September 28–October 4

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Repentance unto Life

In Ezekiel 33, we see that God prizes repentance. “‘As I live!’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live’” (Ezek. 33:11). This chapter teaches us that the wicked man who turns away from his sin is in a far better spiritual position than the righteous man who turns away from his righteousness. The repentant man receives forgiveness from God. The unrepentant man receives no such mercy, no matter how righteous he was before he sinned.

God’s mercy on those who repent is scandalous to those who consider themselves righteous. It was true of the Jews whom Ezekiel ministered to. They accused God of being unjust for forgiving the wicked sinner who repents, and for condemning the righteous man who turns to sin. It was true of the Jews in Jesus’ day as well. Our Lord condemned them for the sin of self-righteousness and for despising repentant sinners in the parable of the prodigal son (see Luke 15).

Let us not be self-righteous. Let us rejoice greatly when God welcomes those who have committed great sins into His presence. Let us take to heart those words we sang during communion this past Sunday:

The dying thief rejoiced to see

That fountain in his day;

And there have I, as vile as he,

Washed all my sins away.

The Valley of Dry Bones

In Ezekiel 37 we read the prophet’s famous vision of the valley of dry bones. God commands Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones. At the word of the LORD, the bones come together and take on flesh. Then, at another word from the LORD through Ezekiel, breath is given to these bodies, transforming them from lifeless corpses into a mighty army.

We learn here of the power of God’s word. In the beginning, God spoke the heavens and the earth into existence. Here in Ezekiel, it is simply the spoken word of the LORD that brings these dry bones to life. In the following verses God explains the vision by saying that He will call His people out of death into life. This promise is fulfilled in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus shows the power of His word as the Son of God when He calls Lazarus back from the dead. Then Jesus Himself fulfills Ezekiel’s vision when He becomes the firstborn from the dead (Col. 1:18) and walks out of the grave. Amazingly, Ezekiel’s promise of resurrection is for all those who are found in Christ. God creates new spiritual life in those who hear the word of the Gospel and receive it by faith, and He assures us in that Gospel that we too will walk out of our own graves with new bodies on the Last Day. Ezekiel 37 is one of many places in Scripture that teach us that God’s word is powerful enough to accomplish this.

A Note on Historical Context

Understanding the historical context of Scripture is very important for correctly interpreting it. This requires work on our part. It is especially important to put in work for parts of the Bible we are less familiar with, like Old Testament prophets. I recommend you either own a good physical Bible dictionary at home, or have quick access to a good free one online. Here’s the physical one we have at home; it’s on sale right now! Here’s a good one that has a cheaper list price. You can access a couple of free online Bibles on biblia.com, including the Lexham Bible Dictionary.

A helpful piece of context for Ezekiel is the timeline of the Babylonian Captivity. You may be confused, as I have been, by the fact that Ezekiel is prophesying to exiles from Jerusalem in Babylon, and yet he has been prophesying of a future fall of Jerusalem. The thing to understand here is that Nebuchadnezzar’s deportation of the Jews to Babylon happened in three waves:

605 BC – 1st Deportation to Babylon

• This took place during the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah (son of Josiah).
• The prophet Daniel was brought to Babylon at this time.

597 BC – 2nd Deportation to Babylon

• This took place during the reign of Jehoiachin, king of Judah (son of Jehoiakim).
• Ezekiel is taken to Babylon at this time, along with other prominent leaders, including King Jehoiachin.
• Zedekiah is appointed by Nebuchadnezzar as king in Jerusalem.

It is between 597 and 587 that Ezekiel prophesies of the destruction of Jerusalem.

587 BC – The Fall of Jerusalem and the Destruction of the Temple

• This took place during the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah (son of Josiah, brother of Jehoiakim, uncle of Jehoiachin).
• We will read of Ezekiel and the exiles receiving news of Jerusalem’s fall in Ezekiel 33 this week.

582 BC – 3rd Deportation to Babylon

• Zedekiah and others are taken captive to Babylon, leaving the throne of David empty. (Speaking of the throne of David, God promises in Ezekiel 34 that He will set His servant David over the people of Israel, and that David himself will feed them and be their shepherd. This is a prophecy of the coming Messiah, and it is fulfilled in Jesus Christ the Son of David.)

VERSE TO MEDITATE ON

“I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it,” declares the LORD.
—Ezekiel 37:14

HOW TO PRAY

• Adoration – Praise God that His word can bring the dead back to life.
• Confession – Confess despairing over your sin instead of turning to God in faith for help and strength.
• Thanksgiving – Thank God for those who teach and preach God’s word.
• Supplication – Ask God for boldness to speak His word to those around you.