Where do you open your Bible to first…when life is chaotic? when sin is threatening to destroy you? when God feels far away? When you’re looking for words of comfort and healing?
Did the Book of Ezekiel come to mind first? (Yeah, me neither.) But maybe it should.
Too often neglected for its strange and graphic imagery…too often misunderstood in its historical and literary context…too often dismissed as inaccessible to ordinary Christians in everyday life…the Book of Ezekiel nevertheless stands as a powerful monument to the most foundational themes in Scripture: judgment and grace; death and new life; feeling like a stranger and an exile in this world, and longing for a heavenly home.
In this series of studies in Ezekiel, we’ll emphasize:
- Depth – This is not a survey course. Rather than briefly highlight all the major content in this long book, we’ll instead focus on a few key passages and themes.
- Breadth – Emphasis will be placed on connecting Ezekiel to other books in the Bible. Unfortunately, Ezekiel frequently is studied in isolation from the rest of Scripture, and grouped only with the other “strange” books (Revelation, the second half of Daniel, etc). The broad and important themes of Ezekiel defy such a narrow approach. This course will highlight the connections between Ezekiel and the rest of Scripture, spanning from Genesis through Moses and the Prophets, the life of Christ, the Epistles, and yes, Revelation too.
- Application and Discussion – By focusing on a limited number of passages, we’ll give ourselves the opportunity to discuss in depth and, by God’s grace, to apply Ezekiel’s words to our hearts and lives. We’ll see how God spoke through Ezekiel to proclaim his gospel, both to the original audience of Israelites in exile and to Christians today.
Please consider joining us as we open this underused but (surprisingly?) relevant book.
This class will be taught by Daniel McFarlane and will run from April 17th – July 10th, every Sunday at 9:45am in the Fellowship Hall.