Chapter 11: The Prophets: Ezekiel and Daniel
The Prophets
Ezekiel and Daniel
When the nation of Israel was taken captive to Babylon, the young men Ezekiel and Daniel were among them. God ministered to both the Jews and the Babylonians. The Lord never forsakes His people, especially to discipline them because of their sins. Evidence of God’s grace and God’s government is seen in both of these books.
Ezekiel
Ezekiel didn’t have an easy assignment as God’s servant. Like Jeremiah, he was a priest who became a prophet, which was a much more difficult calling. In 597 BC, he went to Babylon with the second wave of Jewish prisoners of war, and five years later, he received God’s call. The Lord directed him to supplement his messages with “action sermons” that were sometimes difficult and demanding, one of which was his wife’s death (24:15–27). I have counted ten of these action sermons, and I suggest you read them: 3:22–26; 4:1–3, 4–8, 9–11, 12–14; 5:1–3; 12:1–16, 17–20; 21:6–7, and 18–24. The prophet Jeremiah had sent a “pastoral letter” to the Jewish exiles in Babylon, instructing them to live normal lives as good examples and useful citizens in their new home (Jer. 29). Ezekiel’s ministry encouraged the exiles to obey that letter.
Ezekiel’s focus of attention is on the glory of God, and we may outhne his book as follows:
God’s Glory Is Revealed to Ezekiel
In the temple, the prophet Isaiah had seen a vision of Jesus enthroned in heaven (Isa. 6), but Ezekiel saw heaven opened to reveal four living creatures, each having four faces and four wings. He also saw a crystal foundation on which there was a glorious throne. The Lord was seated on it, and at each corner of the foundation was a wheel studded with eyes. These wheels turned and moved the foundation and the throne from place to place, and they could move in any direction. All of this was bathed in glory, and over it was a rainbow (1:28). It’s quite a remarkable vision! All of this was a vivid revelation of the sovereignty of God and His power to go anywhere and accomplish His will. The presence of the rainbow indicated that all things were working together for good (Rom. 8:28) and that God’s people need not fear.
The Lord had work for Ezekiel to do, for He made him a watchman (3:16–21). Like the men on the city wall, he was to be alert and warn the people of any danger in sight. The Jewish exiles in Babylon were to live to please God and bear witness of Him to their pagan neighbors and officials. The Lord made it clear to Ezekiel that His people were rebellious and impudent (2:1–5) and that it would be his responsibility to declare God’s Word and God’s will to them. All of this overwhelmed the prophet, and he fell on his face to the ground, but the Spirit of God took hold of him and lifted him to his feet. You will find other occasions in the text when the prophet had to be lifted up. If we trust God, the Lord will always help us stand when we are weak and succeed when we are discouraged. Ezekiel’s experiences in 3:1–15 remind us that we must feed on the Word of God if we are to have strength to be faithful servants.
God’s Glory Departs from the Temple
The work of the priests at the temple in Jerusalem was essential to the welfare of the Jewish nation, for the celebrating of the annual festivals as well as the daily ministries meant obedience to the Lord and devotion of the people to His will. But both the priests and the people were disobedient and had defiled the temple with their worship of idols. In Ezekiel’s day, the temple was defiled (5:11), and the Lord refused to dwell there any longer. God’s glory had entered the temple when King Solomon dedicated the structure to the Lord, declaring that it would be used for His glory alone (2 Chron. 7:1–3). Ezekiel chapter 10 describes the departure of God’s glory from the temple, and a sad event it was. The pagan religions all had gods, priests, and sacrifices, but not one of them had the glory of God dwelling in their temples. When God’s glory departed from the temple in Jerusalem, God abandoned Jerusalem.
God doesn’t live in our church buildings; He dwells in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Where two or three godly believers meet, Jesus is there in their midst. Yes, we want our blessed Lord with us when we meet to worship, hear the Word, and plead with the lost; but Revelation 3:20 warns us that our Savior might be outside the church trying to get in!
God’s Glory Is Not Found in the Gentile Nations
God planned for Israel to take the truth to the Gentiles (Gen. 12:1–3), and we do find Gentile believers in the Old Testament. But in the days of Ezekiel, not many Gentiles were believers. It’s interesting to note in the book of Acts that the early church focused on evangelizing the Jews and didn’t begin to reach the Gentiles until persecution drove them out of Jerusalem (Acts 8:1–4). Then the Lord called Paul to carry the good news to the Gentiles (9:1–22), and He sent Peter to the household of Cornelius, a Roman military officer. It was quite a struggle for some of the believing Jews to accept the saved Gentiles as their equals in Christ (15:1–29).
God’s Glory Returns to His People
These chapters describe a temple in a future kingdom promised to the people of Israel. Some Bible students interpret these chapters as referring to the church while others apply it specifically to the people of Israel, which is my own conviction. But the main point is this: God has promised His people that they will share in a kingdom where His glory will reside. Ezekiel was given a personal tour of this future kingdom and saw God’s glory, which had left the temple, return to the temple (43:1–5). Of what value is a temple if God’s glorious presence is missing?
Before the Lord can restore His people Israel, He must resurrect them from their “spiritual graves.” Read chapter 37 and note how the Lord will do this at some time in the future.
The important thing to remember is that the purpose of our lives and ministries is to glorify the Lord. “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). If we are in the will of God, no matter where we are or what we are doing, we should be able to say honestly, “Jehovah Shammah—the Lord is there” (Ezek. 48:35). Jesus promised, “I am with you always even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).
Daniel
Mention the name “Daniel,” and most Bible readers will immediately think of a lions’ den, handwriting on the wall, a rock smashing a huge statue, or a series of complex prophecies. But the book of Daniel is much more than a prophet’s narrative of what the Lord taught him and did through him. It’s also the account of what the Lord did in him. The Lord took a teenage Jewish prisoner of war, taught him and tested him, and made him into a great man of God. As he grew in knowledge, Daniel also grew in grace and character and became an influential leader in a wicked culture not unlike our own godless civilization today. The factors involved in this important maturing process are available to us today—if we will pay the price.
The Most High God
Daniel’s name means “God is my judge,” and he lived up to it. During his long residence in Babylon, he respected the kings and other government officers but walked and worked in the fear of the Lord. The title “Most High God” is found fourteen times in his book, and even the pagan king used it. “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant” (Ps. 25:14). The late V. Raymond Edman used to remind the students at Wheaton (IL) College that the fear of the Lord is the fear that drives out all other fears, and he was right.
Daniel mentions heaven twenty-eight times, and 4:25 says “the Most High rules.” King Nebuchadnezzar learned that the hard way. Because Daniel and his friends put the Lord first and let Him have control, they were able to exercise authority in the kingdom and still maintain their faith. The view we have of the Lord determines how much He will be able to do for us and with us. Remember that “the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men” (5:21).
Could the Lord have defeated the Babylonian army and rescued Jerusalem? Of course! But His people had sinned grossly, especially the civic leaders and the priests, and most of the people had ignored the warnings God sent by His servants. The false prophets made matters worse by preaching lies and giving the people false confidence. “God has a covenant with us,” they argued, “so we don’t have to worry.” But most of them had broken the covenant, and it was time for God to discipline His people.
Dedicated Friends
The four young men—Daniel and three friends—were the best of the best, and like Joseph with the Egyptians and Esther with the Persians, their good works and godly character honored the Lord and impressed the people. Of course, the “wise men” on the royal staff envied Daniel because of his remarkable gift of interpretation, but Daniel committed it all to the Lord and lived a long life of effective ministry. He never stood alone because the Lord was in control, and Daniel’s three friends stood by him and prayed for him too. Together they served the Lord and the king.
When I look back on my own life and ministry, I can’t help but thank the Lord for relatives and friends who encouraged me and enlightened me about the Christian life. Whether we like it or not, we are part of a family and we need each other. Just as families are not perfect, so churches are not perfect, and we need both if we want to be successful in life. Friends in the faith are not luxuries; they are necessities. Jesus chose twelve apostles. Paul had a host of friends who prayed for him and assisted him in many ways (see the closing chapters of his epistles), and history informs us that the highly esteemed church leaders worked hand-in-hand with others.
Obedient Hearts
Daniel “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself” (1:8), and his friends stood with him. The king’s food did not conform to the Mosaic law, but to rashly disobey the king was to ask for trouble and possibly death. The men prayed and talked about the matter with the steward who was appointed to serve them, and he agreed to test them in a Mosaic diet ten days. Had any one of the four men raised a fuss, that would have been dangerous; instead, they were gentle and appreciative. God blessed their efforts, and the problem was solved. We compromise too often on matters of separation because we go about it the wrong way. The four men didn’t give the impression that they were better than the Babylonians—just that they were different. As Solomon said, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Prov. 15:1). The Lord was testing the four men with a simple test, for He knew that more difficult tests would follow.
Open Windows
Daniel was a man of prayer. When living in his own private dwelling, he opened the windows that faced toward Jerusalem and prayed fervently to the Lord (6:10). When King Solomon dedicated the temple, he asked God to hear and answer his people’s prayers when they prayed toward the holy city of Jerusalem (1 Kings 8:26–30), and God said that He would. Believers today need not carry compasses to prayer meetings because we have God’s promises in the Scriptures that assure us He hears us and answers when we pray according to His will (1 John 5:14–15). Jesus tells us to go into our room and shut the door when we pray (Matt. 6:6), and Daniel encourages us to “open the window” by claiming the promises of God.
The Inspired Word of God
Daniel not only wrote one book of the Scriptures but he also read what other inspired prophets wrote. In chapter 9, he referred to the prophet Jeremiah’s writings concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and the return of the Jewish people to Jerusalem. Prayer and the Word of God go together (Acts 6:4). Jesus promised, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7). Prayer and the Word of God balance each other. Our desires must be controlled by the Word of God, or our praying will not be in the will of God. The Holy Spirit uses the Scriptures to develop and discipline our desires; otherwise, our requests will become selfish. Meditate on James 1:5–8.
ADVENTURE ASSIGNMENT #11
Set aside time to read the prayers found in Ezra 9, Nehemiah 9, and Daniel 9. How are they alike and how do they differ? Do you have these same “ingredients” in your prayers?