Sermon Tone Analysis

Overall tone of the sermon

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Welcome
Pray
Understand the Context
All Ezekiel’s prophecies are arranged chronologically (starting with “the 5th year of the exile,” 1:2, and ending with “the 25th year of our exile,” 40:1, except the prophecies introduced in 29:1, 17).
These two variations may be explained by the fact that they are grouped topically as part of the prophecies against Egypt in chapters 29–32.
Ezekiel is unique among the prophets in that his entire ministry was conducted outside of Palestine.
Every date in Ezekiel, outside of the problematical “thirtieth year” of 1:1, is dated from the year in which Judah’s king Jehoiachin was carried into Babylonian captivity.
The earliest date we find in Ezekiel is 593 B.C. (1:2).
The latest date in the prophecy is 571 B.C. (29:17).
Thus, Ezekiel’s ministry spans approximately twenty-two years.
God called Ezekiel to prophesy.
In a vision, Ezekiel saw four living creatures that resembled earthly realities, yet were quite different (Ezek.
1:4-14).
Dazzling wheels covered with eyes whirred through the air together with the living creatures (Ezk 1:15-21).
Most significantly, he saw God’s throne and His glorious splendor (Ezk 1:26-28).
The Lord commissioned His new prophet (Ezk 2:1-10) then gave him a scroll to eat, symbolizing Ezekiel’s receiving God’s words (Ezk 2:8–3:3).
The prophet was commanded to communicate all God’s words to the people (Ezk 3:16-27).
[LifeWay Adults (2021).
Explore the Bible: Adult Leader Guide - ESV - Winter 2022.
LifeWay Press.]
Our lesson passage comes at the end of these introductory visions and God’s final words to Ezekiel before beginning a series of prophecies to be acted out.
(Ezk 4:1-5:17).
Explore the Text
After telling Ezekiel that He is sending him to a people, the house of Israel, that will not listen, God starts His declaration to Ezekiel himself.
Ezekiel name means “God will strengthen or “God will harden” [Bible Knowledge Commentary] and sounds similar to the word “hard” repeated in the verse.
There may have been a bit of word play but not for humor.
God is using the same words here in verse 8 to describe Ezekiel that He used to describe the “obstinate and rebellious” people he was being sent to in verse 7. If God was going to change the path of these people’s lives, He was going to need something, or someone, harder than their determination to sin.
I do not think any geologists were consulted in translating these stone descriptions.
Emery, diamond, adamant, flint, and granite are all quite different and vary in hardness, composition, and use.
Flint is microcrystalline quartz and has a Mohs hardness of 7. Diamond is a mineral with a hardness of 10 but is so rare that it is more often associated with being priceless than hard.
Corundum which some of our modern day “emery” boards are coated with and synthesized on many sandpapers is much more common had been mined since ancient times.
It is only one step down from diamond with a hardness of 9.
Flint can be chipped by harder stones to create tools with fine, sharp edges.
The Hebrew word for flint is often translated as “sharp stone”.
But a flint knife cannot scratch a harder stone or mineral, like a gem of corundum.
God is going to make Ezekiel’s “stubbornness” stronger than the people of the House of Israel so that when they do not listen and according to God’s warning in Ezk 2:6 possibly torture him, it will not chip away his will to obey God.
The word translated as fear could is also used for revere or respect.
We are told at the end of Ecclesiastes to “Fear God and keep his commandments (Ecc 12:13).
This reverential fear is reserved for God.
Ezekiel may have been told to not be “afraid” of the Israeli people he was sent to but is definitely not to revere or respect them above God.
“Dismayed” speaks to the feeling of being broken, afraid, or shattered.
This was in part how God’s “hardening” was going help Ezekiel obey and deliver the message faithfully.
The Hebrew word translated here as “looks” was translated as “face” in verse 8.
The looks that should not affect Ezekiel’s resolve is not their general appearance but literally the “faces they make” when they hear God’s truths being spoken to them.
Although Ezekiel forehead and will may have been as hard as diamonds against the pressures and sins of the people, his heart was to remain malleable to God’s word.
God uses the title “Son of man” when speaking to Ezekiel through the book and does not use his personal name.
One commentary I read suggested this was to remind Ezekiel that he was a part of the same sinful line as Adam since that is the Hebrew word used for “man”.
After telling the prophet that his audience would not listen, God emphasizes that His relationship with him should be different.
What I speak to “you”, “you receive”, in “your” heart.
Even though the House of Israel will not be willing to listen (Eze 3:7) Ezekiel was to listen to what God was speaking and “take it to heart”.
God was not going to use a separate messenger to direct Ezekiel but was going to personally guide him.
We too as believers in Christ of the New Testament covenant can hear directly through His Word and allow it to penetrate our hearts with His message.
We realize that the word heart does not mean the literal organ but speaks to the inner man.
It also translated as “understanding” three times in Job in reference to men of “understanding”.
Taking God’s word “to heart” is therefore not some done causally but takes time to fully “understand” and let it become a part of your “inner being” where it can transform the “heart” more into the likeness of the Redeemer.
More than just perceiving audible sounds, “hear” is an active listening and implies obedience.
Adding “with your ears” is not suggesting that another part of the anatomy can perceive sound but emphasizing the need for obedience as the Hebrew word “is often used metaphorically as an instrument of obedience (Prov.
25:12) and intellect (Job 12:11; 13:1; Prov.
18:15; Eccl.
1:8).”
[Baker, Warren, and Eugene E. Carpenter.
The complete word study dictionary: Old Testament 2003 : 31.
Print.]
Ezekiel was to hear, receive, and let God’s words to him transform his heart and evolve into the “sharp stone” that God need to speak to the people.
Even though the people may “hear or refuse to hear”, Ezekiel’s responsibility and ours when we read God’s Word today was to be obedient to His revelation, how other people react to the message is between them and God.
Scripture affirms that God equips believers to do what He calls us to do.
Sometimes, people will receive our message with joy; other times they will reject it and even shun us.
Regardless, God’s followers can rest in the assurance that God will equip us for the task, and will accomplish His purpose as we are faithful.
[LifeWay Adults (2021).
Explore the Bible: Adult Leader Guide - ESV - Winter 2022.
LifeWay Press.]
Similar to the “spiritual state” from his first visions in Chapters 1 and 2, Ezekiel is shown once again things that human eyes and ears cannot fully grasp but evoke great and deep emotions.
This great earthquake is the same as the “sound of tumult” that Ezekiel heard, saw, and felt in Ezk 1:24.
The next phrase in the ESV is apparently what was being said, however it is unclear if this is the prophet’s interjection or from the living creatures in verse 13.
This phrase seems to have the most significant variations of translations and commentary.
The Hebrew scholars seem to have the widest variety.
Some English translations use “rose” instead of “blessed” yet from the Hebrew tools I have available they appear to be 2 different words but only by a variation in accent marks.
I chose therefore to let another portion of Scripture tell me this verse’s meaning and from apostle who was also given nearly identical visions of Heaven over 600 years later.
This series of visions now comes to an end for the prophet, and he must try to reconcile his glorious visions with what he sees in the physical world.
Here is another one that has multiple variations of comments.
If the “lifted me up” is literal than the “took me away” has to be as well.
But the past visions have all been “in the Spirit” and not physical transports.
The prophet’s emotions are real and invoked by what is happening, but they can happen whether his “lifting” is physical or spiritual.
Finally, “the hand of the Lord” cannot be a physical one as God is spirit.
This means all the other part are spirit in nature as well.
Some of the debate comes from the phrases “I went” and “I came” and wanting to make both either spiritual or physical but it does not have to be that way.
For me, the Spirit did the transporting and moving of Ezekiel in verse 14 and Ezekiel himself did the “coming” and “sitting” in verse 15.
The question I had in these verses when I first started reading for this time together was, “What is Ezekiel mad and bitter about?”
After reading through all Chapter 3 several times I realized that up until this moment in verse 14, the prophet had been enjoying the presence of God and the heavenly realm and now he is being “taken away” from it.
I think I would get mad and a little bitter too about having to come back and live in this sin tainted world.
I may even resist quite hardily from leaving so much so that it would take a “strong hand upon me” to get me to leave.
Here is what a couple of the other commentaries I trust said and would also fit without contradicting what we have established for the verses.
Ezekiel’s bitterness and anger are either reflections of God’s attitude toward his people, or more likely a reflection of the prophet’s realization that he has to pronounce doom on those he loves.
[Hamilton, Victor P. “Ezekiel.”
Evangelical Commentary on the Bible.
Vol. 3. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1995.
564.
Print.
Baker Reference Library.]
As Ezekiel understood God by consuming His words (cf.
2:8–3:4) and seeing the vision of His presence (1:22–28; 3:12–13) he felt, as God did toward Israel’s sin, embittered in … rage.
[Dyer, Charles H., and Eva Rydelnik.
“Ezekiel.”
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