TEACHING WITH EXCELLENCE Bible Study Lesson Schedule Weekly Essentials The Book of Ezekiel Summer, 2014

Transcription

1 TEACHING WITH EXCELLENCE Bible Study Lesson Schedule Weekly Essentials The Book of Ezekiel Summer, 2014 May 31-June 1 Background Passage: Ezekiel 1:1-7:27 Lesson Passage: Ezekiel 1:1-3; 1:28-2:5; 6:7-10 If I were teaching this lesson I would call it Heaven is For Real because it is a true vision of Heaven. In 1:1 Ezekiel very clearly and plainly says, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. Notice Ezekiel did not go to Heaven; God gave him a vision of Heaven. The Lord gave Ezekiel a vision of Heaven because He was preparing him for the call into ministry as a prophet. It was similar with the call of Isaiah he saw a vision of the throne of God (Isaiah 6), God asked Whom shall I send and who will go for us? Isaiah answered, Here am I. Send me! (Isaiah 6:8) God then commissioned Isaiah by telling him what to say to the people. Ezekiel s vision is described in 1:4-28. I would read this verbatim to the class because it is one of only 4 visions of Heaven in the entire Bible. The Biblical visions of Heaven have the Lord God Almighty on His throne. This is a vision of the majesty and glory of God. We tend to think we are the center of Heaven but Heaven is not about us, it s about God! Ezekiel s response: I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking. (1:28) Ezekiel s call to ministry is described in chapters 2 and 3. Focus on 2:1-7. APPLICATION: In a very real sense, God calls and equips every Christian for ministry. The question is are we listening and looking to Him? Key words and phrases in God s calling and equipping of Ezekiel: I am sending you (2:3,4); they will know a prophet has been among them (2:5); do not fear (2:6) Go and speak My words (2:7; 3:1; 3:4); your audience is rebellious (2:3-7; 3:7); I have appointed you a watchman (3:17). In 6:7-10 God will judge; His wrath is coming but there will be a faithful remnant whom will be spared although they will be scattered among the nations. June 7-8 Background Passage: Ezekiel 8:1-14:23 Lesson Passage: Ezekiel 8:1-12; 14:1-6 Ezekiel was given a vision by the Lord of the idolatry going on in Jerusalem. Even though he resided in Babylon, God brought him to Jerusalem through a vision. The theme of this lesson is idolatry and how we can recognize idols in our lives today.

2 A key phrase used by Ezekiel is set up idols in their hearts (14:3, 4, 5 & 7). This is a critical point: idolatry begins in our heart to long for something above the Lord and spreads to our behavior. 14:14 this is a fascinating reference. Ezekiel refers to 3 men as stellar examples of righteousness: Noah, Daniel and Job. They are also mentioned in verses 16, 18 and 20. The fascinating thing is that Daniel was a contemporary of Ezekiel. They no doubt knew each other and were together among the exiles in Babylon. Dr. Scofield states: Here is important contemporaneous testimony to the historicity and character of Daniel, who was living when Ezekiel wrote. It is a tribute to Daniel s character that he, though still a young man, is linked with Noah and Job. (The New Scofield Reference Bible, footnote on page 851) Idolatry, 8:3 the idol of jealousy. This does not mention the idol by name but God was being provoked to jealousy because a foreign god was receiving the homage that should have been His alone. This breaks the second of the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20:4). There were also paintings on the walls and the worship of the sun. 8:12 secret sins. They were saying The Lord does not see us Ask the class to think of how they do this convicting! 14:12-23 sin leads to judgment. June (Sunday is Father s Day) Background Passage: Ezekiel 15:1-19:14 Lesson Passage: Ezekiel 18:1-4, The theme is individual responsibility for one s behavior do not blame others for your sins. Take ownership of your behavior; don t rationalize or excuse sinful behavior. The proverb in verse 2 is saying that the children are suffering because of the sins of the fathers. The people were blaming God for treating them unjustly. God refuted this notion in verses 3 and 4 The soul who sins will die. (verse 4) 18:5-9 standards of righteousness. 18:10-13 judgment on a sinning son. 18:14-18 blessings on a righteous son. 18:19-29 verse 20 is very clear: the son will not bear the punishment for the father s sins and vice-versa. See also Deuteronomy 24:16. 18:30-32 basis of judgment. Conclusion: repent and live (v. 32) June Background Passage: Ezekiel 20:1-24:27 Lesson Passage: Ezekiel 24:15-27 This section (chapters 20-24) is a history lesson of Israel s past sins, her judgment and future restoration. It includes messages from Ezekiel, signs and parables.

3 The last sign and the section we focus on for the lesson passage involves the death of Ezekiel s wife (24:15-27). 24:15-17 God gives Ezekiel some tragic news: He is going to take the desire of your eyes (his wife) from him. Ezekiel s heartbreaking experience would foreshadow the pain about to be felt by those Israelites already in captivity in Babylon. God instructs Ezekiel not to mourn openly but to groan silently. 24:18-19 Ezekiel spoke to the people, his wife died and as he said, I did as I was commanded. What a tribute to Ezekiel s obedience! He lost his wife but he followed God s instructions to keep his feelings of loss bottled up inside. Because he had explained this to the people ahead of time, they knew that it had some national significance, so they asked for an explanation. 24:20-23 Ezekiel explained that the death of his wife symbolized the destruction of God s temple and the slaughter of the people of Jerusalem. It is interesting that God used the same term for the temple (verse 21) as he did for Ezekiel s wife the desire of your eyes (verse 16). God also called the temple the pride of your power. They loved the temple, were proud of the temple but all the while they were disobeying the Lord and were about to be judged for it. APPLICATION: We can fall into the trap of loving our church and being proud of our church (building, programs, etc.) but disobeying God in our personal walk. 24:24-27 When judgment comes in the form of the destruction of Jerusalem, the people will suffer in silence just like Ezekiel did. God would take away their pride and their heart s delight and they will know that He is the Lord. Two times He says, you (they) will know that I am the Lord. (verses 24 and 27) June Background Passage: Ezekiel 25:1-32:32 Lesson Passage: Ezekiel 28:1-19 CONTEXT. This passage is located in the section dealing with judgment on Gentile nations (chapters 25-32). Chapters 26-28:19 specifically deal with judgment on the city of Tyre. In 28:1-19 Ezekiel singles out the leader or ruler of Tyre. In 28:1-10 he rebuked the leader for claiming to be a god though he was just a man. In verse 11 the language changes from leader or ruler to king. In 28:11-19 Ezekiel described the king in terms that could not apply to a mere man. So, who is it? Most commentators believe that he is describing Satan. The theme of the lesson is the sin of pride mixed with greed. 28:2 the leader of Tyre views himself as a god, which was common among ancient rulers ( Pharaohs, Caesars, etc.). Verse 3 this is dripping with irony. The ruler of Tyre pictures himself as wiser than the prophet Daniel who already had a reputation for wisdom as demonstrated in the courts of Nebuchadnezzar. But, Daniel attributed all of his wisdom to the Lord (Daniel 2:27-28) whereas the ruler of Tyre took the credit for himself.

4 Verses 4-5 His wisdom had led to acquiring riches for himself and his heart is lifted up, i.e. he is full of pride. Verses 6-10 the consequences of his pride. To die the death of the uncircumcised means to die in shame. Verses most commentators believe this section is talking about Satan in his unfallen state. He describes the king in terms that could not apply to a man: You were in Eden (v. 13); You were on the holy mountain of God (v. 14). Satan s sin which caused his downfall was pride see Isaiah 14: The takeaway: we must avoid letting selfish pride gain a stronghold in our life. July 5-6 Background Passage: Ezekiel 33:1-35:15 Lesson Passage: Ezekiel 34:1-24 Now that the judgments against Gentile nations have been pronounced, Ezekiel goes back to a message for Israel. 33:1-9 Ezekiel s responsibility is to be a watchman, i.e., to deliver the warning to Israel. It is an awesome responsibility if he delivers the warning and the people do not respond, then their blood is on their own hands. However, if Ezekiel receives the warning from the Lord and does not deliver it to the people then their blood is on his hands. APPLICATION: We as teachers have the awesome responsibility to deliver God s Word to our class. At times we may feel that a lesson is negative or heavy and we are tempted to sugar-coat it or gloss over it. We do not have that option as God s watchmen. 33:10-20 Ezekiel s message to Israel is turn back from your evil ways. (v. 11) 33:21 news of the fall of Jerusalem comes to Ezekiel. 33:23-29 Ezekiel lists the ways they had false hope. 33:30-33 they had listened to false messages which brought them false comfort. 34:1-10 the prophecy against the false shepherds of Israel. They were not feeding the flock but only feeding themselves. This reminds us of false teachers today they refuse to teach God s word and engage in building up their own kingdom. 34:11-24 what the false shepherds failed to do because of their greed, God would do. This section speaks of the future restoration of Israel. July Background Passage: Ezekiel 36:1-39:29 Lesson Passage: Ezekiel 37:1-28 This is the famous vision of the valley of the dry bones. Ezekiel 37:1-14 inspired the spiritual written by African American author-songwriter James Weldon Johnson ( ) called Dem Bones. Chapter 36 promised that Israel will be restored to her land under the leadership of David, her king. However, this seems quite remote considering her condition at the

5 time of Ezekiel Israel was dead as a nation, deprived of her land, her king and her temple. How could she be restored? In chapter 37 God gave Ezekiel the vision of the dry bones. In verse 3 He asked Ezekiel, Can these bones live? Zeke answered wisely, O Lord God, Thou knowest. So many times in the Scriptures God uses questions in order to teach. Jesus did the very same thing. God asked Zeke the question and he knew it meant that God was going to teach him. Zeke s answer O Lord God, Thou knowest is like saying, I don t know, Lord, but I m sure you are going to tell me. Good answer! Verses 4-10 are God s instructions to Zeke. He was actually told to preach to the bones and then preach (or prophesy) to the wind. Sometimes the Lord directs us to do something that doesn t make sense in fact, it seems foolish. We should follow Zeke s example in verse 7, So I prophesied as I was commanded. (italics mine) Verse 10 is the result. The bones stood up on their feet and became a mighty army! Verses consist of God s explanation of the vision. Israel will one day be restored! The order is (1) Bring them out from the Gentile nations, v. 12 (2) Bring them into the land of Israel, v. 12 (3) Their conversion, v. 13 and (4) They will be filled with the Spirit, v. 14. Verses reunion of the tribes of Israel in the land. APPLICATION: What about us today? Our experience parallels that of Israel (1) From death to life: John 5:24-25, Ephesians 2:1-10. (2) New people: 2 Corinthians 5: (3) New Kingdom: Colossians 1: July Background Passage: Ezekiel 40:1-48:35 Lesson Passage: Ezekiel 43:1-12 This section (Chapters 40-48) deal with the Millennial Temple and the division of the land among the tribes of Israel during the Millennium the thousand year reign of Jesus Christ on the earth. The measurements of the temple, the inner temple and the chambers of the temple are all mentioned in detail in chapters thru the vision given to Ezekiel. In 43:1-12 Ezekiel saw in a vision the glory of God returning from the east to dwell once again in His nation by filling the temple with His glory. Verse 5 ends with, and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house. What are we to do with these awesome visions? How do we relate it to our lives today? Some suggestions In 43:1-5 the focus is on the Lord and His glory. Unlike the books in which people supposedly go to heaven and come back to tell us about it, heaven is about the Lord! He is described in chapter 1 as being on His throne He is the focal point of heaven. He and He alone is worthy of our worship. In 43:6-9 it speaks of repentance, putting away the forms of idolatry that the people had engaged in. For us, entrance into fellowship with the Lord includes repentance and faith.

6 43:10-12 the angel instructs Zeke to describe the ideal plan which would remind the people of their sins and why the old temple was destroyed. The Lord is holy, His sanctuary and laws are holy and we are to live holy lives in obedience to Him.