Bible Fiber

Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset on October 2nd and concludes at sundown on October 4th. Tonight, Jewish families around the world will gather for the start of their High Holiday season. Now that we live in Miami, this is the first time my kids have been in a public school that has off for Rosh Hashanah. 

I hope Christians will open your hearts about how we can incorporate the themes of each holiday into our own month. And also, how we can love and serve our hurting Jewish neighbors a year out from October 7th. 

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Because my mind always holds thoughts of biblical Israel together with concerns over modern Israel, I am struck by the relevance of Ezekiel’s Oracles Against the Nations. The prophet’s words to the exilic community of 587 BCE still resonate with those in Israel today.
When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God. (Ezek. 28:25-26)

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Our focus this week is on Ezekiel 24, the dramatic climax of the book. Until now, Ezekiel’s message has served as an ongoing alarm for Jerusalem’s impending punishment. For five years, Ezekiel used every strategy in his prophetic playbook to communicate his message: oracles, visions, sign-acts, riddles, parables, songs, rhetorical questions, history lessons, and laments. By cataloguing Jerusalem’s sins, he established the city’s guilt and validated the need for divine intervention. Yahweh’s patience had run its course. 

Judgement day fell on January 15, 588 BCE. Ezekiel received an oracle from the Lord at the same moment that Nebuchadnezzar’s army closed in on Jerusalem’s walls. 

Chapter 24 also tells the tragic story of the death of Ezekiel's wife, and God's command that Ezekiel not publicly mourn her. 

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Chapter 23 continues the lewd allegory that began in Chapter 16. Both feature the covenant people’s unfaithfulness through graphic marriage metaphors. Chapter 23 rivals Chapter 16 in its pornographic imagery and R-rated content. Guaranteed, neither chapter makes it into many sermons or Bible studies.
Chapter 23 continues the lewd allegory that began in Chapter 16. Both feature the covenant people’s unfaithfulness through graphic marriage metaphors. Chapter 23 rivals Chapter 16 in its pornographic imagery and R-rated content. Guaranteed, neither chapter makes it into many sermons or Bible studies.
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This week I am interviewing Ted Wright! Ted Wright is the founder and Executive Director of EpicArchaeology.org. He has a B.A. in Anthropology & Archaeology from the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State University, and a M.A. degree in Christian apologetics from Southern Evangelical Seminary. 

For over a decade, Ted has been a speaker on Christian apologetics as well as Biblical Archaeology across North America & internationally. One of the super cool things he is doing is currently working as field assistant, photographer, and videographer for the “Agri Regional Archaeological Survey” in Eastern Turkey, co-sponsored by Andrews University and Istanbul University. In fact, Ted just got back from Mount Ararat (Yes, you heard that right….Noah’s Mount Ararat) yesterday. We talk all things Mount Ararat, ancient flood epics, and glacial moraines at 13,000 feet.

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In this episode, we explore Ezekiel 22, offering unique insights into the religious life of Judeans during the Babylonian exile. 

Key points to look forward to:

• Gain an insider's view of the exiled community's spiritual atmosphere
• Discover Ezekiel's harsh critique of Jerusalem's sins and their consequences
• Explore powerful metaphors of metallurgy used to describe God's judgment
• Understand the prophet's role in reframing the mindset of the exiles
• Learn how this chapter helps explain the fall of Jerusalem from a theological perspective

Whether you're a biblical scholar, history enthusiast, or simply curious about ancient prophecies, this episode promises to offer fresh perspectives and thought-provoking analysis. Don't miss this opportunity to deepen your understanding of the Bible and its historical context!"

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In our study of Ezekiel 21, I go over the complex tapestry of Ezekiel's fire and sword oracles. The prophet uses vivid imagery as he foretells Jerusalem's impending doom and God's judgment on surrounding nations. Ezekiel is a big believer in bringing his message to life!

From cryptic allegories to stark warnings, this episode explores:

-The connection between divine fire and sword prophecies

- Ezekiel's struggle with his audience's skepticism

- The fate of the righteous and wicked in times of judgment

- The downfall of Jerusalem 

- God's ultimate justice for Babylon and Ammon

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This week we are studying Ezekiel 20. Through parables, fables, laments, allegories, and riddles, the prophet spent the previous five chapters undermining the exiles’ ingratitude and blame shifting. However, Ezekiel must have grown tired of delivering opaque messages (20:49). In Chapter 20, Ezekiel broke from a long streak of metaphorical language and finally delivered a straightforward history lesson. By recasting their history from God’s viewpoint, Ezekiel’s overview contrasts Israel’s chronic rebellion with God’s persistent mercy. 

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This week we are reading Ezekiel 19. God instructs the prophet to “raise up a lamentation for the princes of Israel” (19:1). Hebrew lamentations, or funerary songs, are a common style in the Old Testament. Often sung at gravesides, traditional laments praised the admirable qualities of the departed and mourned their loss. When King David heard of Jonathan’s death on the battlefield, he composed a sorrowful lament acknowledging their strong bond (2 Sam. 1:25-27). Lamentations is an entire book composed of songs mourning the destruction of Jerusalem. Laments also pop up in the Psalms. Thanks to Bob Marley’s 1977 track “By the Rivers of Babylon,” biblical laments have even made their way into pop culture.

Hebrew poets composed laments with a particular poetic meter with musical qualities that do not come through in English translations, but Ezekiel’s audience would have recognized his style immediately. What they may not have comprehended was the essence and underlying meaning of his lament. Unlike classical laments that focus on personal or communal suffering, Ezekiel 19 uses entirely allegorical language. Rather than focusing on the virtues of the departed, it emphasizes the vices of the deceased. 

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This week we are parsing Ezekiel 18, the prophet’s extended theological sermon on individual responsibility and divine justice. We can divide Ezekiel’s message into two themes. First, individuals will not face judgment for the sins committed by their ancestors, nor will God credit them for the righteousness of their ancestors (18:1-20). Second, God judges everyone based on their current faith and obedience status, not the sins of their past (18:21-32). He is willing and ready to forgive those who sincerely repent.

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