Ezekiel 17 -
Reflections
Chapter 17: this a bit confusing. the eagles, followed by the reference of Babylon. As I read it, it feels like both information are not syncronised. yes, I get that Babylon is one of the eagles, and Israel is the branch, but I don't get is whose loyalty is God asking Israel to show to, Babylon? or himself. And whoever is the 2nd eagle?
Ezekiel chapter 14:
Reflection
Chapter 14
I noticed 1 thing. God was definitely angry. unhappy and pissed off that the leaders, not the people, but the priestly leaders have idols in their hearts. and are still coming to him for council. But instead of rejection or removing them, ignoring them, he says, get your hearts right first. remove your idols, repent, then only come to me, and he shall return. That was forgiveness in its most pure form that I see.
Next part was about the punishment, the price that comes with sin. especially sins that is of such a huge magnitude. He also clearly outline his 4 disasters when people put him aside: Sword-> killing, Famine -> finance, wild beast -> not sure what it represents but I think removal of safety, and pestilence -> sickness. how many of these are present in our neighborhood?
Chapter 15:
I don't get it... why "your father is an ammonite and your mother a Hittite" is used in reference to this chapter. I shall consult my more knowledgable friends on this.
Ezekiel 13
Reflection:
I spoke with a friend today asking for clarity about Ezekiel, and he said it's about judgment. the whole thing, the whole time, especially the front is about God's judgment. there were certain things he brought up, and I didn't fully understood the severity of it, until I thought back. But now that I am writing it, I understand the severity of God leaving his temple, completely departing from it, signaling abandonment of Israel. what I feel dangerous about myself is while I process it intellectually, I do not seem to have any resonance to this information on an emotional level. I used to, but for some reason, I don't at the moment. Like... am I not scared enough?
Also, He mentioned Ezekiel is a very angry prophet. He called Israel prostitutes. Finally, I asked him about the cherubim, and he answered, they were the angel guarding the garden of eden. they are like heralds
Ezekiel 9- 12
Reflection:
Ok, I am probably too ENFP to really like this book. it feels to stoic, non emotional and too factual and straightforward. But it's also a book with a lot of prophecies, so I will muscle through it.
Chapter 9: why is the mass killing needed? so according to the study bible, the killing was actually done by the angels of the lord. But 1 angel was set aside to protect the chosen group. the group that remained faithful. That group was spared from the killing spree. so the question then I have is, is it a vision? or is this the moment where Ezekiel was looking at the sacking of Jerusalem through the spiritual lenses?
Chapter 10: Through out Ezekiel so far, there has been a lot of mention of the cherubim. I do not know what is its significance. it's like some bizarre weird creature that God created. not in the most amusing either. The feeling I get is like something weird like this doesn't really seem to be inline with the perception I have. this one? this is like some kind of greek mythology. Chapter 10 describes the creature to some deeper detail. How it looks, how it moves, etc. Weird.
Ezekiel 1-7
Chapter 1 is the most bizarre weird stuff I ever read. no clue what is going on here, and no clue what is its relevance. it's like watching a weird monster/ creature suddenly appear. only difference is that it is harmless/benevolent.
Chapter 2: Something that is very unique here, the calling of Ezekiel is very graphic, very unmistakable. In comparison to modern times that such kind of graphic callings would have been regarded as abnormal. Logic and reasoning would have rendered it undoable. Whereas back then, the mind was still relatively infant, so these kind of communications weren't an issue. Gaining knowledge seems to have become a deterrent in getting to know God.
Chapter 4-6: There's a contrast, a different tone from Jeremiah. Jeremiah spoke to the leadership mostly, and had a very emotional tone to it. But Ezekiel? Ezekiel is kinda weird. it felt like he is speaking to the masses instead of leadership. Also, there's a very stoic tone to the way he speaks. it's like he is living in his own world. The way God communicates with him is also not emotional. Very logical in fact. There's a feeling of very little Ne/Ni, and a lot of Se/Si function stack being used in this communication.
Chapter 7
And this contrast of communication method can be seen in chapter 7. Jeremiah's messages are always emotional (not sure if this is a style that is needed when talking with the Kings) but Ezekiel..... his style is blunt. flat, with no hidden lines. Not to mention, also very detailed.
Jeremiah 39- lamentations 6
The last bits of the book of Jeremiah is like judgment day reading. Reading something so ancient, yet now already knowing all those cursed nations are already wiped away. As someone who knows history, we can attest that the nations cursed in Jeremiah are gone. Ok, but apart from the history lesson of the ending to Jeremiah, I don't pick up anything new from it.
Lamentations also didn't caught my eye, the only thing I noticed is the chronological order oh how God brought suffering due to the nation being disobedient, and then followed by more judgment that looks severe in the form of degeneration of people. People degrading themselves, destroying themselves. The self destruction attitude is actually the "God leaving people alone part" the punishment part. instead of using weapons and swords to kill of which now is seen as merciful, the real punishment is letting sin corrode the person inside out. As Lamentations chapter 6 recorded bits of it, kind women boiling their children alive. Now that is an alarming piece to read.
Reflections: I think I shall not read the bible at night anymore. it was very hard to absorb anything.
