Q1
Place Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel in the
context of Israel’s story.
Isaiah
Isaiah ministered in Judah from 740 to 681 BC. During this time he experienced the reigns of Kings Uzziah (783-742), Jotham (750-735), Ahaz (735-715), Hezekiah (715-686), and Manasseh(697-642).
In Jewish tradition he was
sawn in half by Manasseh2.
Isaiah lived at a time of Assyrian ascendancy. He became involved in advising kings on international affairs, for example he warned Ahaz against making a treaty with the Assyrians, which resulted in the fall of Israel and the Assyrians coming to the border of Judah.
Conversely, when Hezekiah attends to the prophet’s words, Jerusalem is saved. Yet Isaiah predicts the ultimate conquest of Jerusalem by Babylon, and
then the conquest in turn of Babylon and the return from exile.
The above paragraph cannot stand alone – it needs a discussion of the various theories that he book records the words of two or three separate individuals: Isaiah of Jerusalem described above, “Deutero-Isaiah” living in Babylon during the exile, and possibly a third person after the exile
1,2,3.
These theories are based on the normal custom of prophecy in which the prophet becomes passionate about the things he/she sees in the immediate circumstances and speaks about those things, and that the predictive aspect is in some cases a later interpretation of those words.
A classic example of this process is the famous “Immanuel” prophecy, in which Isaiah was speaking about a woman of his time known to his audience, possibly even his own wife, and her child, but this is now traditionally taken as a prophecy of the coming messiah
3.
So this traditional approach to prophecy works well for the first half of Isaiah, but runs into difficulties after chapter 40 where the events being described relate to events 100 years later in the time of Babylon and then after the exile.
For Isaiah to have written these parts, he would have had to change his style and move away from the normal means of prophecy based on a response to current events and into an exclusively predictive prophecy which would have had little practical use for the audience. And yet, the book holds an essential unity of language and thought, and only one author is identified.
There is no manuscript evidence for dividing it
1. Parts of the book seek to confirm God’s knowledge of the future (e.g. 41v21-27
1), so it would not be unreasonable for these comments to be supported by purely predictive sections in the book. New Testament figures make no distinction between the
parts.
Jeremiah
Jeremiah was a priest from Anathoth.
He seems to have been a court prophet in the time of righteous Josiah and may have been a key player in Josiah’s reforms.
King Josiah was killed while trying to resist an Egyptian army that was heading north to fight the Babylonians.
The Egyptian army itself was then heavily defeated by the Babylonians, who then had a free hand throughout western Asia. They imposed a series of puppet kings on Judah, most of which were antagonistic to Jeremiah and actively or passively allowed him to be persecuted.
When one of these – the governor Gedaliah with whom Jeremiah lives – is murdered, the remaining citizens panic, expecting Babylonian reprisals, and they flee to Egypt dragging
Jeremiah with them against his will.
Ezekiel
Ezekiel was one of the exiles.
He was probably amongst those deported from Judah in one of the first deportations, and in his youth may have known Jeremiah.
He was a priest, and was also a prophet, confounding people who would see these as
separate and conflicting roles
He spoke to his fellow exiles, by the River Chebar.
(This location has not been identified.)
And yet, although he is speaking to his fellow exiles, represented by their elders, the prophecies at the start of the book refer to Jerusalem and its fate.
He predicts that Jerusalem will still fall.
Later in the book the character of the prophecies changes to indicate that Jerusalem has known fallen.
He then speaks to guide the exiles as to how to maintain their faith without a temple during the exile.
However, he looks on towards the rebuilding of the temple, a return from exile, and the re-establishment of the Davidic rulers alongside a re-instated priesthood.
He can be seen as a new Moses, leading people to a renewed promised land, distributed again to the people.
But some of the prophecies look even beyond the return, on to a messianic age and even beyond that to the final end times.
Some of these more abstract matters should be seen as being addressed to the readers of the book, rather than the exiles who
first heard the words.
Q2 Consider the role of these prophets in
reforming Israel’s relationship to Yahweh.
I’m not sure if the question refers to reforming in the sense of restoring that which was previously but had decayed, or if it
refers to re-forming, ie finding a new form for the relationship.
Isaiah sought to reform in the first sense.
He was calling Israel back to God, warning of how judgement would come unless there was repentance.
He was fighting against the decay, while at the same time seeing that the decay would not be reversed and seeing beyond the conclusion of that decay to God’s subsequent restoration and the Messianic hope.
Thus while trying to reform in the first sense, he saw beyond it to reform in the sense of a new relationship through
a messianic figure in the future.
Jeremiah continues with this vein, trying to bring Israel back to God.
And yet the path to restoration is now harder, as some of the judgements have come into effect.
Yet the judgement is stayed during the reign of righteous Josiah, who did respond and did bring the nation back to God in some measure, and there is reform of the temple and of worship.
But this is a temporary respite, as subsequent kings turn back to idolatry. Eventually the full force of God’s judgement comes in, and reformation of the old relationship is no longer possible.
A new beginning is required.
Ezekiel brings in the new beginning, even while the old is barely over.
Ezekiel starts to see the new temple, and starts to see the new relationship, a new covenant written in men’s hearts rather than on a dusty scroll.
He does not neglect the written covenant, but
sees it as something to be followed with the heart rather than ritualistically.
Q3 Consider how these prophets helped Israel
to cope with the collapse of the state and the prospect of exile.
It is strange to think of the prophets helping Israel to cope with the collapse of the state, given that the collapse was a judgement from God.
It is supposed to be a painful, demoralising, dehumanising experience.
It is after all a punishment.
But herein lies the mercy of God, that he
does indeed care for us even while he disciplines us.
So Isaiah brings the message that the coming judgement is from God.
It is not an accident or a freak of nature and politics. It is the plan of the one who is in complete control of all the nations.
They are pawns in his hand.
So when foreign armies come and trample the temple, it is not that God has been unable to defeat them or to protect Israel from them.
It is that he has invited them, and in his permissive will allows them to desecrate the temple.
But their power is limited.
It is just for a time, and then they will be judged in turn.
This is a lesson for us too – that if we gain the upper hand in a dispute or some other situation, God has not necessarily given the moment to us for our gratification at the expense of the others.
We must remember that he is our judge too, and that if we allow ourselves excesses at these times we too will be judged.
This is why he has not allowed the prisoner abuse scandals in Iraq to go unnoticed.
So God is in charge even at times when all
else seems to have fallen apart.
But throughout these prophecies is the promise of a remnant - a part of Israel that will never be blotted out.
There will always be a people of God, even if they have been separated from their covenant land and the covenant temple has
been destroyed.
So how are the covenant promises retained?
- There will always be a people, and he will always be their God.
- They will be brought back to the land
- A new temple will be built
- A new leadership from the house of David will arise.
- Ultimately, in the messianic context, there will be a greater people
of God, including believing gentiles.
- There will be a messianic king figure, of the house of David, to
rule for ever.
Q4 What
vision of hope did these prophets bring, and who was it for?
The prophets brought as their primary message the Hope that God would always be with them, even if they were forced out of the land.
This message was addressed
primarily to their fellow Jews.
But they also brought a much larger vision to a much wider audience which extends even to us today. This was the vision of a coming Messiah, who would rule over the whole
household of faith of every nation.
Q5 Select
one of the following (1st Isaiah, 2nd Isaiah, Jeremiah, and
Ezekiel.
In the light of these questions and considerations above, present (in
5/6 minutes, an outline of the prophet’s challenge and vision to Israel, and
then consider its continuing relevance to us today. (Be prepared to lead discussion on your prophet.)
First I’d like to introduce Ezekiel as a person.
He was a prophet – a touchy feely type. In the modern church he would have been a charismatic – all into the Spiritual gifts and visions and things.
But he was also a priest – into ritual, into law, into doing things by the book, pedantic and slow. In the modern church he would be the typical High Anglican!
Some people see a conflict between these two aspects of his personality, but they were both there.
A man of learning, who knew how things should be done, by the book.
But also a man of passion, who wanted things to be done out of emotion, not just going through the motions.
Ezekiel was just a young man when the Babylonians came and carried him off to Babylon along with many others.
But at this stage they did not destroy Jerusalem and the temple – they left puppet kings in charge.
He may have known Jeremiah, who was one of those left behind to counsel the remaining kings.
Ezekiel’s prophecy can be broken down into fairly distinct sections. But there is no significant
doubt that he was the primary source of the vast bulk of the book.
Ezekiel’s prophecy is addressed to his fellow exiles.
The first part concentrates on Jerusalem.
The exiles were thinking that those left in Jerusalem must be those favoured by God, but Ezekiel says no.
Jerusalem will fall.
The temple will be destroyed.
The remainder of the people will be brought into captivity too.
The focus of God’s work is now with the exiles.
The exiles, without king, without priesthood, without temple – are still the true Israel.
But to know God’s blessing they must repent, and live according to his ways, and not the ways that have brought his judgment on them.
But God’s vision is not just for Israel – he is the God of all nations.
And so there is a section of Oracles against Nations, where God declares his supremacy over all the nations.
And it is in this context that Jerusalem, like all nations, comes under God’s judgment and falls.
Once this has been achieved, God’s purpose has been fulfilled, and he is able to move on to new topics. The theme moves from judgment to salvation.
What now?
The exile will be long.
The people should settle down, and concentrate on holy living.
But the exile is not forever.
They will return to the land.
They will rebuild the temple.
There will be a Davidic ruler, although he referred to as Prince – subordinate to the divine Kingship.
The land is redistributed.
They will live in covenant with their God.
McConville likes to portray Ezekiel as a Moses-like figure, giving laws and building a new united Israelite society, with the heart and the law working together.
But perfection does not come yet – that is still in the future, as Kirsty was telling us in the last session, where prophecy is like a silhouette of a range of hills – in the future God will come and bring all nations together for a final judgment and a final salvation.
Ezekiel is important in Israel’s relationship with God.
He shows them that each generation is responsible for its own sin.
The exile was not an inevitable consequence of the sins of their forefathers.
If they had repented, as the people in the time of Josiah had done, they would not have been carried into exile.
But even this punishment shows Gods love.
Even while they are sinners, sinning, he is using them as the core of a new Israel.
Moulding them until they are ready for a return to the promised land. Teaching them that they don’t need a temple with all its trappings – these things are nice, but what God really wants is
for them to love him from the heart. And even when the temple and its rituals are re-established, that emotional relationship should continue.
So Ezekiel’s vision of hope is in the first instance for the exiles.
Their vision of hope is of a restoration of the physical covenant blessings – the temple, the priesthood, the kingship, and the land.
But its also a restoration of the spiritual blessing of the covenant – being God’s chosen people, and having him as their God, in a more close and familiar relationship than they had had before.
But Ezekiel also gives a vision of hope for other readers of the book.
He gives us the certainty that in due course; all the evil nations in the world will be called to account for their deeds.
There will come a time when God destroys them all, and establishes his own righteous rule in communion with his people.
God is after all the only real God, and is God of all people, not just of the Jews.
So in conclusion them, I have enjoyed reading McConville on Ezekiel.
I don’t think much of his ideas of Isaiah, but I have found his perspective on Ezekiel to be very full and refreshing.
He has put Ezekiel into context for me, so that he is no longer just another in the long line of major whinging prophets.
I particularly like the comparison with Moses, as he sets out how the people should live when they go back to the promised land, with all the echoes of Moses writing in the Pentateuch.
Ezekiel is no longer just the prophet of dry bones, hearts of flesh, and weird living creatures.
He is now a solid and three dimensional character.
In fact, for me, he’s the main man!
References1 Balchin et al,
The Bible in Outline, Scripture Union, London, 1985
2 NIV Study Bible,
Hodder and Stoughton, 1987
3 G McConville,
Exploring the Old Testament Vol 4 Prophets, SPCK, 2002
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