Judges
(Samuel) Saul David Solomon
United Monarchy
Divided Kingdom
Northern Kingdom (Israel)
Southern Kingdom (Judah)
1050 B.C.—beginning of the Monarchy (Kingship)
1011 B.C.
971 B.C. Babylonian Exile
End of Southern
Kingdom (Judah)--
Post-
Exilic
Key Dates in Israel’s History of the Kingdom
c. 1000 B.C.—David’s Reign
931 B.C.—Division into 2 Kingdoms
721B.C.—End of
Northern
Kingdom
(Israel)
586 B.C.
Return from Exile -- 538 B.C.
Josiah
640-609
- 620
- 610
- 600
- 580
- 590
- 570
- 560
Jehoahaz
609 (3 months) Jehoiakim
609-598 Jehoiachin
597 (3 months) Zedekiah
597-586
Babylonian
Exile
586-539
589 Revolt against Babylon 588 Jerusalem Besieged 586 Jerusalem Destroyed
& 3rd Deportation
582 4th Deportation
---593 Call
(chs. 1-3)
573 Temple Vision (chs. 40ff.) - - -
571 Last dated prophecy (ch. 29) - - -
Judah: end of 7th – beginning of 6th Centuries B.C.
604 1st Deportation to Babylon (Daniel)
600 / 599 Judah Revolts
597 2nd Deportation to Babylon
E
z
e
k
I
e
l
597 B.C. (deportation of Ezekiel to Babylonia)
2 Kings 24 (NIV) 8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem
three months. 10 At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon advanced
on Jerusalem and laid siege to it, 12 Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his attendants,
his nobles and his officials all surrendered to him. In the eighth year of the reign of the
king of Babylon, he took Jehoiachin prisoner. 14 He carried all Jerusalem into exile: all
the officers and fighting men, and all the skilled workers and artisans—a total of ten
thousand. Only the poorest people of the land were left.
“Jewish Exiles in Babylonia” in Holman QuickSource Bible Atlas. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2005. p. 226.
http://oneyearbibleimages.com/nebuchadnezzar.jpg
593 B.C. (Ezekiel’s Call to be a Prophet)
Ezekiel 1 (NIV) 2 On the 5th of the month
—it was the 5th year of the
exile of King Jehoiachin
[= 593 B.C.]— 3 the word of the LORD came
to Ezekiel the priest,
the son of Buzi,
by the Kebar River
in the land of the
Babylonians.
Ezekiel 3 (NIV) 15 I came to the exiles who
lived at Tel Aviv
near the Kebar River.
And there, where they were
living, I sat among them . . . “Jewish Exiles in Babylonia” in Holman QuickSource Bible Atlas. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers,
2005. p. 226.
Ezekiel
► Dates of his Prophecies:
593 – 571 B.C.
► Location of Prophesying:
in Exile in Babylonia
at Tel Abib by River Chebar (Kabaru canal near Nippur)
[presumably taken into exile in 597 B.C.]
► Social Status:
of priestly lineage (but cannot serve as such in Exile)
► His Immediate Genealogy:
son of Buzi (but nothing is known about Buzi)
http://cc.cumberlandcollege.edu/acad/rel/hbible/HebrewBible/images/EZEKIEL2.GIF
Ezekiel ► But no other personal
information is known about
Ezekiel,
except that he was married
(see 24:15ff. that refers to her
death)
* Prophetic Books are always
focused on recounting the
Content of the Prophetic Word
(the Messages),
and never on giving us details
about the Prophet
(the Messenger)
http://cc.cumberlandcollege.edu/acad/rel/hbible/HebrewBible/images/EZEKIEL2.GIF
Josiah
640-609
- 620
- 610
- 600
- 580
- 590
- 570
- 560
Jehoahaz
609 (3 months) Jehoiakim
609-598 Jehoiachin
597 (3 months) Zedekiah
597-586
Babylonian
Exile
586-539
589 Revolt against Babylon 588 Jerusalem Besieged 586 Jerusalem Destroyed
& 3rd Deportation
582 4th Deportation
---593 Call
(chs. 1-3)
573 Temple Vision (chs. 40ff.) - - -
571 Last dated prophecy (ch. 29) - - -
Judah: end of 7th – beginning of 6th Centuries B.C.
604 1st Deportation to Babylon (Daniel)
600 / 599 Judah Revolts
597 2nd Deportation to Babylon
E
z
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586 B.C., after a 1½ year siege,
the Babylonians captured
the city of Jerusalem
-- burned it & the Temple,
and took the majority of the survivors
into Exile
--thus ending the Southern Kingdom of Judah
Book of Ezekiel: Structure
Chs. 1-24 Chs. 34-48
Pre-586 B.C. Post-586 B.C.
1:2
-3 J
uly
593
3:1
6 A
ug
59
3
8:1
Sep
t 592
20:1
Au
g 5
91
24:1
Ja
n 5
88
33:21 Jan 585
40:1
Ap
ril 573 Ch. 33
De
str
uc
tio
n o
f J
eru
sa
lem
Ch
s.
25
-32
Ora
cle
s A
ga
ins
t
the
N
ati
on
s
26
:1 A
pril 5
87
29:1
Jan
587
29:1
7 A
pril 5
71
30:2
0 A
pril 5
87
31:3
Ju
ne 5
87
32:1
Marc
h 5
85
32:1
7 (M
arc
h) 5
85
1) Chronological Sequence based on Dated Prophecies
Egypt
2) Thematic Grouping of the Oracles against the Nations (chs. 25-32)
Book of Ezekiel: Structure
Chs. 1-24 Chs. 34-48 ►Pre-586 B.C.
►Post-586 B.C. ►Messages of
Judgment ►Messages of
Restoration
Ch. 33
Destr
ucti
on
o
f J
eru
sale
m
Ch
s. 2
5-3
2
Ora
cle
s A
ga
ins
t th
e N
ati
on
s
ch
s.
1-3
Ezek
iel's V
isio
n &
Ca
ll
ch
s.
4-7
Sig
n-A
cts
&
O
racle
s o
f Ju
dg
men
t
ch
s.
8-1
1 V
isio
n o
f
J
eru
sale
m's
Sin
&
Ju
dg
men
t
ch
s.
12-2
4
Sig
n-A
cts
&
O
racle
s o
f Ju
dg
men
t
3) Thematic Movement: from “Judgment” → to “Restoration”
Popular Expectations which
Ezekiel’s prophecies were addressing
Prior to 586 B.C. (Fall of Jerusalem)
People’s Expectation, Hope, & Held Conviction:
● Exile would end very soon
with a return of the Exiles to Judah
● God would in some way defeat the
invading Babylonians
& thus deliver Jerusalem
● God’s Presence was assured with His
People because of the Temple
in Jerusalem
► Expectations were based on a “solid” Theological Foundation,
referred to as “Popular Theology”
The “Popular Theology”
that Ezekiel’s prophecies were countering
1) Popular theology →
focused only on the promise aspect
of the relationship with God
Covenant
Popular Theology:
► God’s Covenant with his
people was unbreakable,
irrevocable
∴ God was bound by the
covenant to ultimately
Bless His people
& God would always Deliver his
people
Ezekiel: ► God’s Covenant could be
(temporarily) broken & was severed
because of the people’s worshipping
other gods
► God’s Blessings were contingent
upon the people’s obedience
∴ Since the people had violated the covenant, God was bringing judgment
upon them
& unless they repented,
the destruction would be complete
1) Popular theology →
focused only on the promise aspect
of the relationship with God
Land
Popular Theology:
► God had irrevocably
promised the Land to his
people (Promise to Abraham)
∴ God would never allow the Land to be conquered by an
enemy,
or allow the people to be
permanently exiled from the Land
Ezekiel:
►Possession of the Land
was Contingent upon the
People’s Obedience
∴ God was about to remove the People from the Land
(Exile) & the Land would be
desolated by the Babylonians
because of disobedience
The “Popular Theology”
that Ezekiel’s prophecies were countering
1) Popular theology →
focused only on the promise aspect
of the relationship with God
Jerusalem & Temple
Popular Theology: ► Jerusalem was God’s chosen
city (Promise to David)
► God’s Presence permanently
dwelt in Jerusalem in the Temple
∴ God would never allow the city or the Temple to be destroyed,
but would always deliver it
(“Inviolability of Zion”)
Ezekiel:
►God’s protecting Jerusalem
& God’s continued Presence
was contingent upon the people’s
obedience to God
∴ Jerusalem & the Temple would fall, be destroyed, & be abandoned,
since God was withdrawing his
presence from the Temple,
thus allowing it to be destroyed,
because the people were worshipping
other gods
The “Popular Theology”
that Ezekiel’s prophecies were countering
1) Popular theology →
focused only on the promise aspect
of the relationship with God
Kingship Dynasty of David
Popular Theology: ► The line of David was divinely
chosen as a dynasty
(Promise to David)
∴ God had ensured a descendent from the line of David would always
ruled over Judah
∴ The Davidic Kingship would always exist,
Meaning, also, the Political entity of
Judah would never cease to be
Ezekiel:
►God’s Promise to David could
be interrupted by the people’s
disobedience to God
∴ because the people were worshipping other gods,
the king would be taken captive
into exile, & there would no longer
be a Davidic king in Judah
The “Popular Theology”
that Ezekiel’s prophecies were countering
2) Popular theology →
because God had delivered in past,
he was expected to do so in the present
The “Popular Theology”
that Ezekiel’s prophecies were countering
1) Popular theology →
focused only on the promise aspect
of the relationship with God
3) Popular theology →
resulted in false sense of hope that God would
deliver, protect, let nothing catastrophic
occur to HIS people in the present situation
● by giving the theological explanation
for the impending judgment,
through repeatedly citing the people’s Covenant
Transgressions,
which showed that the People deserved
the declared punishment
● by stressing the certainty & extensiveness of that judgment,
which would be carried out by the Babylonians,
who were the human instruments God was using
to execute the punishment
against His People (Judah)
Ezekiel’s Pre-586 B.C. Messages
Persuasive Purpose:
► attempted to remove the “false” hopes
of a soon return from exile
& of a deliverance for Judah / Jerusalem
based on the people’s “Popular Theology”
