Ezekiel: Observing the 'Obscure'

2 months I've been studying this book. Before beginning, I had wished and still do to know more or have better understanding of all the 'obscure' books of the Old and New Testaments. Typically I find myself reading the more commonly-studied ones: Romans, James, 1 Cor., Galatians, Ephesians, the Gospels, Job, Genesis, Proverbs, etc... So I realized, other than a general timeline of events or general summary of topic, I couldn't give you, or anyone really, a recollection of specific stories, points, illustrations, or lessons made throughout these more 'obscure' ones... and there are many. Can you?

So, this has been a quest over the last 2 months to dive into the Book of Ezekiel and discover the remarkable stories about God and from God these 48 chapters have to offer. It's follows the same general plot line of many other Old Testament books. Chapters 1-32 cover the account of disobedience in Israel, the warnings to them, and then the judgement of God, while 33-48 account the restoration that will be given to some and the setting up of God's kingdom on the temple mount. It's quite interesting, really.

10 lessons that were observed.

1. God often reveals Himself and the magnificence of His glory personally in places of solitude.

God takes the soon-to-be priest into a remarkable, solitary setting beside the Kebar River to display an overwhelming, mysterious, and awe-inspiring revelation of Himself and His creations. It's so incredible that Ezekiel then sits for 7 days --- overwhelmed (3:15). How I long to know what a vision like that would be like...

2. God is creative and strategic in the way He punishes sin.

Most of the book is a monologue from God about His extreme disgust for idolatry (and its many forms) and the intricate versions of punishment for this He has planned for Israel among other nations. God second-handedly emphasizes pursuing and delighting in holiness by contrasting it with the 'pleasures' but destruction sin offers.

3. God is far from the ordinary in the way He asks His servants to accomplish His will.

Ezekiel goes through several phases before God gives him the command to actually speak to the people. The first is the listening, and the second is the learning. While still in is still in this learning phase, God introduces him to some crazy behavioral rituals and acts he must perform for 440 days as symbols to Israel. Read about it in chapters 4-5... crazy stuff.

4. God claims redeeming ownership of those He will save.

Grace is spoken of lightly in this book, but several well-known passages speak strongly for this part of God's character and the claiming of His chosen people. Notice who does what actions in the passage below.

“They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.” (11:18-19).

5. God saves yet still doesn't withhold tribulation from even His most devout followers.

In ch. 14 God is in a phase of creating hypothetical punishments for Israel... bloodshed, wild beasts, famine, disease, the conquering sword, etc.. He makes note after each of these that even if Noah, Job, or Daniel were alive, even they would not be able to escape it. "They could save neither their son or their daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness."

6. Men are helpless and hopeless to set themselves apart from sinful nature.

Enough said. Most of the book covers this.

7. The heart of man continuously seeks to love the gifts more than giver.

Read chapter 16. It is a graphic and shocking allegory of the unfaithful bride. This was, for me anyway, the most moving part in the book to comprehend and meditate on. Reflecting on it reminded me of the song Silver Wings by Thrice in which God offers a poetic soliloquy about His acts of love toward His servant. The final lines are,

"And after all of this I am amazed
That I am cursed far more than I am praised."

These lines summarize the story of the rebellious bride and lengths of God's grace and love in Ezekiel 16... definitely worth checking out.

8. The unconditional grace of God is such that He forgives, cares for, and restores His chosen people to their rightful home even though they are continuously sinful and unfaithful. This restoration is ultimately to vindicate God's honor and not for Israel's sake.

9. Extraordinary election as God's servants demands extraordinary commitments to Him for the world to see.

Perhaps the most extreme trial God puts before Ezekiel is when He decides unexpectedly to end the life of Ezekiel's wife (also referred to the delight of his eyes as ch. 24 describes) as a symbol. And to add to this shocking revelation, God then commands Ezekiel to "not lament or weep or shed a tear... do not mourn for the dead." And he DOES it, and carries on his humble lifestyle in faith prophesying to the people. This has to be one of the most testing events in the lives of many of the prophets that calls for extreme faith, dedication, and a surrendering respect for God's will. How I long for this as well. Something like this would definitely take its toll on me...

10. God is emphatic about His sovereignty and omnipotence over any and all situations.

There is probably nothing more emphasized in Ezekiel than the sovereignty of God. I can't tell you how many times this word is used throughout the book when God is explaining the judgements or restoration soon to come upon the nations. God wants the world to know that he holds all of time, matter, and existence within His caring grasp and hopes the world in turn will honor Him for it.

Here we go. Now this is an old-fashioned telegram.

A lot of my thought life recently has been simply contemplating the process of thinking... meditating, analyzing, processing, whatever you want to call it. Stop. (Sounds extremely exciting, huh?)

It's really not half as boring as it sounds, and I have found that a simple intro to extrospective pause to let the mind process, imagine, and understand can offer a delightful rest from commercialized, habitual, highway-speed thought-processing. Stop. Sometimes I feel as if my day to day is like the passing of waves or the double exposure of a photograph, where I see and experience them fully, but when thinking back, I often forget the details and remember only a transparent recollection of the whole. Stop.

I've had a goal this summer to read 20 books in my 3 months away from college just to learn, relax, and ultimately be engaged and entertained by the wisdom and stories of others (I'm actually a little more than halfway through at 13 now if you were curious). Stop. This reading discipline has helped to break away from the aformentioned pattern in the previous paragraph, in that it encourages the meditating on details, specifics, ideas, and creative concepts in order to gain a more vivid description and understanding of the characters, philosophies, settings, etc. letting your mind reel, imagine, process, and apply (a sort of stopping to smell the roses approach). Stop. And so this pause, or stop, has encouraged, at best, a re-focused mindset with multiplied perspective in life, and at worst, the same only applied to literature. Stop.

Perhaps this is why the Psalmists so often praise the practice of meditation upon the Word of God. Stop. It makes you think. It helps you understand. It offers deeper understanding (and hopefully appreciation) of the vast, mysterious, and simply awesome character of God, a renewing of the mind, and an imprint on practical thinking throughout the day to day. Triple Stop. (I find adding 'stop' after every sentence gets kind of old after awhile, although it does in turn get across the whole point of this introspective entry).

Tim Keller offered a personal challenge for the Bible-studying individual the last time I witnessed him speak. His challenge was to read one chapter from the Bible each day, take one verse from that chapter to meditate on, and then come up with 50 lessons that can be learned (based around the context of course) from that one verse. At my best, in the span of two hours, I was able to come up with only 36 before I gave up on the completion of this challenge. My regular goal to shoot for, in my typical daily 30-60 minutes of reading, has been about 15.

Now why spend all this time on one verse, you may ask? Well, I find myself so much more engaged in the text when I have this time to traverse a singular verse, word by word, in cognizant repetition. It's like a high-speed awakening coming from the stillness of rested thought or the repetitive revving of the mind's motor during an intentional shift to neutral. Overall, there is so much more to be grasped, in my opinion, when simply pausing and taking time to think and reflect this way. Stop.

The pause or stop in the rapid momentum in study or in the regular 24 has been something I've been definitely learning the value of this summer. It's fun. It's engaging. And, I think there's much to be learned when finding a stillness or rest in the metaphorical thunderstorm.

Over and out.

Rob Bell's 'Love Wins'. A thought, maybe two.

First, an overview: my understanding of Bell’s perspective, in his new controversial book, Love Wins.

Hell is the situation, or setting, we find ourselves in or even create for ourselves when we reject the love of God. Hell is not eternal, however it exists in the present for those who intentionally or unintentionally turn from God, and it exists in the future for those who die apart from Him or reject His character, will, and grace. But, hell is not forever. For God so loved the world that He gave His only perfect Son to die on the cross for the sins of mankind, showed his omnipotence over death in His resurrection, and because His love is unending, God will redeem ALL past, present, and future humanity to a new heaven and new Earth with Him forever because of Jesus Christ. No eternal hell. No eternal separation from Him. EVERY tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and, on that day, love will prevail, only love, for God’s love wins.

That statement was a shortened version with way too many commas and sub-phrases, but I think it paints a clear picture of the vision Rob Bell casts. Overall, he offers a book that is very easy to read, very logical by its presentation, Scripture saturated, and will make you feel hopeful, perhaps inspired even, to make the most of your life in the present, awaiting the greatness of the life to come. Sounds great, right? Unfortunately, part of this is the problem by way of the ‘facts’ he presents, or perhaps more so in those he doesn’t.

Ultimately, love does win. Christ is the victor, and through his payment and atoning sacrifice on the cross, He saves, by grace, those that whole-heartedly put persevering faith in Him for the forgiveness of their sins. I think it’s important to be a conduit of this same love and grace that Christ offers, apply it towards everyone (including Rob Bell, whatever his standpoint) and be cautious, considerate, and ultimately loving in our words, critiques, discussions, etc…

I do my best not to make outspoken opinions on controversial issues for which I am not learned or educated firsthand. I’ve read many accounts of this book from individuals I respect and trust the perspectives of, and have had many discussions on it myself, but still I try not to apply the easily-given ‘wrecking ball’ tactic of sorts to any perspective, Bell’s in this case, without first analyzing his account myself with what limited wisdom, Biblical knowledge, and experience I have at only 22 years of age. Honestly, I don’t think this aforementioned tactic is ever helpful, loving, or beneficial to the wrecker or the ‘wreckee,’ and in fact, I plan to apply quite the opposite.

So, Starbucks in hand at 1am, here’s my immediate take on this seemingly exploding topic (minutes after reading it), and we’ll start with ET’s ‘plus points’ of Mr. Bell’s transcript.

First, the author does not relinquish any praise due to God for His character throughout the book. It is saturated with making much of the kinder, perhaps more noble (from our fallen, human standpoint), aspects of God’s character such as grace, love, mercy, and patience. After all, this is what this book is about. Bell gives a beautiful (and almost completely sound) commentary on the story of the prodigal son, the remarkable character and grace of the father, and the apparent self-centeredness of the elder son.

The book is also very motivating, uplifting, and in consistent manner, offers hope and sympathy to the broken. He also makes much of the fact that the gospel, the good news, is not simply a ticket into heaven, but the true prize is found in the joy of relationship with Christ the savior, creator, and redeemer. Props to him for getting this right, and emphasizing the giver over the gifts! Overall, I think Bell feels very deeply for those who have been wronged by the church or are have a stereotypical naivety of the true meaning of the gospel. These groups are obviously his target audience, and he does well to draw them in, relate, and express the meaning of grace.

But, unfortunately, we have a negative in his doctrine as well: hell. A negative of itself, which Bell somehow flips into a positive by dismissing the negative. This then becomes the books negative and that of which, I’m positive. Follow?

What that really means is that Rob Bell simply denies the existence of the place of eternal punishment, which God has set aside for those unrepentant and unclaimed by the blood of Jesus Christ. His argument is that hell does exist, but it is the current state we live in, in the present and future when apart from God. In other words, the judgment and punishment of ‘hell’ are the painful trials, social injustices, emotional disasters, and continuous sufferings in life in addition to missing out on the life-giving blessings pursuing Christ whole-heartedly offers. He goes on further to explain that after physical death, man has further chance (in a seemingly other-worldly vantage point) to finally recognize Jesus as Lord. Matter of fact, in the end, as it describes in Philipians 2:11, it is stated that “EVERY tongue WILL confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” This is Bell’s justification that God’s supreme, omnipotent love will redeem ALL of humanity, and because of Jesus’ sacrificial atonement, ALL will be saved.

I don’t think anyone really knows exactly what hell is like or will be, so I wouldn’t be so foolish as to point a finger at that issue but rather the one in which the unrepentant heart, without faith, in opposition to God in the present physical life (to, through, and after death) will still be saved by God. I think the Bible paints a metaphorical portrait of the opposite in John 10-11, among others, when Jesus describes himself as the shepherd of HIS sheep. So, in my opinion, the real heart of this whole enflamed issue is the loaded phrase ‘limited atonement’ (or ‘L’ in TULIP if you’re into such things) of who will be saved and who won’t.

My desire is not to make an incredible exegetical thesis for this point, but I think the Bible is quite clear (from my perspective) that there is this separation or distinction that God has predetermined or predestined in this regard. Several verses that state or expound on this are John 6:65, John 14:15, Romans 8:30, Acts 20:28, and Ephesians 5:25. If you wish to know more, please let’s talk or write, or I can provide resources to clarify.

But that will be enough for now…

There are plenty other issues wrong in this book and even more critiques, blogs, tweets, etc. seriously pinpointing these with fair and not-so-fair arguments, but I’ll leave that for you to uncover. To quote the dad of a friend of mine, “let’s try to chill a bit over Bell’s Hells in Love Wins. Take a run, work out, pray, have a beer or glass of wine… whatever we need to cool our heads and think calmly, coolly and critically… less heat, more light is what we need… and the love that covers multitudes of sins. Walk in love just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. Make every effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Be completely humble and gentle, forbearing with one another in love.” (Props to Mr. Sims on this one).

God is good all the time. All the time, God is good.

And, in love and humility, I leave you with that.