The people must recognize that what is happening to them is due to God’s direct involvement in history. They are the cause of God’s punishments (Ez. 14:23). In this, Ezekiel is in the tradition of the prophets who analyzed the present and announced God’s punishment, hoping that knowledge of the consequences would bring about a change of course, repentance. The difference with his prophesying is that being in exile in Babylon, God’s punishment is already taking place. His message, therefore, does not include the possibility that the expected future may not happen. This is a significant shift toward a deterministic understanding of history. God insists, “I will do it; I will not go back; I will not spare; I will not repent” (Ez. 24:14). What God has determined for the future will take place; he does not change his mind. God’s current punishment of his people was already set in God’s designs. Therefore, rather than to announce possible future punishments, Ezekiel justifies God’s current punishment. A different historical moment calls for a different explanation of what God is doing.
The transition from a corporate, or a tribal identity to an individual one makes it necessary for Ezekiel to give detailed descriptions of how a person is held accountable for his conduct. Contrary to what happened at Ai, where Israel suffered a defeat on account of the greed of Achan, if “a land sins against me,” God tells Ezekiel, “even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness; … they would deliver neither sons nor daughters; they alone would be delivered, but the land would be desolate” (Ez. 14:14-16). No amount of previous covenant-keeping will save from punishment those who abandon the ways of the Lord. On the other hand, a person who has been in rebellion against God but who turns and follows the way of the Lord will be saved from punishments (Ez. 14:12-20). Like Jeremiah, he quotes the proverb declaring that the sins of the fathers will be visited on their children, only to declare that this proverb no longer applies. Unlike Jeremiah, he goes to some lengths elaborating on how this new situation affects real life (Ez. 18:5-29).
On the basis of the tensions between the former understanding of corporate identity and the new understanding of personal identity, the people are complaining that “the way of the Lord is not just” (Ez. 18:25, 29; 33:17-20). Ezekiel is very much concerned to disprove this accusation. Besides, the Exile of the people of Israel to Babylon is being interpreted by all the neighboring nations as a demonstration of the weakness of their God. Ezekiel, therefore, considers his main responsibility to both prove to the people in exile that their punishment is amply deserved, and to the surrounding nations that the God of Israel is not weak. In his defense of God’s power and justice, Ezekiel gives extreme demonstrations of God’s anger, fury and wrath. God’s sovereignty rules not only over Israel but also over all neighboring nations. Connected to this apologetic interest is a pervasive historical determinism. Everything that happens is the direct result of God’s personal control of events according to his eternal will.
One of the most objectionable demonstrations of the idolatry prevalent among the Jerusalemites was the offerings of their sons and daughters in sacrifices to foreign gods (Ez. 16:20; 20:31; 23:37). This, of course, was one of the obvious reasons why they are being punished by God. Ezekiel knows well, since he is also a priest and very much in favor of cultic rituals, that among the commandments there is one asking for the sacrifice of the first-born to Yahveh (Ex. 22:29; Num. 3:13). Apparently, Ezekiel thinks that the reason why the people were sacrificing sons to Moloch (Lev. 18:21), and women were wailing to Tammuz (Ez. 8:14), was that they were performing these sacrifices in the same way in which they had been doing them to Yahveh. There is no lack of evidence that in Babylon the Jews had adopted syncretistic practices. From this, Ezekiel comes to the conclusion that the law requiring the sacrifice of babies to Yahveh was one of his “bad laws” (Ez. 20:25-26). He then explains the reason for these bad laws. God had given these laws to bring about their misapplications once the people rebelled against him. Thus their sacrifices of the firstborn to foreign gods were also foreordained by God’s total control over history. This shift to a radical determinism running the course of history, which even prevents God from repenting of a previous decision, is certainly a step toward the apocalyptic world view. As an aside, it may be noted that Jeremiah also witnessed the sacrifices of firstborns. His reaction was to deny that God had ever given a law asking for them; such a law had not even ever entered his mind (Jer. 7:31). The evidence, however, supports Ezekiel’s acknowledgment of its existence.
Another move toward the apocalyptic perspective is the way in which in Ezekiel the prophet introduces himself as one under “the hand of the Lord” in the “land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar” (Ez. 1:3). Rather than to receive a “word of the Lord,” the priest Ezekiel sees a stormy wind with great brightness and fire. In its midst he sees “the likeness” of four living creatures with human forms that sparkled like burnished bronze. They had four faces, four wings, straight legs and feet like the sole of a calf’s foot. Under their wings on all four sides they had human hands. They were able to fly in all directions without turning, always straight forward in relation to one of their faces. One face was that of a man, another that of a lion, yet another that of an ox and the last one that of an eagle. From the center of the four creatures, fire and lightning flashed out. Looking further, Ezekiel sees a large wheel in which there were four wheels, each being within a wheel. The spirit of the four living creatures was in the wheels, which allowed them to move in every direction, sideways, backwards and forward, upward and downward (Ez. 1:4-21). Above the living creatures there was “the likeness” of a firmament, and over it “the likeness” of a throne like sapphire, and seated upon the throne “the likeness” of a human being. This being was engulfed upwards and downwards in the brightness of gleaming bronze and fire, much like the rainbow that shines on a rainy day. Such was “the likeness” of the glory of the Lord (Ez. 1:22-28).
This is a fantastic vision of the glory (throne) of God. From the throne, Ezekiel receives his commission to become “a watchman for the house of Israel” (3:17; 33:7), and to produce a scroll containing “lamentation and mourning and woe” (Ez. 2:10). When told to eat the scroll, he discovers that it is sweet as honey (Ez. 3:3-4). Scrolls with descriptions of what is to come shortly became a common feature of apocalyptic texts. Their origin and their content, however, varies in these texts. Later on, in a section that repeats some of the details of the original vision by the river Chebar, readers learn that the Spirit took Ezekiel on a tour of the temple in Jerusalem by lifting him and setting him up in space between heaven and earth (Ez. 8:3). Taking the visionary to the heavenly realm in a tour of either heavenly or earthly realities (Ez. 8:3 -10:22) became a standard feature of apocalyptic literature.
As already said, Ezekiel is concerned to demonstrate that what both the exiles and the neighbors of Israel are saying is not true. Specifically contradicting their charges, Ezekiel insists that the God of Israel is all-powerful and that his ways are just. He supports his contention by giving detailed descriptions of God’s anger, fury, wrath and jealousy in accord with retributive justice (Ez. 5:13-17; 36:5-6). These attributes will be displayed both against the rebellious people who complain that God’s ways are not just, and against the nations who dismiss him as a weak god. As a result of his exhibitions of anger, fury, wrath and jealousy, both his people and the peoples of the surrounding nations “shall know I am the Lord” (Ez. 6:7, 14;12:20; 13:23; 14:23; 16:62; 17:21; 20:12, 16, 38, 42; 21:4; 24:24; 29:21; 32:15; 33:29; 36:23; 37:14). This claim is the leitmotiv of the book. At the moment, the Lord is being dishonored. His name, however, will be vindicated. After the God who has absolute control of history has punished not only Israel, but also Ammon (Ez. 25:2), Edom (Ez. 25:12; 35:2), Philistia (Ez. 25:15), Tyre (Ez. 26:2), Sidon (Ez. 28:22) and Egypt (Ez. 29:3) no one will be accusing the God of Israel of being weak and unjust. Both the broad descriptions of God’s anger and its international reach anticipate apocalyptic expressions of delight with the demonstrations of God’s wrath. Special punishments are to fall upon the Pharaoh of Egypt by the hand of the Babylonians who, God explains, “work for me” (Ez. 29:20). Apparently, God’s special anger toward Egypt is due to Israel’s tendency to doubt God’s ability to provide security, and to rely on Egypt for it. This flames up God’s jealousy; therefore, he will take care that this never happens again (Ez. 29:16). Also to be understood is that God will punish all the surrounding nations not only to avenge their enmity toward Israel, but for his own sake (Ez. 20:9, 14; 36:22, 32). Both in Israel and among the nations, people are saying that God is weak and unjust; he has been dishonored.