Bible In One Year Day 223 (Isaiah 66, Ezekiel 25-26, Proverbs 14:1-4)

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Day 223: Responding Well 

Agape Bible Study 
Isaiah 66 

Chapter 66: The Conclusion

In this final chapter of Isaiah the focus is on:

1. God's ultimate judgment and final restoration (66:1-14a).
2. The final wrath and glory of God (66:14b-24).

The oracle in 66:1-6 appears to return to the rebuilding of the Temple after the return form the exile. God's claim to sovereign authority recalls Psalm 24:1-3 and God's protest in verses 1-2a recalls Yahweh's words to David when he suggested building a "house" for God in 2 Samuel 7:5-7 and 1 Kings 8:16 and 27. St. Stephen will quote from Isaiah 66:1-2 in Acts 7:48-50.

Isaiah 66:1-2 ~ Yahweh Delights in the Humble

Isaiah returns to the topic of rebuilding the Jerusalem Temple after the return from exile.
Question: In 65:25b God says, "No hurt, no harm will be done on all my holy mountain." And in Psalm 24:3 the psalmist asks, Who shall go up to the mountain of Yahweh? Who shall take a stand in his holy place? What is the answer to this question in Psalm 24:4-5 that agrees with what Yahweh says in Isaiah 66:2b and what is the point?
Answer: The psalmist writes, The clean of hands and pure of heart, whose heart is not set on vanities, who does not swear an oath in order to deceive. Such a one will receive blessing from Yahweh, saving justice from the God of his salvation. The point is that the physical rebuilding and the external liturgical rites must not take precedence over genuine inner humility, devotion, and purity of heart accompanied by sincere acceptance of the word of God.

Isaiah 66:3-4 ~ The Lord Despises Pagan Worship

Verses 66:3-4 are an attack on insincere religious practices and pagan practices.
Question: What are the four legitimate expressions of religious practice that Isaiah compares with four idolatrous practices that are an abomination to the Lord and what is the point?
Answer:

1. Sacrifice of a bull compared to pagan human sacrifice.
2. Sacrifice of a lamb compared to the pagan offering of a strangled dog.
3. Legitimate blood sacrifice compared to the pagan offering of pig's blood.
4. Legitimate offering of incense compared to illicit offerings of incense.

The idea is that worship that is merely external or is an expression of someone else's idea of worship other than God-ordained worship is as evil as though it were idolatry.

Isaiah 66:5-14a ~ Encouragement for the Faithful and the Rebirth of Jerusalem

These are Isaiah's words of consolation to God's faithful remnant, and the passage begins with two commands to "Listen" in verses 5 and 6.
Question: In verse 5b those who hate and oppress the faithful make what challenge to God? How is it similar to what occurred in Matthew 27:39-40; Mark 15:30 and Luke 23:35?
Answer: They say if He is real let Him show Himself in some mighty act. This challenge is reminiscent of those who taunted Jesus on the Cross by saying "If he is really the son of God let him [prove it and] come down from the cross."

Isaiah 66:18-24 ~ The Eschatological Discourse

In 66:18-21 God summons the Gentile nations to Zion and from among them He will send out some Gentiles to far distant lands to proclaim His glory to "all your brothers" "the descendants of the Jews who are either still in exile or have been lost into the Gentile world. These will be brought back like an offering to God's "holy mountain" that is the universal Church of the new Jerusalem. This is one of the clearest calls for universal salvation in the Old Testament.

The "survivors" of the nations are the converts who will be sent to preach the faith to the ends of the earth. Do not missing the significance of these missionaries being converts from Gentile paganism. The list of Gentile regions is similar to Ezekiel 27:10-13. Tarshish is probably Spain; Put, Lud, Meshech, Tubal and Javan are all Greek territories but they represent the entire Gentile world that is called to enter into the new Zion of the spiritually redeemed Church.

The oracles end with a final warning about the divine punishment and eternal judgment that awaits the wicked and those who traffic in injustice: 24 And on their way out they will see the corpses of those who rebelled against me; for their worm will never die nor their fire be put out, and they will be held in horror by all humanity. Jesus will use the metaphor of "the worm that does not die" to describe the punishment earned by the sin of leading a someone who had faith away from God in Mark 9:48, but anyone who is the downfall of one of these little ones who have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone hung round his neck ... it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell where their worm will never die nor their fire be put out. For everyone will be salted with fire (Mk 9:42-49). It also recalls a warning from Sirach: Do not swell the ranks of sinners, remember that the retribution will not delay. Be very humble since the recompense for the godless is fire and worms (Sir 7:16-17/17-19).

The new Jerusalem is a symbol for the Church established in the glorious new age of man. In 66:24 God's enemies lie dead outside the walls of the new Jerusalem, just as in the past, corpses, filth, and refuse lay in the Valley of Hinnon outside the city of the old Jerusalem were huge fires were constantly burning (Jos 15:8; 2 Chr 28:3; Mk 9:45-48). This is why Jesus used the Valley of Hinnon or Gehenna as His symbol for the Hell of the damned in the Greek text (see for example Mt 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mk 9:43, 45, 47; Lk 12:5). In contrast to the perpetual worship offered by the righteous in verses 22-23, the wicked and the godless who are God's enemies and the enemies of His Church will suffer a judgment of endless punishment.

Agape Bible Study 

Ezekiel 25 - 26 

Chapter 25 ~ Prophecies Against Israel's Neighbors: Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia

Ezekiel 25:1-7 ~ Against the Ammonites
Question: Who were the Ammonites? See Gen 12:5; 19:30-38.

Answer: They were the descendants of Abraham's nephew Lot and his incestuous union with his younger daughter. The younger daughter gave birth to a son whom she named Ben-Ammi, and he became the ancestor of all the Ammonites. The Ammonites were therefore distant relatives of the Israelites.

The Ammonites occupied the territory on the east side of the Jordan River between the Arnon and Jabbok rivers. They first encountered the Israelites during the Exodus (Num 21:24-35; Dt 2:16-37). Later, they joined an alliance with the Moabites and Amalekites against the Israelites during the era of the Judges, but the Judges Ehud and Jephthah led the tribal armies of Israel and defeated them (Judg 3:13-23; 11:32-33).

Ezekiel 25:8-11 ~ Against Moab

Question: Who were the Moabites? See Gen 12:5; 19:30-38; Ruth 4:13-17.
Answer: They were the descendants of Abraham's nephew Lot and his incestuous union with his elder daughter. The elder daughter gave birth to a son whom she named Moab, and he became the ancestor of all the Moabites. The Moabites were, therefore, distant relatives of the Israelites and the Davidic kings since King David's great-grandmother was the Moabitess Ruth, the wife of Boaz of the tribe of Judah.

Ezekiel 25:12-14 ~ Against Edom

The keyword in the oracles against Edom and Philistia is "vengeance" (verses 14 twice and 17 twice). Teman was a southerly part of Edom but sometimes also refers to Edom as in Jeremiah 49:20. Dedan was an Arab tribe southeast of Edom (Is 21:13; Jer 49:8).
Question: What was the origin of the Edomites? See Gen 25:19-28; 36:21, 31.
Answer: Edom was the twin brother of Jacob-Israel. The Edomites are also a people who are historically related to Israel.

Ezekiel 25:15-17 ~ Against the Philistines

The Philistines were allies of Judah in the revolt against the Babylonians, but they also had a long history of enmity against Israel. They were a maritime people, related ethnically to the ancient Greeks who migrated out of the Aegean basin and into Canaan during the turbulent period of the early 12^th century BC. They established five major cities along the coastal strip of southwestern Canaan that belonged to Egypt until the end of the 19^th Egyptian Dynasty (ended 1185 BC).

Chapters 26:1-28:19 ~ The Judgment Against Tyre

Yahweh said this to me, "Make yourself thongs and yokes and put them on your neck. Then send them to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon, through their envoys accredited to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem ...Yahweh Sabaoth, God of Israel, says this: ... For the present, I have handed all these countries over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, my servant ..."
Jeremiah 27:2-6

The section devoted to the judgment against the Phoenician city-state of Tyre divides into four parts:

1. The indictment and judicial sentence against Tyre (26:1-14).
2. The first lament over Tyre (26:15-21).
3. The second lament over Tyre (27:1-36).
4. Judgment against the king of Tyre (28:1-19)

Ezekiel 26:1-14 ~ Against Tyre

The eleventh year, on the first of the month, is March/April 587 BC (according to the Liturgical calendar). However, the Greek Septuagint reads "the twelfth year" and the "first month," which is March/April 586 BC, a year after the burning of Jerusalem and the exile of most of the survivors. We have been assuming all the dates are based on the Liturgical calendar since Ezekiel is a priest. The first month in the liturgical calendar is March/April (Ex 12:1-2). See a chart on the liturgical and civil calendars of Israel

Question: Why was Israel "the Gateway to the Nations"? Locate Israel on a map of the ancient world and identify the two great trade highways of "The Way of the Sea" and "The King's Highway."
Answer: Located on a land bridge between continents, the land of Israel connected Africa to Asia Minor and Mesopotamia. Two great trade routes bordered Israel. "The Way of the Sea" ran from Egypt north and south along the Mediterranean coast on Israel's western border into Asia Minor. The other great trade route was "The King's Highway," running up the east side of the Jordan River, north-south on Israel's eastern border into Mesopotamia.

Question: What is Tyre's crime against Jerusalem?
Answer: Tyre intended to profit from Jerusalem's destruction by claiming her material wealth as a trading capital in the region. However, her greater crime is her hubris in thinking that she could control or influence God's divine plan for Israel and the region.

Ezekiel 26:15-21 ~ First Lament Over Tyre

Tyre was one of the most, if not the most, important of the trading centers on the Mediterranean. Therefore, any reversal in fortune for Tyre meant a reversal of fortune for her trading partners: 18 Now the islands are trembling on the day of your fall; the islands of the sea are terrified by your end.

While the city suffered during the siege of Nebuchadnezzar's army, composed of warriors from his vassal states across the Levant and Mesopotamia, Tyre was not, as far as the historical record relates, conquered by the Babylonians who made a treaty with the city and ended the siege. The prophecy of Tyre's destruction was not historically fulfilled by Nebuchadnezzar but by Alexander the Great. In 332 BC, Alexander the Great built a causeway from the mainland to the island, breached the walls, massacred the citizens, and razed the city's walls as an example for the rest of the cities of the Levant and Mesopotamia not to resist his Greek army.

Image of a fiery purgatory by Ludovico Carracci

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A Daily Defense 

.DAY 223 Purgatory and the Work of Christ

CHALLENGE: “Purgatory contradicts the finished work of Christ. If Christ paid for all our sins on the cross, there is nothing left to be done.”

DEFENSE: Christ’s work is finished, but it’s not applied all at once.

Christ died on the cross “once for all” (Heb. 10:10), but the resulting grace is applied to us over the course of the Christian life.

Sometimes, a grace is given to us instantaneously. When we first come to God to be forgiven and justified, we receive these graces instantaneously. 

But even after being forgiven and justified, we still struggle with sin and its consequences. Although it is God’s will that the eternal consequences of our sins be forgiven, Christian experience shows that it is not his will that we be made perfect all in a flash. 

Throughout the Christian life, we continue to struggle with sin and, by God’s grace, to grow in holiness. This happens through the process known as sanctification. Thus Paul prays, “May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:23).

Many people die in God’s friendship rather than in mortal sin, but few of us have been fully freed from sin and its consequences. Consequently, we need to be purified before we enter heaven for Scripture tells us that “nothing unclean shall enter it” (Rev. 21:27). 

Heaven is being fully united with God, and since he is infinitely holy, nothing that is still impure can be fully united with him. Consequently, Scripture exhorts us to seek “the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14).

If nothing impure enters heaven then, between death and heaven, there must be a purification. As the final purification of the elect, purgatory can be thought of as simply the final stage of sanctification, where we are fully freed and liberated from sin and its consequences.

Rather than conflicting with the finished work of Christ, the process of sanctification—and its final stage, purgatory—is an outgrowth of Christ’s work. It is one of the ways his grace is applied to us.

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

Bible In One Year Day 222 (Isaiah 65, Ezekiel 23-24, Proverbs 13:21-25)

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Day 222: Idolatry & Adultery 

Agape Bible Study 
Isaiah 65 

Chapter 65: The Coming Judgment

In this chapter God answers Isaiah's lament in chapter 64. In the continued warnings concerning the destiny of the righteous and the wicked, God's message to Isaiah in chapter 65 concerns:

1. God's judgment that is coming for the rebellious (65:1-7).
2. The contrast between God's righteous servants who listen to God and the rebellious wicked who have abandoned Him (65:8-16).
3. God's promise of a new creation with a new heaven and new earth (65:17-25).

Isaiah 65:1-7 ~ God's Judgment that is coming for the Rebellious

God begins with a consoling message. He makes Himself available to so that even those who never sought for Him and those who were rebellious toward Him can find Him ready to listen to them and call them back. St. Paul repeats the same words in Romans 10:20-21 when he writes: And Isaiah s even bold enough to say: I have let myself be found by those who did not seek me; I have let myself be seen by those who did not consult me; and referring to Israel, he says: All day long I have been stretching out my hands to a disobedient and rebellious people (quoting Is 65:1-2). This passage is fulfilled in the Gentile nations who did not know Yahweh but still found Him because Christ was calling to them as opposed to the Jews who were rebellious and rejected the Messiah with the exception of the faithful remnant who received Jesus as Lord and Savior.

In this passage God lists the reasons why He has not come to Israel in a divine manifestation of His glory to frighten them into obedience as Isaiah requested. It isn't that He hasn't called them to repentance; it is that they have not listened to His voice through His prophets. His first great manifestations were to convince Israel that He is the One, all-powerful God and all other so-called gods are false. They have the evidence they need, but they have not desired of their own free will to turn away from sin and back to Him.

Question: What are the sins of the people that God lists in verses 3-5?
Answer:

1. They sacrificed using inappropriate sacrifices and worship sites.
2. They sat among the unclean graves of the dead expecting a revelation to guide them.
3. They ate forbidden (unclean) foods like pork and yet considered themselves holier than others.

Isaiah 65:8-16 ~ The Contrast between God's Righteous Servants and the Rebellious Wicked and their Destiny

The "bunch of grapes" is the covenant people after the return from exile. Those identified as the "servants" are those like the grapes "found still to have juice" and who remain a blessing as opposed to the others who are withered and dry spiritually. It is for the sake of the righteous servants that God will "not destroy them all" (verse 8b). God will give Jacob-Israel heirs to return to the land and prosper. The Sharon Valley is a fertile valley that began near Joppa and extended northward to Mt. Carmel. The Valley of Achor, located near Jericho, is a barren plain. Both areas will be a blessing for the righteous. But the rebellious will not prosper. They will be spiritually infertile and will face divine judgment.

Isaiah 65:17-25 ~ The New Heavens and the New Earth

In verses 17-18 God promises a new creation at the end of time and a return to the condition of mankind before the fall of Adam in which joy and gladness will be unending; it is a promise that was alluded to in 51:6, and it will be repeated in 66:22. In the Book of Revelation these are the opening words of St. John's vision in Revelation 21:1. It is the vision of the final establishment of the Kingdom of God (Rev 21:1-22:5). In his second letter, St. Peter urges the faithful to transform this present world in preparation for what is coming at the end of time when the Kingdom of God will come in its fullness: What we are waiting for, relying on his promises, is the new heavens and new earth, where uprightness will be at home. So then, my dear friends, while you are waiting, do your best to live blameless and unsullied lives so that he will find you at peace. Think of our Lord's patience as your opportunity to be saved (2 Pt 3:13-15a).

God will take joy in us because tears and cries of suffering, that are the works of sin, will be gone forever. From the time of the fall of Adam, God has been working toward this day of complete renewal. God will rejoice because His compassionate heart will no longer ache or be wrenched and torn by those things that have brought humanity such suffering "we will be restored to the way He created us. 

After the Last Judgment, the faithful who are glorified in body and soul, will reign forever with Christ: "The Church will receive her perfection only in the glory of Heaven, when will come the time of renewal of all things. At that time, together with the human race, the universe itself, which is so closely related to man and which attains its destiny through him, will be perfectly re-established in Christ" (Lumen gentium, 48). Scripture calls this glorious renewal, which will transform mankind and the world, "the new heavens and a new earth (2 Pt 1:3; Rev 21:1). It will be the completion of God's divine plan to bring together "all things in Christ" (Eph 1:10) in a new universe of the heavenly Jerusalem in which God will make His dwelling among men for all eternity (see CCC 1042-1044, 1047).

Another blessing of the future kingdom will be perfect communication with God. In this fallen world, communication with God through prayer is sometimes difficult. Our sins too often intrude in our lives and confuse prayer or become a barrier to communication with God. But in the restored Kingdom of Zion, He will answer before we speak. This blessed communication is already available to us in the New Covenant in Christ Jesus through the power of God the Holy Spirit who is our Advocate in our prayer life (Mt 6:8; Jn 14:13-14; 1 Jn 5:14-15).

25 The wolf and the young lamb will feed together, the lion will eat hay like the ox, and dust be the serpent's food. No hurt, no harm will be done on all my holy mountain, Yahweh says.
In 65:25 Isaiah describes the era of the Messianic peace in images similar to what he used in 11:6-9. Verse 25 also recalls the verses of the serpent's curse in Genesis 3:14. When the Messianic peace is established, God will return creation to the holy condition before the fall of man when there was no death upon the earth and even the animals lived in harmony.

Agape Bible Study 
Ezekiel 23 - 24 

Chapter 23: An Allegorical History of Jerusalem and Samaria

The oracle in Chapter 23 presents an allegory of Israel's idolatry symbolized as two sisters, insatiable in their sexual lewdness: Oholah is Samaria (capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel), and Oholibah is Jerusalem (capital of the Southern Kingdom of Judah). In Hebrew, Oholah means "her own tent" while Oholibah means "my tent is in her." The names appear to refer to Samaria's schismatic, illicit worship as opposed to Jerusalem's authentic worship in the Temple built by King Solomon on Mount Moriah. The allegory uses the symbolic imagery of covenant marriage and the violation of that sacred union in terms of adultery. The covenant marriage imagery typically has four parts:

Image Group	Part I Covenant relationship	Part II Rebellion	Part III Redemptive Judgment	Part IVRestoration Fulfilled
Covenant Marriage	Israel Bride of Yahweh	Unfaithful adulteress/harlot	Humiliated, abused & abandoned by lovers/false gods	The Bride restored to her Bridegroom
[examples in Scripture]	Isaiah 61:10-11 Jeremiah 2:2 Ezekiel 16:4-14	Isaiah 1:21 Jeremiah 3:6-8; 13:22-23, 26; 23:10 Ezekiel 16:15-34; 23:1-12; Hosea 4:10-14	Ezekiel 16:23-61; 23:35-49; Amos 4:7-8; 4:30-31; Hosea 2:4-15	John 3:28-29; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-27; Revelation 19:7-9; 21:2; 9; 22:17

The outline of the oracle in Chapter 23 that is the judicial indictment for Yahweh's Covenant Lawsuit against Samaria and Jerusalem:

1. The opening formula (verse 1)
2. The introduction of those accused (verses 2-4)
3. The historical background of the crimes (verses 5-35)
   1. The indictment of Oholah/Samaria (verses 5-10)
      1. The charges (verses 5-8)
      2. The punishment (verses 9-10)
   2. The indictment of Oholibah/Jerusalem (verses 11-35)
      1. The charges (verses 11-21)
      2. The punishment (verses 22-35)
4. Summary of the case against Oholah/Samaria and Oholibah/Jerusalem (verses 36-49a)
   1. The charges (verses 36-45)
   2. The punishment (verses 46-49a)
5. The concluding formula (verse 49b)

Ezekiel 23:1-4 ~ Opening Formula and Introduction of the Accused: The Two Sisters

The oracle begins with an opening formula in verse 1 followed by Yahweh's charges against the accused and the revelation of their identities.
Question: Who are those who stand accused?
Answer: Verse 4 establishes the subjects of the allegory as Samaria and Jerusalem. The city of Samaria, capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and Jerusalem, capital of the Southern Kingdom of Judah

Both capital cities had the "same mother" since they were "daughters" of the United Kingdom of Israel (verse 1). The Egyptian period was the beginning of their attraction to pagan idols, described as the seduction of a young girl. It was an introduction that began when they were resident aliens and continued later when the Israelites were an enslaved people. Once again, the Lord describes idol worship in the terms of illicit sexual behavior (verses 2-3). It is Part II of the symbolic covenant marriage imagery associated with rebellion.

Ezekiel 23:5-10 ~ Oholah/Samaria's Historical Background and Her Indictment for Crimes Against Yahweh's Covenant Treaty

The people of the Northern Kingdom belonged to Yahweh under the terms of the Sinai Covenant. Under those terms, they swore to worship only Yahweh (Ex 20:2; Dt 5:3). God expresses their violation of that exclusive devotion as an act of sexual infidelity. King Jeroboam I, the first the ruler of the Northern Kingdom (930 BC), set up altars to worship Egyptian gods (1 Kng 12:28-32). Israel's relationship with Assyria began with the tribute King Jehu paid to King Shalmaneser III (841 BC) to gain support for his new regime. This relationship led to Israel adopting Assyrian gods. "Dressed in purple" in verse 6 refers to the expensive dyed purple fabric Assyrian kings and noblemen wore. King Hoshea of Israel sought an alliance with Egypt in his rebellion against Assyria. It was a rebellion that led to the destruction of Samaria by the Assyrians in 722 BC (2 Kng 17:1-6, 24).

Ezekiel 23:11-21 ~ The Indictment and Charges Against Oholibah/Jerusalem

This section of the oracle describes Judah's lurid history, making treaties and worshipping the pagan gods of the major powers of Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon. Yahweh's people were supposed to keep themselves separate from foreign alliances and rely on Yahweh to protect them. Instead, they went running after their more powerful neighbors like a harlot seeking wealthy and influential lovers.

Verses 14-17 describe the Southern Kingdom's alliance with the Babylonians. It was an association that began at the end of the reign of good King Hezekiah when he was flattered by the visit of a Babylonian delegation and showed them all the Temple treasures. The prophet Isaiah warned the king that a future association with the Babylonians would prove to be disastrous (Is 39:3-8). Babylonian influence over Judah and Jerusalem increased when the Babylonians defeated the Assyrians and Egyptians at the Battle of Carchemish in 605 BC. At that time Judah became a vassal state of the Babylonian Empire. Judah's associations with foreign powers increased the people's acceptance of pagan gods.

Ezekiel 23:22-35 ~ Oholibah/Jerusalem's Punishment

The Southern Kingdom of Judah was not only guilty of breaking her covenant treaty with Yahweh but also with foreign powers like the Babylonians. He will use the Babylonians to punish Judah for her rebellion from them, but the real punishment is from her rebellion from Yahweh. ... the men of Pekod and Shoa and Koa refers to a Babylonian army that will include warriors from other vassal states of the Babylonian Empire. Pekod was an Aramaean tribe that lived to the east of the Tigris River, and the Shoa, like the Koa, were a people of Mesopotamia.

Verses 32b-34 are a short satirical poem the prophet applies to Jerusalem. The "cup" in verses 32b and 33 refers to the cup of Yahweh's divine wrath. Samaria drank the "cup of Yahweh's wrath" when the Assyrians destroyed the city in 722 BC (2 Kng 17:6). The self-mutilation in verse 34 refers to the city's self-loathing because of the revelation of her lured sins. This is the judgment imagery from Part III of the symbolic covenant imagery of drinking wine:

Image Group	Part I Covenant relationship	Part II Rebellion	Part III Redemptive Judgment	Part IV Restoration Fulfilled
Drinking Wine	Joy of drinking good wine	Abuse of the wine/becoming drunk	Drinking the "cup of God's wrath"	Rejoicing in the best "new wine" at the Master's table
[examples in Scripture]	Psalm 23:5 Isaiah 25:6; 62:8-9 Jeremiah 40:12;	Isaiah 5:11-12; 28:1 Jeremiah 8:13; 48:26; 51:7 Joel 1:5	Joel 4:13; Isaiah 51:17; 63:2-3; Jeremiah 13:12-14; 25:15-31; 48:26	(Messianic Banquet) Eucharist foreshadowed: Zechariah 9:15-17 fulfilled: Luke 22:19-20 1 Corinthians 11:23-32; Revelation 19:7-9

Ezekiel 23:36-49 ~ Judging the Sins of Samaria and Jerusalem

Yahweh asks His prophet if he is willing the judge the sins of Samaria and Jerusalem after hearing the evidence, taking on Yahweh's role as judge while Yahweh continues in the role of prosecutor in presenting the evidence. The sentence is to be carried out publically for all the nations to witness, just as a prostitute or adulterous wife was publically condemned after a trial and stoned to death (Lev 20:10; Dt 22:22-24; Jn 8:4-5). Verses 48-49 speak of the cleansing effect of the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile that will lead to restoration and the blessings in a renewed relationship in which the people will know that I am the Lord Yahweh.

Chapter 24: Announcement of the Siege of Jerusalem

Chapter 24 is in two parts. Part I is the oracle foretelling the destruction of Jerusalem (verses 1-14), and Part II concerns two ordeals for the prophet: the death of Ezekiel's wife followed by the command not to mourn her death (verses 15-27).

Ezekiel receives an oracle concerning the beginning of the destruction of Jerusalem on December 589/January 588 BC (in our calendar). According to the dates in 2 Kings 25:1 and Jeremiah 52:4, the date was the beginning of the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. Ezekiel's wife dies the same day (Ez 24:1, 15-18). Her death is the sign that death is coming to Jerusalem.

The outline of the oracle in 24:1-14:

1. Preamble (verses 1-3a).
2. Parable of the Boiling Pot (verses 3b-5).
3. The dispute (verses 6-8).
4. Yahweh's wrath vented (verses 9-12).
5. The justification of God's vengeance and conclusion (verses 13-14).

In verses 13-14, the oracle reaches its climax as the prophet abandons the figurative and turns to the theological significance.

This oracle, like the others in this lesson, reveals that He who issues the divine word guarantees its fulfillment. It is what God declares in a threefold self-identification: "I have spoken" (Ez 24:14); "I shall act" (Ez 24:14), "I am Yahweh" (Ez 24:24, 27).

Ezekiel 24:1-14 The Parable of the Boiling Pot

The parable recalls the Jerusalemites' claim in Ezekiel 11:12 that they are the choice "meat" in the "pot" of Jerusalem and is a challenge to their illusion of security. The citizens of Jerusalem perceived themselves as the ones God selected for a sacred banquet in the "pot" of Jerusalem, and by implication, the exiles were the disgraced spoiled meat.

Question: In the parable, what role does Yahweh assume? What is Jerusalem and what are its citizens? What is the rust?
Answer: God assumes the role of the cook. Jerusalem is the pot, and the citizens are the contents of the pot. The rust inside the pot that is the color of blood and represents the pot drenched in blood, symbolizing the bloodshed within the city caused by the sins of the Jerusalemites.

Ezekiel 24:15-27 ~ Ordeals for the Prophet

This final oracle of judgment against Judah/Jerusalem brings this section of Ezekiel's written prophecies to a close. As announced in 21:19-27, Nebuchadnezzar's army has begun the siege of Jerusalem. This last oracle begins with the familiar word formula: The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows... in verse 15 and concludes with the recognition formula they will know that I am Yahweh in verse 27. The keyword in this section is "sign" (verses 24 and 27). Two "signs" are involved with both relating to the same event. The first is the death of Ezekiel's wife. Her death prefigures the end of Jerusalem, she who is "the delight of his eyes" just as Jerusalem was the delight of Yahweh (verses 15 and 24). The second sign will be Ezekiel's actions after her death. The oracle divides four parts:

1. The command to perform a sign-act (verses 16-17)
2. The report of the performance of the sign-act (verse 18)
3. The people's request for an explanation (verse 19)
4. The interpretation of the sign-act (verses 20-24)

The death of Ezekiel's beloved wife and his grief that God orders him not to express are signs for the people of the death of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple. It is a just act of Yahweh's judgment that they are powerless to stop. They do not deserve to grieve for that which they helped to bring about by contributing to and turning a blind eye to the abuses of the covenant people. How will the people know that Yahweh is the Lord? Everything His prophet spoke to the people has come to pass.

Question: What commands does God give Ezekiel as far as withholding signs of grief for his wife's death and what actions are he to give in his "sign-act" in verses 16b-17?
Answer: God commands him not to lament (mourn), not to visibly weep, not to display the normal acts of mourning for the dead including covering his beard. He is to wear a turban, sandals, and eat the usual food. He is to suppress all external expressions of grief.

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A Daily Defense 

DAY 222 “Justification by Faith and Works”

CHALLENGE: “The Catholic Church is wrong to say we’re justified by faith and works.”

DEFENSE: The Church doesn’t use “by faith and works” as an overall summary of how we are justified.

It’s not to be denied that some individual Catholics do this, but that’s not the same thing as the Magisterium of the Church doing it:

• The Church’s most authoritative and key historical document on justification is the Council of Trent’s Decree on Justification, and the phrase “justified by faith and works” never appears in it.

• The Church’s most important and authoritative presentation of the faith as a whole is the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the relevant phrase doesn’t appear in it either.

• The Church’s most important and detailed contemporary discussion of justification is the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, together with the Church’s official response and the annex (all available online), and the phrase appears in none of these.

• The phrase appears nowhere on the Vatican website (Vatican.va).

That the Church does not use the phrase “justified by faith and works” is indication that the discussion has been misframed by both individual Catholics and individual Protestants. The reported phrases simply aren’t used in the Church’s official documents.

So what does the Church say ? How does it handle the famous passage saying “man is justified by works and not by faith alone” (James 2:24)?

It’s dealt with in chapter 10 of Trent’s Decree on Justification, which discusses the increase in righteousness Christians experience after their initial justification. According to Trent, after we first come to God and are forgiven, we continue to grow in righteousness (justification) by cooperating with God’s grace and performing good works (Eph. 2:10). It’s with respect to this ongoing justification that the Church holds good works have a role to play (see also Days 312 and 354).

With respect to initial justification, “none of those things that precede justification, whether faith or works, merit the grace of justification” (Decree on Justification 8). Good works therefore flow from, but do not cause, our initial justification.

It’s misleading for Catholics to say we’re justified by “faith and works,” because to Protestant ears this will mean we need good works to be forgiven, which we don’t.

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

Bible In One Year Day 221 (Isaiah 63-64, Ezekiel 21-22, Proverbs 13:17-20)

   You may subscribe yourself at the Ascension site here and receive notifications in your email, or just follow along on my blog.  Bible in One Year Readings Index 

Day 221: Walking With Wise Men

Agape Bible Study 
Isaiah 63-64

Chapter 63: Judgment on the Nations and a Meditation on the History of Israel

Isaiah 63 recounts God's vengeance on the Gentile nations for their cruel treatment of Jews during the period of the Babylonian Exile, the vindication of the people of Zion/the old covenant Church, and the glorification of the holy city of Jerusalem. The key elements in the text of this chapter are:

1. The judgment against the Gentile nations that surrounded Israel and contributed to her suffering in a "day of Yahweh's vengeance."
2. The future of Israel, God's Covenant people.
3. The faithfulness of the God of Israel who will come as His people's Redeemer.

Isaiah 63:1-6 ~ Yahweh's Judgment on the Nations

This part of Isaiah's oracle is written in the form of a dialogue between Yahweh and the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah describes Yahweh in two ways:

1. As a warrior coming from Bozrah, the capital of Edom, with crimson stains on his garment.
2. As a grape harvester who had tread the grapes in the winepress.

The territory of Edom was to the south of Judah at the southern end of the Dead Sea. These people were the descendants of Jacob's twin brother Esau, and Edom is used symbolically as a Biblical "type" for Israel's traditional enemy. Yahweh is also described as a grape-harvester whose garments are stained with the red juice of crushed grapes. The "winepress" in Scripture is usually a symbol of divine judgment. Yahweh has trampled the "winepress" of judgment alone because there were none to help Him obtain justice for His people.

Question: What has Yahweh been trampling in the "winepress?"
Answer: He has been trampling Israel's enemies.

The historical context is important for without it as a guide Biblical interpretation can be arbitrary and manipulated by the commentator. However, the historical context is not the only category. And the context should not be restricted to only what sequence of events happened earlier, for it is only as events unfold in God's ordained plan of history that the full interpretation of events can be determined. For example, the interpretation of the past in our own lives is influenced by our continuing life experience. It is in this light that Jesus taught "everything written in the Law and Prophets and Psalms is about me" (see complete quote in Luke 24:44), and St. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:12 that the events of the Old Testament were to instruct us about the past and be applied to present and future dangers to our salvation.

Looking at this passage from the Passion and Resurrection side of salvation history, it was the interpretation of the Church Fathers that it is God the Son whose garment is stained with the blood He shed to save mankind. There was no one who could save Zion except God Himself. He came Himself, as He promised in Ezekiel 34:11-16. He came as God enfleshed to fight mankind's greatest enemy, Satan, and He defeated Satan with His own blood shed on the altar of the Cross.

St. Cyril of Alexandria (375-444), Patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt, wrote on Isaiah 63:1-6 and the allegorical connection to Christ's Resurrection and Ascension in his commentary on the Book of Isaiah. Cyril linked this Isaiah passage to 1 Timothy 3:16 "manifested in flesh...seen by angels" and Ephesians 3:10. He wrote, "This prophetic oracle wisely and artfully gives a true to life portrayal of Christ, the Savior of all, as he makes his return to heaven...He was seen by the powers above in the form which he had among us, that is, as a man, and displayed to them the signs of his passion. This passage teaches not only that the perforations from the nails and the other marks remained in his holy flesh after he rose from the dead, it also gives us to understand that as he showed the nail wounds and his side to Thomas...by ascending into heaven with the signs of his passion so Christ also showed to the heavenly powers what he had accomplished that through the Church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places' (Ephesians 3:10)." Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on Isaiah 63:1-6.

Isaiah's Prayer for Yahweh's Intervention

Isaiah 63:7-64:11/12 contains Isaiah's prayer for God's intervention on behalf of His people. Isaiah describes Yahweh's faithful covenant love (hesed) and compassion toward His covenant people in the past despite Israel's stubborn rebellion and betrayal. He pleads for God to remember His faithful covenant love (hesed) for His people, and he asks for Yahweh to come again Himself, as the divine Shepherd of His flock, to redeem His covenant people. It is a petition that will be answered in the Incarnation of the Christ.

Isaiah 63:7-14 ~ Isaiah Recounts Yahweh's Acts of Covenant Love for Israel

Isaiah contrasts God's faithful covenant love with Israel's stubbornness and rebellion. The covenant people continually responded to God's acts of grace on their behalf with complaints and with the rebellion of sin. Notice the use of the Hebrew word hesed in this passage. It is a word used in the context of the kind of love bound by a covenant relationship. The first place the word hesed is found in Scripture is in Genesis 24:49 when Abraham's servant, sent to find a bride for Isaac, asks Rebekah, "Now tell me whether you are prepared to show constant and faithful love (hesed) to my master..." The word hesed is also used by Isaiah in 54:8, 10, and 55:3.

Question: What did Isaiah say Yahweh looked for in His covenant children in verse 8?
Answer: Because of the closeness of the covenant relationship where Yahweh became their divine Father, God looked for loyal children. Their loyalty and obedience was to be the sign of their love.

In Isaiah 63:1, 11, 13, 15 and 17 the prophet asks God series of questions intended to motivate God to take action in saving His people. In verses 11-13 Isaiah asks where is the God who saved His people in the past and recounts the way God worked to save His people in the Exodus liberation in the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, leading them like a shepherd guiding his flock, and tending to them on every step of their journey (Ex 14:19-31). It was an act of God says Isaiah that won Him the admiration of the surrounding nations.

Israel 63:15-19a ~ Isaiah's Petition for National Restoration

Isaiah continues to plead with the Lord for His help by asking Him more questions:

1. Isaiah asks the Lord to look down from Heaven to see the plight of His people, and He urges God to show them His zeal and His might (verse 15a).
2. He then asks the Lord why He withholds his mercy from Isaiah, and by inference also from the people (verse 15b).
3. Finally Isaiah  implores God to remember that He is their divine Father and Redeemer. He asks why God has allowed them to separate themselves from Him and for their hearts to grow cold and hard until they have become so estranged that they have lost their reverent fear of offending God (verse17).

Isaiah is begging for God's divine intervention (63:17b-19). He wonders why God will allow the destruction of His holy Sanctuary (the Jerusalem Temple). A distraught Isaiah must be wondering what is the purpose of the extended exile in Babylon where the covenant people will become like the other Gentiles? "like "those you do not rule, people who do not bear your name." It is a question God will answer in the return from exile and in the Advent of the Redeemer-Messiah.

Book of Isaiah References in the Gospels

Isaiah References in Other New Testament Books

Matthew 1:23 ~ Isaiah 7:14, 8:8, 10 (LXX) Matthew 3:3 ~ Isaiah 40:4 Matthew 4:15-16 ~ Isaiah 9:1-2 Matthew 8:17 ~ Isaiah 53:4 Matthew 12:18-21 ~ Isaiah 42:1-4 Matthew 13:14-15 ~ Isaiah 6:9-11 Matthew 15:8-9 ~ Isaiah 29:13 (LXX) Matthew 21:5 ~ Isaiah 62:11 Matthew 21:13 ~ Isaiah 56:7 Mark 1:3 ~ Isaiah 40:3 Mark 4:12 ~ Isaiah 6:9-10 Mark 7:6-7 ~ Isaiah 29:13 (LXX) Mark 11:17 ~ Isaiah 56:7 Mark 12:32 ~ Isaiah 45:21 Luke 4:18-19 ~ Isaiah 61:1-2 Luke 8:10 ~ Isaiah 6:9 Luke 19:46 ~ Isaiah 56:7 Luke 22:37 ~ Isaiah 53:12 John 1:23 ~ Isaiah 40:3 John 6:45 ~ Isaiah 54:13 John 12:38 ~ Isaiah 53:1 John 12:40 ~ Isaiah 6:10

Acts 7:49-50 ~ Isaiah 66:1-2 Acts 8:32-33 ~ Isaiah 53:7-8 (LXX) Acts 13:22 ~ Isaiah 44:28 Acts 13:34 ~ Isaiah 55:3 (LXX) Acts 13:47 ~ Isaiah 49:6 Acts 28:26-27 ~ Isaiah 6:9-10 Romans 2:24 ~ Isaiah 52:5 Romans 3:15-17 ~ Isaiah 59:7-8 Romans 9:29 ~ Isaiah 1:9 Romans 9:33 ~ Isaiah 8:14 Romans 9:33 ~ Isaiah 28:16 Romans 10:11 ~ Isaiah 28:16 Romans 10:15 ~ Isaiah 52:7 Romans 10:16 ~ Isaiah 53:1 Romans 10:20 ~ Isaiah 65:1 Romans 10:21 ~ Isaiah 65:2 Romans 11:8 ~ Isaiah 29:10 Romans 11:26-27 ~ Isaiah 59:20-21 Romans 11:34 ~ Isaiah 40:13 Romans 14:11 ~ Isaiah 45:23 Romans 15:12 ~ Isaiah 11:10 Romans 15:21 ~ Isaiah 52:15 1 Corinthians 1:19 ~ Isaiah 29:14 1 Corinthians 2:9 ~ Isaiah 64:4 1 Corinthians 2:16 ~ Isaiah 40:13 1 Corinthians 14:21 ~ Isaiah 28:1-12 1 Corinthians 15:32 ~ Isaiah 22:13 1 Corinthians 15:54 ~ Isaiah 25:8 2 Corinthians 6:2 ~ Isaiah 49:8 2 Corinthians 6:17 ~ Isaiah 6:17 Galatians 4:27 ~ Isaiah 54:1 Hebrews 2:13 ~ Isaiah 8:17 (LXX) Hebrews 2:13 ~ Isaiah 8:18 Hebrews 10:37 ~ Isaiah 26:20 1 Peter 1:23-25 ~ Isaiah 40:6-8 1 Peter 2:6 ~ Isaiah 28:16 1 Peter 2:8 ~ Isaiah 8:14 1 Peter 2:9 ~ Isaiah 61:6 1 Peter 2:9 ~ Isaiah 43:20 1 Peter 2:9 ~ Isaiah 43:20 1 Peter 2:22 ~ Isaiah 53:9 1 Peter 3:14-15 ~ Isaiah 8:12-13

Chapters 64 ~ The Call for Yahweh's Display of Divine Judgment

Isaiah has come to the end of his ministry, and he is growing weary of only giving warnings of what is to come. He confesses the people's deep need for God and pleads with God to act now to restore the nation. He begs the Lord to come in His terrifying divine judgment to wake-up the people and make them realize the necessity for repentance and restoration. Then, the people would fear Yahweh like the fear they felt after the Theophany at Mount Sinai, and they would respond in repentance that leads to the restoration of fellowship with the God of Israel and make themselves ready for the rejoicing that is promised in the coming kingdom.

Isaiah 63:19b/64:1-4 ~ Isaiah's Petition for Judgment and Divine Revelation

Isaiah's appeal for Yahweh to come down in judgment is described in terms of other theophanies in verses 1-2, like the events of the Exodus liberation (similar to those same works recalled in Ps 18:7-8l; 144:5):

• Like the quaking of the mountain in the theophany at Mount Sinai (Ex 19:16; 20:18).
• Like the holy fire in the theophany of the burning bush (Ex 3:2-6).
• Like the workings of God's other miracles that the people saw in the Exodus liberation (Ex 13:15-31; 15:11; 34:10; Dt 10:21; 2 Sam 7:23; Ps 106:22).

Oh, that you would tear the heavens open and come down...
A similar event as described by Isaiah in this verse took place at Jesus' baptism when St. Mark writes that the heavens were torn apart at the coming down of God the Holy Spirit (Mk 1:10).

... as fire sets brushwood alight, as fire makes water boil...
Fire is a re-occurring image of the mighty works of God; especially as the manifestation of His divine presence, as a sign of purification, and a sign of divine judgment. For example:

• God set angels with fiery swords to close the entrance to the Garden of Eden after the fall of Adam (Gen 4:23-24).
• God destroyed the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah with fire (Gen 19:23-25).
• God led the Israelites in the Exodus liberation in the manifestation of the pillar of cloud and fire (Ex 13:22).
• God descended on Mt. Sinai in the form of fire and appeared to the Israelites as fire (Ex 19:18; 24:17; Dt 4:12, 15, 24, 33, 36).
• God destroyed the sons of Aaron who defiled their priestly obedience with fire from heaven (Lev 10:1-3).
• God destroyed the Levites who rebelled against Moses and Aaron with fire from heaven (Num 16:35).
• God the Holy Spirit descended upon the first community of Christians praying in the Upper Room on the Feast of Pentecost in the image of tongues of fire (Acts 2:1-4).
• The judgment at the end of time will come in unquenchable fire (Mk 9:43-49; Lk 12:49; 2 Pt 3:7, 12; Jude 7; Rev 20:9-15; 21:8).

Fire being associated with the presence of God is especially true in the Book of Isaiah (see Is 4:5; 6:6; 9:4/5; 10:16; 29:6; 30:37, 30; 31:9; 33:12, 14; 66:15, 16, 24). Also see CCC 696, 1031, 1147, 1189 concerning the symbolic imagery of fire in Scripture.

Just as fire burns away undesirable debris and purifies water in boiling away impurities, so can the fiery love of God purify the souls of men and women, just as He purified Isaiah when God called him to his prophetic ministry in Isaiah 6:6-7. His fiery love can purify unclean lips and soften hardened hearts. Isaiah says that the manifestation of God's glory would then alert the nations and they would know the power of Israel's God and the nations would tremble at your presence, 2 at the unexpected miracles you would do. This is always the goal of God's self-revelation "that the world might come to know Him. And knowing Him the world would be terrified of His power over them and the peril in which they stand in His presence so that in the end they might kneel before Him to receive both His mercy and His grace.

Prior to the coming of Christ all souls, whether righteous or wicked, went to Sheol, the abode of the dead. The righteous waited for the coming of the Redeemer in the company of father Abraham, but the wicked suffered fiery purification in atonement for their sins (see Wis 3:1-19; Lk 16:19-31 in Jesus' description of Sheol and the condition of the righteous versus the sinner). Jesus released the prisoners from Sheol when He descended to the dead to preach the Gospel of salvation (Apostles' Creed, 1 Pt 3:18-29; 2:6).

Question: According to the teaching of the Church, when is it that the fiery love of God purifies the residue of sin left in the souls of men and women who are destined for Heaven in this the final age of man? See 1 Cor 3:11-15; CCC 1030-32, 1472.
Answer: Jesus rescued those who accepted Him as their Redeemer from Sheol and from that point the righteous that died in a state of grace went immediately to Heaven while the wicked that died in mortal sins that were not repented went to the Hell of the damned. All professing baptized Christians who died with some unconfessed venial sins or with mortal sins that had been forgiven but for which fill penance had not been made, suffer in God's fiery love in a state that the Church now calls Purgatory. Those purified souls will be saved, but as St. Paul wrote, "...as someone might expect to be saved from a fire" (1 Cor 3:17).

Isaiah 64:5-11 ~ The Need for Confession and Dependence on God

In these verses Isaiah describes the hopeless condition of the people as he cries out in what is both a lament and a complaint ""there is no one to invoke" God's holy name "no one is even concerned about the hopelessness of their condition to call out to God for help. But Isaiah acknowledges the cause of their condition is not from external sources "their suffering is because of their persistent sins and their inability to find a remedy for their sinning. Isaiah's point is if God doesn't do something drastic to reconciling the sinning then the exile and the return will have not solved anything.

Agape Bible Study 
Ezekiel 21-22 

Chapter 21: The Sword of Yahweh

Chapter 21 contains three oracles that begin with the phrase "The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows." The oracles describe Yahweh's sword of judgment unsheathed. The word "sword" links all three of the oracles (repeated fifteen times in verses 8, 9, 10, 14 twice, 16, 17, 19 three times, 20, 24, 25, 33 twice).

• Oracle #1: Yahweh unsheathes His against the land and the people (verses 1-12).
• Oracle #2: The sword placed in the hands of the Babylonians against the people and their leaders (verses 13-22).
• Oracle #3: The sword of the King of Babylon against Prince Zedekiah and the Ammonites (verses 23-37).

Ezekiel 21:1-12 ~ Oracle #1: The Sword of Yahweh

This oracle is an allegory of a forest fire kindled by God. It will be a work of destruction that "all humanity shall see" (verses 2-4). The allegory opens with God addressing Ezekiel as "Son of man" and closes with "All humanity will see..." In verses 2-4, God tells Ezekiel to turn towards the south in the direction of southern Judah and the desert of the Negeb and speak of the unleashing of God's sword of destruction. The destruction will begin in the southernmost region of Judah in the Negeb and spread north to Jerusalem. When Ezekiel protests that the people do not understand his "riddles," Yahweh recasts His message in plain language in verses 6-10.

Question: In verse 11, what symbolic act is Ezekiel to perform while giving the oracle and why?
Answer: He is to perform a symbolic act of the city's fall. He is to groan as though his heart is breaking, and when the people ask why, he is to tell them it is because the destruction "is coming now."

Ezekiel 21:13-22 ~ Oracle #2: The Song of the Sword

Question: Into whose hand will God place His sword of divine judgment?
Answer: Into the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians.

19 So prophesy, son of man, and clap your hands! Let the sword pass three times, that sword for victims, that sword for a great victim, threatening them from every side!
The new command to prophesy in verse 19 is a signal that the oracle is entering a new phase. The new phase is in three parts:

1. God commands Ezekiel to perform another symbolic act by clapping (verse 19).
2. God calls for the sword to perform its deadly work (verses 20-21).
3. The oracle discloses that Yahweh is the one clapping His hands (verse 22).

Ezekiel is to "clap" his hands in approval of the coming judgment. The sword will pass three times or be redoubled from south to north, from the Negeb in the south, then north to Jerusalem and beyond, slicing one direction and then back and then forward again. 

Ezekiel 21:23-32 ~ Oracle #3 ~ The King of Babylon at the Crossroads
Following the formula saying in verse 23, this oracle divides into three parts:

1. The action in marking out the two roads (verses 24-25).
2. The interpretation of the act (verses 26-29).
3. The judgment against the prince (verses 30-32).

We first heard of the "King of Babylon" in 17:12 and his part in the destruction of Jerusalem and the capture of Zedekiah (also in 19:9, 23, and 26). Now we are told that it is into his hands that Yahweh will place His sword of divine judgment. Nebuchadnezzar will not be identified by name in the Book of Ezekiel until 26:7.

Ezekiel 21:33-37 ~ Oracle #3 Continued: The Punishment of the Ammonites

Ammon was a partner in Judah's revolt against Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar will turn take his army to attack Jerusalem, but that doesn't mean the Ammonites should gloat and jeer over the destruction of Jerusalem because they will not escape "the sword."

In verse 35, the command is to put the sword back into the scabbard. The Ammonites betray their former allies and take pleasure in Jerusalem's destruction. the covenant with Christ Jesus and His Kingdom of the universal Church.

Chapter 22: The Sins of People of Jerusalem

Chapter 22 contains a series of three oracles that concern the men and women of Ezekiel's generation. Each oracle begins with the formula statement: "The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows":
Oracle #1 (verses 1-16)
Oracle #2 (verses 17-22)
Oracle #3 (verses 23-31)

In this series of oracles, Yahweh paints a picture of a corrupt Jerusalem from the top of society to the bottom: from princes to commoners. God repeatedly recounts how the Jerusalemites defile themselves with idols, shed the blood of the innocent, practice robbery, persist in promiscuous adultery, and profane the Sabbath. In addition to the crimes of her citizens, her princes, priests, and prophets behave as ravenous wolves, seeking dishonest gain. 

Ezekiel 22:1-5 ~ The Order to Judge Jerusalem's Crimes

In 16:41, God defended Himself, saying He will give the failed covenant people the just judgments they deserved (16:41, 59) so that, through their suffering, they will repent, renounce pagan idols, and return to their covenant relationship with Him (16:61-63). Yahweh made the same defense of His judgments in 18:25-29. But now, this oracle begins with Yahweh's announcement that Ezekiel should take God's place and judge the sins of Jerusalem while Yahweh will act as the prosecutor, presenting the evidence in the case against Jerusalem. The first oracle is in five parts and announces the general indictment, the city's doom, and public disgrace:

1. The call for Jerusalem's arraignment in a covenant lawsuit (verses 1-2).
2. The summons to Jerusalem to face her indictment (verse 3).
3. The announcement of the charges (verses 4-5).
4. The presentation of the evidence (verses 6-12).
5. The pronouncement of the sentence (verses 13-16).

Question: The summons announces what principal charge against Jerusalem? How is it delivered? The main charge is mentioned three times in verses 2, 3, and 4.
Answer: Ezekiel delivers the summons to face judgment in a "woe" judgment against the city for shedding innocent blood.

Ezekiel 22:6-16 ~ The Leaders' Sins

In verses 6-12, God tells Ezekiel to give a detailed indictment, listing the charges into groups of three clusters of social and cultic sins, each beginning with an offense calculated to "shed blood" in verses 6-8, 9-11, and concluding in verse 12:

1. Verses 7-8: furthered their own interests at the cost of bloodshed by despising the law to honor one's parents, ill-treated aliens, oppressed widows and orphans, treated the Sanctuary with contempt, and profaned the Sabbaths.
2. Verses 9-11: In you informers incite to bloodshed by eating sacred meals and practice ogres dedicated to false gods, committing sexual sins including incest, forced sex with menstruating women, practicing adultery.
3. Verse 12: In you people take bribes for shedding blood by ill-gotten profit like usury and extortion, and forgetting covenant obligations to Yahweh.

The list of charges includes:

• Three charges of cultic offenses: holy things (verse 8), Sabbaths (verse 8), eating sacred meals on mountains (verse 9).
• Five charges of sexual immorality: father's wives (verse 10), menstruating women (verse 10), adultery (verse 11), daughter-in-law (verse 11), paternal sister (verse 11).
• Eight charges of social injustice: bloodshed (verse 6), parents (verse 7), foreigner (7), orphans and widows (verse 7), slanderers (verse 9), bribes (verse 12), interest (12), extortion/ill-gotten profit (verse 12).

Ezekiel 22:17-22 ~ The Impurity of Israel

This passage is the shortest oracle in the Book of Ezekiel. The metallurgical imagery in the second oracle occurs five times in the books of the prophets in Isaiah 1:22-25; Jeremiah 6:28-30; Ezekiel 22:17-22; Zechariah 13:9 and Malachi 3:2-3. The refining fire is a metaphor for the destruction and purification of the city of Jerusalem. In the refining process, when the metal is melted down, the impurities or "dross" float to the surface. The purity that was once Israel/Jerusalem has become filled with impurity. The four base metals mentioned in verse 18 are usually alloyed with silver. Jerusalem will be purified in her fiery destruction when all the "dross," a symbol for sin, is burned away.

"Fire" is a keyword in Chapters 22-24, repeated seven times in 22:20, 21, 31; 23:47; 24:3, 9, 12.
Question: What is the symbolic image of fire in the Old Testament? What does fire represent in the New Testament? See Lev 13:52; Num 31:23; Mal 3:2-3; Jer 23:29; Is 33:14; Gen 19:24; Ex 9:24; Ps 66:12; Is 43:2; Is 66:15-16; Ex 3:2; 13:21-22 and Lk 3:16; Acts 2:2-3; Mt 13:49-50; Lk 3:9; 9:54.
Answer: In the Old Testament, fire is a symbol of:

1. Purification (Lev 13:52; Num 31:23; Mal 3:2-3)
2. Discernment (Jer 23:29; Is 33:14)
3. Judgment (Gen 19:24; Ex 9:24; Ps 66:12; Is 43:2; Is 66:15-16)
4. A manifestation of the presence of God (Ex 3:2; 13:21-22)
5. In the New Testament, fire is a symbol of God in the manifestation of the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity, God the Holy Spirit (Lk 3:16; Acts 2:2-3) and Divine Judgment (Mt 13:49-50; Lk 3:9; 9:54).

Ezekiel 22:23-31 ~ The Crimes of the Civil and Religious Leaders

This passage is the third oracle judging the sins of the current generation. Yahweh says He has enacted the covenant curse of no cleansing rain (Lev 26:18; Dt 28:22-24). He directs this part of the indictment toward the sins of five groups of people: the Davidic princes, civil leaders, religious leaders, prophets, and ordinary people. God compares the Davidic princes, civil and religious leaders are compared to predatory animals feeding on the people:

1. The Davidic princes, whose duty is to protect the people like a lion defending its pride, are instead devouring their people, especially the disadvantaged, causing them misery and bloodshed (verse 25).
2. The priests are guilty of six sins (verse 26):
   • Violated God's laws
   • Desecrated God's Sanctuary
   • Failed to make the distinction between what is sacred and what is profane
   • Failed to catechize the people concerning ritual purity
   • Neglected the Sabbath laws
   • Dishonored Yahweh
3. The civil leaders/elders take advantage of the people, taking possession of their material wealth and shed the blood of the innocent in unjust verdicts (verse 27).
4. The prophets use their empty visions and false prophecies to excuse the bad behavior of the leaders and to give the people false hope (verse 28).
5. The ordinary people practice extortion and theft, oppress the poor and needy, and unjustly treat the resident aliens (verse 29).

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A Daily Defense 

DAY 221 Born Atheists?

CHALLENGE: “Babies don’t believe in God. They are born atheists. So atheism is the natural condition of mankind.“

DEFENSE: This claim is based on a misunderstanding of what atheism is.

People can have a number of attitudes toward any proposition:

• They may never have considered the proposition.

• They may have considered it but neither affirm nor deny it.

• They may affirm the proposition.

• They may deny the proposition.

More specific attitudes are also possible based on how strongly one affirms or denies a proposition (e.g., holding that it is certain, all but certain, very likely, likely, somewhat likely, equiprobable, somewhat unlikely, unlikely, and so on), but these four general attitudes are sufficient for our present purposes.

If we relate them to the proposition “God exists,” the following positions emerge:

1. Those who have never considered whether God exists (alogism)

2. Those who don’t know whether God exists (agnosticism)

3. Those who affirm that God exists (theism)

4. Those who deny that God exists (atheism)

When these distinctions are made, it’s clear to which category babies belong. They have never considered whether God exists—a position we may call alogism (Greek, a, “not” and logizomai, “consider”). Indeed, they belong to the category of alogists by necessity, for they don’t have the conceptual apparatus needed to understand the proposition “God exists.” Even if someone explained the concept of God’s existence to them, they wouldn’t understand what was being said.

Atheism involves the denial of God’s existence. Therefore, it is a category mistake to claim that babies are atheists. They aren’t even agnostics but “alogists.” 

The claim that atheism is mankind’s natural state is also undermined by the fact that religion is a human universal (see Day 313). Historically, there have been no non-religious societies. Indeed, recent research indicates that, as children’s cognitive powers develop, they are predisposed toward religious faith.

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