April 10th - Ezekiel, Prophet
Ezekiel, whose name, Yehézq'el signifies "strong is God", or "whom God
makes
strong" (Ezek. i, 3; iii, 8), was the son of Buzi, and was one of the
priests
who, in the year 598 B.C., had been deported together with Joachim as
prisoners
from Jerusalem (IV Kings, xxiv, 12-16; cf. Ezek. xxxiii, 21, xl, 1). With
the
other exiles he settled in Tell-Abib near the Chobar (Ezek. i,1; iii, 15)
in
Babylonia, and seems to have spent the rest of his life there. In the
fifth year
after the captivity of Joachim, and according to some, the thirtieth year
of his
life, Ezekiel received his call as a prophet (Ezek. i, 2, 4 etc) in the
vision
which he describes in the beginning of his prophecy (Ezek. i,4; iii, 15).
From
Ezek. xxix, 17 it appears that he prophesied during at least twenty-two
years.
Ezekiel was called to foretell God's faithfulness in the midst of trials,
as
well as in the fulfilment of His promises. During the first period of his
career, he foretold the complete destruction of the kingdom of Juda, and
the
annihilation of the city and temple. After the fulfilment of these
predictions,
he was commanded to announce the future return from exile, the
re-establishment
of the people in their own country and, especially, the triumph of the
Kingdom
of the Messiah, the second David, so that the people would not abandon
themselves to despair and perish as a nation, through contact with the
Gentiles,
whose gods had apparently triumphed over the God of Israel. This is the
principal burden of Ezekiel's prophecy, which is divided into three parts.
After
the introduction, the vision of the calling of the prophet (Ezek. i-iii,
21),
the first part contains the prophecies against Juda before the fall of
Jerusalem
(Ezek. iii, 22-xxiv). In this part the prophet declares the hope of saving
the
city, the kingdom, and the temple to be vain, and announces the
approaching
judgment of God upon Juda. This part may be subdivided into five groups of
prophecies.
After a second revelation, in which God discloses to the prophet His
course of
action (iii, 22-27), the prophet foretells by symbolic acts (iv, v) and in
words
(vi-vii), the siege and capture of Jerusalem, and the banishment of Juda.
In a prophetic vision, in the presence of the elders of Israel, God
reveals to
him the cause of these punishments. In spirit he witnesses the idolatry
practiced in and near the temple (viii); God commands that the guilty be
punished and the faithful be spared (ix); God's majesty departs from the
temple
(x), and also, after the announcement of guilt and punishment, from the
city.
With this the judgment which the prophet communicates to the exiles ends
(xi).
In the third group (xii-xix) many different prophecies are brought
together,
whose sole connection is the relation they bear to the guilt and
punishment of
Jerusalem and Juda. Ezekiel prophesies by symbolic actions the exile of
the
people, the flight of Sedecias, and the devastation of the land (xii,
1-20).
Then follow Divine revelations regarding belief in false prophecies, and
disbelief in the very presence of true prophecy. This was one of the
causes of
the horrors (xiii, 21-xiv, 11), to be visited upon the remnant of the
inhabitants of Jerusalem (xiv, 12-23). The prophet likens Jerusalem to the
dead
wood of the vine, which is destined for the fire (xv); in an elaborate
denunciation he represents Juda as a shameless harlot, who surpasses
Samaria and
Sodom in malice (xvi), and in a new simile, he condemns King Sedecias
(xvii).
After a discourse on the justice of God (xviii), there follows a further
lamentation over the princes and the people of Juda (xix).
In the presence of the elders the prophet denounces the whole people of
Israel
for the abominations they practiced in Egypt, in the Wilderness, and in
Canaan
(xx). For these Juda shall be consumed by fire, and Jerusalem shall be
exterminated by the sword (xxi). Abominable is the immorality of Jerusalem
(xxii), but Juda is more guilty than Israel has ever been (xxiii).
On the day on which the siege of Jerusalem began, the prophet represents,
under
the figure of the rusty pot, what was to befall the inhabitants of the
city. On
the occasion of the death of his wife, God forbids him to mourn openly, in
order
to teach the exiles that they should be willing to lose that which is
dearest to
them without grieving over it (xxiv).
In the second part (xxv-xxxii), are gathered together the prophecies
concerning
the Gentiles. He takes, first of all, the neighbouring peoples who had
been
exalted through the downfall of Juda, and who had humiliated Israel. The
fate of
four of these, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Edomites, and the
Philistines,
is condensed in chapter xxv. He treats more at length of Tyre and its king
(xxxvi-xxviii,19), after which he casts a glance at Sidon (xxviii, 20-26).
Six
prophecies against Egypt follow, dating from different years (xxix-xxxii.
The
third part (xxxiii-xlviii), is occupied with the Divine utterances on the
subject of Israel's restoration. As introduction, we have a dissertation
from
the prophet, in his capacity of authorized champion of the mercy and
justice of
God, after which he addresses himself to those remaining in Juda, and to
the
perverse exiles (xxxiii). The manner in which God will restore His people
is
only indicated in a general way. The Lord will cause the evil shepherds to
perish; He will gather in, guide, and feed the sheep by means of the
second
David, the Messiah (xxxiv).
Though Mount Seir shall remain a waste, Israel shall return unto its own.
There
God will purify His people, animate the nation with a new spirit, and
re-establish it in its former splendour for the glory of His name
(xxxv-xxxvii).
Israel, though dead, shall rise again, and the dry bones shall be covered
with
flesh and endowed with life before the eyes of the prophet. Ephraim and
Juda
shall, under the second David, be united into one kingdom, and the Lord
shall
dwell in their midst (xxxvii). The invincibleness and indestructibility of
the
restored kingdom are then symbolically presented in the war upon Gog, his
inglorious defeat, and the annihilation of his armies (xxxviii-xxxix). In
the
last prophetic vision, God shows the new temple (xl-xliii), the new
worship
(xliii-xlvi), the return to their own land, and the new division thereof
among
the twelve tribes (xlvii-xlviii), as a figure of His foundation of a
kingdom
where He shall dwell among His people, and where He shall be served in His
tabernacle according to strict rules, by priests of His choice, and by the
prince of the house of David.
From this review of the contents of the prophecy, it is evident that the
prophetic vision, the symbolic actions and examples, comprise a
considerable
portion of the book. The completeness of the description of the vision,
action
and similes, is one of the many causes of the obscurity of the book of
Ezekiel.
It is often difficult to distinguish between what is essential to the
matter
represented, and what serves merely to make the image more vivid. On this
account it happens that, in the circumstantial descriptions, words are
used, the
meaning of which, inasmuch as they occur in Ezekiel only, is not
determined.
Because of this obscurity, a number of copyist mistakes have crept into
the
text, and that at an early date, since the Septuagint has some of them in
common
with the earliest Hebrew text we have. The Greek version, however,
includes
several readings which help to fix the meaning. The genuineness of the
book of
Ezekiel is generally conceded. Some few consider chapters xl-xlviii to be
apocryphal, because the plan there described in the building of the temple
was
not followed, but they overlook the fact that Ezekiel here gives a
symbolic
representation of the temple, that was to find spiritual realization in
God's
new kingdom. The Divine character of the prophecies was recognizes as
early as
the time of Jesus the son of Sirach (Eccles. xlix, 10, 11). In the New
Testament, there are no verbatim references, but allusions to the prophecy
and
figures taken from it are prominent. Compare St. John x etc. with Ezek.
xxxiv,
11 etc.; St. Matthew xxii, 32, with Ezek. xvii, 23. In particular St.
John, in
the Apocalypse, has often followed Ezekiel. Compare Apoc. xviii-xxi with
Ezek.
xxvii, xxxviii etc., xlvii etc.
This Version Taken From:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05737b.htm
Saint Quote:
Humility, to be true, must be always accompanied by charity; that is,
loving,
seeking, and accepting humiliations to please God, and to become more like
Jesus
Christ; to do otherwise, would be to practice it in the manner of the
heathen.
-St. France de Sales
Bible Quote:
36 Now whilst they were speaking these things, Jesus stood in the midst of
them,
and saith to them: Peace be to you; it is I, fear not. (Luke 24:36)
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A Prayer for Life
O God, our Creator, all life is in Your hands from conception until death.
Help us to cherish our children and to reverence the awesome privilege of
our share in creation. May all people live and die in dignity and love.
Bless all those who defend the rights of the unborn, the handicapped, and
the aged. Enlighten and be merciful toward those who fail to love, and
give
them peace. Let freedom be tempered by responsibility, integrity, and
morality. - Amen.
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