The book of Ezekiel reiterates a message that is clear from the beginning of the story of creation. Simply put, it is about God being the focal point and the source of all good rather than humanity. Often times while reading the scripture we tend to focus on the importance of humanity and foolishly put aside God himself! This message of forsaking God’s law and the pure simple message of his word naturally leads to the judgement of God. Ezekiel is ordained by God to speak to the Israelites and remind them of this fact. A few points that the book of Ezekiel focuses on is simply reminding the people who God is, the reason for their current status, and their possible future if they choose to partake in it by God’s grace. Through Ezekiel God is …show more content…
In order to build the people properly everything must be first destroyed. This is evident in that God first attempts to change their mindset by introducing himself as Elohim rather than Yahweh. While both titles apply to God, the former applies to God’s strength and being the universal deity. By beginning with this understanding, God is attempting to show the people that he is in full control and that as previously discussed he is the God of gods. While it is necessary for God to change the mindset of the people, it is also essential that he reminds the people who they are from a physical state. The people are no longer in their comfort zone, which is their own land where they were once prominent. This destruction to humility allows the people to realize that they are no better than the nations around them. Their goodness comes solely from learning and following God’s commandments. The closer they are to this state, the closer they are in their true identity. However when they lack this understanding, they become arrogant and forget about that their being is fully realized in God. This is why God knows that their destruction is necessary both from a mental and physical stand
Frame 3) The purpose of the christian life is not to get "US" to heaven.
Ezekiel was a priest that proficized during the exile in Babylon. The Israelites had to work in farms and canals. The hard part was that they could not worship in the temple. God spoke to Ezekiel through visions God told Ezekiel that they didn’t have to be in Jerusalem to worship him. God brought them closer to them through the exile. Ezekiel said that each individual shares the responsibility of the group. Ezekiel gave a message of hope to the Israelites.
In Chapter 2 of Encountering the New Testament the author talks about a few of the different practices that unified the Jews as well the different religious groups that had different beliefs. Judaism was unified in the beliefs that they had been chosen by God, they were waiting for the messiah to come, they respect the synagogues, they shared the same laws and traditions of elder. Although these beliefs were unifying there were seperate religious groups and leaders that held different beliefs. Probably the most well known group of religious leaders were the Pharisees. The Pharisees were a small group of religious leaders that believed in God, and the coming messiah. Although many of the Pharisees did live good lives many of them were
God of the Old Testament is a God of election. Throughout the Old Testament we see God choosing whether to bless or curse people. Youngblood explains this through Jacob and Esau. Both were from the same father yet he chooses to bless Jacob who was younger than Esau. Election removes pride and boastfulness in humans and puts all of us on the same level waiting for God’s will in different ways. Youngblood than brings out the aspect of the covenant. Since the beginning of the time, God made covenants with the people. Through these covenants, God portrays that he always keeps his promise, and he is fair, and trustworthy to all who honor God.
The Bible, one of the world’s most ancient works of literature established into a book several years ago, can be debated to be true or false. However, whether or not it is doesn’t matter because either way it is incredibly fascinating. There are some truths and mysterious secrets embedded within the Bible. I believe the Bible should be taken figuratively rather than literally. To think that a group of writers from the ancient past had integrated stories with important morals and philosophies. The Bible has remained relevant for centuries and unfortunately has been neglected by the ignorance by the generations of today. Believe it or not, languages and popular phrases have been passed from the Bible and they may not even realize it.
Ezekiel was a young priest when he was growing up, he was always around the temple in Jerusalem. The exiles in Babylon received hope from Ezekiel. Quickly after the first exiles arrived in Babylon, he began preaching. When Ezekiel received the messages from God, they mostly came from visions. Once he kept receiving these messages, he then realized that God would still take care of his people. The people of Babylon will receive a new life and return back home to their land from God’s spirit. God was with the people in Babylon the same amount of time he was in the Temple. In God’s exile, he would bring everyone closer to him. It was everybody’s responsibility to share group individuality.
I love the passages of comfort because its telling you where you can look on the bible vesicle’s that will help you manage any situation you might be going thru at the moment. Not only sad or bad situations but happy and thankful emotions you might be experiencing at the time. Having God as our main priority in our life it’s a blessing because when we follow his path things will fall into place. At least for me that’s how it works.
Mouw mentions that there are several ways in which humans have used the Old Testament in order to justify and reinforce racial prejudice (Mouw 71). He wants us to see the Holy City as a multinational world with no distinctions between God’s people. He says, “Christians should point to the love of neighbors as the ethical norm for the regulation of relationships among people” (Mouw 72). As it says in the Bible, Israel is God’s people and acts as a representative of the nations. Mouw indicates that both Jews and Gentiles will receive the benefits of God’s redemption. He uses the prophecy of Isaiah 19, in which the Lord refers to the Egyptians as “[His] people” (Mouw 76). People argue that the Old Testament supports the opposite view, in which gentile people are seen as inferior. In the beginning of time, God did make a covenant and established Israel as the representative of his kingdom, but he didn’t forget about everyone else. God has a plan for his creation and both blessed and cursed Israel for its position. The Holy City that Isaiah talks about reverses the curse of Babel. The curse of Babel is where God’s people let greediness and egocentrism take over their lives and God punished them by confusing their tongues and dividing them throughout the earth. Mouw believes that it’s the duty of the Christian community to pursue racial appeasement: “We must voice our protest against the suffering caused by the kinds of
At the beginning of time, God created mankind, creatures made in his own image, with whom He could have relationship with. Unfortunately, the original humans, Adam and Eve, shattered this relationship by turning away from God and sinning, putting themselves before Him. All of the descendants of Adam and Eve, mankind itself, have and continue to suffer from the repercussions of this Original Sin. Ever since that time, thousands of years ago, God has been working through human history in order to repair His relationship with Humanity, redeeming them from the effects of sin. His plan of salvation began with a covenant He made with a nomad named Abraham, whose descendants became the nation of Israel. This covenant established the Lord's intentions to bring about redemption for humanity through the nation of Israel. Sadly though, the ancient Israelites time and again were unfaithful to their covenant with God, and would worship the false idols of the nations around them. Because of their sin of apostasy, the nation of Israel eventually split in two, and was then wiped out by foreign invaders, sending in the Hebrew people into exile. It was during this exile that the Prophets, men who would speak on behalf of God, began to predict the coming of the Messiah, an 'anointed one' of
"In a nutshell, Ehrman claims that oral traditions passed on within a community are liable to distortion,..."
God came with peace and good news, to Israel, saying “I will cleanse you from your sins, I will bring people into your cities and the ruins will be rebuilt” (Ezekiel, 36:33 NIV). Ezekiel’s oracles of spirituality, thus Israel was spiritual dead with no hope of vitality ( Ezekiel 37:5 NIV). Yet, God will restore life back into those dead bones, if Israel would turn from their sinful ways (Ezekiel 37:14). In chapter 40 of Ezekiel, God showed, the prophet a vision of God’s dwelling place, of those who are faithful thus, they will live with the Lord forever (NIV). Yahweh carried, out judgment on Jerusalem by the Babylonians (Hays, 2010). The “oracles against the nation” in (Ezekiel 28:17) This oracles were against king Tyre, whom were destroyed, the king’s content were evil, whereas it represent the same pattern as Satan. (Hays, 2010). Thus, God delivered, Egypt to Himself ,although Jerusalem were destroyed, God gave hope of restoring His people, the city was renamed,because of Yahweh’s present remain in the city. God will restore life back in the city if His people would repent of their sins, He will judge those who will not repent and save those who would repent (Ezekiel 33:11-21; 24:21; 33:22). God will Shepherd His flock
When you delve into the prophet Ezekiel, you make use of the verse that I have shortened to refer to the shepherd motif, “… I will take note of you as you pass under my rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant (Ezek. 20:36-37). The two phrases I have bolded and italicized are concepts that allude to the shepherd motif. The prophet Ezekiel avidly uses the shepherd of Israel motif because he understood God’s leadership toward his
On March fifteenth Ezekiel’s parents died of an unknown cause. He was heartbroken, but soon his happiness returned when he received all of his parents inheritance plus a mansion that was already payed off. He was always waited on by a butler and his own cook. When he had gone to New York a man offered him a job. Ezekiel was stunned someone would ever offer him! a job, he looked at the man and said,” Sir, I have loads of money, a mansion I don’t have to pay for, a butler, and my own personal chef, why would I want to work and want anything else .
The book of Zechariah has long been divided into two literary units: Zechariah (Proto-Zechariah), comprising chapters 1-8, and Deutero-Zechariah, comprising chapters 9-14. (Soggin, 1976:347). (Chapters. 9-14 are often divided into two units consisting of chapter. 9-11 and 12-14). Higher-critical scholars usually assign a different author to each unit ( Eissfeldt,1974:437-440 ), usually based upon (1) dissimilar literary style between the two parts, (2) differences in content, (3) the fact that Zechariah's name is not mentioned in chaps. 9-14 as it is in chaps. 1-8 (Zech 1:1; 1:7; 7:1), (4) the seemingly diverse historical background behind each pericope in Deutero-Zechariah, and (5) the more apocalyptic style of chaps. 9-14, particularly chap.
3 Stein, Robert H. A Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible: Playing by the Rules. Baker Books, 1994.