READINGS ON EZEKIEL (SUMMARIES)
[p. 372] READINGS ON EZEKIEL (SUMMARIES)
(1) Ezekiel 1: 1 - 25 Ezekiel has a peculiar application at the present time as combining the government of God, which is universal and applies to every person in the world, and the direct work of God in His people, culminating in life in chapters 36 and 37, and in the city and the house in the later chapters. The book is marked by signs, corresponding in that respect with the gospel of John, with which, indeed, there is a remarkable analogy throughout. The signs were given through the prophet personally, and involved much personal suffering. He was identified in that way with the sufferings of the people of God, and took his place among the captives by the river Chebar. John was a “brother and fellow-partaker in the tribulation” in the Isle of Patmos.
The continual recurrence of the term “son of man” indicates that the Lord is seen acting in relation to all men; the promises to Israel are in abeyance, while divine operations are general and universal. Israel comes into view in the person of Nathanael in John 1, who recognises the Lord as Son of God and King of Israel, and the Lord says, “Thou shalt see greater things than these ... Henceforth ye shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of man”. While Israel’s hopes are primarily in the Son of God and the King of Israel (Psalm 2), the Son of man (Psalm 8) has reference to the whole race of man. In John 3 He is Son of man as lifted up from the earth to bear the judgment of man, and “Son of man who is in heaven”. His universal dominion comes into view in chapter 12, and in chapter 13, when Judas went out, the Lord said, “Now is the Son of man glorified”. The word of the Son of man is in relation to all men, so that blessing goes out to the whole race of man before Israel’s hopes are realised as such. Israel will come in as we see in chapter 20, in Thomas, who recognised the Lord, not as King of Israel but as “My Lord and my God”. In the last chapter of John the draught of the one hundred and fifty-three fishes would refer to the service of the Jewish remnant in the latter days; but blessing is secured for the whole race of man before the fulfilment of the promises to Israel. That is how the matter stands in Ezekiel as seen in the repeated reference to the Son of man.
The heavens were opened to Ezekiel and he saw visions of God by the river Chebar. “The hand of Jehovah was there upon him”, showing that these visions, and the support he was about to realise were far from Jerusalem, the centre of accredited religion on earth. In our times also we have God acting in sovereignty without regard to any particular centre. The hand of Jehovah upon him was by way of identification and support. Ezekiel on his part was fully identified with the people of God in their captivity, a point of great importance. Nehemiah is a good illustration of identification with God’s people. In the government of God he was a cupbearer to the king, a position to be desired humanly speaking, but he was not occupied with that. He used the circumstances to help the people of God, not in a patronising way, but as identifying himself with them. It was the same with Ezra, and every man of God; they shared the afflictions of the people of God. Their position may have appeared to be against the people who were in captivity, but under God’s government it was really for His people. So Daniel was exalted to a great place in the kingdom, also Mordecai and Esther. These identified themselves with the people of God in their exaltation,
[p. 374] and God used them. In the government of God one may find himself in circumstances above those of the people of God, but anything we have is to be made subservient to them.
These captives had accepted the government of God in falling to the Chaldeans, and God promises to Jeremiah that their lives should be granted them for a prey: “Like these good figs, so will I regard for good them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans; and I will set mine eyes upon them for good”, Jeremiah 24: 5, 6. God is about to fulfil His promises in that connection by bringing in light through Ezekiel. As we accept the government of God in respect of failure, light comes in. It was so with Ezekiel and he got the mind of God, “The heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God”. It is not now merely referring to Palestine, for the symbols here represent the agencies of divine government as affecting the whole world. This is what we have in the book of Revelation, the mind of God in regard of the whole earth. It gives the servant a wonderful place, but with it there is, on his part, the acceptance of the position the people are in. You suffer with the people of God, as being the depository of the mind of God. Nothing strengthens your heart more than to see what He is doing. The heavens are opened, and the heavens are co-extensive with the whole earth; God is extending His operations.
“The word of Jehovah came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest”. Vision is one thing, and enlarges the view, for you see things as they are, but the word is what you hear, and the mind of God as it is, finds expression in the word. Then not only is there light from God, but an array of power to carry out the mind of God. We see the effect of that power today, “And I looked, and behold, a stormy [p. 375] wind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself”. All this is to remind us that the north refers to judgment. The north is always the point from whence the governmental dealings of God come. These may be punitive, or they may be corrective. This symbol is corrective with a view to establishing conditions in which God may operate directly. The governmental agencies are indirect, but as a result of these there are today conditions on the earth such as enable God to operate directly. The results are the things to take notice of, the government of God being, as one might say, in a mystery. There are secret agencies, the angels, for instance. “Are they not all ministering spirits ... ?”; there are myriads of them sent out to minister to the heirs to salvation. They operate secretly, nevertheless surely, in controlling government with a view to the preservation of what is for God on this earth, so that the gospel may go out without hindrance and saints be free to come together. Ezekiel’s eyes are opened to discern God’s secret activities for His people, and his mind would be at rest in regard to everything.
As accepting the situation Ezekiel becomes the depository of the mind of God, and there is nothing now to puzzle him. He sees that God has power, no matter what the condition on man’s side, to enforce His will universally. Things are constantly occurring in family, business, and international affairs, that would tend to overwhelm the people of God, but this would establish us as showing that God is working to one end. Ezra and Nehemiah also show the secret government of God operating in favour of His people. We may expect such revivals as those books indicate if we are in the light of Ezekiel. We see how they are brought about — by public identification with the people of God. One might say, indeed, that there has been revival, in acknowledgment of God relative to His governmental dealings with the [p. 376] assembly, and heaven has been opened up; the twelfth hymn is an expression of it. Things are seen in their true bearing. We do not have to read a profane book for the history of Europe; we see what God has done, what He is doing, and what He will do. God is looking for sympathy in what He is doing; this book opens that up. You are with God, and suffering is entailed. The bride is the Lamb’s wife; it carries with it the thought of suffering. Suffering refines us and clarifies our vision.
The more we identify ourselves with the suffering, the more we shall get the benefit of the word of Christ now. In Song of Songs 6: 5, there is an allusion to the individual separateness of the saints in the expression. “Thy hair is as a flock of goats”. Goats symbolise individual separateness, and a flock of them would suggest a flock of persons who have severally learned separation. Our position is one of having severally withdrawn from evil. In the next chapter it says (verse 5), “the locks of thy head like purple”. Royalty is now seen in suffering. To withdraw from evil and to walk with those who are separate involves suffering.
The creatures (verse 5) and having the likeness of a man a lion, an ox and an eagle (verse 10) would suggest that the creation is in sympathy with God, and the intelligence, courage, firmness and rapidity with which His will is carried out. Whatever man is doing on his side and with all his plans, God is working. Angels, principalities and powers are all moved in relation to the testimony, and you have the consciousness in your soul of victory. It culminates in the heavenly city coming out from God at the end of Revelation. We are working now in relation to the house, and Ezekiel connects these two thoughts. John sees the city in prospect. Abraham looked for a city, and Ezekiel sees the city in chapter 40, but the man with the measuring line occupies him with [p. 377] the house in all its various features. So John, while having a vision of the city when writing his gospel later, occupies us with the dwelling. In the first chapter we have the thought of the Son dwelling in the bosom of the Father and the disciples of John enquiring, “Where abidest thou?”. In chapter 8 also the thought of the house comes in in connection with the Son abiding for ever.
The rainbow is in evidence in the last verse. It is another assurance of the everlasting faithfulness of God; nothing can happen without Him. The rainbow is an outstanding testimony, known everywhere. It is an evidence of what God is in His faithfulness to the creation.