Nov 5

Reference links:

Ezekiel 12:1-14:11 Hebrews 7:1-17 Psalm 105:37-45 Proverbs 27:3

Overview of the Book of Ezekiel Overview of the Epistle to the Hebrews Overview of the Psalms Overview of the book of Proverbs

Old Testament

Today Ezekiel gives the people in exile with him a show. He is pretending to go into exile. This, apparently, is a message for the people in Jerusalem.

First of all, does Ezekiel really think that the people of Jerusalem are going to be impressed by someone who is already in exile pretending to go into exile? Second, this doesn't seem like much a prediction to make. Some of the people of Jerusalem have already been exiled and the tension lies thick between Babylon and Jerusalem. Predicting more exiles does not exactly constitute an out there opinion.

After that we get a bit which, if it was a prophecy, was actually a rather good one:

Even Zedekiah will leave Jerusalem at night through a hole in the wall, taking only what he can carry with him. He will cover his face, and his eyes will not see the land he is leaving. Then I will throw my net over him and capture him in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Babylonians, though he will never see it, and he will die there.

I don't know what's going on with the bit about the whole in the wall but, he did have his eyes gouged out before he was taken to Babylon,

Then some more standard fare: predictions of forthcoming destruction and railing against false prophets. This includes some railing specifically against false female prophets. I wonder if there were people considered true female prophets. In any case, apparently these female false prophets were fond of magic charms and veils.

We then read about how Ezekiel was visited by some leaders of Israel. I wonder, were they actually from Israel or were they in exile along with Ezekiel? In any case, they have set up idols in their heart, so God will turn against them.

The reading ends with a perplexing passage:

And if a prophet is deceived into giving a message, it is because I, the Lord, have deceived that prophet. I will lift my fist against such prophets and cut them off from the community of Israel.

So God's punishing people for sins he makes them commit? Rather lacking on both the justice and mercy fronts, I would say.

New Testament

More about Melchizedek. Melchizedek appeared in one story in Genesis and one psalm. These passages, especially the psalm, hint at a larger tradition which has been lost, but those are the only two Biblical references to Melchizedek outside of Hebrews. From this, the author of Hebrews constructs an elaborate theory about how Melchizedek is greater than Abraham and, therefore, greater than the high priests descended from Abraham. It's not, exactly, a bad story that he weaves, but it spreads the source material pretty thin.

It's also a huge stretch to say that just because Melchizedek's genealogy was not mentioned, he has "no beginning or end to his life" and "we are told he lives on". Maybe the author of Hebrews means this metaphorically, but in that case, the same could be said of anyone who's genealogy isn't mentioned.

The funny thing about all this head scratching and trying to figure out how Melchizedek could be a priest without being a Levite is that there is a simple solution: Abraham was honoring a priest of a different god, some god of the land Abraham was in.

The author's ending note is this: since Jesus never died, he is a priest like Melchizedek and since neither he nor Melchizedek was a Levite, they don't have to follow the Levitical laws. Ummm... yeah. That's a pretty parallel to draw, especially since Melchizedek's continuing life was only tenuously established in the first place.

Psalms and Proverbs

Nothing of note.

Nov 4

Reference links:

Ezekiel 10:1-11:25 Hebrews 6:1-20 Psalm 105:16-36 Proverbs 27:1-2

Overview of the Book of Ezekiel Overview of the Epistle to the Hebrews Overview of the Psalms Overview of the book of Proverbs

Old Testament

Yesterday's vision continues. We get another detailed description of the many winged, many faced, wheel accompanied cherubim. Ezekiel really wants to emphasize that these are the same creatures he saw in his earlier vision. Exactly the same. To be sure we get the point, he repeats various parts of his description several times.

Then Ezekiel, in his vision, prophecies judgment against the leaders of Jerusalem. They will, not surprisingly, be slaughtered.

The Lord then emphasizes to Ezekiel that he is still the God of the exiles even though they are no longer in Jerusalem. This is actually quite the significant advancement in Jewish thought. Even as the idea of God changed from a tribal God to a universal God, he was still strongly associated with a place: Israel, Jerusalem, the Temple.

Now, Ezekiel has a vision which tells him that the exiles are still God's people. However, the connection to the homeland is still strong. Ezekiel is also told that the people will return to their homeland and then live the way that God wants them to live.

This point is emphasized symbolically when the glory of God (which is distinct from the spirit of God) leaves the Temple and Jerusalem.

New Testament

Today's reading in Hebrews does not quite seem aligned with other New Testament books. Those books seemed to emphasize the fundamental, essential truths. Today, the author of Hebrews tells people that continued teaching of those basic truths are not valuable; they should already be known. These two ideas are not explicitly contradictory, but there is certainly tension between them.

The author of Hebrews also seems to think that once a believer has stopped believing, they can never turn back. They have forever removed themselves from favor. I think many a modern Christian would disagree with that sentiment and be surprised that it was stated so explicitly in the Bible.

The author then goes on to make some questionable claims about oaths. Oaths from God in particular, but the sentiments apply to oaths in general:

Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding.

Why do I say this is questionable? It implies that oaths are good and proper; the binding power of the oath is what gives God's promises power. However, this reliance on oaths seems to contradict the spirit of words attributed to Jesus. From Matthew 5:33-37:

“You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.

Psalms and Proverbs

A couple good proverbs today:

Don’t brag about tomorrow,
since you don’t know what the day will bring.

Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth—
a stranger, not your own lips.

Nov 3

Reference links:

Ezekiel 7:1-9:11 Hebrews 5:1-14 Psalm 105:1-15 Proverbs 26:28

Overview of the Book of Ezekiel Overview of the Epistle to the Hebrews Overview of the Psalms Overview of the book of Proverbs

Old Testament

Predictions of death, disease, doom, destruction, desolation, and despair. As well as other things which don't begin with 'd'.

Then Ezekiel has another vision. This time, he God shows him the idolatry occurring in Jerusalem and the temple. Because of this, in this vision, God commands the murder of everyone who is participating in the idolatry. It's been awhile since we have had any good God commanded mass murders and genocide. Babylon was supposed to be God's weapon of destruction, but it's good to get a direct reminder of God's ugly violence.

New Testament

An early verse in today's reading struck me for its contrast to our OT reading:

And [the high priest] is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses.

What a contrast to the God of Ezekiel who cannot deal gently or show understanding of human beings and their weaknesses. Who murders instead of dealing gently. This contrast certainly makes the desire for a mediator messiah make more sense than any more than any modern notion that God is love. If God were loving, it would seem to less the the need for, as Hebrew puts it, an ultimate High Priest. However, if God is an easily angered, violent killer driven by pure justice with no mercy, the need becomes clear.

I am also struck by a slightly later verse:

That is why Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become High Priest.

This seems to support the idea that Jesus was the adopted son of God, not the begotten son of God. For if he were the begotten son of God, he would be the only one who could take on the role of High Priest. But this sentence implies that God could choose to call anyone for the role.

The adoption guess seems further supported by:

And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God.

The reading ends with an amusingly harsh criticism of the believers this essay is directed to:

There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. ... You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.

Psalms and Proverbs

Nothing particularly noteworthy.

Nov 2

Reference links:

Ezekiel 3:16-6:14 Hebrews 4:1-16 Psalm 104:24-35 Proverbs 26:27

Overview of the Book of Ezekiel Overview of the Epistle to the Hebrews Overview of the Psalms Overview of the book of Proverbs

Old Testament

Apparently Ezekiel is also into performance art. After Ezekiel receives another vision in which God reemphasizes to Ezekiel that he will be God's prophet and, as such, is compelled to deliver the message God asks him to deliver, he receives further instructions. God wants him to symbolize the sins, the seize, and the destruction of Israel by laying on his side, and staring at an image of the siege of Jerusalem. At some point, he'll have to eat bread cooked over dried human dung (later, at Ezekiel's request, changed to cow dung). Later, he'll use his hair to symbolize the death and exile coming to the people of Israel.

Ezekiel is to deliver the message that the people of Israel and Judah have displeased God and will receive his anger. He will destroy them and their homeland, scattering a remnant of them. This remnant will someday recognize the wrong they have done.

New Testament

The author of Hebrews makes a tenuous connection between God resting in the creation story and the wandering ancient Israelites not being able to enter the promised land, their place of rest. He then tries to make the case that the coming of Jesus signifies a second chance after the chance lost by the wandering Israelites.

The reading finishes with a passage which discusses how Jesus understands us because he was tempted like we are (but can act as the ultimate High Priest because he did not sin). Does this imply that God does not understand his creation? I have always considered that a weakness of the guess that the reason that Jesus had to become human and die was so that Jesus could be a fully understanding mediator for humanity. It is not a view that is problematic in and of itself, but it becomes problematic in light of standard ideas of God's omniscience.

Psalms and Proverbs

Good proverbs although, sadly, not always true:

If you set a trap for others,
you will get caught in it yourself.
If you roll a boulder down on others,
it will crush you instead.

Nov 1

Reference links:

Ezekiel 1:1-3:15 Hebrews 3:1-19 Psalm 104:1-23 Proverbs 26:24-26

Overview of the Book of Ezekiel Overview of the Epistle to the Hebrews Overview of the Psalms Overview of the book of Proverbs

Old Testament

We start the book of Ezekiel today, and it looks like we'll be spending awhile with it (48 chapter, about 3 of which we cover today). Let's see what Harris has for background:

A younger contemporary of Jeremiah, the priest-prophet Ezekiel was taken to Babylon during the first deportation of Judah's ruling classes in 597 BCE. Although tightly structured, with the oracles arranged in generally chronological order, Ezekiel's prophecies and mystical visions are filled with strange and grotesque images puzzling to modern readers. The first set of oracles describes the prophet's call and conveys messages of judgment and doom on Judah and the Jerusalem Temple, from which Ezekiel sees Yahweh's "glory" depart, abandoning the holy city to Babylonian invaders. Breaking with Mosaic principles that punished younger generations for their elders' misdeeds, Ezekiel emphasizes individual responsibility. The second part records oracles of judgment against foreign nations such as Tyre and ends with news of Jerusalem's fall. In turn, this provides a transition to the third section, oracles and visions of Israel rebirth and a future restoration of the Temple cult. 

The book of Ezekiel does a good job of setting its context right from the start:

On July 31 of my thirtieth year, while I was with the Judean exiles beside the Kebar River in Babylon, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. This happened during the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity. (The Lord gave this message to Ezekiel son of Buzi, a priest, beside the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians, and he felt the hand of the Lord take hold of him.)

He has a vision where he sees weird multi-faced humanoids. There are also a bunch of spinning wheels covered in eyes. I am guessing there's some symbolism here, but I'm not good at decoding such things.

Above them was a crystal surface. I can guess the meaning of that, at least. The world view of the ancients was that the world was encased in a crystal sphere and the heavens were outside of that (the sphere held back the primordial waters).

God appears as a man whose upper part looks like "gleaming amber, flickering like a fire" and below "like a burning flame, shining with splendor." Certainly, not an old man with a white beard. He's on a blue lapis lazuli throne with a glowing rainbow halo. This seems to be the only time the word "halo" appears in the New Living Translation.

After that, Ezekiel gets his mission: he shall be a prophet to rebellious nation of Israel. God lets Ezekiel know from the start that they will not listen.

Ezekiel, not surprisingly, will be delivering a message of sorrow. That is, based on precedent, what prophets of Israel do. Ezekiel receives the message by eating the scroll containing it, and the scroll is sweet like honey. One way to interpret this is that even sorrowful truths are sweet.

Then he snaps out of his vision and sits in wonder for several days.

New Testament

Today's content: Jesus is better than Moses because he is God's son. Jesus is in charge of God's house and that house is built out of believers. People should not have evil hearts because that turns them away from God. The people Moses led out of Egypt turned out of God, and you believers don't want to be like them, right?

Psalms and Proverbs

Evil hateful people hide their hate, but their wrong doing will eventually be exposed.