The fall of the city of Jerusalem presented something of a problem, especially to those who believed that God’s presence in the most holy place in the Temple was a sure guarantee that the place would never be overthrown. They remembered Isaiah’s words, uttered more than a century earlier, when he declared that Jerusalem was Zion’s city and must stand forever. For Jeremiah, Isaiah’s words meant very little: God’s dwelling place now was in human hearts rather than in a specific geographic place in the Temple. While this idea is not entirely absent in the Book of Ezekiel, the prophet nevertheless believes that God’s presence is located in the Temple more than in any other place. How then could the Temple be destroyed so long as God’s presence was in it? According to Ezekiel, God’s presence would have to leave the Temple and rest on a hill outside; it was only then that the Temple would fall.
In the chapters dealing with foreign nations, Ezekiel has one predominant message: These nations are subject to God’s laws, the same as the Hebrew people. That foreign powers may not have recognized God’s sovereignty, that does not alter their fate in the least. Ultimately, they will be destroyed, which will take place in order that “they will know that I am the Lord.” Although God is, in Ezekiel’s mind, a universal God, this universality does not mean that God stands in the same relationship to the foreign nations as he does to the people of Israel. In this respect, Ezekiel’s views are decidedly nationalistic. God punishes the Israelites in order to teach them a lesson that they have refused to learn in any other way. But in the case of foreign nations, punishment is not meant to teach a lesson that will bring about their conversion. With them, the coming destruction is to be final and does not anticipate any reformation on their part. With reference to the Israelites, something quite different will happen: God will transform them by putting his own spirit into their hearts. This restoration will include both the people of the northern kingdom and the people of Judah. In the famous vision of the valley of dry bones, Ezekiel proclaims a complete restoration of the whole house of Israel. The Israelites will return to their own land and rebuild the kingdom that was overthrown, and God will dwell in their midst forever. The final destruction of all foreign nations is described as an event that will take place when the vast armies under the leadership of Gog and Magog attempt to capture the restored city of Jerusalem. At the crucial moment when victory appears near for the invaders, God will intervene and completely destroy all of their forces.
The last eight chapters of Ezekiel contain a description of the restored state as envisioned by the prophet. The Temple will be built outside the main part of Jerusalem, constructed in such a manner that will make it possible to keep out those persons and objects that might contaminate the holy place in which God will dwell. At this point in the text, Ezekiel introduces a distinction between priests and Levites in order that only qualified persons should enter the Temple, even for the purpose of keeping it clean. The highest official no longer will be the king but rather the high priest, thus indicating that political affairs shall always be made subordinate to religious considerations.
Ezekiel has often been called the father of Judaism. His influence on the future development of Israel’s religion was, at least for several centuries, greater than that of any of the other prophets. His conception of holiness, which stands in sharp contrast to Isaiah’s, became dominant in the period that followed his people’s return from Babylonian exile. For Ezekiel, holiness was a quality present in both things and people. Holy objects would be profaned whenever anything common or unclean was brought into direct contact with them, a belief that led to a sharp distinction between the secular and the holy and gave new meanings to such items as the observance of dietary laws, payment of tithes, and observance of the Sabbath. Violation of any of these rules would constitute a profanation of that which was holy or sacred. This interpretation of rules and regulations pertaining only to the Israelite religion served to strengthen the spirit of nationalism and thus to increase the antagonism that already existed between Jews and non-Jews.
Ezekiel’s conception of the final triumph of the Israelite people over all their enemies and the complete destruction of foreign nations contributed much toward the development of the religious doctrines that played such prominent roles in the religion of post-exilic Judaism. The idea that the whole human race is divided into two classes, known as the righteous and the wicked, and that the righteous can be identified as the ones who live in strict conformity with all of God’s laws, while the wicked are those who do not obey these laws, is derived from Ezekiel’s teachings. Although this position was not accepted by all the post-exilic Jews (in fact, some parts of the Old Testament were written for the specific purpose of refuting it), nevertheless this doctrine appealed to a large number of people and served to characterize, in a general way, the attitude of late Judaism.
Ezekiel’s plans for rebuilding the Temple and reorganizing the state were carried out to a considerable extent when the exiles returned to their own land. The high priest, rather than a king, assumed the greatest responsibility in political and religious affairs. The use of servants and foreign slaves to do menial tasks in the Temple was discontinued; only those people who belonged to the tribe of Levi were permitted to enter the Temple for this purpose. In earlier times, the entire tribe was regarded as having been set apart for the priesthood, but now only a select group within this tribe was allowed to officiate in the Temple’s services.
The spirit of Ezekiel’s work determined to a very great extent the character of the religious life of the people during the centuries that followed his teachings. His influence is notable in the code of laws known as the Holiness Code, found in Leviticus chapters 17–26, and in the lengthy and detailed set of laws known as the Priests Code, now regarded as one of the four main narratives included in the Pentateuch — the first five books of the Old Testament. His work provides a basis for continued debate, even in our own time. More on that next week after a brief interlude to reflect on our Sunday scripture readings tomorrow.