New Life ABF

EZEKIELYou Will Know that I AM the LORD

Theme•That you will Know that I Am the LordKnow that I Am the Lord•Found some 62 times in 27 of the 48

chapters•Flushes out 5 major concepts

▫The Nature of God▫Purpose in God’s judgments▫Individual responsibility▫Israel’s history▫Israel’s future

Deuteronomy 28

Historical Background•Three (four) major kingdoms involved

▫Assyria▫Egypt▫Babylon▫ Israel (Northern 10) & Judah (Southern 2)

•Two major shifts in power▫Assyria and Egypt to permanently fall to Babylon▫ Israel to go into the punishment of God▫ Israel will succumb to foreign rule and

dependance•God’s will being accomplished

Kings of the Times• Hezekiah 726-697• Manassah 697-642• Amon 641-640• Josiah 640-609• Jehoahaz 609• Jehoiakim 609-597• Jehoiachin 597• Zedekiah 597-586

• Good• Very Bad• Bad• Good• N/a• Bad• N/a• Somewhat good

To Keep in Mind

•Pagan King just Pawns

•Jeremiah had told them of the coming captivity by God’s Decree

•God would purge His people of idolatry

•The reign of the Kings ended with the exile

The Prophets Role• IsaiahIsaiah - the prophet calling for Holiness

in Judah before all this• JeremiahJeremiah - prophet to those remaining

home during exile• DanielDaniel - a prophet placed in the Royal

Courts in captivity• EzekielEzekiel - a prophet placed in the

country-side in captivity

General Breakdown•Chapters 1-24 predict the Fall of

Jerusalem in 586 (After Zedekiah)

•Chapters 25-32 Speak doom to the Nations against Jerusalem

•Chapters 33-39 Are Encouragement to Israel

•Chapters 40-48 Are the Prophetic Future for Israel

I. Ezekiel's Commission (1:1-3:27) A. The Vision of God's Glory (1:1-28) B. The Lord's Charge to Ezekiel (2:1-3:27)II. Judah's Iniquity and the Resulting Judgment (4:1-24:27) A. The Initial Warnings of the Watchman (4:1-7:27) B. The Vision of the Exodus of God's Glory (8:1-11:25) C. The Lord's Reply to the Exiles Invalid Rationalizations of Hope (12:1-19:14) D. The Defective Leadership of Israel (20:1-23:49) E. The Execution of Jerusalem's Judgment (24:1-27)

Outline

III. Judgment on the Foreign Nations (25:1-33:20) A. Judgment on Judah's Closest Neighbors (25:1-17) B. Judgment on Tyre (26:1-28:19) C. Judgment on Sidon (28:20-24) D. Israel's Restoration From the Nations (28:25-26) E. Judgment on Egypt (29:1-32:32)IV. The Future Blessings of a Faithful Covenant God (33:21-48:35) A. Restoration to the Promised Land (33:21-39:29) B. God's Glory Returns (40:1-48:35)

Ezekiel's calling and commission : 2-3

“Because”

Key verse: Ezekiel 36:22

EZEKIELYou Will Know that I AM the LORD

Excursus on end of section 2 Chapters 4-24

Some “highlights”

•Chapter 19: a poem of destruction•Chapter 20: the elders are rebuked and the

destruction of Jerusalem laid out (See Also 14) [Read 20:1-32]

•Chapter 21: A Sword•Read Chapter 22•Chapter 23: Oholah and Oholibah as

Allegory•Chapter 24: The Boiling Pot and Ezekiel’s

Wide dies [Read 24:15-27]

““I, the LORD, have spoken; it I, the LORD, have spoken; it is is coming and I will act. I will coming and I will act. I will not relent, and I will not not relent, and I will not pity pity and I will not be and I will not be sorry; sorry; according to your according to your ways and according to your ways and according to your deeds deeds I will judge you,” I will judge you,” declares the Lord GOD.’ ”declares the Lord GOD.’ ” Ezekiel 24:14.

Jerusalem is destroyed . . . . . . just like He said.

Some after thoughts (T or F)Statement Answer

• God is not involved with the wicked actions of wicked nations

• God would never force anyone to do anything

• God will not intervene in your life against your will

• God keeps all His promises• It “breaks God’s heart” to “be

forced” to punish us• God is against capital

punishment• There is a future for Israel

(why?)

• False

• False

• False

• True• False

• False

• True

EZEKIELYou Will Know that I AM the LORD