Ezekiel and Daniel.
Ezekiel.
The Prophet. His name means "God will strengthen". He was a priest and
was carried into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar. B. C. 597. He had a home
on the river Chebar where the Elders of Judah were accustomed to meet.
His wife died in the ninth year of his captivity. He was a man of very
powerful intellect and apparently from the better classes of those
carried into captivity. He is less attractive than Isaiah and less
constant in the flow of his thought than Jeremiah. He is not so timid
or sensitive as Jeremiah but has all his horror for sin and all of his
grief, occasioned by the wickedness of his people and the suffering
which they endured. In his boldness of utterance he was not surpassed
by his predecessors.
Nature of the Prophecy. The nature of the prophecy or the methods by
which he exercised or manifests his prophetic gift differs from that
of the other prophets. He does not so much predict as see visions of
them. Allegories, parables, similitudes and visions abound, some of
them symbolic of the future and others of existing facts and
conditions. The prophet remains on the banks of Chebar and in spirit
is transported to Jerusalem and the temple. Much of the book is in
character similar to Revelation and while the general subjects are
very plain, much of the meaning of the symbols is obscure. There are,
however, powerful addresses and eloquent predictions of Divine
judgments on the nations. It was probably due to the services of
Ezekiel that Israel's religion was preserved during the exile.
The Main Aspects of his Teaching. (1) Denunciation of Judah's sins and
the downfall of Jerusalem, Chs. 1-24. (2) Judgments upon foreign
nations, Chs. 25-32. (3) Repentance as a condition of salvation,
18:30-32. (4) The glorious restoration of Israel, li:16ff; 16:60ff;
27:22-24; 20:40ff; Chs. 33-48. (5) The freedom and responsibility of
the individual soul before God. 18:20-32. (6) The necessity of a new
heart and a new spirit, 11:19: 18:31; 36:26.
Condition of the Jews. (1) _Political and social condition_. They are
captives living in Babylon but are treated as colonists and not as
slaves. They increased in numbers and accumulated great wealth and
some of them rose to the highest offices. (2) _The religious condition
or outlook_. They had religious freedom and in this period they
forever gave up their idolatry. They sought out the books of the law,
revised the cannon, wrote some new books and perhaps inaugurated the
synagogue worship which became so powerful afterward.
Analysis.
I. Ezekiel's Call, Chs. 1-3.
1. Preliminary vision, Ch. 1.
2. The call, Chs. 2-3.
II. The Destruction of Jerusalem, Chs. 4-24.
1. The siege and certain judgment of the city, Chs. 4-7,
2. The condition of the city and the sins of the people, Chs. 8-19.
3. Renewed proofs and predictions of the doom of Judah and
Jerusalem, Chs. 20-24.
III. Predictions against Foreign Nations and Cities. Chs. 25-32.
IV. Prophecies concerning the Restoration, Chs. 33-48.
1. The restoration of Judah to the promised land, Chs. 33-39.
2. The Messianic times, Chs. 40-48.
For Study and Discussion. (1) The condition, the particular sin and
the judgment promised upon each of the nations mentioned-has the
prediction been fulfilled? (2) The duties and responsibilities of a
preacher as illustrated by Ezekiel's watchman, Ch. 33. (3) The vision
of dry bones. Ch 37. (4) Judah and Israel under the figure of an evil
woman, Ch. 23. (5) The healing river, 47:1-12. (6) The teachings about
the Restoration, in the following passages: 36:8, 9, 29, 30, 34, 35,
25-27; 37:1-14; 24:11-24; 37:22; 26,27; 43:11-12. (7) The symbols and
types of the book.
Daniel.
Name. The name is taken from its leading character, Daniel, which
means "God is my Judge."
Author. It was very probably Daniel, though some think it may have
been one of his companions, and still others think the history may
have been gotten together and written about 166 B. C.
The Date. The date then would have been between the captivity, 605 B.
C., and the death of Daniel, 533 B. C., perhaps late in his life, or
if by some other (which I do not think likely) about 166 B. C.
The Prophet. He was probably born in Jerusalem and was one of the
noble young captives first carried into captivity by King
Nebuchadnezzar. He was educated by order of the king and soon rose to
great favor and was chosen to stand before the king in one of the
highest government positions under the Chaldean, Median and Persian
dynasties. He lived through the whole period of the captivity and
probably died in Babylon. It is said that not one imperfection of his
life is recorded. The angel repeatedly calls him "greatly beloved."
World Empires of the Book. (1) _The Babylonian Empire_ (625-536 B. C.)
with Nebuchadnezzar as the leading king and the one who carried Israel
captive. (2) _The Persian Empire_ (536-330 B. C.) which became a world
power through Cyrus, under whom the Jews returned to Jerusalem. (3)
_The Grecian Empire_, which, under the leadership of Alexander the
Great, subdued the entire Persian world. (4) _The Roman Empire_, which
was anticipated by and grew out of the Syrian Empire.
Purpose of the Book. The purpose of the book seems to be: (1) To
magnify Jehovah, who delivers his servants, who is God of all nations,
and who will punish idolatry, who is pure, righteous, etc. (2) To
encourage his countrymen to resist the forces that threaten the
foundation of their faith. This was done by the example of Daniel and
his companions whom Jehovah saved. (3) To give a prophecy or vision of
all times from the day of Daniel to the Messianic period. (4) To
outline the religious philosophy of history which would issue in a
great world state, which the Messianic King would rule by principles
of justice and right, and which would subdue all kingdoms and have
everlasting dominion. The main idea is the ultimate triumph of the
kingdom of God. As compared with former prophetic books there are two
new teachings. (1) Concerning angels. (2) Concerning a resurrection
from the dead.
Analysis.
I. Daniel's History, Chs. 1-6.
1. His youth and education, Ch. 1.
2. Interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's image dream. Ch. 2.
3. In the fiery furnace. Ch. 3.
4. Interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's tree dream, Ch. 4.
5. Interpretation of the hand-writing on the wall for Belshazzar,
Ch. 5.
6. In the Lion's den, Ch. 6.
II. Daniel's Vision of the Kingdom, Chs. 7-12.
1. The four beasts, Ch. 7.
2. The ram and the he-goat, Ch. 8.
3. The seventy weeks, Ch. 9.
4. The final vision, Chs. 10-12.
For Study and Discussion. (1) Make a list of the various visions of
Daniel and become familiar with the contents of each. (2) Make a list
of all the passages that refer to the fact of Daniel's praying and
point out some of the specific prayers with their answers. (3) Point
out the different attempts to overthrow or kill Daniel and tell the
cause, by whom he was opposed and how he escaped. (4) Make a list of
the different symbols such as the lion and learn the description given
of each symbolic animal. (5) Point out the several decrees made by the
different kings and learn what led to the decree, how it affected
Daniel, how it bore upon the worship of the people of his nation, how
it affected the worship of Jehovah, etc. (6) The difficulty and
possibility of right living in bad surroundings. (7) The openness of
Daniel's conduct. (8) The elements of strength of character displayed
by Daniel. (9) The inevitable conflict between good and evil.
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