Disclaimer

Disclaimer: I am not a Biblical scholar. All my posts and comments are opinions and thoughts formulated through my current understanding of the Bible. I strive to speak of things that can be validated through Biblical Scriptures, and when I'm merely speculating, I make sure to note it. My views can be flawed, and I thus welcome any constructive perspectives and criticisms!

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Ezekiel 17-19


Bible study with Dr. Chuck Missler

BACKGROUND READING

2 Kings 24:8-20
2 Chronicles 36:9-13
Jeremiah 37, 52:1-7
Isaiah 11, 53
Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45
Micah 4


OUTLINE OF EZEKIEL

Ezekiel 1-3: The Call of the Prophet
Ezekiel 4-24: God’s Judgment on Jerusalem (Given before the siege of Jerusalem)
Ezekiel 25-32: God’s Judgment on the Muslim Nations (Given during the siege)
Ezekiel 33-48: The Restoration of the Jews (Given after the siege)
Ezekiel 33-36: The Jews return to their land
Ezekiel 37: The Jews experience new life and unity
Ezekiel 38-39: The Jews are protected from Gog and Magog
Ezekiel 40-48: The Millennial Kingdom


REVIEW

We are in a context where Ezekiel, trained as a priest but called to the office of a prophet, was captive in Babylon. The first siege took Daniel captive; the second took Ezekiel; and, the third siege yet forthcoming (in about two years from this passage), would be the final fall and destruction of Jerusalem.

Ezekiel was not offering the Israelites hope. He had pointed out to them that Jerusalem would fall, that God was going to judge them for their idolatry and their sins. After swearing allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar, Zedekiah treacherously conspired against him and sought alliance with Egypt to avoid his commitments. The alliance, which Jeremiah had warned against, proved weak, unsatisfactory and foolhardy.


EZEKIEL 17: The Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine

Judah, Babylon, and Egypt are the three nations mentioned in the riddle and the parable of Ezekiel 17: It will be stated in Ezekiel 17:3-10 and explained in Ezekiel 17:11-21. The date of the prophecy is between the 6th month of Zedekiah’s 6th year of reign and the 5th month of the 7th year after the carrying away of Jehoiachin. This is almost five years before the destruction of Jerusalem.

A great eagle breaks off the topmost shoot of a cedar (Ezekiel 17:1-4)

“A great eagle” (Ezekiel 17:3)
This is the symbol of the Assyrian supreme god, Nisroch. This was applied to “the great king” of Babylon, his vicegerent on earth (Jeremiah 48:40; 49:22; Isaiah 46:11).

“… powerful wings” (Ezekiel 17:3)
These represent great forces. These symbols are now seen in the Assyrian remains and implied the wide extent of his empire.

“… varied colors” (Ezekiel 17:3)
This was in response to the variety of languages, habits, and costumes of the peoples subject to Babylon.

“… to Lebanon...” (Ezekiel 17:3)
This was a pseudonym for the Temple at Jerusalem, called “Lebanon” by Jews because its woodwork was wholly of cedars of Lebanon—Eusebius.

“… top of a cedar” (Ezekiel 17:4)
This was the fleece-like tuft at the top of the tree (Ezekiel 31:3-14). It represents the nation Israel, specifically, the royal house of David, King Jeconiah, then but eighteen years old, and many of the chiefs and people with him (2 Kings 24:8, 12-16). The cedar, as a tall tree, was the symbol of kingly elevation. (Cf. Daniel 4:10-12, the chapter in the Bible that Nebuchadnezzar wrote!)

The Great Eagle
This is a picture of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who is going to come and crop the top of the tree. Jeremiah used it as he wrote of Nebuchadnezzar:

Jeremiah 48:40
This is what the LORD says: “Look! An eagle is swooping down, spreading its wings over Moab.

Jeremiah 49:22
Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down, spreading its wings over Bozrah. In that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

Daniel saw the Babylonian Empire rising up out of the sea, and it was in the form of a lion with eagle’s wings (Daniel 7:4).

“… topmost shoot” (Ezekiel 17:4)
This referred to the very young King Jeconiah, 18 years old, sometimes called Coniah, sometimes called Jehoiachin.
Jeconiah was carried to Babylon, the city of merchants and trade. He was carried into captivity, leaving the Judean throne vacant.

Babylon (2 Kings 24:15-16), was famous for its transport traffic on the Tigris and Euphrates. Also, by its connection with the Persian Gulf, it carried on much commerce with India.

The great eagle plants a seedling in fertile soil (Ezekiel 17:5-6)

“... seedlings of the land” (Ezekiel 17:5)
Nebuchadnezzar, in an attempt to be lenient, replaced Jeconiah not with a foreigner, but with Zedekiah who was “of the seed of the land,” a native of the region; a son of the soil; not a foreigner.

“... like a willow” (Ezekiel 17:5)
The Hebrew word for willow was derived from a Hebrew root, “to overflow,” from its fondness for water (Isaiah 44:4). Judea was “a land of brooks of water and fountains” (Deuteronomy 8:7-9; John 3:23).

“... low, spreading vine… branches turned toward him…” (Ezekiel 17:6)
This expressed the fealty of Zedekiah as a vassal looking up to Nebuchadnezzar, to whom Judah owed its peace and very existence as a separate state. The “branches” represent his sons and the other princes and nobles. The implication, in the way this is presented, is that if nothing else happened, he would have blossomed.

The impression we get from Ezekiel here is that if Zedekiah had kept his oath of allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar, there would have been prosperity. The “fruitful field” suggests favorable conditions (Isaiah 44:4).

Another great eagle attracts the attention of the vine (Ezekiel 17:7-8)

“...another great eagle” (Ezekiel 17:7)
This eagle was a rival to the first one. The first one was Babylon; the second one was Egypt, under the leadership of Pharaoh Hophra (Jeremiah 44:30; 37:7).

Nebuchadnezzar took Egypt, destroyed it, and made it subject to himself.

Treacherous Rebellion
As mentioned above, this second eagle represented Egypt, under Pharaoh Hopra. (2 Chronicles 36:9-13; Jeremiah 37:7; 44:30; 52:1-7).

When Zedekiah turned to him for support, Isaiah spoke out against such an alliance (Isaiah 30:1-7; 31:1-3). Jeremiah and Ezekiel also opposed this idea of Judah aligning with Egypt. The prophets Jeremiah, and Isaiah, and Ezekiel and others, all pointed out that Nebuchadnezzar was the instrument of God bringing judgment to the land in the first place.

Nebuchadnezzar had taken the youngest son of Josiah, Metaniah, put him on the throne as a vassal, and renamed him Zedekiah. Zedekiah swore an oath before the Lord to be loyal to Nebuchadnezzar.

The main thrust we get from this passage is that there really was no reason for Zedekiah’s revolt. They were not under oppression or dispersion; they were actually under a beneficial rule under Nebuchadnezzar. They had security under him. It was only through ambition and ingratitude that Zedekiah became insubordinate in his allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar.

When Ezekiel penned this prophecy, Zedekiah’s final revolt had not yet happened. This prophetic parable was written sometime between 592 BC (Ezekiel 8:1) and 591 BC (Ezekiel 20:1). Zedekiah’s final revolt against Babylon actually began in 587 BC. That is, Ezekiel predicted Zedekiah’s revolt almost five years before it happened.

Given its shifting allegiance, will the vine thrive? (Ezekiel 17:9-10)
Instead of being loyal to the first eagle, the vine treacherously turned to the second one. Ezekiel, like his contemporary, Jeremiah (Jeremiah 37:7), and his predecessor, Isaiah (Isaiah 30:1-7), was against this policy of an Egyptian alliance.

“... the east wind” (Ezekiel 17:10)
This represents Nebuchadnezzar (Cf. Job 27:21; Isaiah 27:8; Hosea 13:15).

Zedekiah was taken at Jericho, on Jewish soil (Jeremiah 52:8).

God explains the parable (Ezekiel 17:11-15)
This passage explains the symbolisms used in Ezekiel 17:1-10.

“... this rebellious people” (Ezekiel 17:11)
The history of Jehoiachin’s deportation and of Zedekiah’s oath of fealty is recapitulated (2 Chronicles 36:13; Genesis 15:9-18; Jeremiah 34:8-22).

“... under oath” (Ezekiel 17:13)
This speaks of Zedekiah’s oath. The issue here is his oath.

“... leading men” (Ezekiel 17:13)
The might were taken as hostages for the fulfillment of the covenant.

Nebuchadnezzar dealt sincerely and openly in proposing conditions, and these moderate ones. Zedekiah’s treachery was the baser and was a counterpart to their treachery towards God.

“... horses” (Ezekiel 17:15)
Egypt abounded in them and were forbidden to Israel (Deuteronomy 17:16; Isaiah 31:1, 3; 36:9). The whole region from Thebes to Memphis was filled with royal stalls: 20,000 chariots with two horses in each could be furnished for war—Diodorus Siculus.

“Will he break the treaty?” (Ezekiel 17:15)
Nebuchadnezzar kept his side of the covenant. God’s people broke the covenant, but the pagan nation kept their side of it. Today, we will find people still carrying their Bibles, but their hearts are far from God, and we cannot believe what they say. On the other hand, there are people who although are unsaved, are men of integrity. God’s people should be men of integrity! We are supposed to be the light of the world!

Oaths
One of the issues in the Scripture is that an oath before the Lord, even an oath made under fraud, needs to be honored.
Even the Gibeonite oath, made on fraudulent premises, still had to be honored (Joshua 9; 2 Samuel 21:1-3).

Jeremiah had been warning Zedekiah that he had made an oath and he would have to hold to it. However, Zedekiah went ahead despite those warnings and sought aid from Egypt. The swearing of an oath in the Old Testament was authenticated by accompanying sacrifices. That involved the Lord who took them seriously.

God pronounces judgment on the rebellious king (Ezekiel 17:16-21)

“… he shall die in Babylon) (Ezekiel 17:16)
Zedekiah was exposed to death by his treason.

“... Pharaoh” (Ezekiel 17:17)
This was Pharaoh Hophra (Jeremiah 37:7; 44:30), the successor of Necho (2 Kings 23:29). The Pharaoh here was Apries of the Greeks. [Pharaoh Necho was earlier the refuge for the Levites and the Ark of the Covenant during Josiah’s reign (2 Chronicles 35).] For more than a thousand years, from 1600 BC onward, the Egyptians led in terms of exploitation by chariots, horses, calvary, etc.

“... my oath” (Ezekiel 17:19)
The implication by God saying, “MY” oath was that there had been a sacrifice with this oath, so that it was no longer just a little commitment on the part of Zedekiah. With a sacrifice, it had become the Lord’s covenant. God Himself must therefore avenge the violation of His covenant “on the head” of the perjurer (Cf. Psalm 7:16).

God entrapped Zedekiah just as he had tried to entrap others (Psalm 7:15). Again, this was spoken almost five years before the fall of Jerusalem (Cf. Ezek 8:1; 20:1). God, speaking through Ezekiel, on the treachery of trying to allure an alliance with Egypt, shows it will fail.

Sometimes, God allows a godless nation to harass and actually destroy a people who claim to be God’s people but have departed from Him.

The King of the Davidic Line (Ezekiel 17:22-24)
Ezekiel 17-18 deal with the ending of the Dynasty of David, the succession of kings in Judah: But in the middle are three verses (Ezekiel 17:22-24) which deal with the most important King of the Davidic line, namely the Messiah.

“... I will also” (Ezekiel 17:22)
God opposes Himself to Nebuchadnezzar: He took of the seed of the land and planted it (Ezekiel 17:3, 5); so will I but with better success than he had. The branch Nebuchadnezzar plucked (Zedekiah) and planted flourished but for a time but will perish at last – Not the branch that God will plant!

“... a shoot from the very top of a cedar” (Ezekiel 17:22)
The Lord declares that He himself will pluck off a shoot from the top of the high cedar (the Davidic house; Isaiah 53:2) and plant it on a high mountain, that all may see it and find protection under it (Isaiah 2:2; 11:10 Ezekiel 17:23; Matthew 13:31-32).

When the state of Israel shall seem past recovery, the Messiah, the Jehovah Himself, will unexpectedly appear on the scene as Redeemer of His people (Isaiah 63:5).

The Branch
This is one of the titles of the Messiah (Zechariah 3:8; 6:12; Isaiah 11:1; 4:2; Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15).

“... tender sprig” (Ezekiel 17:22)
This speaks of the Messiah, who is tender-hearted, who is “a tender plant and root out of a dry ground” (Isaiah 53:2). The beginning of His kingdom is humble: His reputed parents were of lowly rank, though they were King David’s lineal representatives. Yet, God here calls Him, in respect to His purpose, “the highest… of the high” (Psalm 89:27).

“... high and lofty mountain” (Ezekiel 17:22)
Zion is destined to be the moral center and eminence of grace and glory shining forth to the world, out-topping all mundane elevation. The kingdom shall have its highest manifestation at His reappearing to reign on Zion and over the whole earth (Psalm 2:6, 8; Isaiah 2:2, 3; Jeremiah 3:17).

“... make the low tree grow tall” (Ezekiel 17:24)
Contrast the tree that God plants with the tree that Nebuchadnezzar planted.

This passage is an echo to Psalm 89, the essence of which is that the Covenant with David would never be made void or annulled.

The establishment of this new and universal kingdom by YHWH will lead the world to recognize him as the Lord of human life and the Controller of Israel’s destiny. Other kingdoms are likewise called trees (Ezek 31:5, 8, 14, 16, 18). For passages in Ezekiel concerning God’s kingdom, see Ezekiel 21:27; 34:24; 37:24; 40-48; Luke 1:51-55.

“... I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it” (Ezekiel 17:24)
God speaks about things yet future as if they were done, because He ordained them. This prophecy was not fulfilled when Israel returned to the land after the Babylonian Captivity. The fulfillment of Ezekiel 17:22-24 awaits God’s establishment of Israel in the Millennium under the Messiah, Jesus Christ. At that time God’s kingdom will rule the world (Daniel 2:44-45; Zechariah 14:3-9, 16-17).

Blood Curse on Jeconiah (Jeremiah 22:24-30)
After David, there were all kinds of bad kings, declining and getting worse spiritually and into idolatry. In Jechoniah (aka, Coniah, Jechoiachin), we see the end.

God pronounced upon Jechoniah a blood curse and said none of his seed would rule any more in Judah. The genealogy in Matthew begins with “the first Jew”: Abraham. Luke begins his with Adam (“Son of God” vs. ourselves, sons of Adam). The next 10 names are familiar from Genesis 5, and from Abraham to David, the two lists are identical.

As the list continues in Matthew, we note that Matthew took the royal line, all the way down to Joseph. Jesus is thus the legal heir of the Davidic covenant through Joseph. Did Jesus also inherit the blood curse? No! Because Jesus is not the blood son of Joseph!

Luke’s account, however, took the genealogy through Nathan, not the royal line, down to Mary. Jesus is the blood son of Mary.

God promised David that the Messiah, Jesus, would be the heir of the House and Lineage of David – And in Jesus’ case, we see that the two are not always synonymous. The legal lineage (House) was through Joseph; the blood lineage was through Mary!

We also note that Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah all died violent deaths – This was God dealing with idolatry literally “to the 3rd and 4th generations” (Exodus 20:4-5). Their names were “blotted out” according to the Law (Deuteronomy 29:20):
• Ahaziah was slain by Jehu (2 Kings 9)
• Joash was slain by servant (2 Kings 12)
• Amaziah was slain by Jerusalem (2 Kings 14)

Deuteronomy 29:20
The LORD will never be willing to forgive them; his wrath and zeal will burn against them. All the curses written in this book will fall on them, and the LORD will blot out their names from under heaven.

Jeremiah 22:30
This is what the LORD says: “Record this man as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah.”

This blood curse suggests the Davidic line ended with Jeconiah, that the dynasty ended before the Messiah could be born. But ah, let us not forget the virgin birth!

Daughters of Zelophehad
There was a Torah exception on rules of inheritance—requested of Moses (Numbers 27:1-11) and granted by Joshua (Joshua 17:3-6). This was the result of a petition by the daughters of Zelophehad, which provided for inheritance through the daughter, if no sons were available, and if she married within her tribe. The husband would be adopted as a son by father of the bride (Ezra 2:61; Nehemiah 7:63; Numbers 32:41; 1 Chronicle 2:21-23, 34-35) and therefore receive the inheritance. This exception anticipated the lineage of Christ: Joseph was the son-in-law of Heli (Luke 3:23), who received inheritance of Heli by his marriage to Mary. Both Joseph and Mary were of the line of David. Joseph came through David’s son, Solomon (and so did Jeconiah), whereas Mary came through David’s other son, Nathan. Hence, the virgin birth of Christ circumvented the blood curse of Jeconiah and allowed Christ to be of the line of David by blood through Mary and by law through Joseph! Every detail—even in the regulations of the Torah—are there by deliberate design and always point to Christ!


EZEKIEL 18: The one who sins is the one who will die

In Ezekiel 15-17, Ezekiel delivered three parables to convict the nation of her sin. He now returned with bluntness in a direct message to drive home the fact of Israel’s guilt. The message in Chapter 18 is similar to that in Ezekiel 12:21-28, for they both addressed the people’s proverbs in their attempt to deny their coming judgment.

Sin by Heredity?
In Ezekiel 18, God emphasizes that these people are going to be judged for their personal sin. The concept that they had invoked, both from the proverb and from the Torah, was that the iniquity of the fathers was visited upon the children, and they are going to use that as an excuse, saying in effect, “Okay, you’re judging us, but you are judging us for the sins of our fathers.”

Through Ezekiel, God thus emphasizes their personal responsibility and uses several examples in rebuttal to their hereditary arguments. That is, God will judge them for their PERSONAL sin.

The concept of personal responsibility is not a new idea. Ezekiel talked about it in Ezekiel 3 and 14. It is also dealt with in the Torah in Deuteronomy 24 and in 2 Kings 14.

God rebukes the children of Israel of their false proverbs (Ezekiel 18:1-4)
The children of Israel had a proverb they used, and it is mentioned twice by Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 31:29
In those days people will no longer say, “The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.”
Lamentations 5:7 Our ancestors sinned and are no more, and we bear their punishment.

The point of these passages was that the effects of sin are serious and long-lasting, not that God capriciously punishes the innocent for their ancestors’ evil ways.

These proverbs may have been built upon a passage back in Exodus:

Exodus 20:5 (Cf. Exodus 34:6,7; Deuteronomy 5:9) 
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.

The problem is that the proverbs they drew from this verse are incorrect. This is the danger in lifting out a verse of Scripture without considering its context. This is a false proverb: The fathers ate the grapes, and the children paid the penalty. That is true to a certain extent, but God judges the individual, father or son, according to his conduct. This is not a judgment for eternal life, but a judgment in this life according as a man obeys or disobeys Him.

Dodging Blame
It is a universal mark of corrupt nature to lay the blame, which belongs to ourselves, on others and to arraign the justice of God -- Just as the modern Jews attribute their present dispersion, not to their own sins, but to those of their forefathers; just as we see in Genesis 3:12, where Adam transfers the blame of his sin to Eve, and even to God, saying, “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.”

“The one who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:4)
God is speaking of the way in which He judges individuals in this life.

“Live” (Ezekiel 18:9, 17, 19) and “die” (Ezekiel 18:4, 13, 18) are used in both a literal and an eschatological sense. “To live” is to enter into the perfect kingdom of the Lord which is about to come (Ezekiel 37-48); “to die” is to have no share in it. Ezekiel, like other Old Testament writers, sees this kingdom as an earthly one.

We need to look at the entire Ezekiel 18 from that viewpoint. Ezekiel anticipates here and Ezekiel 18:32 the teaching of Paul:

1 Timothy 2:4 
… who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

Deuteronomy 24:16
Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.

Three Generations of Father, Son, Grandson (Ezekiel 18:5-18)
While these examples may idiomatically/rhetorically make a point rhetorically, it is also reasonable to parallel the 3 figures with the 3 kings of Judah):
– The just father, Hezekiah
– The ungodly son, Manasseh
– The just grandson, Josiah

The Just Father (Ezekiel 18:5-9)
These verses speak of a righteous life presented in the Old Testament.

“...eaten...” refers to the feasts which were connected with the sacrifices (Exodus 32:6; Deuteronomy 32:38; Judges 9:27; 1 Corinthians 8:4, 10; 10:7).

“Upon the mountains” here refers to the places where their idol worshiping was conducted; and eating of that implied the partaking in the idol festivities and rites (Deuteronomy 12:13-14).

“… neighbor’s wife... menstrous woman...”
These refer to the respecting of marriage rights (Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:22) and laws respecting unclean women (Leviticus 15:24; 18:19; and 20:18).

“... restored to the debtor his pledge”
Cf. Exodus 22:26,27; Deuteronomy 24:10-13; Amos 2:8

“... hath given his bread...”
This refers to distribution of food to the hungry (Isaiah 58:7; Matthew 25:35, 36).

“... usury...”
Jews were forbidden to take interest from their needy brethren (Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:25-37; Deuteronomy 23:19) but were permitted interest on loans to foreigners (Deuteronomy 23:20).

“... he shall surely live...”
God is talking about this life, not eternal life. God will bless him in this life—this is the blessing of the Old Testament.

This character, the Just Father, is a just man. The son is going to be ungodly: a robber, a murdered, and a lot of other horrible things. But then the grandson is going to be just, and that point is to put to silence the idea that you are being punished for your father’s sins.

The Unjust Son (Ezekiel 18:10-13)

“Will such a man live? He will not!” (Ezekiel 18:13)
A good father cannot pile up merit for his son (Cf. Ezekiel 14:16, 18). This illustrated the fallacy of the people’s proverb (Ezekiel 18:2) and the truth of God’s principle (Ezekiel 18:4).

The Just Grandson (Ezekiel 18:14-18)
Again, God stressed the fallacy of the proverbs. The Just Grandson will “not die for his father’s sin; he will surely live. But his father will die for his own sin.”

The one who sins is the one who will die (Ezekiel 18:19-20) 
Again, God is hammering home the message: “The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.”

Here, the Jews object to the Ezekiel’s word. In their objection, it seemed to seek a continuance of the very thing which they had originally made a matter of complaint. It now would seem a consolation to them to think the son might suffer for his father’s misdeeds—for it would soothe their self-love to regard themselves as innocent sufferers for the guilt of others and would justify them in their present course of life, which they did not choose to abandon for a better.

Ezekiel points out that neither son nor father will be held responsible for the other’s iniquity, but each person is individually responsible to God.

Repent and be forgiven (Ezekiel 18:21-23)
As a man does not inherit the consequences of what his fathers have done, so the individual, through repentance, can be emancipated from his own past.’

This is a call to repentance. This question reflects God’s mercy and his desire to save all. “Mercy” has been called “the most precious word in the whole Book of Ezekiel.” To Ezekiel, to Paul (1 Timothy 2:4), and to Peter (2 Peter 3:9), the mind of God is presented as being at once absolutely righteous and absolutely loving.

Stray and be judged (Ezekiel 18:24)
If men perish, it is because they will not come to the Lord for salvation, not that the Lord is not willing to save them (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9 John 5:40).

When we refuse to turn to God, we trample not merely on justice but on God’s mercy! What further hope can there be for us when we turn away even from mercy? (Hebrews 10:26-29).

Eternal Security
Ezek 18:24 (Cf. Ezekiel 3:17; 33:10-20) have been understood by some that a Christian may lose his righteous standing before God. But in support of the security of the believer, it should be observed that these passages in Ezekiel do not teach the eternal loss of a saved person, because the word “righteous” may refer to ceremonial religion (Cf. Matthew 5:20) and not the righteousness which is of God by faith (Cf. Philemon 3:7-9).

Moreover, the punishment threatened refers only to physical death rather than to eternal death. In any case, these texts in Ezekiel must be considered under the context New Testament affirmations, such as John 10:28-29; Romans 5:8-9; Philemon 1:6, etc. These New Testament texts clearly teach the security of the believer.

God’s way is just, and He will judge the unrighteous (Ezekiel 18:25-32)
God will judge each of Israelites according to their own ways, for their ways are unjust.

We are not perfect – but we ought to sincerely aim at perfection, so we may not fall into habitual and willful sin (1 John 3:6-9)! God alone can make us a new heart (Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26; Psalm 51:10).

Each one of us stands alone – We cannot blame our decisions and how we turn out on environment or upbringing, etc.

The teaching of Ezekiel 18 is a fitting response to today’s psychology, that the reason a person is irresponsible because his mother didn’t treat him right, or because her parents neglected her. Despite our circumstances, we always have a choice to make. We can always choose to take the easy way out, or we can stand to do what is right. Each one of us will stand before God one day, and shifting blame will not make us righteous or cover the sins we willfully commit.

Ezekiel made it very clear that Israelites will be judged in this life on the basis of the life they lived, REGARDLESS of them being a believer!

Freedom vs. Responsibility
How to harmonize the personal responsibility of the individual and his moral freedom with God’s justice in the treatment of every individual is a difficult problem, with which the Book of Job and Psalm 73 struggle. Even Socrates understood this dilemma: “It may be that Deity can forgive sins, but I don’t see how.” Only through the sacrifice of a Savior…


EZEKIEL 19: Lament over Israel’s leaders and land

Ezekiel 19 is not the lamentation of Ezekiel This is the lamentation of the Lord, the same LORD who later wept over Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37-39).

There are two lamentations:
1) The lamentations over the Princes of Judah (Ezekiel 19:1-9)
2) The lamentation over the Land of Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel (Ezekiel 19:10-14)

Ezekiel 19 is in parallel with Jeremiah’s review of Josiah’s successors (Jeremiah 22:10-30).

The first lion cub falls to Egypt (Ezekiel 19:1-4)
The lioness is Israel, the kingdom idealized and personified. The lionesses among whom she had lain down are the heathen kingdoms. The question asks why she had become one of them and adopted their cruelty and ferocity. Jerusalem was called Ariel (the lion of God) in a good sense (Isaiah 29:1).

This passage also alludes to Israel also being called, Judah, “a lion’s whelp” (Genesis 49:9) and also to Numbers 23:24; 24:9.

The cub, as Ezekiel 19:4 shows, is Jehoahaz, who “did evil” in the sight of the Lord (2 Kings 23:32). The words that follow point to cruelty and oppression like that of Zedekiah.

“The nations heard about him” (Ezekiel 19:4)
The king of Egypt, Pharaoh Necho, whose subjects were many nations, marched against Jerusalem, took Jehoahaz prisoner, and brought him to Egypt (2 Kings 23:33,34; Jeremiah 22:11), “with hooks/chains.” This literally means “nose rings,” such as those put into the nostrils of brutes or men (Ezekiel 38:4; 2 Kings 19:28; Isaiah 37:29).

The second lion cub falls to Babylon (Ezekiel 19:5-9)
The second lion cub, Jehoiachin (Ezekiel 19:9) became a complete heathen and made Judea as idolatrous as any of the surrounding nations. [Ezekiel passes over Jehoiakim (607-599 BC)].

Nebuchadnezzar carried off Jehoiachin to Babylon as Jehoahaz lad been to Egypt. The young lion was to roar in chains, not on the “mountains of Israel.”

Israel is a vine that has been uprooted (Ezekiel 19:10-14)
Israel is compared to a vine (Cf. Isaiah 5:1-7; 27:2, 3; Psalm 80:9; Mark 12:1-9). The vine, of course, was Israel, as we saw in Ezekiel 15 and 17 (Cf. Psalm 10; Isaiah 5).

Israel was “uprooted in fury” (Ezekiel 19:12), not gradually withered. The sudden upturning of the state was designed to awaken the Jews out of their torpor to see the hand of God in the national judgment.

“East wind” (Ezekiel 19:12) is Nebuchadnezzar.

“... a dry and thirsty land” (Ezekiel 19:13)
Chaldea was well watered and fertile. Here, the verse describes not Chaldea but the condition of the captive people.

God’s wrath was kindled by the perjury of Zedekiah who by his perjury brought about the destruction of Jerusalem by fire.

The End of the Dynasty
There was no lawful king left. The royal line was cursed. That leaves only One who can be heir to the Throne of David. The only rightful King left is the Messiah Himself, who is alive today. He never sat on David’s throne as the angel promised Mary He would (Luke 1:32).This was also confirmed by James at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:13-18; Amos 9:11,12).

Another point we should gain from these quaint historic episodes is the fact that God is real and He is serious. The way He dealt with those kings can serve as a sobering lesson for us. God has gone through incredible trouble to lay out His plan for our redemption. He has fulfilled His commitments to the letter, precisely, faithfully, without exception.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Ezekiel 15-16

Bible study with Dr. Chuck Missler


EZEKIEL 15: PARABLE OF THE UNFRUITFUL VINE

There are at least four idioms for Israel

1) The Olive Tree
2) The Fig Tree
3) The Vine
4) The Bramble Bush

Parable of Jotham (Judges 9:7-15)

• The Olive Tree was an idiom for the covenant relationship between YHWH and Israel (Romans 11; Jeremiah 11).
• The Fig Tree was a common idiom which speaks of Israel in a national sense (Matthew 24:32).
• The Vine speaks of the SPIRITUAL relationship between Israel and YHWH (Isaiah 5:1-7; Hosea 10:1; Genesis 49:22; Deuteronomy 32:32; Jeremiah 2:21; Ezekiel 17:6; Psalm 80:8-16)
• The Bramble Bush was idiomatic of Israel in terms of their failure (Judges 9:14-15).

The purpose of a vine is to bear fruit (Ezekiel 15:1-5)

The purpose of a vine is not for making furniture, etc. It either produces fruit or is burnt up in fire. The vine that does not produce fruit, it is set aside – not even useful to make a peg (Ezekiel 15:3)

Revelation 14:18-20 (Cf. Isaiah 63; Matthew 21:33-46; John 15) 

Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, "Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth's vine, because its grapes are ripe." The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.

“… fire burns both ends” (Ezekiel 15:4)

The Northern Kingdom had already been overturned by Assyria under Tiglath-Pileser. The Southern Kingdom was then being pressed on by Egypt (Cf. 2 Kings 23:29-35).

Jerusalem is a useless vine destined for burning (Ezekiel 15:6-8).

Jerusalem became a vine destined for burning (Ezekiel 5:2; 10:2, 7; 16:38).

Israelites would escape the burning city, only to meet another fate (Ezekiel 5:4; 11:9; 12:14; 23:25).

The Vine

Unregenerate man in general is tough, twisted, unworkable, fit only for fuel (judgment); Israel in particular (Ezekiel 15; Isaiah 5)!

Jesus transforms the vine and applies it to Himself —The True Vine (John 15), with Christians being His branches, to bear fruit for Him.

EZEKIEL 16: PARABLE OF AN ABANDONED BABY


This allegory, like that in Ezekiel 23, depicts the connection between the Lord and his people in terms of a husband-wife relationship (Cf. Hosea 2; Jeremiah 2:1-3; 3:1-5).


Overview of the Parable

A foundling child of dubious origin, Jerusalem is exposed by the roadside to die. Fortunately, she is rescued by the Lord, who becomes her benefactor (Ezekiel 16:1-7). Having grown up to beautiful maidenhood, she is taken in marriage by her benefactor and becomes His royal consort (Ezekiel 16:8-14). She becomes a proud queen and proves to be utterly unfaithful and plays the harlot with Canaanites and other pagans (Ezekiel 16:15-34).

The Adulterous Wife of YHWH

Isaiah had spoken of the “faithful city that had become a harlot.” (Isaiah 1:21). Jeremiah had represented YHWH as remembering “the kindness of her youth, the love of her espousals” (Jeremiah 2:2). Hosea, the forerunner who, in order that his own life might be itself a parable, was ordered to take to himself “a wife of whoredom,” one whose character was tainted before her marriage (Hosea 1:2).

Ezekiel does not recognize any period in which Israel had been as a faithful wife.


The punishment for this conduct (Ezekiel 16:35-43) was justified, since Israel’s depravity was worse than that of her two sisters, Sodom and Samaria (Ezekiel 16:44-52). Nevertheless, the Lord makes glorious promises of restoration for the three sisters (Ezekiel 16:53-58), foretelling that penitent Jerusalem will experience a glorious reconciliation through an everlasting covenant (Ezekiel 16:59-63).


Jerusalem is an abandoned child (Ezekiel 16:1-5)

Who was the little orphan? Who was the little dirty, filthy child who has been thrown out? It was the city of Jerusalem. She was an orphan child who was just thrown out—abandoned and uncared for. This does not speak of the origin of the nation Israel; it is not speaking of Abraham and Sarah.

The City of Jerusalem
The history of Jerusalem is that it was an Amorite city: “But in the fourth generation they [that is, the children of Israel] shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full” (Genesis 15:16). Hammurabi (1728-1686 BC), of the first dynasty of Babylon, was an Amorite.

Jerusalem was a Hittite city also. A non-Semitic people, resident in Asia Minor in the second millennium BC, Israel, of course, descended from Shem (Genesis 10:21-31). By contrast, Jerusalem, before it was conquered by David (1 Chronicles 11:4-9) was a Canaanite city. Canaan descended from Ham, not Shem (Genesis 10:6-20).


The city’s early inhabitants were called Jebusites (Judges 19:10-12). Through Ezekiel’s description, the “Jebusite city” was never really of pure Israelite descent. Its people descended from Canaanites, Amorites, and Hittites and are tainted, as by a law of heredite, with the vices of their forefathers. [Reference: The doctrine of heredite: “Like father, like son.”]

Canaanites

The Canaanites represented the dwellers in the lowland country west of the valley of the Jordan. The plains of Philistia, Sharon, Esdraelon, and Phoenicia; their leading representatives in Ezekiel’s time were the cities of Tyre and Zidon.

The knowledge of the true God had originally been in Canaan, handed down from Noah (hence we find Melchisedek, king of Salem, in Canaan, “priest of the most high God”; Genesis 14:18), but Canaan apostatized from it. This was what constituted the blackness of the Canaanites’ guilt.


Amorites

The Amorites were people of the mountains—at first, west of the Jordan, on the heights over the Dead Sea and as far as Hebron; afterwards, under Sihon, on the high tablelands east of the Jordan.

The Hittites

The Hittites appear first in the history of the purchase of the cave of Macphelah (Genesis 23) at Kirjath-Arba, or Hebron, and that history implies commerce and culture. They are always numbered with six other nations, whom the Israelites were to conquer or expel (Exodus 3:8; 13:5; 33:2; 34:11). Esau’s marriage with the daughters of two Hittite chiefs implies, perhaps, a recognition of their value as allies (Genesis 26:34).

Children of Satan (John 8:39-47)

“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the works of your own father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

“… your mother a Hittite” (Ezekiel 16:3)

This alluded to Esau’s wives, daughters of Heth, whose ways vexed Rebekah (Genesis 26:34,35;27:46), but pleased the degenerate descendants of Jacob. These descendants were called, in respect of morals, children of the Hittite (Cf. Ezekiel 16:45).

In the late historical books, Hittites seldom appear. One Hittite captain, Uriah, occupied a high position in David’s army (2 Samuel 11:3). The kings of the Hittites traded with Solomon and gave their daughters to him in marriage (1 Kings 10:29). They appear for the last time as possible allies of the kings of Judah (2 Kings 7:6), in the lists of the older nations (Ezra 9:1; Nehemiah 9:8). Then, they disappear from the pages of history.


Much light on their history has emerged through recent Egyptian and other discoveries.


God nurtures the abandoned child, Jerusalem (Ezekiel 16:6-14)

Cf. Revelation 12

“... spread the corner of my garment over you” (Ezekiel 16:8)

This is an idiom of betrothal and is reminiscent of the request of Ruth to Boaz (Ruth 3:9), where Ruth solicited Boaz to be her kinsman redeemer.

“I bathed you with water” (Ezekiel 16:9)

Preparatory ceremonies for the nuptials (Cf. Ruth 3:3; Hosea 2; Malachi 2:14; Ezekiel 19).

“... sandals of fine leather” (Ezekiel 16:10)

The leather was made from badger’s skins. These skins were also used as the outer covering of the tabernacle, which was, as it were, the nuptial tent of God and Israel (Exodus 26:14), and the material of the shoes worn in the wanderings.

God adorns His wife (Ezekiel 16:11-12)

Cf. Genesis 24:22, 47

God is saying, “This is what I did for Jerusalem.” What do you have to boast about? I think the application to our lives is quite obvious: you and I have a pretty bad background. Adam and Eve became sinners, and you and I were born in iniquity. David said, “… in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5), and David is no different than you and me. That is our origin, our background—we were all dead in trespasses and sin.


At this point, Jerusalem had risen to become the queen, whose “fame spread among the nations” (Ezekiel 16:13-14). This points to the magnificence of the kingdom under Solomon.


Jerusalem becomes a harlot (Ezekiel 16:15-19)

At her height, Jerusalem fully matured into a beautiful young woman. Yet, instead of remaining faithfully to God, she played the harlot. She went into idolatry and turned her back on Him.

Jerusalem forgot the One who had supplied her with her wealth and turned away from Him (Deuteronomy 6:10-12; 8:10-20).


Starting in Solomon’s reign (1 Kings 11:7-13) and until her fall to Nebuchadnezzar, Jerusalem turned away from God and marched right into idolatry. Jerusalem had times of revival, but the general trend was downward.


The penalty for adultery in ancient Hebrew culture was stoning. How did Jerusalem fall in 70 AD? Not one stone remained standing.


Jerusalem sacrifices her children to false idols (Ezekiel 16:20-22)


Moloch Worship

Cf. Ezekiel 20:26; 23:37-39; Exodus 22:29; Judges 11:39; 2 Kings 16:3; 21:6; 23:10; Jeremiah 7:31; 19:5; 32:35

Child sacrifice never entirely ceased as long as the monarchy of Judah lasted (2 Kings 16:3; Psalm 106:37; Isaiah 57:5; Jeremiah 7:32; 19:5; Micah 6:7; Leviticus 18:21; 20:2).


Jerusalem turns to form allegiances with idolatrous nations (Ezekiel 16:23-29)

Now, Ezekiel addressed the later forms of evil which had been adopted from more distant nations, especially the worship of Baal and Moloch (Ezekiel 16:15-22) and alliances with heathen nations (Ezekiel 16:23-34). This took place from the time of Solomon to that of Ahaz and Manasseh.
Jerusalem formed an alliance with Egypt (Ezekiel 16:26; Cf. Isaiah 30:1; 31:1; 2 Kings 18:21).

The Philistines attacked Judah and Jerusalem (Ezekiel 16:27) in the reigns of Jehoram (2 Chronicles 21:16-17) and Ahaz (2 Chronicles 28:16-19).


Jerusalem formed alliances with Assyria and Babylon (Ezekiel 16: 28-29), a part of Ahaz’s and Manasseh’s pro-Assyria policy (2 Kings 16:7; 21:1; 2 Chronicles 33:1) (Cf. Ezekiel 17:4; Hossea 12:7; Zephaniah 1:11; Zechariah 14:21)


God judges Jerusalem (Ezekiel 16:30-39)

The conduct of Ahaz in stripping the Temple of its gold and silver to pay tribute to Assyria (2 Kings 16:8) gives an apt illustration of what Ezekiel spoke of in Ezekiel 16:30-33 (Cf. Hosea 12:1; Isaiah 30:6).

Jerusalem was the adulterous wife who forsook her husband and gave what belonged to Him to strangers.


Ezekiel 16:34-46 interweaves a description of the punishment of an adulteress with a preview of the destruction of Jerusalem.


Ezekiel 16:37-39 signifies the exposure of the adulteress.


Jerusalem and her sister cities, Samaria and Sodom (Ezekiel 16:40-58)
This passage is an analogy between Jerusalem and her sister cities, Samaria and Sodom. The knowledge of the true God had originally been in Canaan, handed down from Noah (hence we find Melchisedek, king of Salem, in Canaan, “priest of the most high God,” Genesis 14:18), but Canaan apostatized from it; this was what constituted the blackness of the Canaanites’ guilt.

Samaria and Sodom, one was north and the other was south of Jerusalem—Both cities are known for their gross sins and divine judgment.


The prophetic destruction of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 16:53-58) will cause unholy glee among the Edomites and Philistines (Ezekiel 25:12-14, 15-17; Psalm 137:7-9).


God will remember Jerusalem (Ezekiel 16:59-63)

Cf. Deuteronomy 30

“I will remember...” (Ezekiel 16:60)

This is a continual source of encouragement to God’s people to have the assurance from His Word that He remains faithful even when they themselves are unfaithful (2 Timothy 2:13)!

“... an everlasting covenant” (Ezekiel 16:60)

God is going to make good His covenants with the nation Israel. The sin of these people, their rebellion, their constant departure from Him, their backsliding, will not annul, abrogate, or destroy God’s covenant with them.
Jerusalem had broken the covenant made in her youth at the Exodus (Cf. Ezekiel 16:8, 43), the covenant that she made to keep the Law of the LORD. Consequently, she will be judged. However, in the day of her repentance, God will give her an everlasting covenant (Cf. Ezekiel 37:26; Isaiah 54:9-10; 55:3; Jeremiah 31:35-36; 32:40; 33:20-22). God is faithful and always fulfills His covenants. Man, on the hand, is flawed and fails to keep his covenant – as illustrated through Israel.

Samaria and Sodom (representatives of the heathen world) will be included in the new covenant as an act of grace, since the former covenant broken by Israel did not include them.


These passages make it very clear that God still has a future purpose with the nation Israel (Romans 9-11).



Dr. Missler's Reflections


Let these passages be a personal lesson for each one of us

The destruction of Jerusalem was to be God’s answer to the disputing Jews. God speaks to us through his providence. History is a record of God’s answers to man’s questions. Such an answer has many merits.

1. It is perceptible to all. The fall of Jerusalem sent a shock through the Jewish world.


2. It is clear and unmistakable. God had threatened judgment. Would his threat prove true? Who could doubt the meaning of the terrible response?


3. It is irreversible. An event which has once occurred can never be undone. The lessons of history are eternal.

Friday, May 10, 2013

The Honest Trifles Of Darkness


From the April 09, 2013 eNews issue
Visit Koinonia House for a FREE subscription


Leviticus 19:31
Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

Shakespeare’s Macbeth is famous for its witches. These three crones are not out producing butterflies and gum drop forests. They are cauldron-fillers who consult with evil spirits, who use baboon's blood, nose of Turk, and Tarta’s lips in their foul brews. In the end, their words deceive Macbeth and direct him on a path that eventually leads to him to murder his king, his friend Banquo and the wife and children of a man who had done him no harm. In the end, Macbeth’s wife commits suicide and Macbeth himself is slaughtered, losing all he had so bloodily gained.

People are fascinated with the occult, and young people think it is “scary” to visit graveyards and conjure spirits, to play with ouija boards and consult the dead. It’s vital we remember that these spooky pursuits may seem like harmless fun, but can open doors that allow in evils far more real than Macbeth’s witches.

The Exorcist
In 1973, The Exorcist terrified audiences by portraying a little girl possessed by demons and the efforts of two priests to cast out the spiritual forces and free her. William Blatty’s tale was inspired by a teenage boy from a Washington suburb in Maryland who was reportedly exorcised in 1949. The Washington Post offered one of many reports on the story August 20, 1949 in an article entitled, “Priest Frees Mt. Rainier Boy Reported Held in Devil’s Grip.” In it, Bill Brinkley writes:

“…In all except the last of these, the boy broke into a violent tantrum of screaming, cursing and voicing of Latin phrases—a language he had never studied—whenever the priest reached the climactic point of the ritual, ‘In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, I cast thee (the devil) out.’”

Despite the horrifying content, movie goers flocked to The Exorcist as well as to other movies like Poltergeist (1982) and The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005). Demon possession and the paranormal fascinate audiences.

The Evil Dead
A movie coming out later this month offers an attempt at producing the most in-your-face bloody horror flick of all time. When a group of young adults hide out in a cabin in the woods, one fellow foolishly unleashes a demon through a book of witchcraft. The film depicts sacrificed cats hanging from the ceiling and a demonic tree that strangles and rapes a young woman. From amputations and throat slitting to shooting each other with nail guns, the movie lets blood flow as it shows the obscene horrors that demon possessed human beings can commit against each other. As bloody and horrific as the movie is, movie-goers are expected to pack the theaters for the thrill of being terrified.

Even without focusing on complete gore, a second Insidious movie will come out later this year, glorifying the occult and the demonic haunting that already had victory over the Lambert family in the first movie. Another movie to be released this summer, The Conjuring, portrays the efforts of two paranormal investigators to help a family dealing with spirits haunting their New England home.

Destructive Curiosity
It is easy to get too interested in demonic activity. In the Bible, Jesus told demonic forces to be quiet before he cast them out (Luke 4:35). He did not engage them in conversations past finding out their names (Mark 5:7–13). 

The law repeatedly orders the children of Israel to stay away from occultic activities:

Deuteronomy 18:10-12
There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

The Truth About Evil Spirits

Evil spirits are smart
Remember the shrewd serpent in the Garden (Genesis 3:1). Just as Satan knew how to trick Eve, demonic forces know exactly how to get to us. It’s foolish to even talk to them, let alone ask them questions for the sake of knowing the answers.

Evil spirits can know unexpected amounts of information about us and our loved ones
Which means they can pretend to be anybody. The girl possessed with the spirit of divination in Acts 16:16–18 was not putting on a show. When Paul and Silas cast the demon out, the girl’s masters were angry that their source of income had been ruined.

Evil spirits are amazing at deception
Satan is an expert liar and can appear as an angel of light (John 8:44, 2 Chronicles 11:14).

Jesus and Satan are not equals
Jesus has all the power and authority of the universe and we can have authority over evil spirits in Jesus’ name (Luke 4:36, Luke 9:1; Philemon 2:9–11). Satan is overcome by the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 12:9–11).

Messing with spiritual forces we don’t understand is dangerous and completely foolish. We might be able to win a fight with demonic powers, but it doesn’t mean the wrestle won’t leave scars.


One of the most telling lines in Macbeth is spoken by Banquo shortly after he and Macbeth first encounter the witches. The witches correctly called Macbeth “Thane of Glamis” out on the heath, and Macbeth soon learns he’s been named Thane of Cawdor, just as the witches predicted. Certainly, he would therefore be king as they promised as well? Banquo recognizes the supernatural power at work, but he’s suspicious. He says, “And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray’s in deepest consequence.” 

Banquo’s distrust turns out to be well founded. Macbeth is tricked with honest trifles, which sends him on his way to the dragon’s mouth.

Macbeth is just a story, but the same tactic is found in the Bible. Satan tempted Jesus in the desert using the scriptures themselves, but Jesus quoted the scriptures right back. This is why it’s so vital we study the whole word of God and test the spirits as 1 John 4:1 describes.

As Christians, we do not have to fear demons. Jesus Christ has authority over all spirits. Yet, we should absolutely not allow ourselves or our children to treat spiritual things lightly, even if they are packaged as an innocent-looking cardboard game from Parker Brothers. As 17th century Dutch jurist Hugo De Groot once said, “Ignorance of certain subjects is a great part of wisdom.”


Related References
• Insidious Review - MovieGuide
• Priest Frees Mt. Rainier Boy Reported Held in Devil’s Grip (8-10-1949) - The Washington Post
• The Haunted Boy of Cottage City - Strange Magazine
• Macbeth - Google Books
• Evil Dead Review - MovieGuide