The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1911-09-28

H. =. 0O2, fVe years LATER
ih@ NS=t "a chapters Of Ezekiel, concern,
!hs the destruction of Jerusalem were
written during the years 592-5Ss. b. c
lSS was the beginning OF the last siege OF
Jerusalem which ended in It's complete
destruction.
PLACE-The Book OF Ezekiel was writ
ten at Tel-abib g CornhiID on the river
Chebar, one OF the large irrigating canals
OF Babylonia, running across the plain
between the Euphrates and the Tigris.
Ezekle's name means God
strengthens" He was a priest, the
son OF Buzz probably a 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 Joslah's reign. about
the time jeremiah began to prophesy
and five years before Josiah's 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 a man of great Imagination.
using smile, allegory, parallels in ac.
ton, symbols, symbolic actions. He
saw visions, and dreamed dreams.
He had spiritual experiences. But he
was also the most practical of men.
Ezekiel's 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 a mighty force
in the renewal of his native land.
The God Of Israel was an invisible
Cod 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 its
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, /. e., by symbols
which expressed ideas, but could not
be put into any pictorial form which
might lead to idolatry. The first
chapter is q 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 a
Hebrew roll, the form in which their
books were made, and was hidden to
eat It. The roll represented the word
or God, his message to Israel. The
prophets eating the roll meant that
ne was to become so saturated with
Gods message that It would become
a part of his very being. This gives
us some guidance in forming a prom.
er estimate of what is involved in in
srlration 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.
1T was in my mouth as honey for
sweetness" that is 1t was good in IT.
SELL But afterwards II became bitter,
or 1t was a terrible message to give
% his people. so that God made his
ace as'adamant harder than flint. for
Ill the house of Israel were impudent
md hard-hearted
Ezekiel welcomed the watchman on
he walls. He went from trance TO
action, coming out of the trance, like
Peter on the housetop when he went
Iown to the messengers OF Cornelius.
And | went in bitterness OF
ny spirit sharing with God his
ighteous indignation against Israel,
II the bitterness of having to deliver
uch an awful message as he uttered
n the following chapters, to his
riends and neighbors and country
nen SO that when he came to them.
e remained here astonished, in a
tupor of grief, seven days.
The watchman's duty is clearly sei
orth. He must warn the people ot
heir danger as by the voice Of God.
While his business was to warn, the
esults were with God and the free
Ill he has given his children.
God warns us in love in various
rays that we may not go heedlessly
n to our ruin. He gives warnings in
ur bodies, by sicknesses, pains and
'eakness, against courses that will
lin the body, and to teach US to pre-
are for death. God gives warnings
the soul, by the pangs of con-
ciente, by troubles and Affections, to
eep us from losing our souls. He
arms our country, by discomfort, in
'rnal connections, by strikes, out.
reaks. anarchies. war, against the
ppressions. inequalities, luxury, IRE.
gion. injustice, which will bring final
lin unless We turn from them.