Visions of Grandeur - Ezekiel 47:1, 3-13

Visions of Grandeur

Ezekiel 47:1, 3-12

Lesson Setting

This vision of the river flowing from the temple occurs within a topographical setting   Ezekiel’s guide takes the prophet outside of the building in order that Ezekiel understand the infinite reach of God’s Spirit, presence, faithfulness and love.  As he stands near the temple and surveys its surrounding terrain, Ezekiel realizes anyone’s experience of God is not limited to one physical location.  The flowing river, a main source of life for nature and humankind, epitomizes God’s presence and compassion.  This natural imagery reminds Ezekiel and he in turn communicates to his listeners and readers that God is “the Giver of every good and perfect gift.”  The river flowing from the altar is as infinite and ever-present as Almighty God.

Lesson Outline

I.                 Ezekiel 47:1 – The River of Living Water

II.            Ezekiel 47:3- 6 – An Insurmountable River

III.        Ezekiel 47:7-10 -  A Source of Bountiful Life

IV.         Ezekiel 47:11-12 – Fruit for Life and Leaves of Healing

Unifying Principle

Sometimes people feel as if they are stranded on a high cliff, forced to leap into dangerous and unknown waters.  Where can they find what they need to make the plunge?  The life-giving water in Ezekiel’s vision is a symbol of God’s presence and blessings, which flow from God’s sanctuary and are available to the earth and its people.

Introduction

In today’s grand vision, Ezekiel explores the life-giving streams flowing from the temple.  The topographical setting of this vision reflects the infinite reach of God’s goodness and encouragement to His people.  Water, the source of earthly life, flows freely from the temple and nourishes life forms beyond its ground.  Spiritually, this means the teachings and experiences in the temple extend to a worshipers daily living.  Periodically, disciples experience the spiritual and natural equivalents of a severe drought.  All attempts to secure water are futile.  You begin to fear that you will die of thirst.  In practical application, you remain bewildered to consider how expensive and time-consuming a resolution is despite your efforts.  When embroiled in such dilemmas, disciples can find comfort in Ezekiel’s vision of the temple’s living water flowing into their lives with salvation and security. 

This vision further teaches that God’s presence is not limited to a building.  Flowing water can symbolize the Spirit of God which is everywhere.  Whereas Ezekiel previously details several spiritual lessons about the altar’s significance, he presently expands this teaching to demonstrate the importance of transforming any place into a sacred place.  The presence of God changes any ground into sacred space whether it is a car, closet, driveway, cave, gymnasium, auditorium or office building.  As a river flows and provides life to a land-locked state, the Spirit of God flows out of the temple and revitalizes anyone in God’s presence.

Ezekiel’s vision of the river adjacent to the temple additionally reflects covenant with Almighty God is an ever-deepening river of blessings.  It is a limitless and continual source of provision and protection.  From the river, crops and livestock receive sustenance and they in turn supply food and clothing to humankind.  The river can be a barrier to enemies.  It also can be a place of recreation and renewal as nearby inhabitants enjoy fishing, rafting, swimming, diving and other fun and fulfilling pastimes.  These practical, outdoor activities have spiritual corollaries.  Yet, Ezekiel desires his listeners and readers appreciate the worth of investing in a vibrant relationship with Almighty God, the Source of life, health and strength.

With both pleasant and unfortunate experiences with water, adults have myriad symbolism of water and its tremendous potential for life and destruction of the same.  Someone who loves white water rafting in the Pacific Northwest probably envisions rivers as places of renewal and lots of fun.  A person who barely escapes drowning as a result of a boating accident may develop aqua phobia.  He sees bodies of water as possible liquid graves to be avoided at all times.  A trip to the beach for such person equates with sitting on the balcony of his hotel room.  Regardless, adults are aware of the life-giving value of water.  Just as they always desire knowledge on how to respond in a challenge including water, adults equally want to know what to do as they tread life’s daily adversities.  They seek a reservoir of discernment, wisdom and strategies for resolving unfamiliar situations.  Ezekiel’s vision of the river flowing from the temple corresponds to an infinite divine source of compassion and power to face each day’s dawn.

More specifically, the river in Ezekiel’s vision represents God’s presence and faithfulness which naturally emanate from God’s sanctuary.  These divine attributes and resources are available to the whole earth and its people.  The river also denotes the everlasting covenant God makes with His people.  Multiple biblical passages (Genesis 3, Joel 3:18, Zechariah 14:8 and Revelation 22) contain imagery of a sacred river signifying bountiful life and balanced existence.  Just as civilizations, ancient and modern, depend heavily upon rivers for daily existence, believers draw upon the life-giving Word of God and His eternal presence as the means of grace and abundant life.  He enriches their lives and supplies every need.  The process of relating to Him is not stagnant; like a ever-flowing river, this relationship remains dynamic as it adjust to the seasons of a disciples life.  However, irrespective of the natural season, the river remains a stable source of life and regeneration.  Similarly, God does not change life shifting shadows or sinking sand but remains eternally as the Source of Life and “Giver of every good and perfect gift.”

Exposition

Point I – Ezekiel 47:1 – The River of Living Water

An unnamed man, perhaps a tour guide, leads Ezekiel outside of the temple where he observes water gushing from beneath the altar and toward the East side of the temple.  As delineated in the setting, this imagery conveys a significant spiritual truth exceeding the prophet’s natural description.  You recall Ezekiel’s superlative description of the altar in last week’s lesson.  He utilizes meticulous architectural details to instruct the nation on the importance of the altar in making acceptable sacrifices and burnt offerings to receive repentance and forgiveness as spiritual disciplines in cultivating a vibrant relationship with Almighty God.  Ezekiel further encourages the people to find and define other sacred spaces where they can also commune with God.  In this lesson, Ezekiel expands his teaching to assure Israel that any experience they have at the altar can be had anywhere as they designate sacred space.  Concretizing God’s essence and love in a flourishing river, Ezekiel wants his contemporaries to realize that God’s presence is as ubiquitous as a thundering river that twists and turns through myriad terrain giving life wherever it flows.

In what a twenty-first century reader would relegate as an awkward image, Ezekiel sees an enduring spiritual lesson of God eternal presence which enables disciples to persevere even if they find themselves living temporarily in the desert of life.  Ezekiel’s grand vision offers comfort and consolation to his listeners and readers.  Like Isaiah and Jeremiah, Ezekiel assures Israel and Judah of God’s faithfulness and unfailing love despite the treachery of the Babylonian captivity, subsequent exile and challenge of rebuilding their civilization following such a lengthy time of subjugation and oppression.  A stalwart priest, Ezekiel initially calls their attention to the temple that God will build; an edifice that will surpass the grandeur of Solomon’s inimitable temple if it were possible.  Instead of being a place for traditional religious services and practice of historical rituals, the temple Ezekiel sees in his vision is a sacred space where someone with a sincere heart and humble attitude can commune directly with God.  In the vision of the river flowing underneath the altar of the temple, Ezekiel sees the limitless willingness of God to meet the needs of His people wherever they may be.

Point II – Ezekiel 47:3-6 – An Insurmountable River

The river Ezekiel sees is not a shallow body of water.  It is deep, wide, high and broad enough for an adult male to take a swim.  The tour guide of the vision measures the contours of the river to demonstrate God’s sincerity in His intention for reconciliation and restoration with Israel and Judah.  A pond is a man-made body of water which many persons add to their property for decorative purposes.  Lakes are self-contained bodies of water which are not connected to the ocean like rivers.  This description of the river adjacent to the temple implies a contrast between these different bodies of water.  The variance in character implies the limits and deficiencies in the type of relationships that worshipers will have with God if they fall prey to the fallacy of self-reliance and self-righteousness.  The actual river nears the temple appears insurmountable to human efforts to tame or traverse.  This natural feat represents the futility of human beings in seeking to limit God to their conceptualizations.  As the creatures, we humbly approach the Creator.  He is infinite, ever-present, all-knowing and all-kind.  His ways are not fathomable to us.  The intrepid dimensions of the river near the temple symbolize the infinite character of Almighty God.

In addition, Ezekiel’s vision relays the vain motives of using repetitive rituals and righteous religious practices to earn God’s love or justification in His eyes.  Our efforts will never equal His intrinsic love and grace.  The river runs deeply into the ocean which is infinite in its cyclical nature.  As the One “without the beginning of days and the end of life,” Almighty God is the infinite Source of love and life, earthly and eternal.  Instead of relying upon a religious building and its traditional practices, worshipers access divine aid and empowerment through a continually progressive and increasingly vibrant relationship.  A river, the source of life for nature and humankind, best depicts God’s covenantal willingness to revitalize Israel and Judah upon their return.

Point III – Ezekiel 47:7-10 – A Source of Bountiful Life

In its simplest form, the river is a source of bountiful life for anyone and anything with which it intersects.  In this portion of the vision, Ezekiel offers a very brilliant and promising picture of restoration and renewal.  Notice the river that flows from the temple into other bodies of water actually connects to the Dead Sea which should have been a body of water that people avoided.  True to its name, the Dead Sea contained an excessive amount of salt and other minerals that would kill life forms instead of nurture and regenerate them.  Because of its connection with this river flowing from the temple, the Dead Sea ironically becomes a source of bountiful life to many species of fish, plants and other life forms.  Applied spiritually, this natural paradox means the Spirit of God intervenes mysteriously and mystically into human affairs thereby causing resurrection where our choices naturally result in death.  Allegorically, many disciples live near a mythical Dead Sea where everything seemingly dies.  However, should they establish a meaningful relationship with Almighty God; they through His Word, presence and practice of spiritual disciplines begin to drink from the river of life.  This penetrating topographical imagery offers tremendous spiritual encouragement and empowerment to Ezekiel’s listeners and readers.  It just as formidably sustains contemporary disciples subject to the desert of global economic and geopolitical chaos.

Ezekiel further specifies that swarms of living creatures will flourish because the river runs alongside their residences.  This general, wide and pluralistic characterization of the flourishing ecological systems that will thrive because of the river foreshadows the different human civilizations that will live abundantly as they rightly relate to Almighty God.  Diverse peoples for divergent racial, ethnic, cultural and regional backgrounds will find wellness and wholeness from the living waters of God’s Word and presence.  He will exchange the salt water of religion and self-reliance for the fresh water of His unmerited favor and unfailing love.

Point IV – Ezekiel 47:11-12 – Fruit for Life and Leaves of Healing

Ezekiel finishes this vision with a vivid and breathtaking description of the fruit and trees perhaps thriving and abundant orchards that will form because of the river.  In addition to quenching their thirst and providing daily drinking water and subsistence, the river will yield bountiful fruit in a seemingly limitless supply.  The fruit will enhance their food supply with preservatives, jams, dried fruit snacks, different kinds of breads and wines.  In addition, the leaves of the fruit trees will offer healing teas, potions and other medicinal gifts.  All of these natural benefits of the river, the environmental source of life and sustenance for the people, represent the personal blessings, individual talents, myriad gifts and spiritual blessings that Israel and Judah will receive upon their return and restoration.  This vision achieves this apex of detailing the vibrant and affluent life that awaits God’s people who faithfully adhere to the covenant in the post-exilic period to come. 

The Lesson Applied

Let’s Talk About It

1.     Discuss and explain the different meanings for the symbolism that water represents in your life and the experiences of your family members and friends.

2.   Discuss baptism in light of this passage in Ezekiel’s prophecy.

3.   Offer a meditation or practical way in which water allows people to commune daily with God.

4.   The Mississippi River flows from Northern Minnesota to New Orleans, Louisiana.  Discuss God’s natural provision for the United States in His design of this river.  What spiritual lessons do we draw from this natural provision for humankind?

5.    If someone asked you for a cup of “living water,” how would you respond?

Visions of Grandeur - Ezekiel 43:13-21

Visions of Grandeur

Ezekiel 43:13-21

Lesson Setting

Both a prophet and priest, Ezekiel functions more directly in the second component of his ministerial calling by Almighty God.  Receiving a direct vision from the Lord relating to restoration of the temple, Ezekiel details the design of the Altar and interior of the Sanctuary.  In this revelation, the prophet challenges his listeners and readers understand sacred spaces and the gift of communing with God as a retreat from life’s busyness and challenges.

Lesson Outline

I.                 Ezekiel 43:13-17 – A Meticulous Altar Design

II.            Ezekiel 43:18-21 – An Acceptable Sacrifice

III.        Ezekiel 43:22-24 – Additional Regulations for Sacrificing

IV.         Ezekiel 43:25-27 – Receiving the Lord’s Acceptance

Unifying Principle

Sometimes people seek space in which they can find direction for making the most of life.  Where can such space be found?  The Israelites could hope for release from their iniquities by making sin sacrifices in the sacred space of the altar that stood before the temple.

Introduction

Our weekly Morning Worship Service culminates in an “Altar Call” following the sermon and invitation to discipleship.  I invite attendees to the Altar to commune with Almighty God.  I encourage them to lift their most pressing prayer concern to our Heavenly Father in the sanctity, solemnity and silence of this sacred space.  Arguably, the “Altar Call” is the most significant aspect of our worship as it is the component whereby congregants directly converse with God.  Standing in His presence, they have assurance of His unfailing love and enduring faithfulness.  There, they feel His unconditional love, provision and protection.  The myriad challenges and unexpected changes of daily living recede to the background of their minds and hearts.  The Altar is a place where they find rejuvenation, courage and strength to return to their homes and jobs and live purposefully.

In this week’s lesson, we further explore Ezekiel’s instructions relating to the altar of the temple.  It will be a sacred place of hope and renewal for the people.  He hopes his description will enable Israel to appreciate the sacredness of the altar where they will worship God.  Hopefully, in time, worshipers cultivate the practice of dedicating a special space in their daily living to experience God’s love and forgiveness.  Further, Ezekiel wants Israel to consider the importance of the altar and its dimensions to the Israelites.  This understanding of God’s details concerning the altar leads to further personal reflection on the value of holy spaces for atonement and renewal.  This space begins a process of repentance and revival as practical and pragmatic milestones in a progressive and vibrant relationship with Almighty God.  Additionally, Ezekiel’s plans for constructing a new altar and making offerings symbolize the importance worshiping God with integrity and faithfulness.  The prophet details about building the altar with such specificity relay the importance of approaching God with reverence and humility.

Any recent local newscast reflects the incredible stress adults face in meeting their daily obligations and commitments.  Though contemporary Americans are probably the most prosperous and privileged persons to have ever lived, they are among the most stressed people in the world.  Increases in deaths relating from obesity, suicide, hypertension and other sources of stress demonstrates the limits of science and technology in resolving this societal ills.  Rising indebtedness is one of the major causes of divorce among born again, evangelical Christians.  Anxieties stemming from terrorism, possibilities of contracting cancer and other serious diseases without adequate healthcare and inability to provide and protect one’s family from the shifting financial chaos of the global economy result in the need for rest, relaxation and renewal.  Recreational escapes from reality such as watching collegiate and professional athletic contests and other television programs are temporary.  Seeking resolutions to their problems and lasting peace; adults search for places of yield restoration, new directions, wellness and wholeness.  At these special places, adults believe they will find fresh perspectives and rejuvenation.  Such quiet places of prayer and meditation, where they can also practice other beneficial spiritual disciplines, affords adults opportunity to contemplate how they live as they make necessary changes.  These places and periods of personal reflection yield a greater sense of well-being as adults eliminate harmful ways of living. 

Ezekiel offers the altar in the temple as one of the central sacred places to accomplish the foregoing intrapersonal goals.  Sacred space was essential in the life of Israel and Judah; there, the people made sacrifices for their sins and found favor with God hoping their repentance made them acceptable in the eyes of God.  Ezekiel states the special restrictions for building sacred spaces and reservations for certain components.  These codes were necessary to observe God’s holy character.  At the altar and other sacred spaces, the Israelites sought pardon from their sin and rebellion through offering acceptable sacrifices.  These architectural and construction details hint toward faithfulness, diligence and sincerity that each worshiper had to exert in a progressively vibrant relationship with God.  Just as architects and builders must be careful to follow the plans of specification and utilize the best materials, Israelites seeking a better relationship with God had to apply themselves with requisite discipline.

Exposition

Point I – Ezekiel 43:13-17 – A Meticulous Altar Design

It is very easy for cotemporary disciples to gloss over passages such as this meticulous description of the altar in the temple.  We no longer utilize the means and standards of measurements that Ezekiel uses.  Most people could not tell you what a cubit is and how Ezekiel and his contemporaries utilized it to construct buildings and conduct commerce.  This Ancient Near East measuring standard was the length of the elbow to the top of the middle finger.  It allowed carpenters, masons, builders and others to measure without the need of some foreign object.  Because of the different sizes in people, there was some variance but amongst the groups of biblical tribes and nations, a standard emerged.  The short Hebrew cubit was seventeen and a half inches and the long one was twenty and a half inches.  The Babylonians cubit was nearly twenty inches. The Egyptian cubit nearly equated with the Hebrew one.  Nevertheless, the question remains as to the necessity of this exacting detail   about the altar in the temple.  As each word of the Bible is a part of the inerrant Word of God and nothing in the holy scriptures is meaningless, what is the message for disciples as they read Ezekiel’s architectural rendering of the altar? 

As a priest in addition to being a prophet, Ezekiel understandably would have an affection of the temple, its design, functions, liturgies and significance in the spiritual life of the nation.  As a tour guide of the temple, he explains and expounds upon significant details in the plans of specification of the temple that an ordinary person overlooks.  The altar is built in an exact space with a definitive purpose beneath which lies an even greater divine intention to facilitate relationship and reconciliation between Almighty God and anyone who worships there.  Beyond requiring care in construction and increase in expense, these physical details concerning the altar symbolize the humility, gratitude and reverence with which worshipers must approach it as the altar represents the very presence of Almighty God Himself.

Worship decorum in many churches throughout the country continually declines as many persons attending services have little if any regard for sanctity, silence, solemnity, and sacredness as they participate in worship.  People bring food and beverages in the sanctuary.  Children run amok in the pulpit and altar area as if they are playgrounds.  Cell phone ring tones and other electronic devices constantly interrupt prayers, baptisms, weddings and funerals.  As worship services begin and end, many congregants avail themselves of the most recent gossip by talking incessantly with people adjacent to them in the pews rather than utilize these sacred moments for prayer and meditation.  Liturgies and litanies have been discarded and replaced by spiritual entertainment and dramatic presentations.  Parenthetically, I hasten to add, whereas I am a traditionalist in many ways having been reared in a staunch African Methodist Episcopal local church with a definite order of service, I do not dismiss summarily the emerging contemporary forms of worship.  I simply wonder whether they commit the philosophical fallacy of proverbially “throwing the baby out with the bath water.”  Ignorance of the Church’s traditions which securely held the gospel is not acceptable even if it satisfies the musical and emotional preferences of seekers.  Nevertheless, whether traditional, blended or contemporary, worship must always respect God’s holy character.

Ezekiel’s description of the altar admonishes Israel to approach the altar with due appreciation of its sacredness.  God designs it with such exquisite and magnificent details to offer His people an equally marvelous spiritual experience when they approach Him.  The altar is a place where they can retreat from commonplace trials and tribulations and receive divine encouragement and empowerment.  There. They could commune with the Lord of the Universe who willingly and bountifully shares His limitless grace and unfailing love.  Thus, Ezekiel’s seemingly boring details hint to a powerful spiritual relationship at the altar where worshipers find hope and renewal in the midst of life’s chaos.

Point II – Ezekiel 43:18-21 – An Acceptable Sacrifice

Ezekiel proceeds to describe to regulations regarding the proper ways to offer burnt offerings and blood sacrifices.  Strict rules determine the acceptability of sacrifices.  It was improper to splatter blood recklessly around the altar.  Equally, were worshipers and priests not careful, a fire could erupt and burn the altar.  Just as they were explicit requirements for constructing the altar, there are equal directives about the methods and means of offering sacrifices.  This latter set of rules accomplished the same spiritual objectives as the previous one.  Worshipers could not be casual and indifferent to the type and quality of sacrifice they offer.  After all, they are making the sacrifices to please Almighty God with the genuine and humble hope of repentance and renewal.  A substandard sacrifice offered unceremoniously and defiantly hardly would achieve their personal and spiritual objective.

God deserves our best.  He commands the first fruits as the tithe.  God does not want garage sale items for sacrifices in His house.  Accordingly, Ezekiel instructs Israel to offer a young bull that is in his prime as it relates to virility, breeding potential and commodification.  They were not to offer an aged bull that neared death.  A sacrifice costs even when it hurts.  Rather than keeping the young bull for breeding and profit inclusive of expansion of a family’s herd, they gave the bull to Lord as an offering for remission of their sins. 

This protocol for sacrifices hints toward the humility and honesty with which worshipers are to make sacrifices.  Faithfulness and genuineness are cardinal requirements for progressing in a vibrant relationship with Almighty God.  Sacrifices are not made as ritualistic practices to further personal righteousness and institutional religion.  They are means of grace as worshipers approach the altar with a sincere heart and the full assurance of faith.  They endeavor to strengthen their relationship with God.

Ezekiel’s instruction’s about sacrifices help contemporary disciples as they partake of The Lord’s Supper mostly on the first Sunday of each month.  Easily, congregants complain about how this ritual extends the length of morning worship.  Why does it take so long?  Can we not find a way to streamline this obligatory addition to service?  Is it not outmoded in the twenty-first century?  Those disciples who belong a “higher liturgical” tradition complain about sloppy liturgy and mispronounced words.  These complaints signify the traditional approach to Holy Communion of may contemporary disciples who mistakenly relegate this sacred time at the altar and its possibilities for restoration and renewal as being just another item on the program.  Holy Communion is true to its name, a mystical opportunity for life’s weary, despondent and hopeless travelers to pause and allow God Almighty to refuel them.  At the altar and in consumption of the elements, disciples receive divine guidance to resolve their challenges, encouragement to eradicate their fears and power to steadfastly face any adversities or misfortune that befalls them.

Point III – Ezekiel 43:22-24 – Additional Regulations on Sacrificing

The imagery of these few verses offers comfort and inspiration to contemporary disciples as they supplied ritualistic directives to Ezekiel’s listeners and readers.  The requirement that the bulls, goats and rams be “without blemish or defect” indicates the level of honesty with which worshipers are to approach the altar as a petitioner for God’s grace and mercy.  Offering a defective animal does not equate with a sacrifice; as it costs.  Chances are these worshipers were prepared to discard or kill defective animals that held no worth for breeding or food.  God does not want anything we deem to be worthless.  Hence, our praise and worship of God cannot be defective with hidden sin in our minds and strife in our hearts.  We lift up clean hands with which to clap and sing aloud out of pure hearts.  This imagery speaks of the moral and ethical behavior that must accompany our sacrifices as well as worship. 

Purification follows sacrificial offerings as we commune with God at the altar with the hope of achieving transformation in thinking and acting in order to cease sinful and rebellious behavior.  In addition to being a lengthy and perhaps lifetime process deriving from a progressive relationship with God, purification is an internal resolve to offer your whole self to God for His exclusive service.  Practically speaking, purification means the elimination of character defects, shortcomings or any patterns of behavior that undermine your divine destiny and right as a child of God.

Then, the priest sprinkles salt on the purified offerings.  Seasoning this meat had very practical implications for the priesthood as portions of these offerings were their means of feeding their families.  Salt, a preservative, kept the meat in order for priestly families to live over time.  Spiritually, the Word of God serves as a preservative to enable disciples to maintain their purified and sanctified lives.

Point IV – Ezekiel 43:25-27 – Receiving the Lord’s Acceptance

Ezekiel concludes these instructions with specific timeframes which indicate the necessary length of the process to attain cleansing, transformation and renewal.  Seven is the biblical number for completion, fulfillment and wholeness.  The seven days of sacrifice refer to the requisite investment of time to achieve the spiritual and personal results a worshiper deeply desires.  For seven days, male goats, young bulls or rams without blemish or defect were to be taken from the flock and brought to the altar as sin offerings.  Consider the expense of time, treasure and temperament in completing these seven sin offerings.  In spiritual terms, contemporary disciples return to the altar as many times as necessary to acquire healing and wholeness.  These instructions encourage us to invest whatever time and expenses are necessary to obtain renewal and restoration just as they did for Ezekiel’s audience. 

On the eighth day, the number of new beginnings, priests present the burnt and fellowship offerings on the altar.  There, Almighty God receives these petitions and gifts.  Moreover, He receives and renews the givers as they more rightly relate themselves to Him through their obedience, fidelity and trust in Him.  At the altar, they through the infinite graciousness of Almighty God receive more than they deserve.  The Lord’s acceptance is more than stamping approval upon an individual request.  Instead, it is an invitation to friendship.  Hence, Ezekiel’s intention in recording this chapter of possibly arcane and archaic architectural instructions of buildings in the Ancient Near East is demonstrating the greater significance of sacred spaces.  Beyond their physical existence and purpose, sacred spaces afford worshipers the grace and blessing of strengthening and deepening their relationship with God.

The Lesson Applied

Let’s Talk About It

1.     What is an ideal setting for prayer, meditation and worship?

2.   Do you have a favorite childhood place to which you retreat in difficult times?  Do you worship there?  Is it a sacred space?

3.   What are some of the most significant items for worship in your church?  Does your church keep them in a reserved space?

4.   Explore Ezekiel’s detailed plans for the altar.  What relevance do these plans have for contemporary Christians?

5.    How do you prepare to enter into worship with thanksgiving and the Lord’s courts with praise?  Is there a ritual?  What is an acceptable offering of praise and worship?

Visions of Grandeur - Ezekiel 43:1-12

Visions of Grandeur

Ezekiel 43:1-12

Lesson Setting

The prophecy of Ezekiel occurs during the years of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign in Babylon, 605 BCE to 562 BCE.  More specifically, Ezekiel’s ministry of twenty-two years, 593 to 571, offers insight on Israel’s spiritual condition before the Babylonian captivity, during the siege of Jerusalem and the exilic period afterwards.  Congruent with the prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah, Ezekiel’s message offer both exhortations relating to sin and rebellion and empowering hope of return, restoration and renewal.  Operating distinctly in his priestly office in addition to his prophetic calling, Ezekiel reassures the nation of the return of God’s favor to them as they genuinely and wholeheartedly worship Him.  Reconciliation with Almighty God is Israel’s surest protection from future adversity and tragedy.  In this passage, Ezekiel shares with them a vision of the coming grandeur of authentic worship.

Lesson Outline

I.                 Ezekiel 43:1-5 – God’s Glory Fills the Temple

II.            Ezekiel 43:6-9 – Eliminate Detestable Practices

III.        Ezekiel 43:10-11 – A Sacred Space to Commune

IV.         Ezekiel 43:12 – A Holy Place to Meet Almighty God

Unifying Principle

People look for a place in which they can experience some sense of release and orderliness, away from the chaos that sometimes surrounds them.  Where can such a place be found?  Ezekiel’s vision, given to him by God, revealed to the Israelites that God’s calming presence and merciful glory could be felt in sacred places in which God is truly worshiped.

Introduction

Whereas adults strive for peace as an escape from daily chaos due to poor choices and untoward behavior, they are subject equally to natural disasters and adversarial global events which disrupt their lives.  Regardless of their bad decisions, people seek refuge from life’s turbulence.  Peace in its purest and most reliable sense is not easy to attain.  Lifetimes are spent in pursuit of it, though peace remains an elusive feeling and state of being for many persons.  This difficult and unrewarding search for an existential and physical space of peace can be rather costly, emotionally as well financially.  A radical change in behavior and a renewed hope for better and brighter days are means of seeking peace.  Because those thoughts are so intangible, many people label spaces as sacred hoping that entering those places will yield instant peace.  These hallowed grounds offer a sense of peace, order and overall well-being to pilgrims and other visitors.  For Ezekiel’s listeners and readers, the temple provides security from life’s unpredictability and protection from daily fears that plague people.  When a worshipper crosses the threshold, he immediately feels an assurance of being in God’s presence, a place of retreat and refuge from daily and personal tribulation.

However, the nation defiled God’s temple instead of esteeming it as a holy place that has been consecrated especially to honor and glorify Almighty God.  Disingenuously, the leaders and people of Judah undermine one of their main venues for protection and provision.  They dishonor the place of healing and wholeness.  They trample upon the sacred grounds where they commune with God to learn His character and receive His guidance.  In so doing, they offend God’s holiness and righteousness by committing detestable deeds in His holy temple.  God condemns the Hebrews for bringing their threshold of sin, rebellion and licentiousness directly in contrast to God’s threshold of holiness and righteousness.  Further, some of these persons confuse the building with God’s essence; thereby, they practice idolatry as they equate God’s character with something empirical and humanly constructed.  To mediate this incredible and incalculable offense to His character, God permits the resulting destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and the subsequent Babylonian captivity and exile of Judah.  Understandably, this divine judgment devastates the Jews.  Yet, in an ironic twist, God gives Ezekiel sacred visions of the temple restoration during the nation’s worst crisis.  In Israel’s most dire need, God gives the prophet a message of profound hope detailing a vision of the return of God’s glory to the temple and in turn to the people.  Essentially, persons in Judah and Israel need no longer fear daily chaos as God’s presence will comfort, protect and sustain them.

People of faith like Ezekiel can receive consolation and comfort through divine visions of grandeur in worship, praise, miracles and simply being in God’s presence.  Like the people of Ezekiel’s biblical era, contemporary disciples want reassurance of God’s glorious presence alongside them as they travel life’s unpredictable terrain.  As they locate the secret places and dwell within the shadows of the Most High God, they experience His essence through genuine worship and praise.  The Word of God encourages and empowers them.  They receive visions of hope and messages of peace that enable them to persevere through their daily challenges and adversities.  In addition, being in God’s presence results in discipline and correction both of which are necessary for spiritual maturity.  His loving guidance redirects us to righteous pathways when we stray from His will.  In certain holy places, disciples dwell in the house of God, behold His beauty and inquire of His wisdom.  Assuredly, He graciously grants them courage and insight as they live to His honor and glory each day.

Exposition

Point I – Ezekiel 43:1-5 – God’s Glory Fills the Temple

This week, we examine Ezekiel’s vision of God’s glory in the temple.  His depiction of God’s majestic house of worship affords us the blessing of viewing churches and other sacred places as settings where we relate to Almighty God.  As we converse with Him, we receive His comfort and teachings when life is particularly difficult.  However, we do not limit sacred places to church buildings as God is ever-present.  We are “in church” anywhere when we genuinely and humbly worship Him whether on a park bench overlooking the Hudson River, the roses section of botanical gardens, the Egyptian wing of a museum, the rare book reading room of a university library, box seats of the Metropolitan Opera House, a public school classroom, or the quietude and darkness of your bedroom as you fall asleep.

This passage affords an opportunity for disciples to comprehend Ezekiel’s vision of God’s loving presence and amazing glory.  Worship reveals God’s calming presence and in turn eliminates our fears.  The prophet’s vision also challenges us to identify any number of sacred places where we can worship God.  Praise and worship in the “temple” which is any location dedicated to God’s holy and gracious presence necessitates growth in respect for the sanctity of worship settings.  Interestingly, any space from a disciple’s closet, basement, attic, kitchen, garage, car or office can be a “temple” where he truly worships the Lord in Spirit and truth.

Contemporarily, worship is a very controversial issue in many churches.  New church plants and splits in longstanding congregations stem from debates relating to worship style and musical genres.  “Seasoned” saints demand the preservation of formal liturgies and litanies and singing traditional hymns.  Seekers and new converts prefer church adaptations to the secular music they like.  Formality for its sake bores them; they want the essence of praise, worship, prayer and proclamation of the Word of God.  They do not need nor do they want traditional models of worship.  Old Christians rebuff the casual clothing and attitude with which seekers and new disciples worship.  They resent the lack of decorum as newer believers do not know when to enter, be silent, stand, speak and sit.  Incredulously, these recent converts bring food, water and other beverages into the sanctuary.  Moreover, they cannot control their screaming and unruly children whose piercing sounds inhibit everyone else from hearing the sermon.   Their selfishness is an affront to the long-term commitment and contribution of these elders in the church.  Prevalent disagreements about worship raise the question, “What is authentic worship?”  Further, how do we discern genuine worship that honors and glories Almighty God?

Ezekiel’s vision, although offered originally to the Israelites within the context of captivity and exile, additionally affords modern disciples a chance to comprehend God’s holy and merciful glory within worship. 

Ezekiel shares a vision that reverses a previous negative and punishing depiction of the Lord’s judgment upon Israel.  The prophet witnessed the departure of God’s glory from the temple through the east gate.  He fell face down in an act of great lamentation and despair as he realized the onset of God’s judgment of Israel’s and Judah’s sin and rebellion through the siege of Jerusalem and the Babylonian captivity.  Had the people understood that they no longer enjoyed God’s provision and protection as His glory departs from the temple?  With great delight, Ezekiel returns to the setting of judgment and despair to receive a vision of grandeur as the Lord shows Ezekiel that His glory shall return to the temple as an act of reconciliation with His people.  Imagine Ezekiel’s joy in realizing God’s fulfillment of His promises of restoration and renewal for the nation.  The loss of all material possessions, land, history, culture and legacy did not compare to the severance of Israel’s relationship with God.  As a prophet and priest, Ezekiel rejoices for his people as he knows the incredible and incalculable blessings and indescribable life that awaits them upon their return.  The Spirit lifts Ezekiel above his physical existence and logical comprehension to reveal this great and glorious return of God’s presence among the people.

Now, the temple shall indeed be a place of holiness as the presence of God once again dwells therein.  Without God’s presence, holiness and mercy are theoretical concepts to which believers traditionally and religiously subscribe.  Grand buildings, exquisite architecture, expensive materials and ostentatious furnishings do not equate with God’s presence.  Labeling a building does not make it a church.  The presence of God yields holiness, healing, grace and mercy.  Ezekiel’s vision of grandeur also warns the nation to grow in respect for sacredness in worship settings.  Irrespective of order of service or genre of music, contemporary disciples, whether seasoned saints or seekers, could learn from Ezekiel’s prophecy the importance of cultivating a respect for genuine worship.

Point II – Ezekiel 43:6-9 – Eliminate Detestable Practices

To realize the blessings God will offer upon their return, the people of Israel and Judah must cease their detestable worship practices.  They no longer can defile the holy place where the Lord chooses to dwell amongst His people.  The voice of God speaks to Ezekiel and details God’s throne.  He points to the space where God’s throne will sit and where He will rest His feet.  This graphic description further clarifies God’s commitment to return His presence and glory to the temple.  However, the Lord insists upon the absolute and irreversible cessation of temple prostitution and funeral offerings for kings in the temple.  Such ghastly deeds trample upon God’s holy character.  In the former instance, the people satisfy their physical instincts and hedonism in the Name of God.  By honoring kings with elaborate funerals, the people’s hearts mourn finite human beings in total disregard for the necessity of relying unwaveringly upon Almighty God.  In the Ten Commandments, God insists unreservedly He will share His glory with no one whether living or dead.  These dreadful practices were brought into the temple.  The Lord alludes to their threshold crossing into the temple’s threshold.  This description of adjacent spaces symbolizes an inappropriate congruence of ideas and actions.  God’s holiness does not condone such behavior.  Thus, a building dedicated to His honor and glory cannot host any activity that does not respect His character or further His will.

In exchange for their repentance, the Lord promises to withhold His judgment and live amongst the people forever. Specifically, He says if they “put away” these practices that He will reward them with His comforting and sustaining presence.  To repent means practically to stop the behavior, turn around and proceed in another direction.  Lasting repentance requires a change in attitude and lifestyle in addition to ceasing a form of ineffective and untoward behavior.  Change and growth result from a wholesale transformation of a person’s thinking and character.  For disciples, faithfulness with regard to spiritual maturity and progress inevitably yields a more vibrant relationship with God.

Point III – Ezekiel 43:10-11 – A Sacred Space to Commune

In this few verses, the Lord graciously grants Ezekiel a vision of the grandeur of the temple that will be built in the post-exilic era.  Amazingly, this new temple will far exceed the magnificence of Solomon’s temple as great and glorious as it was!  The Lord tells the prophet to describe meticulously the design of the temple.  Detail its arrangement of rooms, courtyards, sanctuary, closets, kitchens, storage and other areas.  Paint a verbal picture of the altar and main worship space where the people will go to commune with God.  Use words to help them realize the feelings of joy and satisfaction they will have as they sit in this sacred space in solemn silence as God speaks.  Further, tell them about the laws and regulations pertaining to worship in the temple.

Moreover, Ezekiel shall tell the people that the temple is a place where God will remove shame.  They should not languish in guilt and regret because of what they have done.  Perhaps, architectural wonder of this temple may make them feel that they are unworthy to enter.  In stark contrast, the people may find refuge and renewal in the temple as God’s glory dwells there.  It is a sacred space in which they may commune with Almighty God and find restoration via His unfailing love and unquestionable faithfulness which eliminates their sin.  Ezekiel further must write down these instructions to prevent anyone from forgetting them.  They will construct the temple in accordance with his vision of grandeur.

The most majestic aspect of this vision is the restoration of relationship between God and His covenantal people.  It is not the architecture and construction of a building which can easily be destroyed as the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem and destruction of Solomon temple demonstrates.  Recently, many church buildings were decimated due to an unparalleled tornado on Moore, Oklahoma.  Those edifices will be rebuilt perhaps more substantively and impressively than before.  But, the Church was not lost or destroyed as the congregations that worshipped in those buildings found other spaces to worship and commune with God.  Possibly, the lost of their material facilities motivated them to focus more closely upon their relationships with God and each other.  Centuries earlier, Israel and Judah achieved that spiritual insight through Ezekiel’s grand vision of God’s majestic house of worship.

Point IV – Ezekiel 43:12 – A Holy Place to Meet Almighty God

Ezekiel concludes this vision with the statement of one cardinal law relating to worship.  All of the surrounding area on the top of the mountain adjacent to the temple shall be most holy.  This decree is the fundamental law relating to the temple.  As God shall dwell in the temple, any area near it shall be held just as sacred as the temple’s interior.  Shockingly, a religious people would not willingly allow a brother to exist adjacent to the temple.  In the flight of fantasy, people would leave one place and immediately go to the other.  In fact, some of the religious may operate the brothel with the good intentions of sharing a percentage of the proceeds with the temple.  Such was the case in Ezekiel’s time; that dastardly practice necessitates the Lord’s fierce condemnation and righteous and wrathful judgment.  To prevent a reoccurrence, God establishes a cardinal law that stipulates that the temple and its surroundings shall be consecrated for His worship and service.

The Lesson Applied

Let’s Talk About It

1.     What does it mean to be in the “presence” of God?”  Is the “presence” of God necessarily a physical space?  Does it equate with being in church?

2.   Are sanctuaries the only sacred spaces where we commune with God?  If not, name other places and explain how they are also sacred?

3.   Is church the primary place to listen to God’s voice?

4.   In the United States of America, each year seven thousand (7000) churches open and four thousand (4000) close or die.  How can a church close or die?

5.    What are the practical benefits of worship in the sanctuary?

The Days Are Surely Coming - Jeremiah 32:2-9, 14-15

The Days Are Surely Coming

Jeremiah 32:2-9, 14-15

Lesson Setting

Jeremiah details the tense setting and fierce political and military circumstances surrounding this chapter.  From the reign of the tenth year of Zedekiah, King of Judah, and the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon, we infer the year was 586 BCE.  In the next year, the Babylonians would sack Jerusalem causing colossal damage and nearly obliterating the history, religion and literature of Israel and Judah.  In this year before the siege, Jeremiah pronounces a very hard prophecy which angers King Zedekiah and probably greatly disturbs many fellow countrymen.  Imagine the emotional intensity and social unrest as Israel and Judah live daily under a powerful and pervasive threat by Babylon.  Instead of comforting them with reassurance of God’s deliverance as He did in their past, Jeremiah actually tells them that their worst fears will materialize.

Lesson Outline

I.                 Jeremiah 32:1-5 – A Critical Test of Faith

II.            Jeremiah 32:6-15 – A Deposit on the Future

III.        Jeremiah 32:16-25 – A Prayer for Illumination

IV.         Jeremiah 32:26-35 – A Divine Indictment

V.              Jeremiah 32:36-44 – God Commits to a New Covenant

Unifying Principle

Even in dire circumstances, some people take hopeful actions.  What gives them the confidence to do so?  While Jerusalem as under siege, God instructed the prophet Jeremiah to purchase property as a sign that there was a future for the people and their land beyond defeat and exile.

Introduction

“No good deed goes unpunished.”  If you had the experience of helping someone without realizing you were participating in creating their dependency when you thought you were empowering them toward self-reliance?  In my early professional years as an admission counselor, I collaborated with a colleague to help a struggling student with discretionary scholarship funds at the beginning of a fall semester.  The student insisted she was in dire financial straits and would be able to continue her course of study.  Seeking to show compassion and enable this student to achieve her goals, my colleague and I secured the necessary funds to remove the bursar’s hold.  We thought we had done a good deed on this one necessary occasion. To our great chagrin, this student appeared in our offices at the start of the spring semester with a similar story.  Again, we helped her believing that she would resolve proactively her financial challenges by the start of the next semester.  Not surprisingly, the next fall, she came back to our offices with an even more embellished story.  At that point, I stopped ladling the gravy to her as I finally acknowledged that she had determined to use my colleague and me as a source of supplemental funding thus enabling her to utilize her own money as she pleased.  Essentially, we were punished for attempting to do a good deed and assist someone whom we thought was in genuine need.

Jeremiah experiences the very worst of the foregoing maxim as he commences a lengthy prison sentence for obeying the will of God.  The Lord directs Jeremiah to announce unequivocally the imminent consequences of His “fierce anger and uncontrollable wrath” toward a chosen people who turned their backs to Him.  As the prophet faithfully answers the call of God, Jeremiah receives a prison sentence from King Zedekiah of Judah who disdains the prophet’s message.  Instead of a reward Jeremiah obtains imprisonment.  Not surprisingly, a crisis of faith ensues for him as he struggles to understand God’s mysterious ways.  How does Jeremiah understand God’s order to announce judgment and doom while simultaneously permitting his unjust imprisonment?  Why would God allow Zedekiah to punish Jeremiah as the prophet willingly fulfills God’s directive? 

Adding insult to injury, God further instructs Jeremiah to buy a piece of land that will be devastated shortly as a deposit on His future promise to restore Israel and Judah after the Babylonian captivity.  It is extremely odd to purchase land that will soon contain piles of rubble and ruin while being told it will one day be a place of flourishing produce, livestock, houses and commerce.  Yet, this ironic act is God’s practical and mysterious was of demonstrating to Israel and Judah His heartfelt and unfailing intention to adhere to the covenant He made with their forbears.  As God’s servant and chosen instrument in these proceedings, Jeremiah faces an arduous challenge of obeying Almighty God as Jeremiah concurrently loses his freedom and prepares for a future without knowing the length of his imprisonment.  Assuredly, we can relate to Jeremiah’s bewilderment and dilemma.  Have you had an experience in which obeying God’s will for your life also resulted in a major crisis of faith?

In this week’s lesson, we continue our study of the “Book of Consolation” (chapters 30, 31 and 32) in Jeremiah.  First, we consider Jeremiah’s difficult and complex task of announcing simultaneously destruction and restoration while his life unravels.  Second, after his imprisonment, he obeys God by buying a field to demonstrate God’s faithfulness to the covenant.  Jeremiah executes a land purchase as he sits in jail and puts the deed in an ancient equivalent of a safe deposit box.  He additionally entrusts the deed to a nephew who will inherit the land were Jeremiah to die in prison.  This relational exchange between uncle and nephew symbolizes the new relationship and covenant to emerge between God and the next generation of His people, Israel and Judah.  They will bind themselves in a direct covenant; they will no longer relate to each other through the historical promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Third, Jeremiah prays for illumination as he sits in darkness of punishment following obedience.  He does not understand God’s irony and humor.  Likewise, the people of Israel and Judah do not understand how the Lord will permit their captivity while also assuring them of return and restoration.  Accordingly, Jeremiah asks God to open the eyes of their hearts and minds to enable them to understand His character and deeds.  Fourth, in response to his prayer, Jeremiah states a divine indictment against the people whereby the Lord recounts their lengthy history of rebellion, disobedience and indifference to Him. 

The chapter concludes with Almighty God being vulnerable and sharing His heartfelt desire and unwavering intention to adhere to the new covenant He will make with Israel and Judah.  Amazingly, God recommits Himself to the covenant before He asks the people to do so.  He pledges to empower the people with His Spirit to enable them to adhere to the covenant.  Demonstrating that He truly unfailingly loves His people, through the lips of Jeremiah, God expresses His personal wish to restore and renew Israel.

Exposition

Point I – Jeremiah 32:1-5 – A Critical Test of Faith

It is easy to romanticize prophetic ministry.  What an amazing spiritual gift to be able to pronounce forthcoming future actions as God speaks to you with meticulous accuracy!  This spiritual gift conceivably causes untold and limitless jealousy within church circles.  Yet, many disciples fail to understand the equally incredible burden of prophetic ministry.  Usually prophets do not gain many friends and positively influence countless people.  Contrary to popular belief, people do not want a moral, ethical and spiritual person detailing the inconsistencies between their words and deeds.  People prefer ignorance bliss of assuming they are moral and ethical because they are well-intentioned and occasionally perform minimal acts of kindness.  Self-avowed racists, sexists, classists and homophobes do not appreciate anyone demonstrating their hypocrisy.  Jeremiah experiences the disadvantages of declaring God’s truth as his prophetic pronouncements greatly anger Zedekiah, King of Judah, who imprisons Jeremiah.  As a result, the prophet undergoes possibly his most difficult test of faith as he begins a long-term prison sentence as he answer God’s call to warn Israel about her longstanding sin and the forthcoming consequences to her choices.  Jeremiah’s predicament cautions us against egotistically desires very public and seemingly glamorous positions in ministry.

Tests of faith emerge to ascertain the depth of our commitment and maturity of our faith.  Faithfulness is the cardinal qualification for a divine assignment.  Whereas the Lord utilizes our talents abilities which are gracious gifts from Him, He seeks persons in whose characters faithfulness is a foundational quality.  He uses people upon He can depend to complete any task He assigns regardless of the types or numbers of adversities.  Jeremiah’s willingness to declare steadfastly the Lord’s admonitions and judgment despite the threats to his physical safety and freedom demonstrates the type of faithfulness the Lord seeks in the human instruments He chooses. 

Nevertheless, Jeremiah’s personal crisis in faith in which he must trust unwaveringly in God’s goodness, correctness and will as he obeys God’s commands which results in his imprisonment.  Understandably, Jeremiah might question God.  His situation is more than ironic.  How does such a misfortune befall someone as he fulfills the will of God?  How could God allow this happen to His chosen servant?  On a collective scale, Israel asks very similar questions in response to Jeremiah assurances of the Lord’s future promises of return and renewal after a lengthy period of subjugation by their Gentile enemies.  Jeremiah has the dual burden of announcing these contradictory divine degrees of severe punishment and promises of greater blessings afterwards and trusting in Almighty God while Jeremiah’s personal situation deteriorates.  As a nation, Israel and Judah undergo the exact same test of their faith.

Point II – Jeremiah 32:6-15 – A Deposit on the Future

An even stranger irony occurs for Jeremiah; the Lord instructs the prophet to buy a field while he is imprisoned unjustly.  Imagine Jeremiah’s befuddlement as he lies in a cold clay jail cell during the middle of the night and the word of the Lord floods his mind with this instruction.  More startlingly, Jeremiah must buy a field in a land that has been devastated recently by enemy invasion.  The plot of land will soon contain infinite amounts of rubble; agriculturally, it will be arid and unproductive.  In obedience to the Lord’s instruction, Jeremiah acquires the silver, weighs it and purchases the land.  He signs the proper title deeds both sealed and unsealed.  Similar to a safe deposit box in a contemporary bank, a clay jar holds the deed as security of the sale should Jeremiah need documentation in the future. 

The purchase of this land is an act of faith.  Nearly seventy years, an extended and extensive period of time in biblical terms, passes before Jeremiah or any of his descendants and relatives will live on this land.  First, they must experience the brutality of the Babylonian captivity and a very lengthy period of separation from their homeland.  In the interim, this land lies fallow and appears useless.  Considering the prophetic pronouncement for which Zedekiah imprisons Jeremiah, it is utterly futile for Jeremiah or any other person in Israel or Judah to buy land.  Yet, the purchase of the land is a demonstration of the Lord’s pledge to return the nation of His chosen people to their homeland after they undergo just punishment for their sin and rebellion against Him and the covenant.  Jeremiah makes a deposit on the future!

This passage ends with a promise.  “Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought on this land.”  Contrast the announcement of divine judgment upon Israel and Judah through the Babylonians with the prophecy relating to return, restoration and renewal.  These sayings reflect God’s unquestionable holiness which His people cannot trespass because of His grace and the Lord’s unwavering faithfulness which His unfailing love compels.  Rightly, Jeremiah offers consolation, comfort and compassion to Israel and Judah even as he declares condemnation.  God will punish His people but He will also simultaneously reform them.  He pledges to retrieve them from the bowels of their regrettable choices and restore them to a renewed life. 

Periodically, God requires strange acts of obedience as concrete demonstrations of faith.  He further tests Jeremiah’s by insisting that the prophet buy land while in jail and on the eve of the nation’s unparalleled destruction.  This divine directive simply does not make any sense.  Nevertheless, God insists His prophet live according to His Word by showing His trust and belief in the totality of his pronouncements.  As disciples of the Lord, we too must demonstrate practically and pragmatically our faith through daily living.  Elsewhere in the Bible, James records “Faith without works is dead.”  In order for Jeremiah to declare boldly and forthrightly that Israel and Judah must trust God for their return and renewal as he concurrently announces a harsh judgment, he needs to show his faith in God by purchasing this land as a sign that God will fulfill this distant future promise.

Point III – Jeremiah 32:16-25 – A Prayer for Illumination

Over the course of several years, I continually have discussed the plot twists, disappointments, heartaches and sufferings of an unfulfilling marriage with a close relative.  As of this writing, she remains in this horrible relationship which glacially yet steadfastly erodes her self-esteem and self-worth.  Entering into the second half of her life as she celebrates her fiftieth birthday this year, she must make an affirmative and fundamental decision.  God will guide her towards a choice that honors and glories Him in accordance with His Word.  To reach that existential space, she first needs to muster the courage to ask Almighty God for strength and perseverance to receive His divine empowerment and act fearlessly as He leads her toward the next chapter of her life.  I assure her that she rightly deserves love, respect and security inclusive of an emotional, mental, psychological, physical and spiritual space where she can mature into the best child of God of which she is capable.  To ask God for help is simply to pray genuinely and humbly.

Jeremiah now petitions Almighty God for divine encouragement and empowerment for himself as he lingers in jail doing the will of God and for Israel and Judah as the nation embarks upon an arduous spiritual journey.  After following the Lord’s directive relating to the land purchase, the prophet requests valid and divine aid as he daily lives in accordance with will of God.  His prayer, as most biblical prayers, offers insight and suggestions for a more vibrant and effectual prayer life.  Jeremiah addresses God as “Sovereign Lord;” thereby acknowledging His perfection in character, will, kindness and ability.  Jeremiah further recognizes that God created the heavens and the earth by His autonomous power; accordingly “Nothing is too hard for [Him].”  Note the statement of unwavering faith in the ability and power of Almighty God to fulfill His promise of return and restoration. 

Second, Jeremiah addresses God’s unfailing love and holiness.  The Lord shows love to thousands who reciprocate His lovingkindness but to those of a stiff-necked and reprobate disposition He brings punishment for the parents’ sin into the laps of their beloved children and grandchildren.  This part of Jeremiah’s petition balances God’s grace and mercy.  He freely bestows blessings upon His children who obey Him by rightly relating themselves to Him.  However, He grants mercy to the undeserving as their forbears’ sins result in their punishment.  The rebelliousness of Israel and polytheism of Judah eventuates in the Babylonian captivity.  Prosperity and success separate the nation from their faithful God from whom all of their blessings flow.  They begin to confuse with grandeur and glory of the Temple with God’s character.  Their religious traditions, ritual and practices supersedes a genuine relationship with Almighty God.  Thus, He permits the wholesale destruction of their symbols of self-reliance. 

Many Old Testament prayers appeal to God’s Name and character as the basis of the petitioner’s requests.  In interceding for Israel as they are nearly consumed by God’s wrath following their rebellious behavior, Moses asks God to consider what His annihilation of His chosen people will reveal about His character.  Other nations will conclude that He is a god who cannot keep His promises.  Furthermore, they will resolve that deceit and falsehood are His fundamental characteristics as He leads His people into wilderness after liberating them from Egyptian slavery only to destroy them with His own hands.  Equally, Jeremiah appeals to God’s character which is the basis of His enduring covenant with Israel and Judah.  Jeremiah describes God as the “Great and mighty God, whose Name is the Lord Almighty.”  He prays to the sovereign and all-powerful Creator of heaven and earth who possesses limitless abilities.  Further, Jeremiah acknowledges God’s purposes and deeds as being equally mighty as His character.  That statement implies Jeremiah’s trust in God’s perfection and everlasting faithfulness despite His forthcoming wrath and the imminent devastation of Israel and Judah.  Daily circumstances do not change nor do they negate God’s eternal nature. 

In response to this reality, Jeremiah additionally appeals to God’s justness and favor as God watches human affairs and intervenes according to His sovereign will by rewarding people in equal measure to their deeds.  As he details this divine attribute, Jeremiah recognizes Israel and Judah’s punishment as fair given God’s adherence to the covenant though they consistently disobeyed Him.  In another significant technique in praying, Jeremiah then recounts God’s past kindnesses to Israel by summarizing the events surrounding the Passover and Israel’s deliverance from Egypt.  Assuredly, that feat should garner the unwavering devotion of Israel and Judah; instead they take God for granted and become indifferent to His holiness and Law.  Cumulatively, their centuries of rebellion and defiance erode God’s favor and results in the Babylonian captivity which Jeremiah specifies in the next few verses.  However, Jeremiah concludes his prayer with an appeal to God’s mystery.  Though the siege has begun and it is now clear to any reasonable person that Jerusalem will fall into the hands of Gentiles, the Lord instructs the prophet to buy a piece of land.  Respecting God’s mysterious ways is as important as revering His sovereignty.  Jeremiah’s pray teaches us to articulate our confusion, perplexity and ambiguity while we assent to God’s absolute perfect will.

Point IV – Jeremiah 32:26-35 – A Divine Indictment

As the Lord responds to Jeremiah’s prayers of intercession and illumination, He fiercely and forthrightly indicts Israel and Judah for the totality of their rebellion and insults.  The nation’s behavior resembles the deeds of an arrogant and defiant adolescent who tramples upon his parents’ love and provision.  Teenagers want blessings and benefits of being in stable families and households but do not want the responsibility of contributing to the wellness of their family members.  Similarly, multiple generations in Israel and Judah reap the benefits of God’s covenant with their forbears but disregard His decrees and daily directives.  God accordingly judges them for the egregious way in which they insult His holiness and wildly trample upon His grace.  God characterizes their actions as turning their backs on Him which equates with the ultimate insult.

In the twenty-seventh verse, God makes yet another “I AM” statement.  He declares Himself as “the God of all mankind” and asks “Is anything that is too hard for Me?”  This question again reveals His omnipotence and other eternal attributes.  As the One True God, He is the One to whom Israel and Judah should appeal for protection, provision and lovingkindness.  Were they to survey the canvass of their history, religion and literature, it is God and God alone who constantly and consistently fulfills the covenant He made with their forbears.  He promises to deliver the people from Egyptian bondage; they leave on dry land.  He pledges to give them the land of their enemies as an inheritance for countless generations.  With His help, they cross the Jordan River also on dry land.  They settle first in the rough terrain and in time they capture the cities and develop a civilization that rivals any nation in the Ancient Near East.  Because of God’s goodness, they dig wells, plant vineyards, raise livestock and enjoy a land flowing with milk and honey.  They receive these divine rewards and bountiful blessings because God is able to fulfill His Word and perform any necessary natural and supernatural feats. 

Notwithstanding these and other incredible miracles, Israel and Judah commit adultery as they serve Baal and other gods.  In His diatribe, Almighty God expresses His unmitigated disgust as His chosen people burn incense to Baal and offer sacrifices to other deities.  Their ingratitude is indescribable!  Arousing the Lord’s anger to immeasurable heights, the people of Israel and Judah have only done evil in the sight of God.  Despite its prosperity and pleasantness, the city of Jerusalem has only ignited God’s furor from the day it was built.  The collective evil of kings, officials, priests, prophets and average people provoked God’s wrath to the superlative degree of His allowing the Babylonian captivity.  Interestingly, in the thirty-third verse, the Lord expresses heartfelt pain in response to Israel and Judah turning their backs on Him and not their faces.  Jeremiah use of this term alludes to a superlative insult.  Contemporarily, it equates with “speak to the hand,” “whatever” and “totally dissing” (dismissing) someone.  How reprehensible that the creatures would treat their Creator in such a vile manner.  Still, the Lord enduringly taught them instead of punishing them and they would not listen to His instruction and discipline.  An intractable polytheism is the greatest of their offenses considering that the first commandment forbids them from worshipping any god but God Almighty who is a jealous God and will not compete with any other deities.  In utter indifference to the Law, the people of Israel and Judah defile the Temple by placing monuments to their other gods in the house of worship that bears His holy and sacred Name.  Despicably, they built altars of worship to Baal on holy ground that they inherited because of the Lord’s faithfulness to the covenant.  More detestably, they sacrificed their children to Molek although Almighty God never requires such a reprehensible ritual from them.

These verses read as if they were a criminal indictment filed against Israel and Judah for atrocious offenses against the holy character and unfailing love of Yahweh, the One True God.  On the lips of Jeremiah, the Lord proffers His justification for the punishment He extracts upon His people for their perpetual rebellion and disobedience.

Point V – Jeremiah 32:36-44 – God Commits to a New Covenant

The Book of Consolation ends with a final reassurance of return and renewal after the Babylonian captivity.  In these verses, Jeremiah’s understanding of divine punishment and mercy parallels the Psalter’s depiction of these attributes.  The   Psalmist triumphantly says the Lord’s anger only last a moment but His favor last a lifetime.  As they embark upon the treacherous decades of captivity, Israel and Judah can rely genuinely upon Almighty God’s continual faithfulness and mercy toward the nation.  After reiterating the punishment that the people have wrought during the generations of rebellion, Jeremiah also repeats the Lord’s promise of return and restoration.  Although He will banish His people in “fierce anger and great wrath,” God will gather all scattered remnants of Israel and Judah to return them to the land they will lose.  Upon their return after seventy years of completion, they will live in safety, peace and prosperity.  Their ultimate security will be a new covenant with God whom they will know directly instead of the knowledge they previously gleaned from their forbears.  In a sense, God and the nation will renew their commitment to their historical and eternal covenant.  “They will be my people and I will be their God.”  In the era of return and renewal, they will begin a fresh relationship established on the foundation of experiential and relational knowledge of God who will fulfill the promise of return. 

With an opaque reference to the Spirit of God, He moreover pledges to grant Israel and Judah a singleness of heart and action to prevent any further polytheism, idolatry and infidelity which materialize into acts of sin, rebellion and disobedience.  God will empower His people with His Spirit to enable them to worship Him with unwavering devotion.  As they adhere to the covenant He makes with them, their posterity will reap incalculable blessings and benefits.  Amazingly, in the fortieth verse, God Himself renews His commitment to the covenant and declares that He will not cease doing good toward His people.  Imagine the bounty of that promise!  Consider the provision, protection and peace that befall those persons who rightly relate to God who binds Himself to caring ceaselessly for them.  The splendor of the new life in a restored and resurrected nation will exceed greatly the “good old days” prior to captivity.  Moreover, God says He rejoices in doing good for His people and will adhere to the covenant with all of His heart and soul.  If that were not enough, God pledges to provide prosperity equal to the punishment that the captivity inflicts upon Israel and Judah.  Once again, real estate values will rise.  Property will be bought and sold; deeds will change hands.  Jeremiah’s strange and ironic action of buying a field is an act of good faith on God’s behalf to accomplish His promise to return His people upon the completion of their chastisement.

The Lesson Applied

Let’s Talk About It

1.     Has gone ever instructed you to do something strange and ironic as an act of faith similar to Jeremiah’s purchase of the field?  Discuss the details with the class.

2.   Have you had an experience similar to Jeremiah’s in which you felt punished as you were doing the work of God?  Share your experience with the class.

3.   Was the punishment of Israel and Judah just?  If yes, offer reasons to justify the colossal lost of their civilization.  If no, what alternatives did God have?

4.   If were living in Israel and Judah at the time, how would you respond to Jeremiah’s prophecy?

5.    If you were Jeremiah’s friend, how would you advise him to handle his crisis of faith as he is imprisoned for proclaiming the Word of God?