The Heart of Ezekiel 11

Yahweh makes an amazing, and well-known, promise to Israel in Ezekiel 11: He promises to return them from exile and to “remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh” (Ezek 11:19). Whenever I have read this passage or heard it preached, I’ve usually understood Ezekiel’s contrast to have been based on the physical qualities (softness/hardness; warmth/coldness) of “flesh” versus “stone.”

While their physical qualities are likely in the background, an interpretation more sensitive to Ezekiel’s use of language places the focus upon the contrast between the worship of Yahweh and that of Israel’s detestable idols. Earlier in Ezekiel, the rebellious idol-worshippers are described as having foreheads “like the hardest stone, harder than flint” (Ezek 3:9). They are people whose “adulterous hearts” have turned away from Yahweh, and whose eyes have “lusted after their idols” (Ezek 6:9). The connection between a “forehead as hard as stone” and a “heart of stone” is fairly concrete (excuse the pun...). The connection between Yahweh and "flesh" is less so, but arguable nonetheless. As in many prophetic texts, Yahweh is declared to be superior to idols and pagan gods because he is alive and has command of his senses and achieves mighty deeds for his people. Though there is no direct literary link between Yahweh and the “heart of flesh”, such a link can be suggested since the contrast Yahweh draws between "stone" and "flesh" comes in a passage which discusses where Israel's worship and allegiance should lie.

So then, given Ezekiel's use of "stone" and its contrast with "flesh," Yahweh is communicating that the make-up of Israel's heart will mirror the characteristics of the sort of deity they serve. They have worshiped lifeless idols made of stone, and so they receive a lifeless heart of stone. When their worship returns to Yahweh, he gives them a heart of flesh: a living heart from the living God.

"Don't Do as the Romans Do": Anti-assimilation and Old Testament Narrative in Revelation

This week I got to engage in some academic fun. I was invited to share a paper at Briercrest College and Seminary's Bible/Theology Colloquium. For those interested, here is a summary excerpt from the paper:

John’s use of Old Testament narrative in Revelation is united in purpose. His primary concern is to warn the churches of the grave danger of entering into the sexual immorality and idolatry so aggressively prescribed by the surrounding culture. His goal in alluding to Old Testament characters and narratives is to firmly assert the vital importance of remaining faithful to Jesus in the face of severe (and even deadly) persecution. Examples from Israel’s past are called to mind as both admonition against assimilation and motivation for repentance and endurance. John’s use of the Old Testament beckons, “Do not imitate the practices of the nations around you! Remember how Jezebel, Ahab, Balaam, and Pharaoh suffered on account of their wickedness, and Israel for its unfaithfulness!” 

From the stories of Jezebel and Balaam the churches are reminded of the destruction that falls upon those who are unfaithful to the Lord. From the stories of Daniel and Exodus, they are instructed to remember that God delivers those who remain his faithful servants. Though they might be crushed under an enemy’s heel now, they will ultimately receive vindication and restoration. God will not allow a beast to conquer them nor a Pharaoh to enslave them forever. He will utterly destroy these satanic enemies, and will set up his people in a place of authority, even to rule with him. John’s message is one of concern and hope. His desire is for all the churches to be included among the overcomers, those who will make up the faithful bride of Christ.

If you are interested in the rest of the paper, it can be downloaded here.

Winter winds blow whilst ye still remain

I often wonder what scholars of the future will say about the things we experience everyday here and now. In much of the reading I've done on the historical Jesus or on the historical background of the New Testament, or on the formation and identity of first-century Judaism, I find that scholars make a lot of estimations about how life and culture worked long ago. Maybe the Jews of Jesus' day spoke Aramaic, or maybe they spoke Hebrew. Maybe Judaism was a very strict, legalistic system. Or, maybe it was full of grace and facilitated the understanding of God as a loving Father that Jesus taught. These sorts of academic estimations are part of the game. It makes me wonder how scholars of the 27th century will try to reconstruct daily life in the Canadian prairies.

Take, for instance, our winters. Five months of snow, sun dogs, blizzards, frozen batteries, mittens, ice rinks, and sub-zero temperatures. Maybe that's an unfair list, but they are definitely elements of winter. But suppose at a certain point in history, global warming does away with our frigid part of the year. What if, by the middle of the 22nd century, winter has seen its last snowflake, and November-March becomes an extended Autumn and slow transition to Spring. Suppose no one has seen a snowflake in many generations, and natural ice becomes a thing of legend. "Your great-great-great-great grandfather was a hockey player. He had an ice rink outside his house where he and his friends would play for hours. They called it 'scrimmage'."

I wonder if, perhaps, historians would negotiate on the actual whiteness of the snow, or quibble on how cold it really felt, or if the winters were really five months long. What effect did sub-zero temperatures, apparently dropping as low as -45C, have on the common combustion engine? Was hockey really a common pastime, or is that only a generalization? There is certainly evidence of many ice rinks in the Canadian prairies: archaeologists even unearthed what appears to be a "Zamboni," though its precise function and pronunciation is still a cause of great debate among historiomechanists.

Once in a while, usually through the reading I do for Seminary, I ponder the great expanse of time that separates us from truly understanding some of the events and people that have shaped the understanding of the world, and of ourselves, that we hold today, and I get to thinking about (admittedly ridiculous) things such as these. Anyway, while history's ever-advancing charge allows, enjoy the mundane, the normal, and even the winter.