“In
ancient Israel walls were built around cities, and towers were erected in key
places along the walls. Watchmen, or lookouts, kept watch in these towers day
and night to warn the people if an enemy came. A watchman’s responsibility was
great, because if he was negligent, his sloth could cost the lives of others.
“The
Church today stands in a position to see the enemy and how he works, because
they have living prophets who speak for God. They are therefore called by the
Saviour both to warn the wicked and to protect Zion. Thus the Lord refers to
His authorized servants today as watchmen upon the towers (see Isiah 62:6;
Ezekiel 33:2-9; D&C Student Manual p 239-240)
In
Section 101 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord extends a warning of
destruction that will come upon all nations in our dispensation but ‘all who
are found upon the watch-tower shall be saved’ (v 12).
One
of my favourite Old Testament prophets was Ezekiel. He was called to be ‘the watchman
upon the tower unto the House of Israel’, who were the exiles in Babylonia, for
a period of twenty-two years, from 592 to 570 (see Guide to the Scriptures). We
are about to study this period of Israel’s captivity and the calling of Ezekiel,
a prophet who can reduce you to tears. Through him, Jehovah extended the
promise of forgiveness and restoration of all former blessings to Israel. He
was the bearer of hope.
Ezekiel was
a contemporary of Jeremiah and Daniel. Whereas Jeremiah was a prophet sent to
Judah's kings and leaders soon to be conquered and Daniel, a prophet sent to
preach to the conquerors, Ezekiel was called of God to be "a watchman unto
the house of Israel" in captivity (Ezekiel 33:7). He was a priest of the
family of Zadok and was carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar during the
second siege of Jerusalem around 597 B.C.
As a prophet
called to preach to the exiles and captives, the Lord laid upon him an immense
burden of calling to repentance what He constantly referred to as "a
rebellious house" and an "impudent and hardhearted people"
(Ezekiel 2:4-7; 3:6-7). The house of Judah had become so wicked that the Lord told
Jeremiah: “Don't pray for them or try to make intercession for them for I will
not hear you." (Jeremiah 7:16-18). Considering the Saviour's immensely
merciful character, it would have taken a lot for Him to say this. Judah was
ready for destruction and so Jerusalem was sacked by the Chaldeans three times
before Christ and by the Romans in 70 A.D. decimating the kingdom and scattering
the Jews throughout the world.
Nebuchadnezzar,
the king of Chaldeans (Babylon), had hoped to subdue the kingdom of Judah
twice and requested they pay him homage but the kings of Judah would
not submit and instead sought political alliance with Egypt, something that
Jeremiah warned them not to do. By the third siege Nebuchadnezzar had had
enough. He built a wall around Jerusalem so no one could escape and no supplies
could be brought in. The siege lasted 18 months. The starvation of the people
was so severe they resorted to cannibalism. By the time Nebuchadnezzar had
finished, Jerusalem was levelled to rubble.
Ezekiel was
shown in visions all the perversions of the Jews and the winding up
scenes of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. So horrendous were his visions that they
made him weep. Following his visions the Lord instructed him to teach the
people in exile of what was happening in Jerusalem through the most intricate
object lessons. No internet for him to make things easier..... The first
eleven chapters of Ezekiel speak of these object lessons and the horrors that
befell Jerusalem. In these eleven chapters Jehovah says “ye shall know that I
am the Lord” 17 times. It makes for heart wrenching reading....
The most
fascinating lesson that lies within the chapters of Ezekiel is that the Lord
did not turn His back on the house of Judah in captivity and left them
alone to suffer the consequences of their sins. He ensured their exile would
bring them to the point of repentance. He proved through Ezekiel that His mercy
will always step in to save His chosen people and that His constant focus is to
"bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39).
So effective
was Ezekiel’s teaching that the Jewish people never again returned to
idolatry. It was in exile that Judah remembered their God and became overzealous
for His laws. It was a great turning point in Israel's religious life. Unfortunately,
in becoming overzealous, they also became ‘stiff-necked’ with their adherence to
the convoluted law of Moses so they ‘looked beyond the mark’ and missed the Messiah
when He came among them. And we all know the result of that.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
