The Yale expositor., 1911-09-28
Prophet Ezekiel
a Watchman
Sunday School Lesson for Oct. I, 1911
Specially Arranged for This Paper

TIME-Ezekiel was carried into exile
y. c. 597, in the second deportation by
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS from jerusalem; when
10000 were carried to Babylon with King
Jehoiachin.
The prophecy of this lesson was written
b. G. SOP, five years later.
The first "a chapters of Ezekiel, concern
ing the destruction of Jerusalem were
written during the years 592-5Ss. B. c.
5sS was the beginning of the last siege Of
Jerusalem which ended in its complete
destruction.
PLACE-The Book of Ezekiel was writ
ten at Tel-abib & CornhilD on the river
Chebar, one of the large irrigating canals
of Babylonia, running across the plain
between the Euphrates and the Tigris.
EZekiePS name means God
strengthens" He was priest, the
son of Buzz, probably family name.
He was also one Of the greatest Of
the prophets. He was probably 80
years old when he began to prophesy
in B. c. 597 which would put the date
of his birth in Josiah's reign, about
the time Jeremiah began to prophesy,
and five years before Josiahs great
reformation and the finding Of the
book of the law.
He was a married man; and the
sudden death of his wife was made by
divine instruction a lesson to the peo-
pie. He went on with his work with
a broken heart, but an unbroken pur-
pose" He was man of power and
courage, holding his face as adamant
against wrong, but attractive and per-
suasive in encouraging the people to
prepare for their return from exile.
He was man of great imagination,
using smile, allegory, parallels in &C
ton, symbols, symbolic actions. He
saw visions, and dreamed dreams.
He had spiritual experiences. But he
was also the most practical Of men.
Ezekiels model heroes were Noah,
Job, Daniel. They all had lost their
world, but "Noah inaugurated a new
world; Job ended by seeing God in
the whirlwind." Daniel did great
things for his native country in his
new country. Ezekiel was an exile,
but in that exile was mighty force
in the renewal Of his native land.
The God of Israel was an invisible
God, without any representation to
the senses. 1t was hard for the peo-
pie to realize his existence and his
presence. 1t is hard for us, but much
harder for them. The temple and it's
ritual were an aid. Gods works in
nature were his manifestation. The
visible effects Of obedience, and dis
obedience, were revelations of Gods
nature. But times of trial and dis
aster at first hid his face from them
as storm clouds hide the sun.
Hence in this darn period Ezekiel
was taught to express Gods presence,
power, glory, goodness, providence, by
apocalyptic symbols, i. e., by symbols
which expressed ideas, but could not
be put into any pictorial form which
might lead to idolatry. The first
chapter is a vision to these symbols,
to make God real to the people; as
to Job God made himself known in
the whirlwind and the storm.
Nothing is more suitable than that
the voice of God should come from
the whirlwind. For air, wind, is one
of the chosen symbols Of God working
through his holy spirit, as at Pente-
cost. 1t is invisible, as are the great
natural forces of the earth.
The prophet was presented with
Hebrew roll, the form in which their
books were made, and was hidden to
eat it. The roll represented the word
Of God, his message to Israel. The
IN hn hot
he was to become so saturated with
Gods message that it would become
part Of his very being This gives
us "some guidance in forming a prop.
err estimate of what is involved in in
spiration. The prophet is to absorb
into himself what is given him from
above, and then give it out with his
own lips and in his own language.
ut was in my mouth as honey for
sweetness" that is it was good in it.
self. But afterwards it became bitter,
for it was a terrible message to give
to his people, so that God made his
face as adamant harder than flint, for
all the house of Israel were impudent
and hard-hearted.
Ezekiel welcomed the Waterman on
the walls. He went from trance to
action, coming out of the trance, like
Peter on the housetop when he went
down to the messengers of Cornelius.
And 1 went in bitterness of
my spirit" sharing with God his
righteous indignation against Israel.
or the bitterness of having to deliver
such an awful message as he uttered
in the following chapters, to his
friends and neighbors and country
men. So that when he came to them,
he remained there astonished, in a
stupor of grief seven days.
The watchman's duty is clearly set
forth. He must warn the people Of
their danger, as by the voice of God.
While his business was 20 warn. the
results we're with God and the free
will he has given his children.
God warns us in love in various
ways that we may not go heedless.y
on to our ruin. He gives warnings in
our bodies, by sicknesses, pains and
weakness, against courses that will
r6in the body, and to teach us to pre-
nara for 1aath nnJ