuary. Holiness, as a predicate of persons or things, is after all a relative idea. That which is “most holy” in relation to the profane every‐day life of …
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No sooner has the prophet completed his tour of inspection of the sacred buildings than he is conducted to the eastern gate to witness the theophany by which the Temple is consecrated to the service of the true God. “He (the angel) led me to the gate that looks eastward, and, lo, the glory of the God of Israel came fro…
626 wordsSECTION 163Chapter XXVII. The Priesthood. Chapter xliv.
In the last chapter we saw how the principle of holiness through separation was exhibited in the plan of a new Temple, round which the Theocracy of the future was to be constituted. We have now to consider the application of the same principle to the _personnel_ of the Sanctuary, the priests and others who are to offic…
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The first and most noteworthy feature of the new scheme is the distinction between priests and Levites. The passage in which this instruction is given is so important that it may be quoted here at length. It is an oracle communicated to the prophet in a peculiarly impressive manner. He has been brought into the inner c…
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For a partial answer to this question, we may turn first to the memorable scene of the coronation of the young king Joash as described in the eleventh chapter of the second book of Kings (_c._ B.C. 837). The moving spirit in that transaction was the chief priest Jehoiada, a man who was honourably distinguished by his z…
688 wordsSECTION 166I
In order to prevent a recurrence of these abuses Ezekiel ordains that for the future the functions of the Temple guard and other menial offices shall be discharged by the Levites who had hitherto acted as priests of the idolatrous shrines throughout the kingdom (vv. 11‐14). This singular enactment becomes at once intel…
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We see thus that Ezekiel’s legislation on the subject of the Levites starts from a state of things created by Josiah’s reformation, and, let us remember, a state of things with which the prophet was familiar in his earlier days when he was himself a priest in the Temple. On the whole he justifies the exclusive attitude…
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It is nearer our purpose, however, to note the probable effect of these regulations on the _personnel_ of the second Temple. In the book of Ezra we are told that in the first colony of returning exiles there were four thousand two hundred and eighty‐nine priests and only seventy‐four Levites.(228) One man in every ten …
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The remainder of the forty‐fourth chapter lays down the rules of ceremonial holiness to be observed by the priests, the duties they have to perform towards the community, and the provision to be made for their maintenance. A few words must here suffice on each of these topics. 1. The sanctity of the priests is denoted…
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2. The duties of the priests towards the people are few, but exceedingly important. In the first place they have to instruct the people in the distinctions between the holy and the profane and between the clean and the unclean. It will not be supposed that this instruction took the form of set lectures or homilies on t…
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Finally, the priests have complete control of public worship, and are responsible for the due observance of the festivals and for the sanctification of the Sabbath (ver. 24). 3. With regard to the provisions for the support of the priesthood, the old law continues in force that the priests can hold no landed property …
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In conclusion, let us briefly consider the significance of this great institution of the priesthood in Ezekiel’s scheme of an ideal theocracy. It would of course be an utter mistake to suppose that the prophet is merely legislating in the interests of the sacerdotal order to which he himself belonged. It was necessary …
651 wordsSECTION 173Chapter XXVIII. Prince And People. Chapters xliv.‐xlvi. _passim_.
It was remarked in a previous lecture that the “prince” of the closing vision appears to occupy a less exalted position than the Messianic king of ch. xxxiv. or ch. xxxvii. The grounds on which this impression rests require, however, to be carefully considered, if we are not to carry away a thoroughly false conception …
1,174 wordsSECTION 174Chapter XXVIII. Prince And People. Chapters xliv.‐xlvi. _passim_.
In the next place, we come across a much more startling revelation of the injustice habitually practised by the Hebrew monarchs. Just as later sovereigns were wont to meet their deficits by debasing the currency, so the kings of Judah had learned to augment their revenue by a systematic falsification of weights and mea…
952 wordsSECTION 175Chapter XXVIII. Prince And People. Chapters xliv.‐xlvi. _passim_.
This brings us now to the more important aspect of the kingly office—its religious privileges and duties. Here there are three points which require to be noticed. 1. In the first place it is the duty of the prince to supply the material of the public sacrifices offered in the name of the people.(259) Out of the tribut…
849 wordsSECTION 176Chapter XXVIII. Prince And People. Chapters xliv.‐xlvi. _passim_.
Many of these arrangements were no doubt suggested by Ezekiel’s acquaintance with the practice in the first Temple, and their precise object is lost to us. But one or two facts stand out clearly enough, and are very instructive as to the whole conception of Temple worship. The chief thing to be noticed is that the prin…
717 wordsSECTION 177Chapter XXVIII. Prince And People. Chapters xliv.‐xlvi. _passim_.
The last occasion on which we read of a king of Judah officiating in person in the Temple is at the dedication of the new altar of Ahaz, when the king not only himself sacrificed, but gave directions to the priests as to the future observance of the ritual. The occasion was no doubt unusual, but there is not a word in …
971 wordsSECTION 178Chapter XXIX. The Ritual. Chapters xlv., xlvi.
It is difficult to go back in imagination to a time when sacrifice was the sole and sufficient form of every complete act of worship.(265) That the slaughter of an animal, or at least the presentation of a material offering of some sort, should ever have been considered of the essence of intercourse with the Deity may …
1,162 wordsSECTION 179Chapter XXIX. The Ritual. Chapters xlv., xlvi.
Bearing these facts in mind, we may now proceed to examine the scheme of sacrificial worship contained in chapters xlv. and xlvi. Only its leading features can here be noticed, and the points most deserving of attention may be grouped under three heads: the Festivals, the Representative Service, and the Idea of Atoneme…
908 wordsSECTION 180Chapter XXIX. The Ritual. Chapters xlv., xlvi.
The tendency of the post‐exilic ritual was to detach the sacred seasons more and more from the secular associations which had once been their chief significance. This was done partly by the addition of new festivals which had no such natural occasion, and partly by a change in the point of view from which the older cel…
1,058 wordsSource & rights
Public domain in the USA; original historical text digitized by Project Gutenberg.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.