God reveals to Ezekiel that four deadly acts of judgment are coming upon Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild animals, and pestilence (vs. 21). Moreover, even if three righteous persons like Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the land, they would only be able to save themselves through their righteousness. Salvation would extend to no one else, not even their sons and daughters.
Many questions have been asked about the specificity here of Noah, Daniel, and Job (vs. 14, 16, 18 and 20). Why are these three mentioned? Is "Daniel" the same as the prophet Daniel with the biblical book that bears his name? As I looked into what biblical scholars think of these issues, I see a lot of unresolved issues and various opinions. Much seems unsettled.
My own personal belief is that Ezekiel does have in mind the biblical Daniel. Why he included a contemporary of his, I do not pretend to know - but then again, I've never understood why prophets do the things that they do! These three men do share something noteworthy in common. Each has a unique tale to tell of being supernaturally saved through the Lord's providence: Noah from the flood, Daniel from a den of lions, and Job from his sufferings. These three men all know what it is to be delivered from disaster by the hand of God.
In one sense, however, all this speculation is but a side issue, because the real point of Ezekiel's message is that even incredibly holy people could only ever spare themselves from destruction. And, of course, there is no way they could earn eternal salvation through their own righteousness. Someone much greater (read: divine) would be needed to achieve salvation for not only Himself, but also for others, to say nothing of being able to extend it to the world world. That's why our Savior is neither Noah, Daniel, nor Job, but Jesus Christ!
No comments:
Post a Comment