The Raymer enterprise., 1911-09-21
Prophet Ezekiel
a Watch1nan
s..a.y sele.l L...s. f.r o.. !, 1911
Specially Arranged for This Paper

Lesson TExT-Ezekiel :.
MEMORY VERSES-17-1s.
GOLDEN TEXT-"Hear the word at
my mouth. and give them warning from
me."-Ezek. SIT.
TIME-Exekiel was carried into exile
B. c. 697. In the second deportation by
Nebuchadnezxar from Jerusalem; when
10000 were carried to Babylon with King
Jehoiachin.
The prophecy OF this lesson was written
B. G. 5o2. five years later.
The first "a chapters Of Ezekiel, concern
ing the destruction Of Jerusalem were
written during the 4 years 5s2-5ss. 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 4 CornhilD on the river
Chebar. one Of the large irrigating canals
of Babylonia. running across the plain
between the Euphrates and the Tigris.
Ezekiels name means God
strengthens" He was a priest, the
son Of Buzi. 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. G. 597, which would put the date
Of his birth. in Josiah'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 married man; and the
sudden death Of his wife was made by
divine instruction 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 simile, 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.
Ezekiel's model heroes were Noah.
Job. Daniel. They all had lost their
world, but Noah inaugurated new
world: Job ended by seeing God N
the whlrlwind." 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
God. without any representation to
the senses. 1t was hard for the peo
pie, to realize his existence and his
presence. It 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 then
as storm clouds hide the sun.
Hence In this darn period Ezekie
was taught to express Gods presence
power, glory, goodness, providence, by
apocalyptic symbols, !. e., by symbols
which expressed ideas, but could moi
be put into any pictorial form which
might lead to idolatry. The frs
chapter is a vision to these symbols
to make God real to the people; al
to Job God made himself known IL
the whirlwlnd and the storm.
Nothing is more suitable than thai
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 grea,
natural forces Of the EARTH
The prophet was presented with Q
Hebrew roll, the form in which theil
books were made, and was hidden tc
eat 1t. The roll represented the word
Of God, his message to Israel. The
prophets eating the roll meant thai
he 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 prop
er estimate Of what is involved in In
spiratlon. The prophet Is to absorb
into himself what is given him from
above. and then give 1t out with his
own lips and in his own language.
1T was In my mouth as honey fol
sweetness that is 1t was good in II
self. But afterwards 1t became bitter
for 1t was terrible message to give
to his people, SO that God made his
face as adamant harder than flint, fol-
all the house Of Israel were impudent
and hard-hearted.
Ezekiel welcomed the watchman on
the walls. He went from trance tc
action. coming out Of the trance, like
Peter on the housetop when he went
down to the messengers of Cornelius
"And / went In bitterness oi
my spirit" sharing with God his
righteous indignation against Israel
or the bitterness Of having to deliver
such an awful message as no 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 q
stupor OF grief, seven days.
The watchman's duty Is clearly sci
firth In - q