June 1929
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4. God’s Answer to the Charge, "The way of the Lord is not equal." Vs. 25-36. One of the fundamental principles un derlying the old covenant was that, if Is rael would be obedient to the Lord, she should be blessed abundantly; .on the other hand, if she were disobedient she should be punished. Throughout the his tory of the nation God had punished Is rael according to their works and likewise had blessed them according to their faith fulness. When they assumed the attitude of attempting to shift responsibility on the grounds of heredity, they were, in their own eyes, good, respectable, law- abiding servants of God. God thought otherwise. Hence He punished them. They could not understand why He would thus punish them. Being of a self-righteous spirit and being accustomed to shift re sponsibility upon others, they endeavored to shift the responsibility upon God by declaring that He was not dealing with them upon the principles of justice and righteousness. The prophet, God’s spokes man, met the objection first by asking two questions: "Is not my way equal? are, not your ways unequal?" In the second place, he declared that God deals with man up on the merits or demerits of his actions and life. He concludes his argument by declaring that God will deal with each one according to his own ways. He concluded his answer to them by giving them an invitation to return to God "so iniquity shall not be your ruin," appealing to them to turn from their transgressions and to make a new heart and a new spirit for themselves, and as suring them that God has no pleasure in the death of the sinner. II. Responsibility of the Watchman. 33: 1-9. 1. The Watchman of the City. Vs. 1-6. In vs. 1-6 the prophet speaks of a topic which was familiar to his auditors. In an cient times and in oriental countries the populace lived in walled cities and car ried on their stock-raising and farming in the surrounding country. Whenever war broke out,they betook themselves to these strongly fortified cities, which were able to resist an attack of a powerful enemy frequently for months and even ypars. Tyre, for instance, withstood the sledge-hammer blows of Shalmaneser for thirteen years. Sentinels were placed up on the wall to watch while the people slept. It was the sentinel’s duty upon the first intimation of the approach of an enemy to sound the warning by the blow ing of the trumpet. Should he fail to give the warning he was held personally re sponsible. If, however, he gave the warn ing but the people did not heed, he was acquitted of any blame. God speaks of His bringing the sword upon a land. Our God is not an absentee God as the old Deists represent Him. He is One who is, according to Eph. 1:11, working all things according to His will. According to Dan. 2 He gives the king dom to whomsoever He will. Christ is bearing all things toward one great con summation (Heb. 1 :3). God does not will that men should war, but He takes them as they are and overrules their actions to forward Jdis eternal plans and purposes. 2. The Prophet of God. Vs. 7-9. As the watchman upon the wall was held personally responsible for failing to give the -warning should danger arise, so Ezekiel was similarly placed in a spiritual
FRED S. SHEPARD ’S BLACKBOARD OUTL INE
sense. God personally appeared to him and gave him advantages and endow ments which otherwise he could never have enjoyed. With these advantages came increased responsibility. It was his special business in life to warn the peo ple, irrespective of whether they heeded or not. There was but one thing which he could do, namely, deliver the message, devoting his entire lifetime to this special work of God. In the New Testament a similar call was given to the Apostle Paul. He like wise realized the responsibilities resting upon him, for he said, "For woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel" (1 Cor. 9:16). Many have concluded that the same responsibility rests upon every minister of the Gospel today. It is quite doubtful whether one is justified in drawing the parallel so very sharply as to pronounce a woe upon one if he failed to obey the call of God to preach the Gospel. If God in an unmistakable, clear, definite manner gives one as definite a call as He did Ezekiel and Paul, charging them to engage in the ministry to the exclusion of everything else, we have a parallel case. Otherwise it is dangerous to press the parallel too far. There is no doubt that a responsibility rests upon each Christian to rescue every one whom he can influence, and to bring him to the Lord. Special blessings and re wards are held out for such service. Men are saved by the grace of God but are rewarded According to their works. III. God’s Call to Repentance and Ref ormation. Vs. 10-20. In these two paragraphs the prophet again emphasized the doctrine of the in dividual responsibility of each one to God. He likewise answered the charge brought against God by the wicked ones who were among them. July 21, 1929 Ezekiel’s Vision of Hope Ezek. 47:1-12. Golden Text: "Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this" (Isa. 9:7). L e sso n in O u t l in e Introduction: Israel’s Religion one of Hope. I. The Source of the Stream. Vs. 1, 2. II. The Deepening of the Stream. Vs. 3-5. - III. The Life-giving Stream. Vs. 6-12. — o — T NTRODUCTION. I s r a e l ’s religion was oné of hope. The nations of the' world looked backward to their golden age in the remote past; Israel, on the
VISION T T ITAL ITY (L ife) Qp \ / IGOR (Strength) V ICTORY (Success) River of water of life.—Rev. 22:1. things in the future, not only for Israel but for His redeemed people throughout eternity. Chapters 40-48 have been termed apoca lyptical and are considered the basis of Daniel’s apocalyptic visions and Revela tion, together with the apocalyptic writ ings of the Jews and the early church. Though in the book of Ezekiel the apoca lyptic element predominates, the prophet is not the first one to whom God gave such visions. In the preceding chapters he has given a detailed and minute, description of the great Millennial Temple, which shall be the most magnificent and wonderful building ever erected upon the earth. In the latter part of chapter 47, and 48, ap pears the detailed account of the allot ment of the land as it shall be during the millennial age. I. The Source of the Stream. Vs. 1, 2. In vision Ezekiel was brought by the angel to the door of the temple, from which waters were issuing out from be neath the threshold. Since they ran from underneath the threshold they necessarily ran toward the east, since the house faces east. The prophet then was led by the an gel northward to the gate and thence to the right, around to the east side of the temple enclosure. This was done, in all probability, because in ancient days the eastern gate was opened only on the Sab bath, when it was opened especially for the priests to enter. Out from under the eastern wall the waters were flowing. This stream which Ezekiel sees, doubt less, is the one of which the psalmist David sang in the 46th Psalm, "There is, a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tab ernacles of the Most High” (Psa. 46:4). It, doubtless, was also seen by Zechariah the prophet in his last vision. In 14:48 this prophet sees the Lord Jesus Christ when He returns to earth and His feet stand upon the Mount of Olives. At that time this mountain will be divided, part falling toward the north and part to ward the south. The rending of this mountain will be caused by a great earth quake at that time. Between the halves of this mountain there will be a valley which will run eastward. Furthermore, the prophet saw living or running waters flowing out from Jerusalem, half of which flow to the eastern sea and half to the western or Mediterranean Sea. There is some discussion as to what is meant by the eastern sea. Some scholars think that it refers to the Persian Gulf, while others see in it a reference to the Dead Sea. It is quite likely that both may be included in this vision. II. The Deepening of the Stream. Vs. 3-5. The man accompanying the prophet went forward eastward with a line in his hand and measured for 1,000 cubits. Then he caused Ezekiel to pass through the waters, which were only ankle-deep.
other hand, l o o k s f o r w a r d to the bright and glorious M i l l e n n i a l Age when th e knowl edge of the glory of the L o r d s h a l l cover the earth as the waters c o v e r
the sea. The Christian religion, which is the development and outgrowth of Is rael’s religion, is preeminently a religion of hope. God has great and wonderful
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