GREAT THEMES OF EZEKIEL - ElectronicGospel

8. What was Tyre’s strength (Ezekiel 26:1-21)?Tyre was the great seaport of Phoenicia and a commercial center nearIsrael’s northern border. Judah had been a trade link between Tyre andArabia, but with her out of the way, Tyre could enrich herself further.9. What was her downfall?Once an impregnable islet, Tyre would fall just as she had watched Judahfall to Nebuchadnezzar, and would never be rebuilt.10. Describe the similarities between the prophesied falls of Tyre and of“Babylon the Great” in Revelation 18.Both were merchant cities that helped others become wealthy, but whowould be destroyed by God for their immorality and persecution of hispeople.11. What comprised the perfect beauty of Tyre (Ezekiel 27:1-11)?Tyre’s perfect beauty was in its wealth, infrastructure and military alliances.It was the essence of her pride, soon to be reduced to rubble.12. To what does the prophet liken Tyre’s demise (Ezekiel 27:12-36; seeespecially verses 25-27)? Which of the seven churches of Asia Minor heldsimilar views about itself (Revelation 2-3)?Tyre was overloaded with pride and wealth and would sink because of theburden. The church in Laodicea was similarly proud of its riches, wealth,independence and influence, but Christ straightened them out.13. What was the sin of the prince of Tyre (Ezekiel 28:1-10)? How do greatriches inflate a man’s pride and self-estimation today?He elevated himself to the level of deity and his heart was lifted up becauseof his great riches. Rich people today can become just as proud and viewthemselves as gods in business or government or entertainment, until theyare humbled and brought low.14. What is described in this lamentation (Ezekiel 28:11-19)?The downfall of the proud king of Tyre is described here and there is noevidence that the passage describes the fate of the devil, but rather usesallegory to mark out the king’s sin.15. What is the last of six nations to be punished according to this section ofScripture (Ezekiel 28:20-26)? What would become of the Jews afterward?After Sidon and the others would be punished, God would restore arefreshed Israel to rebuild her homeland and to wait for the Messiah.16! JEFF S. SMITHLesson 5: Metaphor, Allegory, ParableText: Ezekiel Chapters 15-17Judah is compared to a wild, uncultivated vine and an adulterous,ungrateful bride before being confronted with a parable of two eagles.1. God, perhaps shockingly, compares Judah, not to the cultivated vine ofthe vineyard as elsewhere in the Old Testament, but to the wild vine of theforest (Ezekiel 15:1-8). What is the implication? Why was God judging andburning this devolved vine?God was deflating the pride of the Jews by comparing them unfavorablywith the heathen whom they scorned. Judah was guilty of unfaithfulness.2. To what does James compare unfaithfulness to God (James 4:1-5)?James compares spiritual unfaithfulness to marital infidelity.3. What point did Paul make when returning to this theme of wild andcultivated vines (Romans 11:11-25)?Paul was addressing the Roman Christians, who as Gentiles were graftedinto the cultivated Jewish vine, but cautioned against pride that would causethem likewise to be cut out and burned just the same.4. What was Judah’s moral genealogy (Ezekiel 16:1-5)? What transitiondoes he describe in Judah (6-14)?God says Judah was fathered by the Amorite and mothered by the Hittite,indicating that she was no better morally than the heathen she displacedfrom the land of Canaan. God took her in as a foundling child until she grewup and became his bride.5. What made Judah beautiful? Where is the glory of the church–in ornatearchitecture, pious rituals, societal approval or elsewhere? Where (Ephesians3:21, 5:27)?Judah was beautiful because God bestowed splendor upon her, as he doesthe church through his presence.GREAT THEMES OF EZEKIEL! 9