Theological Bites
There are two more themes to deal with in the book of Ezekiel and these are; Judgement and Hope. In this final part of the introductions to the book, I will handle the theme of Hope and as for the Judgement theme, it is ably addressed in the Prophet Jeremiah introductions. Hope in the book of Ezekiel is a big theme addressed from chapter 34 to the close of the book in chapter 48. The prophet balances his accusation and judgment message with a provision of hope. Hope is one of what Apostle Paul calls the Great Three in 1Corinthians 13:13. Hope is a recurrent theme throughout the Bible and it is best demonstrated by Ezekiel in my view.
Hope in Ezekiel
It was Tom Bodett who said: “They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.” In other words, there are three fundamental needs for a healthy human being: 1. Love 2. -Work and 3. Hope. These are needs that have nothing to do with where a person is and who a person is. You need to love and be loved, you need to be active and finally, you need to hope. It is not surprising then that in a situation like an exile, a prophet is audacious enough to launch a theology of Hope.
The Bible is a narration of six major events and the sub-events within or related to the major six and the implications (local and international) of those events to all people in the world and the world itself. These events are:
- Creation
- Exodus
- Exile
- Cross
- Resurrection
- Parousia (Judgment & New Creation)
These events are not restricted to the nation of Israel which largely participated in most of them but rather the nation of Israel is a representative nation for all people in the world who are the real concern of these events.
While it is the nation of Israel that introduces the story of creation in the Bible, all people where created, while it’s the Israelites in Egypt who experience the Exodus, all people around the world in slavery need an exodus. While it was Israel that ended-up captives of political superpowers, it is evident today that all nations are under the rule of modern super-powers. While the cross was a hope to the Israelites, it is a historical fact to us today. Both the Israelites and all the believing world today; hope for a resurrection beyond death and the second coming of Jesus Christ as the Judge and creator.
This is what is demonstrated on the pages of Ezekiel. This prophet does a great job by dividing the universe into three categories and allocating a particular hope for each.
Here is a simple Ezekiel Hope outline of chapters 34-48:
- Future Hope for Israel (34, 36-37)
- Future Hope for Nations (38-39)
- Future Hope for a New World Order (40-48)
Ezekiel distributes hope to each subject of divine Judgment communicated in chapters 12-33. While Israel is judged in chapters 12-24, and the nations are judged in 25-32, and the Jerusalem City in 33, there is hope to every judgment. In other words, the prophet is quick to remind us that Judgment is not the final thing here, there is hope beyond these judgments. HOPE IN THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL IS THE COURT OF APPEAL. The gospel of Hope is to the living and not the dead, as long as you still live, the prophets urge us that we cannot give up on hope. It doesn’t matter even the Judge’s ruling, we can still appeal to hope.
Hope for Israel (34, 36-37)
Israel in the oracles of Ezekiel represents the ecclesiastical side of the world. Israel is a generic term to mean the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern kingdom (Judah) combined. Israel here is the church symbolized. The capital of Israel is Jerusalem and in Ezekiel, Jerusalem is a theocratic capital of the politics and religion of the nation. The fall of Jerusalem and its remnant condemned as reported in 33:21-33 imply the fall of Israel altogether.
The lack of one single Davidic shepherd has led to Israel being scattered and turning into prey to all nations (34). The first categorical hope for Israel is the NEW DAVID. A future messianic King to lead the whole Israel as one flock and protect them from all predator nations (37:15-28). This messianic king is none other than the Jesus of Nazareth who is the principal theme of most of the prophets but who the Israelites misunderstood and denied when he came.
The second hope for Israel is in chapter 36, where Israel expects that future messianic king to lead them into a NEW ISRAEL with a NEW HEART (36:24-28). Israel hopes for a complete restoration in which their problem (the heart) that leads to their apostasy is addressed. The Issue of the heart is recurrent in major exilic prophecies like Jeremiah (17) and a few others. The Hope of the Church then is that God has a plan to replace the heart in order to resolve the problem of disobedience and spiritual failure.
In discussing the Hope of Israel, Ezekiel goes ahead and demonstrates both the spiritual and physical state of Israel through the vision of the dry bones in the valley (chapter 37:1-14). Israel’s spiritual state is like that of dry bones in the valley. Whose future is unknown to man, and an impossibility to any human means and inventions but whose hope lies in only God. The prophetic imagination of Ezekiel is the possibility of life to these lifeless bones only by and through Yahweh’s initiative. It doesn’t matter our spiritual and physical state, hope dictates that we are not beyond repair with God, we are beyond repair only without God in the mix.
Hope for the Nations (38-39)
According to Ezekiel, there is only one hope for the Nations that they can prepare for, and that is WAR and DEFEAT. Yahweh to the nations is not a negotiator but a fighter. Edom is warned about its hatred to Israel and reminded that by its hatred it has registered as a battlefield opponent to Yahweh (Chapter 35), and on the other hand, Yahweh has to defeat evil-Gog and Magog among the nations. There is a spirit of Gog and Magog behind the power and influence of powerful nations and it is this spirit that Yahweh is after (38-39).
In the immediate context of Ezekiel, the prophet has in mind the superpowers of then and these are: Ammon (25:1-7), Moab (25:8-11), Edom (25:12-14), Philistia (25:15-17, Tyre (26:1—28:1-19), Sidon (28:20-24), Egypt (chapters 29–32) and Babylon (29:17-21). These were the nations that determined international politics and policies. These nations were theocratic just as Israel was and the distinction was in the Theos (God) that overruled the entire system. While to Israel the Theos (God) was Yahweh, to these nations, it was Gog and Magog.
The futuristic hope to these nations, therefore, is the battle of Yahweh with their gods. What is for sure that the prophet communicates to these nations is that their gods and the spirit behind and in the fabric of their power will be defeated by the God of Israel. The hope of our modern political powers that are inferred in the book of Daniel is none other than DEFEAT.
God bless you I invoke TRUTH, WISDOM, and FAITH (2Tim 2:7)
Priest Isaiah White (+256-775 822833 for further inquiries)
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