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Sunday, August 15, 2021

Bible In One Year Day 227 (Jeremiah 4, Ezekiel 31-32, Proverbs 14:17-20)

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Day 227: The Towering Cedar 

Agape Bible Study 
Jeremiah 4 

Chapter 4


Jeremiah 4:1b-4 ~ The Invitation to Repentance and the Promise of Blessings

"... your Horrors" in verse 1 is another reference to Baal and other false gods. God promises forgiveness for Jerusalem and Judah if the people sincerely repent and if they renew their covenant oaths of obedience. To swear "As Yahweh lives" is to swear belief and obedience.
Question: If they sincerely repent, what two promises does Yahweh make? See Gen 12:3; 18:18; 22:8; 26:4; 28:14.
Answer: He will not only bless His covenant people, but He will also give them a blessing that will extend to the Gentile nations who will worship Him.


Jeremiah 4:5-8 ~ Yahweh Commands Jeremiah to Announce the Invasion from the North

A series of foe-lament oracles begin in Jeremiah 4:5-6 and ends in 10:22 as it began with a watchman's report that the enemy is advancing.

Question: If the people are willing to confess their sin of idol worship and to repent, why is God's judgment still coming down upon them? See 2 Kng 22:14-20; 2 Chr 34:22-28, Jer 2:22-23
Answer: Yahweh accepted the sincere repentance of King Josiah and said He would put off the judgment of the kingdom of Judah until after Josiah's death (2 Kng 22:14-20; 2 Chr 34:22-28). However, God did not accept the insincere repentance of the people (Jer 2:22-23).

The people's confession of sins was probably motivated by the fear of judgment and not by a sincere change of heart, like a thief full of grief at being caught. The root of their motivation to repent was revealed after Josiah's death when the people and their kings returned to their previous sins, including sexual immorality, injustice to the poor, and building altars to worship Baal and other false gods.

The lion in verse 7 is the invading enemy from the north. Yahweh has not yet named the enemy, but the lion was a symbol of Babylon, called "the destroyer" here and in Jeremiah 6:26; 15:8; and 48:8, 32. Jeremiah was undoubtedly familiar with the prophecy Isaiah gave King Hezekiah of Judah (Josiah's great-grandfather) in 2 Kings 39:5-8 concerning the future conquest of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. 


Jeremiah 4:9-12 ~ A Warning to Jeremiah Concerning the Oracle in 4:1b-8 and Jeremiah's Response

"That day," is a reference to the "Day of Yahweh," which will be a day of judgment upon Judah. Making the prophecy even bleaker, Yahweh announces in verse 9 that the threat will result in the total failure of the political and spiritual leadership of Judah.

Question: Horrified by the prophecy, what accusation does Jeremiah make against Yahweh in verses 10-12?
Answer: He accuses Yahweh of giving the people the false hope of His protection.


Jeremiah 4:13-18 ~ The Description of the Enemy Coming Against Judgment

The enemy from the north is advancing with chariots and horses, stirring up the dirt in clouds like a great storm. There is little time left to cleanse the people's wicked hearts with repentance when they still harbor their wicked thoughts.

In verses 16-18, Yahweh again pronounces His judgment, delivered by Judah's enemies, that the people have brought on themselves because of the sins they refuse to repent.

Jeremiah 4:19-22 ~ Jeremiah's Anguish and Yahweh's Response

Jeremiah's vision of the enemy descending upon his nation fills him with anguish, and he asks the Lord how much longer must he endure the vision? Yahweh's response in verse 22 is to restate that Judah's apostasy and stubborn failure to demonstrate true repentance is the reason for this judgment. The goal of God's temporal judgments is always to bring about redemption and escape from eternal punishment.

Jeremiah 4:23-31 ~ Jeremiah's Vision of the Coming Disaster and Yahweh's Response

The destruction caused by the invasion from the north is described in terms of a de-creation event, using the same Hebrew words from Genesis 1:2, Now the earth was a formless void [tohu wabohu]... Creation, de-creation, and a renewed creation are evident in the flow of salvation history from the beginning:
Creation ==> de-creation in the flood judgment ==> renewed Creation after the flood judgment.

God is purging the land of sin in a de-creation event. They will do penance for their sins in exile in Babylon while the land is at rest, and they will return to the land as a renewed people. This pattern will be repeated for the last time in the Final Judgment when fire will purge the earth and a new Heaven and earth are created (2 Pt 3:2-13; Rev 21:1-4).


Agape Bible Study 
Ezekiel 31-32 

Chapters 31-32 contain the last of the seven oracles predicting Nebuchadnezzar's invasion of Egypt and Egypt's loss of power and influence in the region. King Nebuchadnezzar invaded and plundered Egypt in 572 and again in 568 BC. All the oracles end with the announcement formula, "...they will know that I am Lord Yahweh" or "they will know that I am Yahweh" except for the allegory of the Cedar Tree in Oracle 5:

The concluding formula saying they will know that I am Yahweh is only found at the end of Oracle 6 in 32:15.



Chapter 31: Oracle 5 ~ The Cedar Tree

The date notice and word-event formula (the word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows) defines the 5th Oracle in verse 1. The oracle also has the divine announcement formula in verses 10 and 15 (The Lord Yahweh says this...) that identifies the divisions in the oracle and the signature formula in verse 18 (declares the Lord Yahweh) that concludes the oracle. The "great tree" in the oracle is a symbolic image of the Egyptian Pharaoh:

Part 1: the allegorical poem of the great tree (verses 2b-9)

Part 2: the indictment and judgment against the great tree (verses 10-14)

Part 3: the descent of the great tree to Sheol (verses 15-18)

Ezekiel Chapter 31:1-9 ~ The Cedar Tree Part I

The date, according to our calendar, is May/June 587 BC. This oracle is almost two months later than the previous oracle (30:30) and a little more than a month before the fall of Jerusalem. In an allegorical poem, God either compares the Egyptian Pharaoh and his nation to a magnificent cedar tree, or He compares a cedar tree to the King of Assyria whose nation included the mountains of Lebanon. If the allegorical tree is the King of Assyria (see 32:22), then the oracle is both a warning and an object lesson for the Pharaoh and his nation that his fate will be the same as the fallen nation of Assyria and its king at the hands of the Babylonians.



Ezekiel 31:15-18 ~ Oracle 5, Part 3: God's Judgment Against the Tree
 

Verses 15-18 mention the repercussions of the fall of the great "tree" in the neighboring countries. Whether the great tree represents Egypt or Assyria or both, the sin of its rulers was the same: they are guilty of hubris in thinking they are godlike (verse 11). Hubris not only led to their destruction by the "sword" of Babylon but brought them to Sheol, the abode of the dead, where both the righteous and the wicked went after physical death to wait for the coming of the Redeemer-Messiah (CCC 632-33). The righteous awaited the coming of the Messiah at a banquet of the just while the wicked withered in fiery torment, making atonement for their sins. The other trees are other kings of the earth who sinned against humanity in their quest for power.

Chapter 32: Oracles Against Egypt 6 and 7

Now the city [Jerusalem] was taken on the ninth day of the fourth month, in the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah ... he set fire to the temple in the fifth month, the first day of the month, in the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah, and in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar; he also burnt the palace, and overthrew the city.
Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 10.8.135, 146

Chapter 32 contains Oracles 6 and 7 of the oracles against Egypt:

  • Oracle 6, February/March 586 (32:1-16)
  • Oracle 7, March/April 586/5 (32:17-32)

Ezekiel 32:1-6 ~ A Lament for Egypt and the Pharaoh

Like the majority of the other Egyptian oracles, this one begins with a date: February/March 586/5 BC, at the end of one year and the beginning of another. This oracle takes place after the fall and destruction of Jerusalem and begins with the word-event formula: the word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows (verse 1). The oracle is in the form of a lament. Verses 2-15 portray the Pharaoh's defeat and draw upon the symbolic imagery of God's defeat of the primeval sea dragon, Leviathan (Is 11:15; 27:1; Ps 74:12-17; 104:7-9; Job 38:8-11). The oracle also evokes the image of Pharaoh as a young lion (a symbol of royalty) and a great Nile crocodile captured by Yahweh.


Ezekiel 32:9-16 ~ The Nations Will Witness Egypt's Fall

 For the Lord Yahweh says this: The sword of the king of Babylon will overtake you. 12 I shall make your throngs of subjects fall at the swords of my warriors. They are the most barbarous of nations. They will annihilate the pride of Egypt, and all its throngs will be destroyed.

Nebuchadnezzar, agent of God's divine judgment, will overtake Egypt. The nations will witness what is ultimately God's victory.

In verse 15, women of the surrounding nations will raise a mourning dirge for Egypt. It was the custom for women to lead public mourning.

Ezekiel 32:17-21 ~ Oracle 7: The Pharaoh Goes Down to Sheol

32:17-32 is the last of the oracles concerning Egypt and the nations in general. The date formula and word-announcement is in verse 17. The date is March/April 586, six months after the fall of Jerusalem in July/August. The keyword in the 7th oracle is "slaughtered," found fifteen times in verses 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 three times, 26, 28, 29, 30 twice, 31, 32 (also see the repeated phrases "slaughtered by the sword," and "slaughtered, fallen by the sword").

Question: What command does Yahweh give Ezekiel in verse 18?
Answer: God commands Ezekiel to raise a lament over the Egypt as its people descend into Sheol.

The depths of the underworld with those who sink into oblivion is Sheol, the abode of the dead, and make your bed with the uncircumcised suggests the Pharaoh will be among the dregs of humanity.
Most nations of the ancient Levant and the Egyptians practiced circumcision as a rite for entering manhood at age 13. Only the Israelites practiced circumcision as a sign of their covenant relationship with Yahweh on the eighth day of a boy's life. Therefore, the Israelites/Judahites would interpret "to be in the company of the uncircumcised" suggests in the company for those not destined to experience God's deliverance.

Ezekiel 32:22-31 ~ The Dishonor Role of Nations in Sheol

In verses 19-32, Egypt will join the nations and their warriors in Sheol destroyed in previous wars:

  • Assyria occupies first place for spread terror through the world of the living. The Babylonians conquered Assyria and Media during the period 627-609 BC.
  • Isaiah portrays the Elamites as a fierce people skilled in archery and chariotry who destroyed everything in their path, showing no mercy (Is 22:6; Jer 49:35-39). The Assyrians destroyed Elam in the mid-7th century BC.
  • Meshech and Tubal were two kingdoms in Asia Minor that were probably conquered by Assyria. They also spread terror through the world of the living.
  • The Babylonians conquered Edom, and they assisted Babylon in the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem.
  • "All the princes of the north" probably refer to the Aramaean tribes.
  • Sidon was Tyre's sister city-state on the Mediterranean coast conquered by Babylon.
  • Egypt and her Pharaoh join the ranks of the dishonored.


Judah was among those weaker nations ill-treated by Egypt. In 609 BC, Pharaoh Necho deposed young Davidic King Jehoahaz son of King Josiah, put him in chains, and took him back to Egypt. He made another son of Josiah king in his place (Jehoiakim) and made Judah a vassal state of Egypt, collecting a huge tribute from the people (2 Kng 23:31-35).


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A Daily Defense 

DAY 227 Elohim and the Gods

CHALLENGE: “The Old Testament teaches polytheism. Genesis says that ’elohim (Hebrew for ‘gods’) created the world.”

DEFENSE: Context makes it clear this refers to a single God.

Hebrew has different words for “God/god.” These include ’el, ’eloah, and ’elohim. The first two have a singular grammatical form, while ’elohim has a plural grammatical form (indicated by the –im ending).

However, grammatical form doesn’t determine meaning. Usage does. Consequently, many languages have words used differently than their grammatical form would suggest.

Thus the English word “species” has a plural grammatical form (note the –ies ending, found on plural words like babies, cities, and parties). But species can refer either to several types of animals (e.g., types of lions, tigers, and bears) or just one (e.g., a type of lion). Despite its plural form, species can be used in either a singular or a plural fashion, as in sentences like:

1. This species is carnivorous, which means it eats meat.

2. These species are mammalian, so they have warm blood.

The way to tell whether species is being used in a singular or plural fashion is to examine the context—specifically, the pronouns and verbs used with it. In the first sentence, the singular pronouns (this, it) and verbs (is, eats) show it is referring to just one species. In the second sentence, the plural pronouns (these, they) and verbs (are, have) show it’s referring to more than one.

This is how ’elohim works in Hebrew: It has a plural grammatical form, but it can be used to refer either to the one true God or to multiple gods, and context tells you which. In Genesis 1:1 (“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”) the verb for “created” (Hebrew, bara’) is singular, indicating that here ’elohim is being used to mean God, not gods. This understanding is confirmed by the verbs in the verses that follow. In 1:3, where God says “Let there be light,” the verb for “says” (yo’mer) is singular. In 1:4, when God sees the light is good, the verb for “saw” (yar’) is also singular, and so on. Similarly, in 1:27, when God creates man in his image, the pronoun for “his” (hu’) is singular.

Consequently, Genesis 1 teaches that a single Creator God, not a pantheon of gods, made the world.


Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist

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