A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns

Even the Babylonians misunderstood the prophesying of Jeremiah and thought of him as
their ally. As a result, the prophet was allowed to live in the city even after the final deportation
of captive Jews from the land. Jeremiah remained in Jerusalem, but only for a short time. After
the assassination of Gedaliah, he was forced by rebels who had hidden out in the hills to go with
them to Egypt. According to a Jewish legend, Jeremiah took the ark of the covenant and buried it
under the temple, or buried it in the hills, or took it to Egypt. Some rabbis believe Jeremiah will
return at the appearing of their Messiah and give Him the jar of hidden manna in the ark as an
authenticating sign. This may have been the background behind the claim of Jesus, “I am the
Bread of Life.”
Jeremiah spent his remaining days in Egypt. After the fall of Jerusalem, Jeremiah
continued to preach. He predicted the conquest of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 43:8-13), the
fall of the Philistines (chap. 47), Moabites (chap. 48), Ammon (49:1-6), Edom (vv. 7-22), Syria
(vv. 23-27), Kedar and Hazor (vv. 28-33), Elam (vv. 34-39), and Babylon (chaps. 50-51). The
prophet who had shed so many tears for his own people looked forward to the day when those
tears of sorrow would become tears of joy as the people returned to the land and came to
appreciate the faithfulness of their God.
FORTY-SEVEN
EZEKIEL:
Visions of the Glory of God
(Ezekiel)
The name Ezekiel means “the man God strengthens,” and the book that carries the name
of this prophet tells us little of his life. It contains mostly his messages and predictions; however,
glimpses of Ezekiel’s life shine through his prophecies. His father Buzi had a Gentile name, but
was Jewish, of levitical descent. Perhaps the non Jewish name of his father implies he was not a
practicing priest, but Ezekiel overcame this barrier and became a priest (Ezek. 1:3). Most
commentators think he was a practicing priest because of his familiarity with the temple and its
practices (cf. chaps. 40-48) and because he predicts the high-priestly character of the coming
Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Jehovah describes Ezekiel by using the expression “Son of man” ninety-one times in this
book. It suggests he is a representative man who would receive God’s message and transcend
mere Judaism with a message to those in ages to come who will believe in Jesus Christ, who
called Himself “Son of Man” seventy-nine times.
Ezekiel was thirty years old when he was called to be a prophet. The combination of the
prophetic and priestly office is not accidental. Whereas these offices were separate, Ezekiel was