Ezekiel: God of covenant and regeneration

With all the messages of judgement in Ezekiel, it could be easy to forget the beginning of the story - God's love story with Israel. The allegory told so grippingly in chapter 16 vividly depicts the very essence of the Old Testament: it is a story of covenant of God with a nation (Abraham's descendants). God's sovereign choice and grace in choosing Israel is highlighted as the abandoned child becomes a beautiful woman through the rescuer's love, protection and provision. The infidelity therefore becomes more shocking; the woman who has everything still has an insatiable desire for more (v29). The grotesque imagery sets the reader's teeth on edge because Ezekiel knew his audience needed to be shocked out of apathy and complacency.

But there is a message of hope, and for me it's the most exciting aspect of Ezekiel. It is in this book that the concept of regeneration begins to be sketched out, in perhaps a rather shadowy pencil tone, ready for the New Testament to boldly define it in the wake of Christ and His death on the cross.

At the end of the allegory, Ezekiel gives the pronouncement of the Lord GOD: 'I will establish for you an everlasting covenant' (v60). And there are two key passages, similar in tone and content, which give more detail to this promise. Ezekiel 11:14-21 and 36:22-38 both speak of a removal of the 'heart of stone' and a cleansing from idolatry, and a promise of 'a new heart, and a new spirit'. In ch 36, God says 'I will put my Spirit within you' (v27). The Old Covenant law, given to Moses on stone tablets, was broken again and again by God's unfaithful people. But the New Covenant is characterised by power, the divine power of God's Spirit to change our hearts and regenerate those who believe.

'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.' 2 Corinthians 5:17

This regeneration is depicted very memorably in chapter 37, where Ezekiel is given a stunning vision of the valley of dry bones being brought back to life with flesh and breath once more. The metaphor is explained: 'these bones are the whole house of Israel... I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live' (v11-14). As William Mounce writes,

'In the New Covenant, God’s Spirit is able to breath life into those who are spiritually dead. In the New Covenant, God’s Spirit is able to change and empower those changed lives to live in blissful obedience to Him.'

At the heart of Ezekiel is the message that God is a God of covenant. He is faithful to His promises and to His people. And through the New Covenant, God would do something amazing: even after giving so much already to those He loved, He would actually put His Spirit within them, empowering them to live radically for Him in true faithfulness.

Ezekiel: An intolerant God

Ezekiel speaks prophetically of God's approaching judgement upon His people, at a time where they were dangerously unconcerned about their own spiritual state and the state of their nation (and there seem to have been plenty of false prophets to give them fake reassurance). The repeated phrase 'then they will know that I am the LORD' shows that God's character, in particular His righteousness, purity and total intolerance of sin, will be revealed in the judgement that is about to be poured out upon this disobedient people.

Many baulk at the idea of an intolerant God or a God of judgement. Reading Old Testament books like Ezekiel can be hard because of the seeming harshness of the message, such as the angelic executioners who kill all idolaters young and old in the vision of chapter 9. Ezekiel himself falls to the ground and asks God if He intends to destroy everyone, in despair. God answers: “The sin of the people of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice. They say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land; the Lord does not see.’ So I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.” (v9-10). There doesn't seem to be any leeway here. But think about it: do you want a God who turns a blind eye to the massive injustices of the world? A God who ignores the plight of abused children, trafficking victims, the poor and exploited? We don't really want a God like that at all. God's consistency in His hatred of sin and His absolute moral purity and perfection are why He is worthy of our worship.

God's judgement is indeed terrifying; I would not make out that it's not. And the stunning depiction of judgement in Ezekiel makes me breathlessly in awe of God and very, very thankful that on Jesus Christ His wrath was poured out completely and I will never have to face it myself.

For all those who look around and say, 'where is God? Why does He let all this bad stuff happen?', Ezekiel's message is still relevant today. He effectively reminds us that God's character remains unchanged. He is totally intolerant of sin in any shape or form. The day is coming when He will act decisively and any doubts you have will be completely removed, but you don't want to be on the receiving end of His retribution. Run to Jesus for refuge and urge everyone around you to do the same, before it's too late.

Ezekiel: Willing to speak

Having just looked at Daniel, I'm now back-tracking to look at Ezekiel. While both were living in exile in Babylon, Ezekiel's ministry begins five years after the first group of exiles was deported to Babylon. Given that Daniel lives through the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar, his son, and Darius and into the days of Cyrus too, it seems Daniel was part of the later group of exiles.

Ezekiel and Daniel had very different ministries. Daniel was called to serve in the heart of the Babylonian court and empire. He was given a position of power and prestige - though this was threatened by his faithfulness to God and his powerful enemies. Ezekiel lived among the exiles who were a community forced from their home, strangers in a foreign land with no status or wealth. He belonged to the priestly class but instead of being able to serve his ministry in the temple in Jerusalem, he finds himself placed by God in a ministry of unrelenting preaching to a people who didn't want to know. Daniel saw some remarkable miracles: the saving of his three friends in the fiery furnace, his own deliverance in the lions' den, Nebuchadnezzar's humbling, the writing on the wall... He saw some of the Babylonian rulers come to recognise God's greatness and uniqueness. Ezekiel, speaking to God's own people, saw none of this. He faced rejection for his hard message, yet he did not compromise; he persevered.

Much like Isaiah, Ezekiel experiences a 'call' to be God's prophet, to speak His words to the people, with a heavenly vision. As he is commissioned, he is told repeatedly that the people are 'nations of rebels' (chapter 2 v3). 'Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house. But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.' (v6-8) In language echoed later in Revelation, it seems that Ezekiel saw a vision of Christ Himself who gave him his mission ('seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance' chapter 1 v26). I was thinking about my own mission, wondering if I would be as willing as Ezekiel if I knew it was -in human terms- going to be a failure and mean so much isolation and rejection.

There are certainly times where we feel we are not seeing fruit, where it's hard to persevere. I'm challenged through Ezekiel's call that God is asking me, 'are you willing to speak for Me, even when people don't listen?' If God's people are willing to speak the words that He gives them, before whoever He puts them, then it could be kings and princes or the poor and needy; it doesn't matter. It gives Him glory. Are you willing?