Week 33, August 9–15: Colossians 1–4; Ezekiel 1–18

• Sun      Aug 9  Col. 1–4
• Mon     Aug 10 Ezek. 1–3
• Tue      Aug 11 Ezek. 4–6
• Wed     Aug 12 Ezek. 7–9
• Thu      Aug 13 Ezek. 10–12
• Fri        Aug 14 Ezek. 13–15
• Sat       Aug 15 Ezek. 16–18   

Colossians is another letter Paul wrote from prison. He addresses the Christians in Colossae as the “saints and faithful brothers in Christ” and commends them for their faithfulness (Col. 1:2). His real emphasis, however, as is typical for Paul, is relentlessly God- and Christ-centered. His positive message to the Christians is more about thanking and praising God for his faithful, powerful work than it is about praising those he is writing to. “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” he says to open Colossians, “since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints.” (Col. 1:3–4)

He goes on to encourage them and exhort them to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord by keeping their eyes fixed on Christ Jesus, the preeminent Son of God. Colossians contains some of the Bible’s richest language praising Jesus and proclaiming his divine character and saving work.

One key theme running through Colossians, as well as 1–2 Thessalonians, is the focus on a mind set on heavenly and future realities. The gospel is the good news of what God has done in Christ, and it is also wonderful news of a promised future we wait for with eager expectation and hope. As we look back on Christ’s death and resurrection and forward to his second coming, we can live life now with joy and peace knowing that his promises are sure. He is accomplishing his purposes in us and in the world, and those purposes will come to full fruition on the last day.

Colossians encourages us to look to the risen Christ and see our own resurrection as an already-not-yet reality too. We are to “seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Col. 3:1–4)

We move from this short NT letter back to the prophetic book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a prophet and a priest who was called by God to speak for God to the people of Israel and Judah during the time of their exile. Ezekiel was taken from Judah in one of the earlier waves of deportation to Babylon, sometime before the destruction of Jerusalem and the final stage Judah and Jerusalem’s destruction and the exile to Babylon. The book of Ezekiel begins in the fifth year of the Judahite king Jehoiachin’s exile (see 1 Kgs 12–15) and with Ezekiel’s firsthand account of a vision of God’s glorious presence.

The genre of literature here, where we read of Ezekiel’s vision, is referred to as apocalyptic literature. This genre typically depicts realities that could only have been known by God’s own revelation. We see similar depictions in Daniel and the book of Revelation in the NT. Apocalyptic literature is unusual, mysterious, even outlandish. It paints fantastic pictures of heavenly scenes, using imagery that is hard to imagine.

In fact, this is the point of such imagery. The other worldly creatures, and especially the visions of the Lord himself, are things that cannot be fully captured using the categories of human language and thought. When Ezekiel, or Daniel or John, sees these revelatory sights, they do the best they can, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to communicate what they saw. They use limited human vocabulary that includes descriptions of creatures, body parts, and other objects our finite minds can grasp. We are meant to read this and understand that the heavenly reality is similar but also not precisely or literally the same as what is being described. Ezekiel is conveying a glorious revelation, and it should elicit a sense of wonder and awe as we read.

Within this apocalyptic framing to open the book, Ezekiel’s prophetic message is a word of judgement against the people of Israel. God calls Ezekiel to speak for him to the “people of Israel, to nations of rebels… a rebellious house.” He is to deliver this message whether they will listen to his words or not (Ezek. 2:1–7). He is to say to them, “Thus says the Lord,” and then proclaim whatever message God gives him. And even before he goes and speaks these words from the Lord, God tells Ezekiel the people will not listen to him. For they are not willing to listen to God, “because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart.” (3:4–7)

Nevertheless, the Lord will strengthen his prophet to continue speaking. He has made him a watchman to call out warning and to urge the people to repent. Ezekiel’s unrelenting message from the Lord is that judgement is coming, Jerusalem’s destruction is imminent, and a full exile from the land is an impending and unstoppable reality.

As we read through this book it can be discouraging. Much of it is about judgement and God’s righteous wrath in response to the idolatry and sin of his people. We may be tempted to respond by relegating Ezekiel (and perhaps other OT books) to a status of less valuable or less relevant for us as Christians. We could find ourselves slipping subtly into thinking Ezekiel is written for another people back then, and that it has little bearing on our lives today. After all, we now live under the new covenant, after Jesus’s first coming. But that line of thinking would not be consistent with what we believe about the Bible. We believe all Scripture is God’s word and profitable for our instruction and edification (2 Tim 3:16).