Ezekiel 5-8

[wolfpurplemoon]

God gives hair dressing tips (cut with a sword, ouch!) with specific instructions for how to dispose of the cut strands. It sounds like a magical ritual to me.

It goes without saying that this is another book filled with grisly predictions about the fates that will befall the sinful people of Israel.

It is an abomination to God that a group of women were observing a ritual that involves mourning the end of summer as less crops will grow and some men are worshipping the sun. I've always thought that worship, or at least dedicated observation, of the seasons and the movement of the sun is a pretty logical religion for a farming community, it certainly isn't abominable.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I've sort of been following ur reading of the bible and must say that I find ur view honest and refreshing. Christians out there might not agree, but keep it up. I grew up in a strict "christian" religion and there's no tolerance or acceptance in it, which in my opinion is hypocritical in and of itself. Most of the people preaching at ur door should really be focusing on their own morality than worrying about that of others. They are quick to judge and cast out what they don't approve of or agree with. As you've been reading. But the bible is a good book so enjoy the read!

[wolfpurplemoon]

Thank you for your kind comment, what you say about people being quick to judge what they don't agree with is very true. I read a great quote the other day on that subject: "Just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it don't make no sense, and just because you don't like it don't mean it ain't no good."

I serve this same God...

[(Anonymous)]

...and He does not delight in those that heap judgement on others.
Romans 2:1 NIV
"You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things."
Ezekial is simply a messenger for the one true Judge. It saddens my heart that the actions a few have jaded your perception of Christians, but this is nothing new. About those that unfairly judged, Paul wrote:
Romans 2:1, 24 NIV
"24 As it is written: “God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”"
I'm happy that you have decided to read the bible for yourself, and I pray that you do it with an open mind and heart. God has put you on my heart, and so I will pray for you tonight and every night that He does so. Although you may have forgotten God, He will never forget you.

-Your friend, Adam

[zteccc.livejournal.com]

Another visual from Ezekiel, God is having him cut his hair (shaving off one's hair was often done as a sign of mourning, and there could be a visual component of mourning for Jerusalem here, similar to Lamentations). Note that this is after about 430 days of Ezekiel growing out his hair (he laid on his side as a visual representation of the sins of Israel and Judah and likely didn't cut his hair during this period). The visual here is showing what was going to happen to Jerusalem (still 4-5 years away). Note that this was well before modern news/conveniences. Nobody in Babylonia received regular reports on what was happening in Judah, there was no newspaper, TV, etc. So Ezekiel's actions, and associated speech, would have been met with some incredulity as people couldn't imagine that Jerusalem would be destroyed or that its people would die. Ezekiel was obedient to God's instructions even though people would have probably thought that he was crazy by his actions. Of course when his prophecies started coming true, they would recognize him as a prophet.

Again, since the Jews living in Babylonia wouldn't be getting Jeremiah's prophecies (no Internet, TV, etc.) they needed a prophet in Babylonia to tell them what was going on and what would be happening. The prophecy comes about 4-5 years before the fall of Jerusalem, both as prophecy and as a lesson to those living in Babylonia that God wasn't limited to just Israel/Judah.
In those times, people would often worship the idols of whatever region they lived in. If they moved to a different area, they would start worshiping the idols of that area. The belief was that idols were dominant in their home regions, so if one moved from Babylon to Egypt, one would typically stop worshiping Babylonian idols and would worship Egyptian ones instead. God has Ezekiel give a warning to all of the people in the region that all of their idols were meaningless and that God would destroy those idols. This proclaims God's power over all of these 'regional gods'.

God shows Ezekiel the sins of the people of Jerusalem. The idolatry of these people was the real sin. They knew of God, they knew his power and they knew their history. They knew the covenant and the benefits of the covenant, however they intentionally turned away from it. They chose instead to worship idols (carved rocks), the sun, etc. I would agree that a typical agrarian culture, who didn't know any better, would have some justification in worshiping the sun, perhaps a god of rain, etc. That wasn't the case here. These people were knowingly violating their own laws and their covenant. Further they were given many warnings and many opportunities to return to the covenant along with examples (both positive and negative) of God's power.

[kenny dedek (from livejournal.com)]

I am impressed with the patient comments here. It is refreshing to see Christians sharing the Love of God in such a way. Keep it up brothers and sisters. Wolfpurplemoon: I hope that you don't see these careful, instructional comments as judgmental, but instead as the kind and patient responses that they are. God bless you my friend. I hope that you find the same power and beauty in this book that I have, and I hope that leads you to the same conclusions about God and Jesus Christ as it has me. I can only tell you that the love and joy that I have now is something that I'd never thought I'd experience in my mortal life.